I understand why Minori is so different from other girls. Once class was done today, she told me to wait on the entrance. A lady named Inês would be waiting for us. She also made me promise to not be scared of Inês, because she is like her sister, and you should treat siblings with respect. I agreed.

Waiting for Minori's sister, I spied on Kei's conversation with his friend. Most of us use the bus line, so I have gotten the chance of getting closer to them. Kirin and his brother were on the stop too.

I was about to ask Kirin if he was alright, but a large shadow distracted me. A commanding voice asked who among all kids went by the name of Yeonwoo. I smiled by instinct. I think I was scared by the tone, but they pronounced my name right. That made me happy.

With one hand, Inês raised me from the ground and greeted me. She said good things were said about me in the Yasuda household.

By the time Minori got to the entrance, Inês had already placed me in the car and adjusted my seatbelt. Although Minori's sister seemed rude at first, I do not think she is a bad person.

Minori apologized for being late. She then complained to Inês because apparently they were not supposed to drive their limousine to school. I think Minori is embarrassed of bringing such a large vehicle, when most of us ride the bus or walk home. Even though I am not rich, I was able to understand her. Some people enjoy judging those who stand out.

As we were nearing Minori's house, she changed seats next to mine and extended her leg. According to Minori, she is now as tall as me. We did not verify later into the day, but from the quick check we did by me also extending a leg, it seems Minori has grown.

Minori's house is huge. Some months ago, I read the Century trilogy by Ken Follett. Her house reminded me of the few chalets and palaces I imagined while reading that series.

Walking through her underground garage, Minori told me to pick up the pace. She wanted to show me the sport outfit she had chosen for me and her. She also told Inês to let her mom know that we would be ready in thirty minutes or so.

The hallways confused a little. There were old paintings that looked very expensive next to crayon drawings. There was even an armor next to a tall fashion doll. I later asked Minori if the doll was hers. She cleared my doubts. The doll belonged to Inês.

Minori led me to a room, and closed the door as she left to the room right in front of mine. On the bed, she had put some sport clothes she wanted me to use for baseball practice.

I was feeling the quality of the shorts, because they were more comfortable than any other pair I had worn before. Then, I heard weird noises coming from the wall. They sounded like someone shouting. I was about to put my ear on the wall, but Minori knocked on the door.

When I saw Minori with her sport clothes, I forgot about the question I wanted to ask about the voice on the other room. I had never seen her in something different from a uniform. It made me feel strange.

On the backyard, I met Minori's mom Haruna. She was taller than Inês. And Inês is taller than any other adult I know. But Minori's mom is less scary than Inês.

We started with throwing and catching the ball between Ines, Minori and I. Throwing the baseball is not so hard, but when you have to catch it, many things have to be calculated very fast so you can guess when to jump and how many steps to take forward or backward. I failed catching the ball many times.

Minori teased me by throwing the ball far away. I ran towards the ball the fastest I could, and when I jumped and I thought I was about to catch it, Minori's mom grabbed it first. She recommended me to work on the way I pivot when running. The way I was doing it, I was being too slow. I thanked her. She smiled.

I still wanted to have my revenge, so I threw the ball as hard and as high as I could, expecting Minori to give up. However, Minori simply told Inês to "please" bring the ball back, and Inês ran faster than a electric scooter and jumped as if she was jumping from a trampoline. She catched my fast ball very easily. Minori laughed at my reaction.

We decided to at least give the bat a try, so Minori's mom gave Minori and I one each. I told Minori that this time she could not ask help from Inês, because it was not fair. Minori said that I was in the wrong, because in the real world teammates are supposed to help each other. I then asked why could I not have a teammate too.

When Minori's mom heard me say this, she ran behind me, and put a hand on my shoulder. She assured me she would be my teammate. Inês seemed intimidated, but maybe I imagined things.

The first ball Minori threw at me, I slightly brushed with the bat, so at least the ball bounced off. The first ball I threw at Minori, she sent it upwards, but not back at me. I thought it was incredible that she could throw it so high up.

On Inês' turn to bat, I saw her grab the bat tightly. Minori's mom was smirking at her, and Inês did not look pleased. The ball Miss Haruna threw at Inês was faster than a rhinoceros. I looked at Minori with worry, but she was laughing.

I closed one eye because I did not want to see Inês get hurt, but she just hit the ball with a loud 'CLANK', and the ball started to fly in the opposite direction. This time it was probably faster than a gazelle.

As Minori's mom got ready, she asked me to walk a few steps back. Inês was serious. She did not smile, bluff or frown. The ball in the direction of Miss Haruna approached faster than a motorcycle.

When the bat hit the baseball, this one just exploded, like a balloon. The baseball flew for maybe a second, and then it went "BOOM". I fell to the ground, sitting. When I asked my dad later at night if he has ever seen a baseball explode, he thought I was joking. My dad does not believe me.

Minori then asked to have her mom throw the ball at her. She said she can do better than Inês. Inês laughed very loudly. Minori's mom giggled. But Minori was determined.

The way Minori intercepted the baseball, I thought it was almost professional. The ball did not go into space or collapsed, but considering that the throw of Miss Haruna was speedier than Musain Volt, the fact Minori hit it back with grace, it was amazing.

