Chapter 122

Short Summary
The team deliberate on whether to reveal the One Outs contract to the press or not

Long Summary
Saikawa phones up Mitamura to tell him he’s revealed the One Outs contract to the Lycaons and told them to share the information at tonight’s press conference. Mitamura is extremely angry as he’d worked hard to establish the team as unprofitable, but this information would encourage others to bid for them.

The Lycaons gather round Saikawa’s fax, unsure if it’s true. Ideguchi says he’ll ask Tokuchi himself and calls him on the phone. They can hear a woman’s voice in the background. They tell him what they heard from Saikawa and Tokuchi laughs and admits it’s true. They ask if his salary is 30 billion yen and he confirms that too. He tells them not to bother him again if it’s not related to the game and hangs up.

Several of the members are keen to reveal the information at the press conference. Kurai protests that they can’t throw Tokuchi under the bus but Fujita shouts at him, ‘who gives a shit about Tokuchi?’ Since they’re getting fired tomorrow they should worry about themselves. Kurai is surprised to hear that they’re getting fired and the others get frustrated with his cluelessness.

Kurumizawa explains to him Mitamura wants to start on the ‘team restructuring’ tomorrow. Over a sixth-month period, he’ll gather all the new players through trades, which he’s already started negotiating behind the scenes. The teams that gain the Lycaons players will then be responsible for giving them the axe. The other teams have no choice but to go along with this because if Tronpos decides to cut the whole team mid-season, the team pairing will only be five, which would be horrible news for the league. Fujita declares all this to be solely Tokuchi’s fault, which is why they should go ahead with the press conference. The other members cheer. Ideguchi tells them to hold off their decision until Kojima has learned the story so they go off to find him. Kurai hangs back and asks Ideguchi what he thinks Kojima’s verdict will be. Ideguchi replies that, without a doubt, Kojima will want them to release the information as he wishes to see the team succeed more than anyone.

Saikawa eagerly anticipates the press conference, gleefully thinking to himself of how Tokuchi and Mitamura will ‘sink’.

Kojima is shocked and saddened by the news. Fujita calls for a vote, but Kojima says he won’t be taking part. He’s an old player nearing retirement and if Tokuchi is forced to step down, he should too since he brought Tokuchi there. Imai insists he hasn’t done anything wrong and says they don’t want to get to the championship without him.

Kojima tells them they should think about why they started playing baseball in the first place; fame, or money? He himself has always just wanted to please fans. Numerous fans constantly came to their games even when they kept losing, always believing the Lycaons would one day win the championship. The championship is their dream, not his. Kojima asks the others if they understand the team’s purpose; to ‘repay the heart and devotion’ the fans have given them. If they sell out their comrade, will the fans continue to support them as they have before? Kojima leaves the room to let them decide amongst themselves.

The press conference starts, and Saikawa and Mitamura watch from their TVs. Ideguchi thanks everyone for coming. He asks if they all remember the beginning of the season; the Lycaons started off with 11 consecutive losses. Then another person joined their ‘hopeless loser team’. Ideguchi says they’ve learned a lot from Tokuchi and have gone from the bottom up to second place. He claims that since Tokuchi joined, the Lycaons have become the strongest team. He says their upcoming match against the Mariners may be their last but the Lycaons will play it at their best. The team will live on in the hearts of the fans. The press cheer and Saikawa jumps up and shouts at the TV why they didn’t mention Tokuchi’s salary.

Characters

 * Kojima
 * Ideguchi
 * Imai
 * Kurai
 * Fujita
 * Saikawa
 * Mitamura
 * Kurumizawa
 * Tokuchi Toua