<29> The Catcher (2)

Chapter 29: The Catcher (2)

"Smack!"

"Ouch! Ouch~ Ouch~"

"Does it hurt? Where?" Sendo walked over to the machine, stopping it as he spoke.

"My finger!"

"That's natural; you need to use your palm. Unless they're the backbone of the team, even Major League catchers get rotated frequently. If a catcher misjudges a catch even slightly, it's extremely painful considering they deal with hard balls. Unlike us, their balls are as tough as solid wood wrapped in sawdust, even harder than some softer solid wood."

Sendo repeated what Coach Nakani had once said, feeling grateful for his exceptionally good memory in this life.

"Let's try another pitch!"

"That's easy for you to say Sen-chan! Using just my palms isn't quite enough!"

"I see!" Hearing Takeda's words, Sendo started to think about the situation. This was something Sendo hadn't encountered before, and Coach Nakani hadn't mentioned it either.

...

"By the way, you said that you couldn't predict where Eijun's pitches would go, so you asked him to pitch softly, right? Maybe it's because you've only been catching that guy's lobbing style before, and you haven't seen fastballs in games, so your eyes and body aren't adapting well. I can't help your body adapt, but... hehe!!!" Sendo suddenly remembered what his teammates used to say to him and began analyzing, though his mischievous laugh made Takeda somewhat uneasy.

"Your laugh makes me feel like something bad is going to happen. Are you plotting something Sen-chan?"

"No, plotting sounds too harsh, Shin. But I do have an idea. Now, put your hands behind your back, squat in the standard position, and raise your body a bit to avoid getting hit in the head. Use the protector in front of your body to catch the ball. As soon as the ball rolls out, quickly get into a throwing stance! This way, you'll get used to the ball speed and also train your throwing skills. Two birds with one stone—we'll call it the Sendo Training Method!" Sendo said earnestly.

"Devil!" Takeda muttered to himself, knowing full well that Sendo wasn't lying to him, but... using his body to catch the ball was pretty terrifying.

"Scary, isn't it? Well, then the Sendo Training Method has a third function: to make you no longer fear the ball. After all, a catcher can't afford to take their eyes off the ball out of fear, not even for a moment!"

"As expected, Sendo is really...," Takeda thought to himself. He didn't dare say it out loud. It was funny watching Sendo tease Eijun, but now that he was the one being teased, it wasn't fun at all.

Plus, Sendo's teasing always had a point, making it hard to argue and leave the victim resentfully on the losing end.

Sendo paid no heed and simply turned on the machine again.

Whirr, click—the familiar sound of the machine was followed by images of a pitcher winding up to throw.

"Whoosh!"

"Thud!"

"What are you doing? Get up and throw the ball!"

Whirr, click.

"Whoosh!"

"Thud!"

"Baka, don't be afraid. If you close your eyes, any hitters you could have struck out during a game will strike. With runners on third, that's an instant score!"

...

"Didn't I tell you to squat higher? Isn't it scary when the ball hits your headgear? Though this effect will help you overcome your fear of the ball more quickly. If you like it, we can keep it this way!"

To Takeda, Sendo's voice was like the devil whispering, but the whisper continued!

"Forgot what I just said, did you? Don't be afraid. Your eyes shouldn't leave the ball even for a moment. If you're this scared, forget Eijun's pitches—you won't be able to catch even straight-down-the-middle strikes from that guy, and his pitches are faster and stronger than this."

Nearby teammates listened, bewildered, but none dared to look over for fear that Sendo would turn his attention toward them, which would be too terrifying.

Sawamura, who had come back from running, was already shocked, thinking, "Scary! Scary! Today, Sendo is particularly frightening!"

"You guys!" Sendo suddenly glanced at the group nearby!

"Eek!!!" Several people shivered.

"What are you standing there for? If you don't want to pitch, then go practice your swings!"

"Oh! Oh! Oh!" They quickly realized they had unconsciously stopped practicing and sprung back into training after Sendo noticed them.

"Alright, let's continue!" Seeing the others resume practice, Sendo said to the poor little catcher in front of him.

Then...

"You're leaning forward; have you forgotten the basic stance?"

"Open your eyes wider! I can't tell if you're keeping them open to catch the ball!"

"Hey, isn't that comment unnecessary?" At this moment, everyone, including Takeda and his teammates, silently thought this but dared not voice it.

Just like Sawamura said, to them, Sendo seemed particularly serious and intimidating today.

"Alright, it seems your eyes have adjusted. Let's catch a few more balls, and if you manage, we'll wrap it up for today! After all, we need to do homework tonight and being too tired will just make us sleepy!" Sendo said, turning off the machine and addressing Takeda.

Over the past two days, they had agreed to study after dinner, but since they began getting sleepy, they decided to rest after a bath and then study, fitting in some self-practice before bedtime.

"Okay, let's go!" Takeda motivated himself loudly as he crouched and readied his glove.

The others paused to watch him, seeming to encourage him silently, but understanding not to distract him at such a crucial moment, no one spoke up.

Seeing this, Sendo started the machine again.

Whirr, click.

"Whoosh!"

"Smack!"

"Great, you're able to catch the ball with your palm now, so it won't hurt as much. Catching fastballs is already a significant improvement. There are many techniques to master later, but they all start with catching the ball!"

"How does it feel—the impact of a fastball on your palm? It's quite something, isn't it?" Sendo encouraged.

"Let's leave other issues for tomorrow. Shin has worked really hard today!"

Even as Sendo shared these thoughts, he was thinking of something else.

Being called a genius, his experiences were entirely different from Takeda's.

The mistakes that he would never make, even on a first try, were obstacles others had to work hard to overcome.

He could understand but not necessarily share in this particular joy deeply, a regret of sorts.

...

"That's it for today! Let's all go back and prepare dinner together!" Sendo announced after checking the time on his phone.

"Okay!"

Everyone enjoyed their dinner that day more than usual. After working hard, the satisfaction of preparing and eating food they helped make was entirely different.

To avoid getting caught during cooking, Sendo had asked Fumino to help run the bathwater.

After dinner, it was time to relax, bathe, and study. The study time after bathing was dedicated to Fumino.

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