Chapter 8

Short Summary
Kojima continues to chop wood in the days leading up to the rematch, but injures his wrist. Tokuchi is challenged to a game of darts in a bar.

Long Summary
Konisaki is shocked to learn that Kojima has betted his career against Tokuchi. Kojima points outs that if he can’t beat a single gambler in a game, how can he expect to do something as big as win the baseball championship?

The day before his rematch with Kojima, Tokuchi’s at a Pachinko machine in a bar. A customer, named Terry, violently attacks the bartender, then turns to Tokuchi and asks him how he aims his pitches so well. Tokuchi tells him it’s not a matter of skill, but that Terry lacks the mental strength to get the ball where he’s aiming. He calls Terry a violent drunk, and Terry challenges him to a game of darts and says he’ll break his arm before Kojima does if they don’t all hit the middle.

In the wilderness, Kinosaki watches as Kojima chops wood, and comments that it’s harder than it looks. Kojima says he’s chopped 952 pieces and will have gained the mental strength to beat Tokuchi when he reaches 1000. He tells Konisaki to have faith and that he’ll definitely win.

Tokuchi successfully gets two darts to hit the middle of the board and Terry gets angry, about to interfere with his last throw. Tochuki’s final dart comes close to hitting him, but lands in the bullseye. Terry says he didn’t want his ‘cheap-ass arm’ anyway.

Kojima is on his final piece of wood, and swings the axe down when he sees a butterfly has landed on the wood. He swerves his aim at the last second, but injures his wrist from the sudden movement, which will severely affect his batting when he goes up against Tokuchi.