Chapter 60 Intentions

Shinjiro entered the batting cages, the familiar clink of bats meeting balls echoing around him. The cages were bustling with activity, and off to the side, he noticed Taro and Kawaki—players from Team B—swinging hard, sweat dripping down their faces. Their effort was evident, and Shinjiro smirked inwardly.

Look at these guys, he thought, observing their determined expressions. "Seems like they took the captain's words to heart."

Shinjiro approached the two, watching their swings closely. Kawaki's rotation was off, and Taro was cutting across the ball too much, resulting in weak contact.

"Kawaki," Shinjiro called out, drawing his attention, "try shifting your hips more when you rotate. You're losing power by keeping your stance too rigid." He demonstrated the fluid motion with his own body, showing how to get the most out of the swing.

Kawaki adjusted his stance and took another swing. The crack of the bat against the ball was more solid this time, and the ball shot deeper into the cage.

"That's it!" Shinjiro nodded approvingly. "Now keep your weight balanced."

Taro, watching intently, followed suit, straightening his bat path and focusing on making clean contact. After a few adjustments, both players were seeing results. They exchanged looks of gratitude with Shinjiro.

After their session, the three of them walked out of the cages together, discussing their progress.

"We really appreciate the tips man," Taro said, wiping the sweat from his brow.

"Yeah, thanks for that, we're also sorry about the other day..." Kawaki added, smiling. "We'll keep working hard."

Shinjiro nodded as they parted ways.

---

At home, after a long shower, Shinjiro sat at his desk, hair still damp, towel draped over his neck. He opened his notebook and began to jot down notes, sketching out smaller areas within the strike zone. He divided the zone into a nine-box grid, each representing a specific section of the strike zone that he could target.

"The key," he thought, tapping his pen against the page, "is precision. If I can narrow my focus to these smaller areas, it'll sharpen my timing and swing."

Shinjiro scribbled notes on pitch tendencies—how certain pitchers favored certain spots in the zone. His eyes scanned his drawings of the strike zone, breaking down what angles of attack would best suit him against different types of pitches.

"If they throw anything hard, I'll just foul them off until they make a mistake." His brow furrowed, "But maybe..." His eyes lit up with inspiration. "I can just foul them off deliberately, like in that game...."

He quickly jotted down thoughts about late swings and how adjusting the bat angle could help him foul off tough pitches intentionally. He made a mental note to test these ideas in practice, excited to refine his new strategy.

The next day at Seimei High, in the conference room, the players gathered around a TV monitor. Footage of Shukugawa's ace pitcher, Kengo Saito, played on the screen. Denji, their analyst, stood at the front, remote in hand.

"Shukugawa's ace, Kengo Saito," Denji began, the video showing Saito winding up and releasing a blistering fastball. "He throws a mix of moving fastballs and knuckleballs, and he's fearless on the mound. Doesn't care who's at bat."

Daiki, leaning against the table, nodded thoughtfully. "He also keeps a fast tempo. Doesn't give batters a chance to breathe."

Denji pressed the remote, switching to footage of the Shukugawa batting lineup. "Rikuto Sakurai, their captain, and Take Muraoka, their catcher—these two need special attention. Once they start making contact, it gets dangerous. We can't let them get into a rhythm."

Coach Nakamura stood up, clapping his hands together. "Our opponents are formidable. Outfielders, nothing changes for you—you need to be on your toes. We're going to play with everything we've got, understand?"

The players shouted in unison, "Yes, sir!"

As the meeting wrapped up, Kenji approached Denji. "The data today was really solid," he said with a nod of approval.

Denji smiled modestly. "I'm just glad I can help the team."

Kenji tilted his head curiously. "I heard you were a southpaw yourself. Did you quit?"

Denji laughed, scratching the back of his head. "I hurt my elbow pretty bad last year. Had to stop pitching."

Kenji rubbed his chin, mulling over Denji's words. "That's a shame..."

Later, on the practice field, Shinjiro stood in the batting cages, his focus sharpened as he worked on his swing. He'd been practicing his late fouls and was now focusing on his follow-through. With a crack of the bat, he sent a ball flying deep into the outfield netting.

"Nice swing, Shinjiro!" one of the players shouted. "That's the shape we need!"

Around him, the other players were also in the cages, working on their technique. The atmosphere was intense but positive—everyone was gearing up for the upcoming game.

Across the field, Yamato was observing Kazuya, who had just finished a throwing session and was sitting down to cool off.

"You should've just warmed up," Yamato chided with a smirk. "No need to throw that hard in practice. We can't risk you."

Kazuya shrugged, his focus unwavering.

Kai stood nearby, his gaze fixed on Kazuya, silent but intense. Yamato noticed the fire in his eyes and smirked.

As Daiki and Yamashita approached, they couldn't help but chuckle at Kazuya's determination.

"You offered to pitch the entire game, huh? You're really fired up for this," Daiki teased.

Kazuya shot them a confident grin.

The practice countinued with the sounds of bats connecting with balls and the rhythmic shouts of the players. "Fifteen more! Last twenty!" Yamato barked as the players gave it their all, working through the final stretches of practice.

The field buzzed with energy and anticipation. Shinjiro, still dripping with sweat from the cages, stood to the side, watching his teammates practice. His mind drifted back to his notebook, to the small areas of the strike zone he had sketched out the night before.

"Everything's starting to click," he thought. "If I can just keep refining this, I'll be ready for whatever Saito throws my way."