<87> Autumn Tournament Schedule Announced

Chapter 87: Autumn Tournament Schedule Announced

"What's wrong? You seem so distracted today!" Wakana asked as soon as they boarded the bus the next day. She noticed Sendo sitting alone by the window, lost in thought.

"Who's distracted? I'm just thinking!" Sendo replied.

"About what?"

"Fumino got angry at me yesterday, out of nowhere! Seriously! So petty!" he complained.

"Why did she get angry?"

"Who knows?"

"What was the last thing you said to her?"

"Um… she called me a pervert, so I said, 'What is there to even look at on you?' Hmm..."

"..."

"What? What's the problem?"

"You idiot! How could you say something like that to a girl?"

"She called me a pervert first! I was just responding!"

"That's not how you respond!"

"Why not? It was just a joke! It's not like I meant it."

"Listen! There are some things you should never joke about with girls, okay?"

"Ugh, such a hassle!"

"..."

"What's so funny? What are you two talking about, Sendo? Wakana?" Sawamura interjected with a grin.

"Nothing," Wakana replied curtly, but the conversation with Sendo had already been derailed.

"Oh!" Without hesitation, Sawamura plopped down in the seat next to Sendo.

"Hey!..." Sendo barely managed to let out a sound.

"Denied!" Sawamura declared.

"I haven't even said anything yet!"

"Whatever you say, denied!"

"That's not fair!"

...

"So, Sendo, what kind of team is Nakamoku Middle School?" Sawamura asked.

"They're like us—first-round elimination regulars," Sendo replied nonchalantly.

"I'm so excited for the game!" Sawamura exclaimed.

"You really love competing, huh? But don't get too hopeful; they're not as strong as the teams we've faced before. Won't you be disappointed?"

"Why would I?"

"Heh, then it's fine."

"Huh? What are you talking about, Sendo?"

"I'm saying, as long as you go into the game with this mindset, you'll be fine."

"What mindset?"

"Not underestimating your opponent. That's the right attitude! Now don't bother me—I'm taking a nap."

"Ugh, you're the worst!" Sawamura grumbled but chose not to disturb Sendo, who curled up in his seat. Instead, he silently seethed.

The day proceeded without surprises.

Even though Shin played, Sawamura had to hold back his pitching power.

The opponents also used composite bats instead of wooden ones, making the game feel less intense.

The opposing batters were handled smoothly by Akagi Junior High School, whose defense, though still lacking, managed to cover the basics.

By the second time through the batting order, Akagi's hitters began to pick up on the opposing pitcher's patterns and started scoring.

This lifted the frustration from yesterday's game, where many felt like mere spectators.

The game ended after seven innings with a score of 8-4, leaving Sano in an increasingly cheerful mood.

With the practice matches for the week concluded, the team transitioned into intense training.

Despite all their previous efforts, their defensive mechanics were still rough at best.

Reaction times, ball-handling ability, and defensive coverage were areas that needed significant improvement.

The following week, they would face Tokumei, and with only two weeks left until the autumn tournament, time was running out.

...

"Here, all the game footage is ready," Wakana said, handing over a set of tapes to Sendo on Wednesday after a few days of preparation. "This includes Tokumei's games against Sakura Girls's University, four matches in total."

"Thank you, you've worked hard!"

"This is all I can do," Wakana replied modestly.

"Don't say that, you've been a huge help!" Sendo said sincerely. Then, Wakana suddenly remembered something.

"By the way!"

"What is it?"

"How's it going with Fumino? Is she still mad?"

"How could she be? She still has to study!" Sendo replied with a mischievous grin.

Wakana could only sigh internally, thinking, This guy is hopeless!

Training continued as usual, and as the team's batting practice pitcher, Sendo stuck to his self-imposed rules. It wasn't until nearly a week later that he finally showed signs of increasing his pitch count.

He couldn't simply break his own rules or forcefully increase his pitch speed—it wouldn't benefit his teammates. So, he justified it by claiming it was just a way to exercise.

What a lame excuse!

The truth was that he was bored of reading and wanted Sawamura to recommend some new books.

As a compromise, Sendo decided to put in more effort, although Sawamura had no idea and mistakenly believed that Sendo had made significant progress.

When Sendo admitted he was out of books to read, Sawamura generously recommended a few good ones to him.

...

By Friday, the Autumn Tournament brackets were officially announced. Sendo handed the chart to everyone.

"Who's our first opponent?" Sawamura asked.

"Suimoku Comprehensive Academy. What a long name!" Sendo replied.

"No idea! Don't ask me; I've never paid attention to this stuff!" Sawamura shrugged.

"I looked it up," Sano chimed in. "It's a new school, part of a wave of school mergers in Nagano in recent years. For instance, Suimoku Comprehensive and Kirinishi Middle School, which was previously an all-girls school."

"An all-girls school?" Sendo's eyes lit up.

Smack!

"Focus!" Wakana scolded, hitting him over the head with a book.

"Ouch! What does this have to do with you?" Sendo muttered under his breath but didn't dare to say it out loud.

"Is it this one?" Sawamura pointed to a name near Akagi's grouping on the chart.

"Pfft, it really is! What kind of grouping is this? Everyone's bunched together!" Sano laughed.

"Not necessarily," Sendo said. "Kirinishi is strong, but we wouldn't face them until the third round—our top 16 matchup. That's assuming we even make it to the top 16!"

"Don't jinx it!" Sawamura shouted.

"Well, he's not wrong. Even if we win, we might not face them, and there's no guarantee we'll win," Sano added, ignoring Sawamura.

"Too bad," Sendo said regretfully.

"Too bad about what? And why is even Sano -sensei so pessimistic?" Sawamura asked, curious.

"Sano -sensei, what do you think about this grouping? Is it good luck or bad luck?" Sendo asked, ignoring Sawamura again.

"This is the worst grouping," Sano answered bluntly.

"Huh?" Sendo was surprised.

"Our group's top seed is the number one seed, Tokugawa Middle School. If we beat Suimoku Comprehensive, they'll be our first opponent."

"But does it matter? In Nagano, seeds don't usually mean much," Sendo said.

"Except for Tokugawa. They're the exception," Sano said with a sigh. "If you hadn't been doing well recently, I wouldn't have bothered researching this. For the past ten years, Tokugawa has been Nagano's representative at Nationals. They've maintained their dominance by recruiting top players from little league through scholarship offers and even bringing in senior league players to compete in dual leagues. Tokugawa has consistently used these methods to stay strong."

The room fell silent as the weight of the challenge ahead became clear.

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