Chapter 32 : After the Game
"I know, right?! Our players are so scary that it drives away all the girls in the school!"
"And all your managers are cute too!"
It was at the end of the day after everything was over. The game ended with the score 13 – 11 for Seido's win. Even though Sawamura suffered two runs in his three innings, he was able to defend the rest of the game and close it perfectly. Ryousuke's solo home run also added one more run for the team in the eighth inning to seal the deal. Now, all the players from both teams gathered around and laughed together as this was probably their only chance to meet each other since their schools were located in different prefectures.
"Oh, yeah! You are still in training camp, I heard? Someone mentioned to me your training camp is called hell week. To be able to play like today when you are already exhausted, you are a bunch of crazy bastards." One of Osaka Kiryuu's players praised.
"Yeah! And the grand slam in the fifth inning was awesome! Who is that #14, by the way?"
"That's Hiroto Suzuki, arguably the second-best batter in Tokyo right now!" One of Seido's members said proudly.
"Hiroto Suzuki, huh? I will remember his name!"
Hiroto who was not comfortable in such a crowded situation like this could only sigh helplessly as he heard his name was mentioned again. This was the fifth time someone from the opposite side asked about him, yet all the five times ended with his friend selling his name easily which resulted in him being hunted for a question or two. He didn't hate that, honestly. But if four or five people surrounded him at the same time while his other teammates were practically abandoned, it would create a hostile atmosphere inside the team, which he tried to avoid at all costs.
After walking around aimlessly, he suddenly felt something cold on his cheeks, and when Hiroto turned around, he saw Ryousuke pressing a cold isotonic drink to his face.
"Good job today." The pink-haired senpai praised him.
Hiroto stared at his senpai for a second before snorting, accepting the drink. "It is not like you to praise someone like that, Senpai. Is it because Haruichi-kun replaced me earlier?"
"Huh, as expected, I would never be able to fool you." Ryousuke snorted while opening his can. "What do you think of it? Are you okay with him replacing your position like that?"
Hiroto chuckled mentally when he saw his senpai try to hide his concern with his usual default smile. "Don't worry, Senpai. I will not have a hard feeling about your brother. I know he is a valuable asset as a batter and Kataoka-sensei wants to cultivate his talent as a fielder too, so I have no problem here."
"Really?"
"Yeah. I mean, today was just a normal sparring game." Hiroto shrugged. Then, his expression turned feral as he continued, "It is a different story if he wanted to grab my position. No matter how talented he was, I would never give the one spot as a regular to him without a fight."
Ryousuke was taken aback by the sudden bloodlust radiated by his usually cheerful kouhai. But then he realized, that anyone who was able to enter the first team had one thing in common, that was pride. It was the same for him, no matter how good and talented a freshman was, he would never let anyone take over his place easily.
"Well, good." Ryousuke sighed in relief. "I will also talk to Shirasu-kun later, and I hope he is as easy-going as you."
"Wow, it must be hard to have your little brother on the team, right?" Hiroto stared amusedly.
"Yeah, but what can I do?" Ryousuke chuckled. "Anyway, thanks for your understanding, Hiroto. Once again, good game. Maybe, Tetsu and Jun are right. You are already a better player compared to us."
Then, he left immediately, not giving Hiroto any chance to refute his words.
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"Thank you for the game today, Kataoka-san! It allowed us to have a useful training session." Osaka Kiryuu's coach smiled politely, offering a handshake.
"You are too polite, Takuma-san." Kataoka accepted the handshake. "It should be me who has to thank you. You came all along from Osaka just for one sparring game with us, I am grateful."
It was already late in the evening and the players from both teams had already scattered all over the place. While several of Osaka Kiryuu's players had already gone back to the bus and were ready to go home, some still went outside and talked with the other Seido players, still waiting for their coach to finish the conversation.
"I must say it, Kataoka-sensei, I really envy you." Osaka Kiryuu's coach smiled. "To have two entirely different types of pitchers amongst your freshmen, that is the blessing from heaven."
Kataoka who was accompanied by Oota as the president of the team and Rei as the manager listened carefully.
"While the first pitcher had a terrible start, once he calmed down and started to get out of his head, he showed a powerful fastball that pushed our batters over the edge. And as the southpaw one.." Osaka Kiryuu's coach paused for a second before saying, "He is special."
Oota was surprised by the sudden praise to Sawamura.
"His pitches really surprised us today. Even though it seems to waver at times and still unstable, I can understand Kataoka-san's feeling of wanting it to be your secret weapon. If he managed to gain stable control, he will probably be able to become an impressive pitcher, won't he?"
Now, it wasn't just Oota, but even Rei was dumbfounded, never expecting the astronomical praises from Osaka Kiryuu's coach to Sawamura. Who knew that Sawamura's appearance today to hide Furuya's sudden breaking ball would end up as him being regarded as the secret weapon by the opponent's coach?
But after thinking about it for a second, Rei realized why Osaka Kiryuu's coach was so impressed with Sawamura. While the pitcher lost two runs during his turn on the mound, from Osaka Kiryuu's perspective, their stacked lineup full of power hitters was only able to gain two points from a freshman pitcher, something that no one would expect even in their dream.
