<98> Pre-Match with Tokugawa
Chapter 98: Pre-Match with Tokugawa
"Sawamura! I heard your baseball team has been playing practice games recently and winning quite a few! That's amazing!"
"Yeah, and even some of the top teams in Nagano have requested to play practice games with us! That's seriously impressive!"
On Monday morning at school, Sawamura found himself surrounded by a group of classmates, all enthusiastically discussing Akagi's baseball team's recent streak of victories.
Clearly, their consecutive wins had become widely known.
After all, Sawamura was the team's shining star and practically a favorite wherever he went.
The baseball team's success was closely tied to him, which only made him more smug.
"No, no, it's not that big of a deal!" he said, feigning modesty, but his overly proud expression betrayed his real feelings.
"Idiot!" x2! The shout came from Sendo and Wakana, though they weren't standing together.
Sendo was rolling his eyes at Sawamura, who seemed to forget how clumsy and inexperienced he still was.
Wakana, however, had another reason.
She was glaring daggers at the girls clustered around Sawamura, clearly annoyed.
Sendo noticed her reaction and smirked to himself.
As expected.
"Ah, the sweet turmoil of youth! Well, spring has arrived, after all," Sendo thought as he watched Wakana. A hint of a smile played on his lips.
"But when will my springtime come?" Despite being completely oblivious to anyone liking him, Sendo wondered.
Sometimes, the closer something is, the harder it is to see clearly.
Eventually, the bell rang, cutting short the praises showered on Sawamura, and the teacher entered.
Sendo quickly got ready to nap, while Sawamura sat up straight, pretending to be a model student.
That said, he'd probably end up dozing off to the teacher's lecture.
"Let's begin today's lesson!"
...
"Eijun, who would've thought you'd suddenly become so popular?" Sendo teased Sawamura during lunch.
"What do you mean suddenly? I've always been popular! I have tons of friends, you know!" Sawamura protested, his words dripping with defensive pride.
"Oh, really? Well, I'm not too thrilled about it. How about we double your training today?"
"Huh? I'm sorry! Please forgive me, Coach-sama!" Sawamura practically begged, nearly falling to his knees.
"Hahaha!"
"Ugh! You just like picking on me!"
"By the way, the fried chicken is great today, Takada! And the tempura too! Your aunt's cooking skills are amazing! No wonder I can't get you to lose weight!" Sendo quipped, immediately turning his attention to another source of frustration.
"Hehe…" Takada scratched his head sheepishly.
Ever since Sendo brought a box of meat for the team, they'd started a tradition where someone would bring a dish to share during lunch.
Today, it was Takada's turn, and he brought fried shrimp and tempura. This tradition had only strengthened the bond among the team members.
"Hehe…?" Sendo mimicked, poking Takada's belly. "I swear, I'll get you to slim down! If you had run faster yesterday, that hit would've been a double! You're holding the team back!"
Takada, trying to fend off Sendo's hand, flailed his arms in protest. Being rather plump, Takada was ticklish all over, much to everyone's amusement.
"There's a month and a half left until the summer tournament. How about losing 3 kilograms? Starting with these!" Sendo confiscated Takada's fried chicken and other oily snacks.
However, not wanting to be too harsh, he gave Takada some of his own vegetables. While the veggies were well-cooked, they still didn't compare.
"Monster!"
Everyone thought the same thing in unison.
They knew how impossible it was for Takada to lose weight; he seemed to gain weight just by drinking water.
Yet strangely, his weight plateaued around 80–90 kilograms, a phenomenon that baffled Sendo to no end.
Sendo, who liked to poke and prod Takada's soft belly, shared a close bond with him.
Their relationship was so good that such teasing, including stealing food, was par for the course.
Despite Takada's protests, his snacks ended up in Sendo's bottomless stomach. To compensate, Sendo reluctantly gave Takada a portion of his braised beef, ensuring he had enough energy for practice.
...
Time flew by, and with just a month remaining until the final practice games, Akagi's training grew more intense as the summer tournament approached.
The results of their hard work were evident.
The team's defensive coordination had improved significantly, with fewer errors and a broader defensive range compared to autumn.
Their batting also showed noticeable progress, with players like Kondou and the top hitters no longer overthinking their swings.
Their bodies had internalized the proper batting stances.
With their improvements, the practice game against Tokugawa Junior High was just around the corner.
While most players were mentally prepared for a potential blowout loss, the proximity of the game still made them anxious.
To ease the tension, Sendo tried various methods, though none seemed particularly effective. It was similar to the nervousness before an important exam—no matter how calm you tried to stay, stepping into the "test center" always made your heart race.
On the final practice session before the game, Sendo made one last attempt to boost his teammates' morale, hoping to give them the support they needed for the challenge ahead.
...
"Today's practice will be triple the usual intensity—each of you gets three at-bats. However, the rule of earning extra turns is canceled."
"And just so you know, I won't be going easy on you today! Instead of letting you stress over tomorrow's game, I'll push you hard enough today to make everything else seem easy!" Sendo announced during Akagi's team assembly. After a brief pause, he added, "Wakana, you sit this one out."
"Clang!"
The sound of the ball slamming into the net was sharp and piercing.
"Clang!"
"That was a strike too, wasn't it? Alright, next batter! Don't just watch the ball—if you only watch, you'll never hit it!" Sendo called out, his tone firm.
"That's easy for you to say! But this is way too fast! How fast is this pitch anyway?" The team couldn't help but grumble under their breath, desperate to vent their frustration.
"So far, only Kondou managed to foul off twice, and Ohno once. The rest of you haven't even touched the ball yet! What's wrong? Are you giving up already?"
"Bring it on!" came a shout from Kondou, Akagi's current strongest batter. Summoning his courage, he stepped up to the plate.
"Good spirit! Alright, next pitch—inside!"
"Clang!"
"Next one—also inside!"
"Clang!"
"Two strikes! Same spot, inside again for the next pitch!"
"Come on, come on, come on!" By now, Kondou's adrenaline was surging.
All his nerves about facing Tokugawa tomorrow and his lingering fears were completely gone, replaced by a raw focus and determination to hit the ball.
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