<119> Becoming a Big Star!

Chapter 119: Becoming a Big Star!

Two days after the Kanto Tournament ended, the campus was brimming with life in the morning. Students walked along the school paths, occasionally playing around, full of youthful vigor.

At this moment, a figure suddenly appeared on the campus.

"Finally got in?"

The figure looked somewhat disheveled, with clothes in disarray, covered in dust and torn in places.

"That's the guy!"

"Don't let him get away!"

Shortly after the figure appeared, several tall athletes charged over like mad.

"I've already told you guys several times, I'm a reporter!"

The reporter hadn't even finished speaking before he was escorted out of the campus by the athletes.

The students at Seidou High School seemed unfazed by the incident.

"Another crazy guy. Does he really think he can interview Furuya just by sneaking onto campus?" someone shook their head in confusion.

Previously, many students at Seidou High School weren't even aware of someone named Satoru Furuya on the baseball team. But now things were different.

In less than two months since joining the team, that youthful athlete had already become a major figure at their school.

Reporters so eager for an exclusive interview with him were even willing to climb over walls.

Naturally, the school couldn't tolerate such behavior.

Consequently, the school enlisted students from the judo club, taekwondo club, and aikido club to specifically handle these intruders.

Thanks to their efforts, Furuya's reputation spread like wildfire throughout the entire school.

Even students unfamiliar with the baseball team knew about the team's phenomenal pitcher who could throw at 155 km/h.

Not to mention, after the baseball team became the newly crowned champions of the Kanto Tournament, the school held a grand banquet in their honor.

All the students attended with deep admiration.

A member of the shogi club conspicuously wiping away tears and snot while eating remarked, "I wonder when our club will ever receive such honor?"

But they could only dream.

At Seidou High School, the baseball team's status was unshakeable by any other club.

The prestigious title of Seidou High School, the baseball powerhouse, was no joke.

From the gatekeepers and cleaning staff to the principal and even the elusive school board members, the support for the baseball team had no limits.

Meanwhile, Furuya, who was being pursued by reporters, was practicing pitching with several teammates.

"Since you were banned from pitching after the last game, this is a good opportunity to test if your pitching has recovered,"

Miyuki had already donned his catcher's gear, squatting in place, ready to catch.

Beside them were Kawakami and several first-year players, either volunteering or forcibly dragged to help out.

Sawamura was pouting unhappily, holding a speed gun to measure pitch speeds.

"I haven't even completed my own training yet..."

After the Kanto Tournament, the team had only half a day off before diving back into intense practice sessions.

Sawamura, along with the small but capable Kominato Haruichi standing beside him, had performed exceptionally well in the second string, and now they had been promoted to train with the first string.

Of course, this did not mean that they were now official first-string members. It simply meant that they could train alongside the first-string players. Whether they would truly become part of the first string in the future would depend on their performances during this period.

"I heard that Tanba-senpai is going to be hospitalized for a week?" Sawamura complained, but no one paid him any mind.

The reason they were allowed to enter the first string and train with them was partly because they were candidates and partly to help the first-string players practice.

Sawamura's complaints didn't hold much weight. To put it bluntly, this was his primary role in the first team.

"I also heard that it's quite serious. I wonder if he'll fully recover?"

Since winning the Kanto Tournament, the ambitions of the Seidou High School baseball team had become openly evident.

They aimed to make it to the finals, represent West Tokyo, and participate in the upcoming Koshien tournament.

The Kanto Tournament was merely an appetizer; reaching Koshien was the ultimate goal.

To achieve this ultimate goal, another pitcher on their team was an indispensable presence.

But now, Tanba was injured. Whether he could return to his previous form before the summer tournament remained uncertain.

This undoubtedly cast a shadow over the future of the Seidou High School baseball team.

Furuya was doing well, but expecting him to carry the entire summer tournament on his shoulders was unrealistic—even the players on Seidou High School's team knew that.

At this point, the other teammates turned their attention to Sawamura.

What does it mean when a fool has his fortune?

Without a doubt, this young man before them was a prime example. Unbeknownst to him, he had already secured a spot ahead of time.

"How enviable!"

While everyone was chatting, Furuya, with a blank expression on the pitcher's mound, threw his first pitch.

"BOOMM!!"

The white baseball whizzed out as if some unknown little monster was gnashing its teeth toward the catcher.

"Hmm, good!"

Miyuki, squatting in the catcher's position, had a glimmer of light in his eyes. It seemed that the two days without pitching had not affected Furuya's condition at all.

This was reassuring for the team.

Furuya's remarkable recovery was very advantageous for the whole team. If he could recover this quickly, adjusting his speed once the tournament began shouldn't be too slow.

"Whack!"

The baseball perfectly smashed into Miyuki's open glove.

Though he could tell the pitch was fast, Miyuki turned to Sawamura and asked, "How fast was that pitch?"

If Furuya had fully recovered, then their focus in the upcoming practice sessions might need to change.

To Miyuki's surprise, the expressions on the faces of the others who had come to help were quite peculiar.

But no one spoke up.

"What was it, exactly?"

Feeling curious, Miyuki stood up and walked over to Sawamura.

Then he looked curiously at the displayed number on the speed gun.

As soon as he saw the reading on the radar gun, Miyuki's brow furrowed instantly.

"Is it malfunctioning?"

Now he sort of understood why Sawamura and the others had just fallen silent moments ago.

To be honest, even he felt unreal upon seeing that number.

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