It's been a while since we've heard from the narrator, but he's feeling a little bad for his little brother, Sunao, who's starting school in a few weeks. He's bummed that he'll miss out on some of the other kids' social life, but the narrator thinks it's best to wait until he starts school so that he can make friends with other kids before they start school. Sunao is a shy kid, so he can't really hang out with the older kids at school. The narrator thinks that's a good idea, since it will give him a chance to get to know other kids who aren't so shy. He also mentions that the school has another kid starting school today, and the narrator is psyched to see him. The other kid is a rookie, and everyone loves him right away. But once the team starts getting better, people start to notice that the kid doesn't have a great deal to say. So the narrator has to act like the go-between between the other guys and try to get the team back on track. The team is bummed that they're losing, but they'll be back soon.