"Huh." Kataoka snorted. "He is still lacking in many ways. Let's wait until he is matured a bit and we can talk about it again."
"Aren't you a strict coach?" Osaka Kiryuu's coach chuckled merrily. "Well, whatever it is, this match really gave our players a boost. We are looking forward to facing you again in Koushien, Seido."
Kataoka, Oota, and Rei nodded with a smile spread ear-to-ear. "Yeah, we are going to be there too, so wait for us, Osaka Kiryuu."
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"Okay, don't fall asleep yet, everyone! Let's do a quick recap first! Sawamura, Furuya, wake up!" Kataoka shouted, waking up several players who were already in their dreamland.
Even though it was a night, the situation in the canteen was crowded, filled with all the baseball players who just arrived after the game. This was their usual place to go when the baseball team needed to meet up after a game since everyone could just enjoy their dinner and relax while listening to the recap from their coach. Kataoka himself was not too strict after the game, just demanding everyone to listen to what he said for about ten minutes before letting them go to sleep or doing whatever they wanted.
"First, player of the game!" A sudden silence fell in the room as everyone waited anxiously. "With four outfield assists including a steal to Osaka Kiryuu's supposed-to-be home run, a grand slam, and a sacrifice fly that allowed two of our runners to score in the first inning, Hiroto!"
Everyone applauded as Hiroto stood up from his seat. This was the tradition that Oota created since last year. Even though everyone on the team loved baseball, they were still a bunch of teenagers who would burn out when facing such a boring routine that was supposed to be for a professional team. So, to keep the players engaged and motivated, the team would elect one best player for every game and give them at least a coupon worth one week of eating freely in the canteen, something that Kataoka and Rei approved immediately.
"Also, shoutout to Kuramochi and Isashiki! Their defensive coverage today is insane! Without them, we would suffer more runs in the first three innings."
Kuramochi grinned cockily as everyone applauded him while Isashiki scowled after getting teased by Ryousuke.
"Now, for the bad side, Miyuki!"
"Yes, Coach!" Miyuki winced when he received the glare from Kataoka.
"You have already known Furuya would have a hard time, yet it took four innings and nine runs for you to talk to him, what the hell were you thinking?" Some players snickered, finding it was fun seeing the usually arrogant catcher getting scolded like that. Furuya himself frowned, unhappy when he remembered the disastrous performance he had before. "And what the hell did you do in offense? Four times at bat only resulted in a groundout, a double play, and two fly balls. Is this the best you can do?"
"No, Coach!" Miyuki straightened his back.
"As a punishment, you will have to run five more laps for a full week starting from the day after tomorrow!"
"Yes, Sir!" Miyuki shouted, ignoring the mocking gazes and laughter he received from his teammates.
"Lastly, we still have two games tomorrow, so the starter for the first one will be Kawakami!"
"Yes, Sir!" The second-year pitcher shouted.
"Tanba, you will start for the second game!"
"Understood!" Tanba shouted, determination flaring through his eyes.
"Good. Now, finish your dinner, go back to your room, and take a good rest! We still have two more games tomorrow, so don't stay awake too late, understand?"
"Yes, Sir!"
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"Good game today, Senpai." Tojo offered him a can of carbonated drink when Hiroto arrived at his room. "The grand slam is awesome!" His kouhai gave a big thumbs up.
"Thanks." Hiroto smiled tiredly. Even though it was good to get praised, he had already lost count of it today and he started to get tired of it. "Anyway, what did you do today? Did you join the second team's training?" He asked in an attempt to change the topic.
"Yeah. I have been helping the second team lineup maintain their condition while learning a lot about fielding. Kanemaru has been a good help too."
"That's good. You need to keep improving yourself. Who knows, maybe you will have a chance after the third-year students retire from the team."
"That is also what I hope to get after this summer tournament," Tojo said with eyes full of determination.
They exchanged conversation for a while until Hiroto checked the clock and stood up from his bed.
"Are you going out again, Senpai?" Tojo asked.
"Yeah, Miyuki, Shirasu, and Kuramochi invited me to a night walk before going to sleep."
After that, Hiroto went out to the place where the four of them agreed to meet. When he arrived, Miyuki and Shirasu were already there with their hair still wet after taking a bath, waiting for Kuramochi to go down from his room.
"It's been a long time since we all went together for a night walk, right?" Hiroto smiled, reminiscing the past.
"Well, not all of us would go tonight," Miyuki said, still busy with his phone. "I asked Kawakami to have a rest first. He will have a rough day tomorrow."
"Oh, yeah. He will be the one facing Inashiro, right?" Hiroto winced. "Poor Kawakami. How is his condition?"
"As usual, a nerve wreck." Miyuki sighed helplessly. "I swear Kawakami is the strangest pitcher I have ever met. He is the most reliable closer I know, yet also the nightmare of any catcher whenever he was going as a starting pitcher."
"Our generation really lacks pitchers, right?" Shirasu chuckled wryly.