Motivated by Minori's hard work, I asked Inês to throw me a ball too. For a second, I considered her throw could be just as fast as the one she used against Minori's mom, but I really wanted Minori to see I could also improve, so I ignored my fancy second thoughts. When Inês noticed I was not joking, she shrugged her shoulders, trying to hide a smile.

I should have listened to my doubts, because the baseball that came my way, was like something I have never seen. Really, it was something I did not see. Now that I have time to consider all that happened earlier in the day, I can not imagine the baseball after it left Inês hand, and that is because I can not imagine how the ball left her hand in the first place.

According to Minori, and as confirmed by Inês herself, the ball was two meters away from my forearm, and I had not even started moving a muscle. When Minori saw this, she screamed. I did hear her screaming.

I realized no ball was coming my way the moment I heard a window break. A hole the size of a baseball confirmed that's where the ball had gone. I first looked at Minori, happy. Very fast I soured my own mood, when I felt the bat still on its initial position. Then, the voice I had heard at Minori's room where I changed clothes. It was less noticeable, but it was the same voice.

Minori put her hands on my shoulders and asked if I was alright. I nodded, but my eyes were still fixed on the broken window, where I could see a silhouette moving, almost banging the window. Inês started walking to the kitchen door. Minori's mom made a sound with her mouth that resembled a "TCH".

At first, hearing my question, Minori laughed looking away. When I said the name "Osamu", her expression changed. Miss Haruna rubbed one of her fingers against my cheek. Minori asked me if I thought she was weird.

I admitted that at beginning when she did not talk that much, I thought she was weird. However, after getting to know her, I understand that Minori is simply unique in comparison to other people in school. I told her that she is very ingenious and a fun person to be around. So no, I do not think Minori is weird at all, because that would mean I dislike Minori, which is false.

Miss Haruna laughed with her head tilted backwards. Minori pushed my face away from hers, speaking on a tone that was softer than normal. I asked her again if the person in the window was Osamu.

Minori coughed and sighed. She said that that voice did in fact belonged to Osamu, one of Kirin's friends who had helped out in putting me on a dress and kicking me during recess. The way Minori recalled that day, I felt a bit ashamed, even though it was all true.

Minori explained that some people never change unless you use persuasion tactics with meticulous planning, that results were already in full display in the form of Kirin and his brother, who were back to school as new reformed students. I understood why Kirin was wearing a cast at school.

Miss Haruna chimed in to ask me whether I disapproved of Minori taking initiative to defend a friend of hers, and whether I would do the same for her, if she ever needed my help. Her voice was sweet and caring. I took a few seconds to reflect on the question.

I told Minori's mom that if somebody ever tried to harm Minori, I would do everything I can to stop it. It had been a while since that day when Kirin and his group bullied me, so I had had time to think about what Minori had told me right after. The truth was, just like I had felt towards Yuto when he was still in school, I also wanted to stand up for Minori. I tried to convey these feelings to Miss Haruna, who nodded every time I put emphasis on something.

Minori grabbed me by the wrist and asked me if I wanted to let Osamu go. From the kitchen door, Inês and Osamu walked towards us. Osamu looked unharmed, but his shirt was covered in dust. He seemed to be crouching a lot, almost as if he wanted to be ignored, which somehow was proving a success, as he almost appeared to be shorter than usual. I looked at Osamu for a few moments.

Even if Osamu was the person I disliked the most out of Kirin's group, for all the bad influence I can only imagine he has had on Kirin, the truth is, I do not know much about Osamu. My mom always says that unless you have talked face-to-face, alone, with someone, you basically only know the face of a stranger, and nothing else. I told Minori that Osamu should be let go. His parents must be worried, I concluded.

Miss Haruna disputed my claim, by noting that, on the contrary, Osamu's parents were very appreciative of the disciplinary action taken with their son, and that if that was my primary reason for favoring peace, then I should reconsider. Although Minori's mom did not bring up solid evidence, her tone reminded me of someone sincere. I went silent for longer than usual.

If Osamu's parents were in agreement with punishing their son, why should I not? Before Osamu arrived to school, Yuto, Kirin, his brother, and I, all four of us, would play together in recess. Those were fun times. A short while after Osamu's arrival to school, Kirin and his brother became distant. On occasions, I have blamed him for breaking our friend group.

I cried about this once to my mom. I told her I really hated Osamu. My mom slapped me very harshly that evening. She has never slapped me like that, before or after. According to my mom, you don't ever hate people. When I thought about my mom, I sighed, and turned my head to Minori.

Upon hearing my confirmation to let Osamu go, she pushed gently on his back, and Osamu ran away. Miss Haruna told me to cheer up, because apparently I had been very brave by forgiving someone who was not completely remorseful. I replied by mentioning that my mom also thinks people who forgive are very brave. Minori's mom chuckled.

Inês carried a table to the backyard, and Minori brought along some cups. They asked me if I wanted to stay a bit longer. Minori's mom had made carrot cake. The offer pushed away my negative emotions, so I was happy to accept.

Eating the cake made by Miss Haruna, we talked about school, about the upcoming trip our class was going to have to see Minori's dad playing at the capital's stadium, about my parents, and about future baseball lessons. Overall, even if Minori's family stands out among other families, they made me spend a great afternoon, for which I am grateful.

When my parents came to pick me up, I ensured to thank Miss Haruna and Inês for today. My parents think Minori's house is the most expensive house of our town. Maybe they are right.