Chapter 7

Short Summary
Kojima spends over two weeks chopping wood in the wilderness, then finds Tokuchi to ask him for a rematch. He bets his baseball career against Tokuchi’s arm.

Long Summary
After Kojima hasn’t been seen for a week, Nakane finds his location through a local newspaper. Nakane and Konisaki find him out in the wilderness chopping wood. Konisaki tells Kojima what he’s learned about Tokuchi and his ability to perceive people’s state of mind, acquired through gambling. Kojima says he knows this and describes going up against Tokuchi as a, ‘suffocating pressure, of being slowly but surely cornered without you realising. Fear, as if he can see right through you, and read your mind throughout.’ Kojima says in order to beat Tokuchi he must blank out his mind, and this is why he has secluded himself to chop wood. He says he wants to beat Tokuchi, and has never wanted to win this much in his 21 year career.

Kinosaki and Nakene leave, and don’t hear from Kojima for another week.

Tokuchi is playing poker in a bar when Kojima approaches him. He asks Tokuchi to fight him again. Recognising asking for a rematch is discourteous after his sore loss, Kojima bets his career as a baseball player on the match. If Tokuchi loses, he can never ‘taint the sacred sport of baseball with money’ again. Tokuchi points out Kojima has no way of holding him to the promise if he loses, and Kojima says he will ‘take (Tokuchi’s) right arm’ to ensure he never pitches in One Outs again. Tokuchi accepts the bet.