Chapter 31 : VS Osaka Kiryuu IV
"Sorry, Miyauchi-senpai!" Sawamura cried.
Miyauchi sighed tiredly, silently cursing his coach for this exhausting job. Since Kataoka asked the first-year pitcher to go for a warmup with him, Miyauchi had already noticed the overly excited state of Sawamura. As time went by, the balls Sawamura threw kept getting wilder, going to unpredictable areas that gave him a hard time as the partner. However, after seeing Furuya's improvement in the middle of the game, it seemed to affect Sawamura a bit as his pitches were weaker than before.
'With his short attention span, this state would go away pretty quickly, so I don't need to worry about him too much.' Miyauchi muttered. 'But to be on the same side, it is better to let him talk to Chris first.'
After calling Chris and explaining the problem, the retired catcher who acted as Sawamura's mentor nodded sympathetically, understanding Miyauchi's difficulty.
"Thank you for your hard work, Keisuke-kun. I will handle the rest."
"Sure."
After Miyauchi went back to the dugout, Chris called Sawamura immediately. "Come here, Sawamura-kun!"
"Hai, Shisou!"
Seeing his kouhai run excitedly like a lost puppy, Chris couldn't help but smile a little. However, since the time was tight and he knew Kataoka wanted to use Sawamura to cover Furuya's new fastball, he kept everything short, giving his kouhai a pep talk to calm him down.
"Are you nervous?"
"Me, nervous?!" Sawamura widened his eyes before letting out an awkward laugh. "Of course, not, Shisou! This Nagano pitcher is always fearless!"
That was what he said. However, Chris noticed immediately Sawamura's hand was trembling and the pitcher kept moving around and couldn't stay silent, a hint of nervousness that was obvious to everyone.
"Are you worried you will be worse than Furuya-kun?" Seeing Sawamura avoiding eye contact with him, Chris knew he hit the right spot. After pondering for a second how to bring Sawamura's focus back, he decided to be blunt. "You don't have to worry you would be worse, because no one outside expects you to be better than Furuya-kun."
"Eh?" Sawamura was hurt and confused by his senpai's words.
"Yeah, their expectation toward you is low, thinking that you are here just to fill the quota of the team and give you some experience before sending you back to the second team. Even Kataoka-sensei might have that thought several times." Even though he saw Sawamura's hurtful expression, Chris did not sugarcoat his words. He added in the end though, "But you know what? Out of all those pessimistic views about you, I am still confident with your potential, that you will surprise everyone out there just like Furuya did the first time in the Kanto Tournament."
"Really?" Sawamura's expression was like a puppy who met a kind person after being kicked out by its owner.
"Yeah. Your affinity toward breaking ball still puts me in awe today, and I know Hiroto-kun feels the same." Sawamura turned his gaze to the right field where Hiroto was guarding as his expression was full of gratitude. "And you know what is the best part of having such a low expectation like this?"
"What?" Sawamura had a blank face.
"It is that you can impress everyone more when you show your best performance." Chris smiled. "Now, imagine this. Osaka Kiryuu's lineup is filled with heavy sluggers and hitters who have high accuracy, and you saw how precise they were when ignoring Furuya-kun's inaccurate pitch. This will put a test on your ball control, something you have been working hard on since you were with me. If you were able to hold your ground against them, there is no doubt all the eyes would be on you."
Sawamura was dazed for a second, imagining him under the spotlight just like what Chris said. Even though he didn't want to admit it, there was jealousy burning inside when he saw Furuya thriving on the mound. He had always thought that even though Furuya had a more destructive style that could impress everyone easily, his playing style had the same or even higher potential, and hearing Chris confirming his thought at least put him at ease.
"Oi, Sawamura-kun! Wake up!" Miyuki's slap on the back of his head snapped Sawamura from his daydreaming. "What the hell are you thinking about, to go on the dreamland like this in the middle of the game?"
"What the hell, Tanuki?! What are you doing?!" Sawamura rubbed the spot Miyuki just slapped, surprised that Chris had already disappeared, replaced by the catcher who should be on the field right now.
