<121> Conversation

Chapter 121: Conversation

As Coach Nakani was making a phone call, Coach Mitani was simultaneously preparing Ozawa for what was to come.

Whether Sendo's home run today was a stroke of luck or not, one thing was clear: his adaptation to the wooden bat was progressing at an alarming rate.

Coach Mitani estimated that in just three days, Sendo would fully master it. And after that...

Ozawa didn't need Coach Mitani to spell it out.

She already knew what was coming.

When the home run happened, Ozawa couldn't help but recall the events of a year ago—a nightmare she had vowed never to revisit.

Yet, now, it seemed that nightmare was about to repeat itself.

It would last anywhere from a week to a month, she estimated.

But Ozawa had already steeled herself.

She was determined to grow stronger.

Once she emerged from this ordeal, she would make her opponents tremble.

She had decided to join the Women's Professional Baseball League after college, and several teams had already expressed interest in her.

Her abilities were already at the professional level, and this special training would only push her further.

She also understood that even the best hitter in Japanese women's baseball couldn't compare to the boy standing before her these past few days.

...

The next day dawned bright and sunny, but Sendo decided to sleep in.

From under his blanket, he called Coach Mitani, claiming he needed to help the team with batting practice.

Knowing Sendo's reliability, Coach Mitani didn't question it and let him go about his day.

If it were Coach Nakani, though, Sendo's excuses would have been exposed in an instant.

Even then, Nakani wouldn't confront him about it; he knew Sendo's pride would never let him admit it.

By the time Sendo finally got out of bed, it was already 10 a.m. True to his words, "Anything before double digits on the clock is still morning."

Sawamura, however, was furious. As for his earlier fear of Sendo? That was long forgotten.

Sendo, on the other hand, completely ignored him and went about his day, unfazed.

"What great weather! Makes me want to go back to sleep," Sendo muttered as he ate his "breakfast." After finishing, he strolled around a bit before heading to Sakura Girls' Baseball Team, timing his arrival perfectly with their lunch break.

Instead of training, he joined the girls for a meal. His arrival had been delayed enough to frustrate those waiting to observe him.

...

In the afternoon, Sendo, now completely relaxed, resumed practice.

Ping!

The crisp sound of a wooden bat echoed across the field.

Coach Mitani and Ozawa, both wearing stunned expressions, watched as Sendo hit yet another home run.

Originally, Mitani had predicted it would take Sendo three days to master the wooden bat, but today's explosive performance proved otherwise.

This transformation wasn't entirely unexpected, considering Sendo's unusual sleeping habits and innate stubbornness.

By the fourth day, Sendo had hit seven home runs in fifteen at-bats, with a batting average exceeding 70%. He didn't even bother arguing over infield hits like before, instead generously counting them as outs when suggested by Coach Mitani.

Even so, his performance was enough to crush the spirits of most pitchers.

Ozawa, despite her resilient personality, was on the verge of tears. Her fierce glare at Sendo seemed to etch his image into her memory, as if vowing never to forget this humiliation.

...

"Did I overdo it?" Sendo muttered to himself, feeling a twinge of guilt as he watched Ozawa leave the field in tears.

While debating whether to apologize, a voice interrupted his thoughts:

"What an impressive display of batting!"

Startled, Sendo turned to see an elderly man who had been observing him from the sidelines.

"Who's that old guy?" Sendo asked Mitani.

"Coach Nakani introduced him yesterday. This is Sakaki Eijiro."

"Oh, that old guy?" Sendo thought to himself, barely paying attention.

Sakaki introduced himself with a chuckle, "I'm currently scouting players for my team. Nakani recommended you, though not entirely out of goodwill."

Sendo, scratching his cheek, responded, "Old man, shouldn't you be busy forming your new team right now? How do you even have time to recruit?"

It didn't take long for Sendo to deduce, "Are you coaching a completely restructured team or something?"

A coach, who was supposed to be busy assembling and training a new team, gave his reason for going around scouting players instead.

"You could say that! Technically, although I've already taken on the role of coach, I haven't officially started yet. Right now, I'm in the process of selecting players and improving the environment."

