Chapter 34: A Precaution Or A Scheme?

"Inajitsu lost!?!?"

When the players of Seidou High School received the news, they had already finished their game and returned to school.

Sawamura and Miyuki exchanged astonished glances, both unable to believe what they were hearing.

This was Inajitsu!

Whether in the Tokyo region or nationwide, Inajitsu was Seidou High School's greatest rival.

Privately, Sawamura and Miyuki had assessed other teams, comparing all the powerful schools in the country with Seidou High School's strength. Their analyses varied: some matched Seidou at four to six, others at five to five...

Compared to these schools, Seidou High School held no distinct advantage on paper; at best, they were evenly matched.

Despite differing team styles, an analysis based solely on statistics revealed that no team was clearly stronger than Seidou High School.

They weren't at the overwhelming level they had reached when the third-year Senpais were around last year.

But as long as luck wasn't too unfavorable, they had a chance to go far.

The only variable was Inajitsu.

In terms of raw strength, the only school in the nation that surpassed Seidou High School was Inajitsu.

Although Seidou High School had defeated Inajitsu in the previous Spring Koshien...

On the surface, it seemed Seidou held a significant advantage.

However, consulting experts in the baseball community, their analysis indicated that the peak strengths of both teams showed Seidou being slightly behind!

The only team in the country whose paper strength exceeded Seidou's had just lost in the first round?

Naturally, this news left both Sawamura and Miyuki incredulous.

After waiting for Watanabe to return, the three of them huddled in the meeting hall pondering the situation for over an hour.

They finally understood the flow of the game.

From the game's progression, Inajitsu's loss wasn't unjustified.

After all, Hirano's ability was too limited to support Inajitsu adequately.

"The only issue with Inajitsu now is their lack of a solid rotation pitcher!" Watanabe said with deep emotion.

If Inajitsu had a reliable backup pitcher now, reversing the situation against Sankou would not have been easy.

"But even so, Amahisa's strength cannot be underestimated!" Miyuki contemplated.

He managed to hold Inajitsu's powerful lineup to just three runs.

They only managed a meager six hits!

Under such circumstances, it was no surprise that Inajitsu failed to score at all throughout the game.

"This guy's pitching was problematic at the start, but the players from Inajitsu didn't capitalize on it. However, he was truly stable in the later innings!" Even Sawamura was impressed by Amahisa's pitching in the last two innings.

At that point, Inajitsu had formidable momentum.

Carlos, along with Shirakawa, surely didn't let up.

Yet, even under those conditions, they were dealt with one by one.

Amahisa's skill seemed much greater than Sawamura had initially thought.

Considering Seidou's batting lineup in Inajitsu's position during that game, their performance wouldn't necessarily have been superior.

Although the formidable rival, Inajitsu, had been toppled...

Sawamura, Miyuki, and Watanabe remained on high alert.

One giant had fallen, but another had risen.

With Amahisa Kousei joining the ranks, the long-established powerhouse Sankou High School had become even more formidable.

In this context, if Seidou faced Sankou, a tough battle was inevitable.

"Is Mei-sans body still not fully recovered?" Sawamura frowned.

In his mind, Narumiya Mei was a resilient warrior.

Incredibly tough!

However, he had indeed pushed himself too hard in high school, resulting in injuries that required recovery time in college!

Now, could he have left a lasting impact on his health?

Sawamura had privately warned Narumiya, but it seemed he hadn't heeded the advice.

In fact, if Sawamura were in Narumiya's shoes, someone telling him to prioritize his health and avoid injuries likely wouldn't have swayed him.

Such is the nature of sports.

Injuries are an ever-present companion.

No one can be vigilant all the time.

As a philosopher once said, no one knows whether death or tomorrow will come first.

'As a normal human, the best we can do is live for today.'

Learning from Chris's past mistakes, Sawamura's attitude towards his friends shifted to one of doing everything he could and accepting fate.

Even with his regression experience, he remained just an ordinary person living an ordinary life.