"It is me who should ask you about, what are you doing? Don't you want to play?" Miyuki sighed helplessly. "Come on, Furuya-kun had already stepped down from the mound a few seconds ago. Chris-senpai asked me to talk to you first. Are you nervous?"
"Nervous? Ha! As if! This Nagano pitcher is always fearless, you know?" Sawamura boasted with his usual obnoxious tone. He said the truth this time, grateful that Chris's words managed to break his nervousness. "Be careful, Tanuki! Don't make a rookie mistake and watch my pitch carefully, okay?"
"It should be me who said that to you," Miyuki grumbled, fixing the position of his glasses. "This is pretty nostalgic, isn't it? The feeling of creating a battery together? The last time we had done it together, you were still a middle school student, daring to challenge Azuma-senpai."
Sawamura was stunned for a second, then his features softened as he reminisced about the past. Miyuki was right, this was the first time they created a battery together since that time, and Miyuki might not have known about it, but the moment he created the battery with the catcher was the thing that convinced Sawamura to come to this school. Thinking of how he was back then and comparing it to how much improvement he felt now, he was grateful he joined this awesome team.
"Don't be nervous and don't try to do it alone. Remember, everyone has your back." Miyuki patted his shoulder as the last encouragement before he went back to his spot.
Sawamura grinned, nodding his head before making a spur decision, shouting out loud, "Come on, Senpai! The ball will fly in your direction! I will count on you all!"
Silence waved the entire field as no one expected Sawamura to say that out loud. Usually, pitchers had a big ego, always wanting to strike out everyone in front of them. It was the first time whether Seido's players, Osaka Kiryuu's players, or anyone else heard a pitcher admit he would let the batter hit the ball.
"Oh, another freshman pitcher! And this time it is the crazy one!"
"I don't understand what Kataoka-sensei thought! Would it be better to let Furuya be on the mound for one or two more innings, he is just starting to show a better performance!"
"Idiot! If he kept playing, everyone would know his pitching characteristics! And this new pitcher is interesting! I have never heard anyone say something outrageous like that!"
"Gyahaha! This is interesting! Sawamura-kun, send the ball here!" Kuramochi howled.
"Come on, Brat! Send it to the center! I will be here!" Isashiki didn't want to lose, also roared from his spot.
"Don't listen to those idiots, Sawamura-kun. Any ball close here would be caught easily, so don't worry." Ryousuke also encouraged him.
The waves of support and encouragement from all the Seido's players and even from the audience to Sawamura made Miyuki grin widely. Even though he was optimistic Furuya would be the future ace of the team, just by this interaction alone, he knew for sure the future captain spot would be in a safe hand.
'Now, could you show a better performance than that impressive first impression? Come on, send the ball here!'
Seeing the signal Miyuki gave, Sawamura took a deep breath, trying to ignore the batter who glared intimidatingly at him. All the fielders behind him were also concentrated, knowing there was a big chance the ball would fly. The batter himself was trying to calm himself down, waiting eagerly for the ball.
However, it was as if he was hypnotized by Sawamura's strange windup posture, as he was frozen on the spot, and a second later,
BAM!
"STRIKE!"
"Nice pitch, Sawamura!"
"Keep it up!"
It took the batter a few seconds to realize what happened before he gulped nervously, especially after seeing the furious gaze of his coach. The rage was understandable since Sawamura's last pitch was not that hard to hit. It seemed he was too distracted by Sawamura's form to react to the ball.
'But his windup is so tight, though. I couldn't see a glimpse of where the ball would go before it was released from his hand. I need to be careful.'
With that thought in mind, the batter put his concentration back to the game once again, trying to observe carefully Sawamura's strange pitch.
'Here it goes again!'
Just like before, due to Sawamura's tight form, it was hard for the batter to time his swing perfectly. Fortunately, the ball was slower than the batter's expectation, making it easier for him to make up for the late swing timing.
'Seriously? This is the speed of a middle schooler! I will make a home run with this!'
