"I'm sorry, Shun." - Ren said with a guilty look at his friend. This was the third time Shun had managed to get into scoring position, and as the batter right after him, Ren knew it was his responsibility to drive Shun in. Unfortunately, he hadn't been able to do that so far in this game.
"Huh? Why on earth are you apologizing? Just get it right next time..." - Shun said, a bit irritated by his friend's downcast state. He understood very well how good Imai was, and seeing that Ren had tried his best to hit Kasuga's ace, Shun would never complain. However, seeing Ren with his head down and apologizing was not something Shun wanted to see in this game.
"Alright..." - Ren muttered as he watched Shun enter the dugout. Deep down, Ren wanted Shun to scold him for not getting a single hit so far, but Shun's response made Ren clench his fists tightly.
(26)