Chapter 18: Beyond Saving

How difficult is it to find a good catcher?

No one knows this better than Furuya. It was precisely because he was looking for a good catcher that he had to come to Seidou.

This kid has had it rough. He was incredibly talented as a child but in a place like Hokkaido, where could he find a catcher capable of receiving his super fastballs?

When someone's talent is overwhelmingly high, it is easy to become a problem rather than an advantage. For Furuya, it brought about a very frustrating situation: he couldn't find anyone to catch his pitches.

Baseball, at its core, is a team sport. What happens when a pitcher is so skilled that the catcher simply can't catch his pitches?

It's a tragic situation.

His peers didn't want to play with him anymore.

From that moment on, Furuya began a solitary life.

It wasn't until he read about Seidou's Savior, Miyuki Kazuya, in a magazine that he felt a glimmer of hope.

He instinctively believed that this guy could catch his pitches.

The desire drove him to leave home and head straight to Tokyo. Without being specially recruited, he entered the prestigious Seidou baseball team through self-examination.

It was from that moment that Furuya truly began to enjoy the joy that baseball brought him. Although he was constantly overshadowed by Sawamura's skill after joining Seidou, he hadn't become the Ace pitcher of the team.

But Furuya was very happy.

Because he could finally pitch joyfully again, and hear the sound of the ball hitting the Mitt.

After all this, his yearning for a good catcher had reached an almost unbearable level.

Then Matsumoto Jun casually stated that he could catch any pitch.

This immediately piqued Furuya's interest.

Sawamura didn't doubt Matsumoto's words, but he thought, 'Now I hope you don't eat your words after this.'

Even if you have talent, you shouldn't be this cocky!

Nishiyama looked at Matsumoto with pure curiosity.

"Really?" Although he was also exceptionally talented, he didn't have the same unfortunate situation as Furuya, as he had always had catchers to work with.

In this context, he was merely somewhat interested, without any strong feelings.

The thoughts of the three pitchers were one thing; the feelings of the other players were completely different. Especially those in their third year, who were well aware of how tough their team's two pitchers could be.

Currently, apart from the main catcher Miyuki, there was no one else who could reliably catch both of their pitches. Even Ono could only do it after a lot of training!

In this situation, for Matsumoto to claim he could catch all pitches was simply a joke.

The commotion caused by Matsumoto was bound to trigger a series of events.

But right now, no one realized that.

The introductions of the players continued.

After Matsumoto introduced himself, the next person was Seto Takuma.

"My name is Seto Takuma from Kanagawa's Daikai Senior! The desired position is second baseman. I am fairly confident about my legs and to contribute to the attack with them! Please take care of me!"

When he said he was from Kanagawa, everyone around was very surprised.

Players from Kanagawa usually seek out local powerhouse schools. After all, Kanagawa is a region where sports are quite developed and boasts many prestigious high schools.

No one expected someone like him would come to Seidou.

The players felt a mix of pride and discomfort.

This meant Seidou High was indeed attracting talented players from all over the country. Their own positions didn't seem so secure anymore.

"Which dorm is this guy assigned to?" a second-year player asked.

Takuma expressed great confidence in his speed, which was quite surprising.

Being able to highlight this meant he was not just slightly better than the other players.

"He's my dorm's Kohai," Kanemaru declared assertively.

This time, two Kohai were assigned to Kanemaru's dorm: Takuma and Hirota.

For Kanemaru, both kohai had nice personalities and were quite cheerful.

'If only one wasn't a shadow to Okumura and the other wasn't a chatterbox.'

Kanemaru would have been even happier.

After Takuma introduced himself, it was Asada's turn.

Earlier, while queuing, Takuma had been with Okumura, but due to the large number of participants, they were separated by two others.

One of them was Asada, who was one of the new Kohais in Sawamura's dorm.

"I'm Asada Hirofumi from Mutou Middle School, hoping to be a pitcher. Just three days ago, I realized that I'm not good at dealing with well-made pranks," he introduced himself.

As Asada spoke, the two culprits showed no signs of remorse.

"Take this opportunity to appeal!" Kuramochi grinned maliciously, cheering on his junior.

"Asada! Say something cool!" Sawamura chimed in from the side.

Looking at these two amicable seniors of his, Asada felt like his high school life was about to end.

The remaining days would be hellish.

How could he survive alongside these two devilish Senpais?

Fortunately, he wasn't fighting alone; he had Nishiyama-kun.

Thinking of his companion who fought alongside him in the dorm, Asada cast a pitiful glance at Nishiyama.

Nishiyama raised his fist in support, encouraging him!