The only thing he could do was make each day meaningful.

"If it's truly a matter of physical limitations, then that's one thing. We might avoid a major headache. But if it's not..."

Miyuki never shied away from considering the worst-case scenario regarding others.

Now, he contemplated another possibility, however unlikely, and it sent a chill down his spine.

Possibly due to their close relationship, Sawamura had unconsciously understood some of Miyuki's thought processes.

Though Miyuki didn't voice it outright, Sawamura quickly grasped his underlying implication.

"Probably not, as this relates to group assignments!"

"Not entirely impossible!"

Watanabe evidently thought along similar lines.

"It depends on how much value Inajitsu put on Seidou!"

"Whether it's real or fake, we must prepare for anything in advance."

"Understood!"

After reaching a consensus, the three returned to the team.

The players were also discussing Inajitsu's unexpected defeat.

For the current Seidou High School, only a few teams commanded their attention, and Inajitsu was one of them.

Moreover, it was the most important one.

However, the prevailing view was that Narumiya had likely exhausted himself in the previous Koshien.

Coach Kunitomo dared not let him continue this reckless path.

Otherwise, a persistently burning Narumiya could risk self-destruction.

"But isn't the cost a bit too high? If they win against Sankou and then take another game, their seed spot will be secure."

Even if they wanted to forfeit, they could wait until they secured the seeded quota.

This viewpoint gained general acceptance.

"This afternoon, freshmen will gather for hitting practice! Those whose names are called, follow me to the first team's practice area, where you will train with the upperclassmen."

Kanemaru, acting as Coach Kataoka's spokesperson, made the announcement right after the players finished their meal.

First-string players who had just completed a game were expected to rest.

They shouldn't have to practice for the rest of the day.

But having just finished the Spring Koshien competition, with the Spring Tournament in motion...

Seidou High School had to proceed cautiously.

The most critical task for players was to regain and maintain their form.

So even after the game ended, they couldn't rest just yet.

However, the training load was significantly reduced.

No pitchers were tasked with throwing, and fielders were not assigned defensive drills.

These exercises are extremely exhausting and unsuitable for players who have just finished a game.

Instead, they engaged in game-like hitting practice.

And it wasn't with pitching machines, but actual pitchers!

The three opponents were Kaneda from the second string and Kawashima from the second string, along with Toujou, who volunteered to pitch despite his fatigue.

Even though Toujou had abandoned his goal of becoming a pitcher at Seidou, he never eased up on his pitching practice.

This was his dream.

Whether it led to college or the professional league, these skills could become essential for his survival anywhere.

Without hindering his own training, Coach Kataoka allowed this behavior.

Whenever possible, he facilitated actual combat practice.

Now, Toujou has become a training target for the first string and newcomers.

A total of 11 freshmen were named by Kanemaru to participate in the first-string training.

They included the previously outstanding Yui Kaoru, Nishiyama, Yuuki, Okumura, Takuma, and Kagami, who all demonstrated great strength during practice.

Also included were Hirota, Matsumoto, and Mogami.

Another was Kuki Youhei, who had just returned from injury and slipped in due to Takashima's special recommendation.

The final name was a surprising yet logical choice: Lee-Hyun.

Being selected for hitting practice indicated these players were regarded highly.

From this perspective, Lee-Hyun seemed out of place.

However, considering her previous test scores, he was among the best.

So it was no shock that he was called up.

Originally, the first string had 18 players, but now they have an additional 11.

The total number of players surged considerably.

With so many divided into three groups, they faced three pitchers.

For the first-string players, this meant only seven or eight practice sessions.

It was very manageable.

But for the pitchers working with them, the task was daunting.

So many players?

Each hitting seven or eight times!

How many pitches would they have to throw?

"Swing at the first pitch, it is an all-out fight!"

This order caused the others to wince at Coach Kataoka and Coach Ochiai.

For the upperclassmen, it was no big deal.

They were used to specific practices.

But for freshmen, nailing the rhythm on the first pitch was incredibly challenging.

...