[13] Everyone Has Their Own Thoughts

Chapter 13: Everyone Has Their Own Thoughts

Ever since Kariba agreed to form a battery with Eijun that evening, Eijun no longer had to worry about lacking a practice partner. Every night, during their self-guided practice sessions, Eijun immersed himself in various pitching drills, enjoying it so much that he couldn't stop.

Of course, he didn't overextend himself by trying out too many things. Eijun was well aware of what he needed to focus on at this stage. The techniques he was already working on were far from perfect, and he understood the wisdom of not biting off more than he could chew.

Strengthening his control and refining his unique pitching form were the most important tasks at hand. That said, Eijun also began to practice a specific pitch on the side, believing it was reasonable to start experimenting with it at this stage.

While Eijun was thoroughly enjoying his practice, Kariba was not having a good time at all.

This was only natural. Who would be happy getting pelted by balls every night? No one, right?

With Eijun's unpredictable, quirky pitches combined with his deceptive throwing motion, Kariba had a rough first few days. He was genuinely shocked at how difficult it was to catch Eijun's pitches. At first, he missed five or six out of every ten pitches.

Kariba simply hadn't expected Eijun's control to be so erratic.

As he gradually adapted, the number of missed catches began to decrease. This also demonstrated that, while Kariba might not be a genius catcher, he was certainly solid and dependable.

As a fundamentally strong catcher, even though Kariba didn't fully understand Eijun's pitches at first, after repeated attempts and thanks to Eijun's candid nature, Kariba's impression of Eijun improved significantly.

He realized that Eijun, who aspired to become the ace, truly had the confidence to back up that goal. Even though Eijun was still quite raw, with many areas needing improvement, those flaws couldn't overshadow his bright potential.

Eijun was a pitcher with immense promise.

Perhaps, as the first person to become his battery partner, Kariba was witnessing the growth of a future ace.

Kariba pondered this quietly to himself.

...

Mornings were filled with physical conditioning and basic defensive drills. Evenings were dedicated to self-guided pitching practice and individual strengthening exercises. This routine defined Eijun's first few weeks at Seidou High School.

Sometimes, Eijun would return just in time for lights-out, drenched in sweat, which often elicited expressions of surprise from Kuramochi and Masuko.

Seeing Eijun in this state, Kuramochi couldn't help but think that this kid might actually have a real chance of becoming the team's ace someday.

Eijun's daily routine continued to pass swiftly in this manner.

As time quietly slipped by, the Spring Tournament arrived as well. April marked the season for the Tokyo Spring Tournament, a critical precursor to the summer championships. All qualified teams from Tokyo would participate, though "all" referred to those that had earned their place.

Eligibility was based on the results from the previous year's Autumn Tournament.

Out of over two hundred high schools, only around ninety were eligible to compete in the Spring Tournament. This tournament, along with the subsequent Kanto Tournament, was considered the best warm-up for the summer championships, where strong teams tested their lineups, strategies, and tactics.

Seidou High School, having reached the semifinals in last year's Autumn Tournament, earned a spot in the Spring Tournament despite being defeated by Inashiro Industrial High School.

"Tomorrow, the Spring Tournament begins."

"Can we go watch it?"

"We should be able to. I asked an upperclassman in my dorm, and first-years can go as part of the cheering squad. There's a dedicated bus for us."

"Haha, I've been waiting for this! It looks like we'll be facing Inashiro Industrial in the early rounds this time?"

"Seidou is unstoppable! We're definitely going to win the championship!!!"

"I can feel my blood pumping already."

"Yeah, exactly! And we might get to hear the chant of champions, right?"

"Yeah, that's the one! It's what inspired me to join Seidou."

"That would definitely be awesome."

As the Spring Tournament approached, the excitement among the first-year students was palpable. Every new face in the freshman class was filled with anticipation.

During their private training sessions, it was clear they could barely contain their excitement.

With the Spring Tournament on the horizon, the first-years at Seidou High School were fired up, eager to see their team dominate on the field.

Eijun, however, was the only one who knew that while Seidou would indeed win many matches in this tournament, the journey would be anything but easy. The games against the stronger teams would expose Seidou's biggest weakness—a lack of a dominant ace pitcher.

This was also the reason why, in the original story, Coach Kataoka was determined to find potential first-year players who could immediately contribute to the varsity team. After all, how often does a first-year student at a powerhouse school become the starting pitcher in their first summer?

In the original timeline, Tanba's initial poor performances, coupled with Kawakami's lack of confidence and later injury, forced the team to rely more heavily on the first-year pitchers, Eijun and Furuya, than on their senior counterparts. This was a tough decision for Seidou High, but one they had little choice in making.

Thanks to the protagonist's aura, both first-year pitchers truly possessed the skill and potential necessary, enabling Seidou High to scrape through to the regional finals. They even pushed the reigning champions from two years ago to the brink of defeat, only falling short at the very end.

This time, however, Eijun vowed in his heart to push himself to the fullest, to unlock his true potential. This summer, he was determined not to leave any regrets behind!

That was Eijun's promise to himself. The tragedy of that past summer must not be repeated this time.

"The Spring Tournament, and then the Red-White match? This is the first real opportunity I need to seize!"

Gazing at the date on the calendar, Eijun clenched his fists tightly, his eyes reflecting a steely determination. He whispered to himself, resolved that this time, he would shine as brightly as Furuya—no, even brighter!

Meanwhile, in Seidou High's office, Coach Kataoka was sitting in contemplation, his gaze fixed on several white data cards spread across his desk.

"Tojo Hideaki, Furuya Satoru, Sawamura Eijun."

These three names stood out prominently at the top of the list.

"Coach Kataoka?" Takashima Rei asked softly.

"Let's go with this for now. We'll discuss the specifics next time," Coach Kataoka replied, waving his hand dismissively.

"Understood!" Takashima Rei responded with a solemn nod, then gathered the documents from the desk and left the office. Only Coach Kataoka remained, gazing out the window at the bright new moon.

He couldn't help but let out a quiet sigh. This year, it might just be the last one.

Coach Kataoka's eyes grew deep and contemplative.

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