'Right, this guy was also abnormal…'

Remembering how Nishiyama had approached the 'zombie' Sawamura and asked enthusiastically about the setting, Asada shuddered.

'Why did such terrifying people gather in Dorm 5?'

He clearly wasn't on the same wavelength as these people; why was he assigned to this dorm?

'It was over; my high school life was completely ruined.'

Asada wore a face that looked like he was about to die from depression, while Mogai Takeshi beside him rolled his eyes in disdain.

'This guy is huge but useless!'

'We weren't exactly safe either; there would still be a monthly test. Observer members had opportunities for upgrades. With the total number remaining the same, that meant current members could also be demoted.'

'Someone like Asada, who had only grown taller on the outside but still weak as a piss on the inside, wouldn't last until the end.'

"I'm Mogai Takeshi from Akebono Middle School, hoping to be a shortstop. The players I admire are Kominato-senpai and Maezono-senpai."

When named, Kominato and Maezono both looked astonished. They weren't particularly outstanding in a school filled with stars.

Kuramochi smiled maliciously, "Is he the 'Suck Your Way Up' type? But if you're going to butter someone up, it should be Sawamura and you, since you two are the biggest names on the team. This kid really is naive!"

"No, you're the one who's naive!" Miyuki rebutted with a smile.

"Famous players are never short on people buttering them up. Even if they play the role of good Kohai, it's hard for others to pay attention to them. There are simply too many flatterers; he's just one of them.

In comparison, it's better to cling to someone less significant but tall enough to help you, and there are fewer flatterers around them."

Sawamura, Kuramochi, Furuya, Shiratsu, and the players who were standing close looked at Miyuki with their eyes widening in shock and their mouths open.

They had thought was only flattering the Senpais in his dorm, but they never considered such matters.

'Only someone with a cunning mind will understand this, and he understood it on the fly! Just how dark the soul of this guy is?!' Everyone around Miyuki thought.

"Hey, Cap! Has anyone ever told you that you have a naturally dark soul?" Sawamura asked seriously.

'Yeah tell him Sawamura!'

'His Soul is already beyond saving!!'

In the face of Sawamura's serious question, Miyuki still smiled in response.

"You're not the first to say that."

'Damn!'

'This shameless guy actually admitted it!'

'And he looked proud too!'

Speaking of Mogai Takeshi, he was quite satisfied with his dorm assignment.

Kominato Haruichi, Maezono Kenta.

Both were strong players but not particularly the star of the team.

But nonetheless, they were absolutely key players in the team.

This dorm was undoubtedly a main players dorm.

Being in this dorm represented that he was definitely a player to watch.

Especially when he saw another new student in the dorm, Mogai Takeshi felt even more at the peak of this sensation.

'Without a doubt, I should be one of the most anticipated newcomers.'

'What a great start!'

Next up was a blonde, handsome guy.

"I'm Okumura Koushuu from Kanagawa's Daikyo Senior, hoping to be a catcher, and I don't particularly admire any players."

This guy wasn't ordinary; he directly clashed with Mogai's earlier praise.

While Mogai admired his seniors from the same dorm, Okumura made a point of mentioning that he did not.

"Does your Kohai have a problem with you?"

Even Kuramochi noticed and asked Miyuki.

"Heh heh~"

To this question, Miyuki could only chuckle.

When Okumura first arrived at the dorm, he was quite welcome.

But from the moment he arrived, he looked at him with a wolf pup's eyes.

His eyes glowed red as if he wanted to swallow Miyuki whole.

Even during greetings, he radiated hostility.

-"I'm Okumura, the same position as you. Please take care of me."-

That kind of gaze wasn't a greeting from a junior; it was more like a killer saying goodbye to his target.

Back to the present.

Miyuki looked at Okumura's fierce gaze and was utterly convinced, the other party was glaring at him, glaring fiercely.

'Hehe, looks like the next few months won't be boring.'

With such a Kohai in the dorm, Miyuki found it hard not to worry.

"That Kohai is seriously introducing himself, and you're just laughing!" Kuramochi kicked him hard.

"He is your Kohai! You have to be mindful!" Maezono took his duty as a Vice-Captain seriously and scolded his superior. (Don't ask me how this works.)

"Don't make it hard for the kid!" Shiratsu chimed in too.

"Be serious for once!" Sawamura also stepped in without hesitation.

On the side, Furuya was using his aura to intimidate Miyuki.

Their little antics became an intimate interaction between the Senpais in front of the newcomers.

"I'm the team Captain; could you at least give me some prestige?"

Miyuki said with a wry smile.

...