The freezing wind of January bit through our jackets as we huddled together near the entrance of the school office. It had been several months since we first cleared the rocks from our makeshift field. We had practiced through the autumn and the early winter but we were still just a group of kids playing on a patch of dirt. To enter the upcoming spring tournaments we needed to become an official school club. That meant we needed a faculty advisor and today was our only chance.
"Are you sure she is back today?" Nobu asked while rubbing his gloved hands together.
Wakana nodded and her breath came out in a white cloud. "I checked with the office. Eiko-sensei is returning from maternity leave today. She used to be very kind so if anyone will listen to us it is her."
The doors finally opened and a woman with a gentle expression and a thick scarf stepped out. She looked a bit tired but she smiled when she saw the crowd of boys and one very determined girl waiting for her. Before she could even take a step toward the parking lot we all dropped into a deep bow.
"Please be our baseball club advisor!" we shouted in unison.
Eiko-sensei blinked in surprise and she took a half step back. "Wait a second. I just got back. A baseball club? I thought this school only had a tennis team and a soccer club."
"We built the field ourselves, Sensei!" I said as I stepped forward with my usual energy. "We have been training every day since summer. We want to be official but we cannot do it without a teacher. Please we do not have anyone else to ask!"
She looked at our red faces and our calloused hands. She seemed to be thinking it over as she looked at each of us. "I should warn you all right now. I know absolutely nothing about baseball. I do not know the rules and I certainly cannot coach you on how to throw a ball."
"That is fine!" Nobu yelled. "We just need a name on the paperwork!"
Eiko-sensei laughed softly and she adjusted her bag. "Well I did take a series of advanced first aid courses during my leave so I can at least patch you up if you get hurt. If you are okay with an advisor who only knows how to use a bandage and an ice pack then I suppose I can help you."
We cheered so loudly that a few birds took flight from the school roof. Within three days the paperwork was processed and we were no longer just the rebel team. We were the official Nagano High School Baseball Club.
✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧
The next few weeks were a blur of activity. Now that we were official, Eiko-sensei took her job more seriously than we expected. Even though she did not understand the game she was excellent at organizing. One afternoon in late February she walked onto the field while holding a small notebook.
"Listen up everyone!" she called out. "Since we are a real club now you need to see where you stand. I reached out to a school in the next town over. They are also a small program and they agreed to a friendly match this Saturday."
The field went silent. We had been playing against ourselves for so long that the idea of a real opponent felt surreal.
"A real match?" Wakana asked while tightening her grip on her glove. "Against another high school?"
"It is just a practice game." Eiko-sensei said with a smile. "They are not a powerhouse school but they have more experience than you. It will be a good way for us to learn what a real game feels like."
When Saturday arrived the tension was thick. A bus pulled up to our small field and a group of players in clean blue uniforms stepped out. They looked at our makeshift dugout and our hand raked dirt with skeptical expressions. As they began their warmups I could hear their whispers.
"Is this the team that built their own field?" one of their players asked while pointing at our tires. "It looks more like a construction site than a baseball court."
"Wait, look at their shortstop." another boy whispered as his eyes widened.
Wakana was standing near second base and she was taking ground balls with a focus that was terrifying. She moved with a fluid grace that none of us could match. The boys from the other school stopped their stretching and just stared at her.
"No way" one of their outfielders muttered with a clear tone of jealousy. "They actually have a girl on the team? And she is actually cute?"
"That is not fair." his teammate replied while looking annoyed. "We spend all day staring at each other and these guys get to have a girl in the dugout. I bet they do not even take the game seriously."
I felt a spark of anger in my chest but I kept my cool. I looked at Wakana and she just adjusted her cap as if she had not heard a word they said. She looked at me and gave a small nod. She was ready to show them exactly why she belonged on that dirt.
The umpire walked to the home plate and gestured for the captains. The other team lined up and their players were still stealing glances at Wakana while looking frustrated that their own school did not have the same setup.
"Line up!" I barked and my team scrambled to the foul line.
We bowed to each other and the sound of our voices echoed against the mountains. The sun was pale in the winter sky but the heat coming off the field was real. I walked toward the pitcher's mound and I felt the weight of the ball in my hand. This was the first time the world would see what the Nagano rebels could do.