"That's why I have the time to go around scouting! But being just an ordinary school with standard baseball facilities, it's really hard to recruit truly skilled players—especially here in West Tokyo, where the competition is fierce!"

"You should know, most of those players are aiming for the pros. Although I'm somewhat well-known in Tokyo, high school training facilities are a big factor, too."

"I see. But, old man, you've come to the wrong person! My baseball career ended in junior high." Sendo replied skeptically, though he wasn't someone to speak recklessly.

"Is that so? I've heard about that, but I'd still like to hear the reason directly from you."

"Didn't that old guy already tell you?"

"I'd rather hear it from you."

"Practicing baseball is too exhausting. I can't go out to play, can't read manga—it takes up way too much time!"

"But you don't hate it, do you? Just now, I saw a boy completely immersed in the joy of baseball."

"Well, if you put it that way, you're not wrong."

"That's good, then."

"Huh?"

"That's good," Coach Sakaki repeated, as if Sendo hadn't heard him clearly.

Every great coach knows when to stop pushing. A promising talent could quit baseball altogether if they feel pressured.

As a mentor, Sakaki was particularly attentive to the players' mental states, especially as part of the Seidou tradition.

"I'd really like to invite you to join us right now. And since you'll be leading the team early, I'll make you the ace and clean-up hitter as a first-year—an absolute centerpiece!"

"Hey! I haven't even agreed yet, old man!" Sendo muttered to himself.

"However, I'll respect your decision. I'll be heading back now. See you tomorrow!"

"...See me tomorrow? Are you coming again? Hey, are you that free?" Sendo really wanted to say this aloud.

"Old man, which team are you talking about?"

"Yura Technical High School! It's a recently merged school. If you don't join, I'll officially take charge of the team in your second year and lead them into the summer qualifiers. After all, I'm still the head coach of Hosei University!" Coach Sakaki replied and then walked away.

"Never heard of it. But somehow, it feels oddly familiar... Meh, whatever." Sendo muttered.

He didn't know much about Hosei University's team—being a true homebody and all.

"You really don't know Coach Sakaki? He's quite famous and close with Coach Nakani."

"No idea! Even though we only talked briefly, I can tell he's amazing. So, he must be a great coach, too. But I don't really care about that stuff. I've only been back in baseball for a year, and I haven't graduated or learned enough to fully understand."

"True enough," Coach Mitani replied. Thinking back on Sendo's background and recent interactions, he realized Sendo really wasn't that type of person.

"Coach Sakaki is indeed incredible. He's the man who brought Seidou, one of West Tokyo's top three powerhouse schools, to prominence. Without him, Seidou wouldn't be the powerhouse it is today."

"Wait, you mean that Seidou?" Sendo blurted out, his surprise evident.

"Yeah, that one!"

"I see." At this point, Sendo understood why Yura Technical seemed unfamiliar yet vaguely recognizable—it all made sense now.

"What do you mean?" Mitani asked, noticing Sendo's reaction.

"Nothing."

"Alright then, if there's nothing else, I'll go change now."

"Okay, go ahead."

With that, Sendo jogged toward the locker room.

"Coach Kataoka's mentor, huh? And he's also that old psychic geezer who can read minds!" Sendo thought as he ran.

"Anyway, I should hurry and change so I can apologize to Ozawa-san. Wait, no—apologizing might make things worse. I'll just try to comfort her. But what should I even say?" Lost in thought, Sendo unknowingly arrived at the locker room.

"Forget it. I'll figure it out on the spot," he muttered as he opened the door—only to see Ozawa in the middle of changing into casual clothes.

She was changing out of her sweaty sports bra, as athletes often do.

"..."

The air fell silent.

Sendo took 0.3 seconds to react, covering his eyes with both hands, though each hand left two fingers open, letting him sneak a peek.

"I didn't see anything!" Despite living two lives, this was the first time Sendo had seen a girl's body, leaving him flustered and… a little curious.

"Out! Close the door!" A stunned and blushing Ozawa squeezed the words through gritted teeth.

"Huh? Oh!" Sendo snapped out of it, quickly closing the door behind him.

"This is bad! Am I even going to make it out of here alive?" Sendo thought, standing outside the door.