Chapter 1: Boy, Come Play Baseball

The new semester began on April 1st, a time when the spring was in full swing.

At the entrance of Akagi Middle School in Nagano Prefecture, it was bustling as if a temple fair was taking place.

Basketball club, dance club, archery club, kendo club...

Various clubs were set up like vendors at a market, each with its own table and flag. The club members responsible for recruiting new members were mostly the popular girls in the clubs.

They were all dressed in neatly tailored school uniforms and greeted the new junior high students with smiles, extending their delicate jade-like hands, holding application forms for club membership.

Amidst this crowd, Yamaguchi felt quite confused. He had heard that club activities were prevalent in junior high school. The outstanding clubs in the school would even argue over recruiting new members on the first day of school.

But why was he standing here for two hours, and no one came to invite him? When those friendly senior girls saw him, they naturally averted their gaze, showing no intention of striking up a conversation.

Having hesitated when entering the school, Yamaguchi Ken, who was 1.5 meters tall and weighed 150 kilograms, felt deeply perplexed.

"Young man, I can see that you have an amazing physique and extraordinary talent. You seem like a rare talent in a century! Are you interested in joining our baseball club?"

Just when Yamaguchi was feeling lost, a voice as sweet as an angel suddenly came from behind him.

Turning around, Yamaguchi saw a figure slightly taller than him, well-proportioned, and somewhat handsome.

The person was looking at him with a smile. His eyes were clear and seemed to have the power to draw people in.

What a charming upperclassman!

Although Yamaguchi wanted to accept the invitation in his heart, he couldn't help but wonder if such an excellent club could really accept him, considering his current situation.

After all, the baseball club was a popular choice in any school.

"Senior? Are you really sure you want to invite me?"

Yamaguchi said, trying to suck in his bulging belly to make himself look less bloated.

"Absolutely sure! It's our baseball club's great fortune to invite a talented player like you."

These words excited Yamaguchi. Due to his physique, he had been mocked quite often, often being compared to some domesticated animal.

It was the first time someone called him a genius. Even if the other person was just being polite, Yamaguchi was willing to believe it.

In the time it took for the two to talk, the other person had already handed a registration form to Yamaguchi.

Feeling a bit dazed, Yamaguchi filled out the form and became a member of Akagi Middle School's baseball club. Only after he finished did he learn the person's name.

"I'm Sawamura, Sawamura Eijun. You can call me Sawamura, or Eijun, whichever you prefer!"

Sawamura smiled like a fox stealing a chicken, causing a vague sense of foreboding in Yamaguchi's heart.

"Also, don't call me 'senior.' Just like you, I'm a new student this year."

At this moment, Yamaguchi finally noticed the scene around Sawamura.

Behind Sawamura were two seemingly simple and rural boys. One was tall and thin, appearing malnourished, while the other had an ordinary appearance that would make him difficult to find in a crowd.

Seeing that Yamaguchi noticed his companions, Sawamura warmly introduced them, "These are my buddies from the countryside. The tall one is Nakagawa Shin, and the slightly shorter one is Koyamazaki."

Sawamura's enthusiasm was evident, but according to Yamaguchi's standards, these two were also a bit odd. Despite this, he couldn't help but wonder about Sawamura's unique eye for talent.

Just what criteria was this charming student using to recruit people?

Sawamura didn't have time to address Yamaguchi's doubts. With Yamaguchi's addition, they had recruited five people. Adding Sawamura and his childhood friend Wakana, they had a total of six members.

Three more to go!

The revolution was not yet successful, comrades still needed to strive!

Encouraging himself internally, Sawamura led his "eclectic" group, consisting of a tall and thin boy, an undernourished boy, and a 1.5-meter-tall, 150-kilogram super chubby boy, to start their new recruitment journey.

In the recruitment queue, these four people were particularly conspicuous.

As soon as people saw them, they immediately avoided them as if they were avoiding the plague.

"Oh, it's tough when public opinion goes against us. It's challenging to lead such a team!"

Sawamura carried the baseball club sign and recruited people around the campus tirelessly. After his persistent efforts, they finally managed to convince a quiet-looking boy to join.

"Fengliang, believe me, you must be a born shortstop."

Sawamura's voice was full of conviction, even persuading himself. He was almost convinced by his own words.

Yamaguchi Ken followed behind Sawamura, his expression peculiar. Somehow, he felt like he had heard this line before.

"Don't we have senior students?"

Despite Sawamura's humility, he had already recruited quite a few people.

According to what Yamaguchi heard, they already had six or seven new students, including Yamaguchi's own elementary school friend.

With so many people, it should be enough, right?

After all, Akagi was just a small school, with only three grades and a total of three to four hundred students.

They had just over a hundred new students, and their year was a typical example of declining birth rates and an aging population.

There were plenty of boys, and the surplus was enough for everyone to have a girlfriend.

Even so, Sawamura's recruitment rate was still quite impressive. Even if they were all a bit odd, he managed to attract quite a few people. He should have met his target set by the upperclassmen long ago.

"Senior?"

Sawamura looked puzzled for a moment, then suddenly realized and said, "We don't have any seniors! That's why everyone here is an absolute key player for our baseball club. Everyone will have a chance to play..."

Yamaguchi Ken couldn't shake the feeling that something was off as he listened to Sawamura boast about the bright future of their baseball club.

"This school didn't originally have a baseball club."

Fengliang, who had just joined, said gently.

"Then what are we?"

Yamaguchi Ken, together with Koyamazaki and Nakagawa, wore a look of being deceived. If there was no baseball club, then were they joining some sort of interest group?

"Don't worry, don't worry! The baseball club was just established. I specially applied to the principal!"

Sawamura pointed to his chest with his thumb.

"Today is the first day of the establishment of the Akagi Middle School baseball club!"

On the first day of the new students' enrollment, a baseball club called Akagi Middle School Baseball Club was established.

Although they currently lacked a field and didn't have enough members, who could predict what the future held for Akagi?

Even Sawamura, who had his own ambitions, just wanted to fulfill the dreams of his friends from their youth, taking everyone to the national tournament.

"I am Sawamura, and I'm here to fulfill my promise," Sawamura whispered in his heart as he looked at the familiar and unfamiliar faces in front of him.

...

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