They were engaged in conversation for a while, knowing that Kuramochi would always come late. This was not the first time they went for a night walk. Usually, there would be five people there, Hiroto, Shirasu, Miyuki, Kuramochi, and Kawakami. Basically, they were the second-year students who were able to gain their foothold in the first team.
At first, they did this a lot when they entered the first team for the first time, using their time to relax and maybe complaining about the harsh practice and the harsh treatment from their senpai once or twice. They all knew as freshmen, they were the easy target to their senpai and if they didn't show solidarity, they wouldn't be able to survive on the team for too long.
As time went by though, it was basically a tradition for them to have a walk together a night before the game.
Bzzt!
Someone suddenly called Miyuki's phone, gaining those three's attention. When the catcher saw the name displayed on his phone, he frowned, pressed a button, and said to the person on the other side, "What the hell, Mochi? I thought you said you would be here soon, why do you call me?"
"You all are still in the dorm?" The person on the other side who Hiroto identified as Kuramochi seemed surprised. "I have been waiting for you outside! What the hell, man?!"
Miyuki sighed, looking at Hiroto and Shirasu helplessly. It seemed Kuramochi forgot about where the others would wait for him. After knowing the problem, Hiroto and Shirasu just chuckled, not surprised at all. The shortstop seemed to have selective memory and would always forget some important part of the conversation he had in the past.
"Anyway, it doesn't matter. Just come to the field right now." After that, Kuramochi hung up the call, not giving Miyuki or the others any chance to ask questions.
"What the fuck is this bastard doing? There should be no one on the field anymore!" Miyuki cursed loudly.
"Well, since he is there, why don't we go there too?"
Even though a bit annoyed, Miyuki still went together with Hiroto and Shirasu to the field. As expected, there was no one there, only the sound of the sand getting blown on the wind could be heard from the outside.
Or so that was what they thought.
Apparently, there were people still doing their extra training, the sound of bickers could be heard even from afar. Hiroto was dumbfounded, not expecting anyone to still doing any extra training this late. When they arrived, they could see Furuya and Sawamura running there, one with a tire wrapped on his stomach while the other was following from behind.
"They are not tired yet?" Shirasu widened his eyes in surprise.
"Yeah, as expected of two idiots." Kuramochi suddenly appeared out of nowhere. "They have been doing it for thirty minutes nonstop even though they just had a long and exhausting game earlier. Maybe, it was due to the adrenaline that still kicked in that made them awake even if they were tired."
Hiroto and the others nodded, and had the same experience in the past.
"Maybe it was also because they didn't receive the praise they expected from Kataoka-sensei?" Miyuki suggested. "You know, just like us last year. After our first game, we expected to be in the spotlight during the evaluation, yet Kataoka-sensei ignored us. Even though later he said he did it deliberately to keep us on the ground, we reacted the exact same way as them, right? Venting out all our frustration alone during personal training time."
"Oh, yeah, I remember that." Kuramochi snorted amusedly at the memory of the past. "When you asked shyly if you could join us, I thought you were on some drugs, Miyuki."
"What do you mean shyly?!" Miyuki seemed offended while Hiroto and Shirasu stiffened their laughter.
"No need to be shy, Miyuki. Just admit it. You know it was in the past." Kuramochi teased.
They kept talking about memories for a while before Shirasu suddenly asked, "Should we stop them? If Kataoka-sensei knows we know them and didn't stop it, we will be in trouble."
Hiroto, Miyuki, and Kuramochi looked at each other for a second before the catcher shrugged. "Let them be, they will be tired soon. It is not like they would play again tomorrow, anyway."
They kept staring as their two kouhai kept running frantically as if their lives depended on it. The desperation shown by those two pitchers was a good sign that they both knew their own weaknesses. Even though Hiroto's generation wasn't blessed with the most outstanding pitcher, at least the next generation was able to cover it up.
After a while, Hiroto checked his watch once again and when he saw the time showed was 21:24, he said, "Kataoka-sensei will probably go out to check the field in ten minutes. We should warn them to go back."
What Hiroto mentioned was the routine check Kataoka would always do every night to make sure everyone was in bed and not doing any late extra training. After all, they were not professionals yet and still had to do their jobs as students.
"Who should tell them?" Kuramochi asked.
"Let me do it." Miyuki giggled mischievously before shouting, "Oi, you two! You two still have to wake up early tomorrow morning, don't push yourself too much. I know the two of you have lost a total of 15 points combined, so of course, losing some sleep is to be expected. But don't think about it too much, okay?"
Hiroto, Kuramochi, and Shirasu were taken aback by Miyuki's bluntness. However, the ones who reacted the most were of course Furuya and Sawamura.
"What do you mean by fifteen points, you Tanuki bastard?! We only lost 11!"
"Yeah! Don't add another four points to it without any reason!"
"Wait here, Tanuki!"
Seeing Miyuki run away while being chased by the two pitchers, Hiroto just sighed, smiling helplessly while muttering, "As expected of Miyuki. His ability to make enemies out of nowhere is admirable."
Kuramochi and Shirasu shared a similar expression as they also sighed, "I know, right?"
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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 42, 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 181 on that page.
Thank you for your support! I appreciate it! :)
-Zeta Faes-