The batter swung his bat as hard as possible, trying to generate more power to send the ball outside of the field. Unfortunately though, before the ball met his bat, it dropped sharply near the home plate.
'DAMN-'
CLANK!
"A Grounder! Tetsu-senpai!"
"Sawamura, cover the first base!"
BAM!
"OUT!"
"YOSSHAAA!"
When the ball rolled down to the area between his and Tetsu's place, Sawamura hesitated for a second, not knowing what to do. Even though he had been training fielding about a hundred times since he joined the team, when the time came, he still couldn't react instinctively. Fortunately, Tetsu was quick enough to take the initiative and ask him to cover the first base while the captain went for the ball.
"Come on, Sawamura! Once more!"
With the new confidence he gained from sending out the last batter, Sawamura threw another one of his idiosyncratic pitches, and this time, it only took him one ball to end this inning.
CLANK!
"A fly ball to the left field! And Sirashu catches it!"
"YOSSHAA!"
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"Are you worried?" Hiroto suddenly asked Furuya beside him. They watched from the dugout the perfect debut inning for Sawamura, and honestly, Hiroto was impressed. He didn't know the loudmouth pitcher who would always follow him like a puppy in the morning training would evolve this much just in one month or so.
"Not really," Furuya said with a flat expression. "I am still better than him."
If anyone else who didn't know Furuya too well listened to his words, based on his flat expression, they would believe it. However, Hiroto had been helping him and Sawamura on a daily basis and he was proud to say he knew both freshman pitchers well enough, and now, he noticed Furuya was bothered a bit.
"Don't worry, you have already shown your worth today," Hiroto reassured. "Even though you had a terrible start, it was already within everyone's expectation. The fact that you managed to recover and even showed that last stint before being replaced by Sawamura had already put you on Kataoka-sensei's good page. Just work on your emotion during the game and your endurance, and I am sure you will be regular soon."
"I know."
Hiroto smiled, patting Furuya's back. Even though he admitted he liked Sawamura more due to the loudmouth's lively personality, he was still trying to get close to Furuya and Haruichi, not wanting them both to feel left out like he was a year ago when all the senpai only noticed Miyuki and Kuramochi. After a while, Hiroto realized that even though Furuya gave a cold and uncaring impression, the boy was just an awkward one who didn't know how to socialize. Once one person managed to break his shell, he would also come as a lively and competitive boy too, just like the other baseball team players here.
"Well, since you know it, don't stay here for too long. The role of the players in the dugout is to cheer and support our teammates, so let's do it to another one of your peers who would be in the spotlight after this."
Realizing who Hiroto was talking about, Furuya nodded, joining his senpai to watch another one of his friends -or so he thought the pink-haired boy was- on the box.
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"What the hell?! Another freshman?!"
"Is that the one who replaces Hiroto-kun?"
"Yeah! And do you think his pink hair is a bit familiar?"
"I know! Is he Ryousuke-kun's brother?"
"Wait, is that a wooden bat? What is this, a middle school game?!"
Under the scrutinization of everyone on the field, Haruichi walked nervously on the box for his turn to be the batter. It was a no-out situation where Tetsu was able to send a double first followed by Masuko who got hit by the pitcher's ball, so there shouldn't be too much pressure on his shoulder. However, the pink-haired boy still wanted to show his worth too, just like Sawamura and Furuya before.
Honestly, he had never expected he would play in this game, let alone replace Hiroto, one of the main sluggers of the team. If he remembered correctly, he never showed anything special for his defensive play, whether it was when he acted as the second baseman or when Kataoka-sensei asked him to practice as an outfielder. The only impressive thing he had was his high batting average, but in a team with great offensive players stacked from the number one to the number nine like Seido, he didn't dare to hope he would be able to impress the coach with his performance.
But now, here he was, having a chance to send an RBI in his first chance at bat. Just one sacrifice fly or squeeze play would be enough for him to have that statistic considering Tetsu was already in the third base. However, he remembered vividly what Hiroto said before he entered the field.
"This is your chance to show off, Haruichi-kun. Don't let your shyness cover up your talent. Just imagine instead of being a bench warmer, you can have a higher status as a designated hitter or a pinch hitter whenever the team needs you. That means you would be able to fight together with Sawamura and Furuya, isn't that awesome?"
Haruichi smiled, knowing that Hiroto was right. He always hid deeply his insecurity about his status as the only freshman on the first team who had never played on the field, always envying Sawamura and Furuya for their talent that matched what the team needed. Even though he was always a meek person, inwardly, he had the arrogance that he could perform better than some of the senpai on the field offensively. Now that he had this chance, he had to make sure he didn't blow this up.
BAM!
"STRIKE!"
The first ball slid without any resistance with Haruichi just watched it without swinging.
BAM!
"BALL!"
This time, the ball went to the opposite side, only a few inches above the strike zone. However, Haruichi still didn't make a move as if he was targeting one particular pitch, making the opponent's battery feel anxious.
BAM!
"BALL!"
Another one to the place where the first ball landed, yet the route was slightly deviated. The same just happened though, as Haruichi just let it slide without any attempt to swing. Ryousuke who watched his little brother from the dugout smirked.
"This boy is more evil-minded than me."
Miyuki and Kuramochi who overheard that shuddered in fear. "Please, Ryousuke-san, that's a bad joke. He is such a sweet boy, so don't slander Haruichi-kun like that!"
"So, you are indeed thinking that I am evil-minded, huh?" Ryousuke snorted when the two jokesters shook their heads rapidly. "But the fact that you both thought he was just an innocent sweet boy proved Haruichi can deceive you too. If you look at it carefully, you will notice the poor Kiryuu's pitcher is already played on Haruichi's palm. Sooner or later, a mistake would happen."
Miyuki and Kuramochi looked at each other, imagining Haruichi with evil minds together with Ryousuke in the same team, and they both shuddered once again in fear.
Back to the field, finally, after the count was full with three balls and two strikes, Haruichi began to swing. The first time he hit the ball though, even though it was still in the foul zone, the pink-haired boy managed to send it far outside of the field.
"Holly shit! It is a home run!"
"It is a foul, you idiot!"
"But he is impressive! To send the ball here with a wooden ball, I am convinced he is Ryousuke-kun's little brother!"
"Come on, Kominato-kun!"
Under the basks of the cheers from the audience, Haruichi pushed his bang slightly upward, trying to let his eyes see clearer than before. He could see the pitcher was anxious, couldn't figure out what he wanted to do. Just like Ryousuke, he knew sooner or later there would be a mistake.
CLANK!
"Another foul!"
"Damn, come on, Kominato-kun!"
Haruichi took a deep breath, calming down his nerves. He saw Tetsu's patience on the third base was thin as the captain had already sent a signal for a squeeze play. However, the pink-haired boy shook his head firmly, still believing he could hit the ball.
And finally, the opportunity came.
After he sent three more foul balls, the pitcher finally made the mistake. The sweeper that should break horizontally near the home plate didn't even move, and coupled with its nature as a slow ball, it was food in Haruichi's eyes.
"A good chance!"
CLANK!
With one big swing, he swept the ball hard, the sound of the wood hitting the ball was heard all over the field. Just like how Hiroto's grand slam happened before, all the eyes were on the ball as it got higher and higher until it left the field. It took them a few seconds until the main protagonist of this play raised his fist awkwardly on the box in celebration for them to realize that it was another home run for Seido, and for the first time ever in this game, the score was finally in their favor.
Osaka Kiryuu 1 3 4 1 0 0
Seido High 2 0 2 5 0 3
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Author note :
Hey! I have written a few next chapters of this new story and posted it already on my patreon account. If you want to read it in advance, you can visit patreon(.)com/ZetaFaes .
You can read this story up to chapter 41, and I will try to update it faster.
You can also read my other fanfiction, Kuroko no Basket: The Sixth man of Seirin Basketball Team up to chapter 179 on that page.
Thank you for your support! I appreciate it! :)
-Zeta Faes-