Chapter 2: The Lottery Draw

If there hadn't been so many people at the scene, Kuramochi would have burst laughing out loud.

Sawamura's words were incredibly offensive, even with his polite front.

Based on his 'extensive experience', Kuramochi could tell that although the opponent maintained a polite tone, his words were completely devoid of respect, clearly a deliberate provocation.

In response, Sawamura shook the opponent's hand and asked him his name with a smile.

Who could call that impolite?

Furthermore, Sawamura was indeed the leader of the National Champions. He represented not only the current Seidou High School but also the previous team.

Taking the initiative to shake hands was the best choice. It showcased Seidou High School's honor as Champions while remaining modest.

'It was perfect.'

Even though Kuramochi shared a dorm with Sawamura, he hadn't realized how skilled Sawamura was at diplomacy. Especially the last remark Sawamura made—it was incredibly satisfying.

Sawamura recognized the person in front of him.

"Hee hee, I'm just a nobody."

The person shaking hands with Sawamura had a striking pompadour hairstyle and a warm smile like the winter sun—an extreme contrast to his appearance.

His name was Umemiya Seiichi, a well-known pitcher from Tokyo's East District.

Sawamura knew him from his memories.

After a brief chat with Umemiya, Sawamura and his friends sat down next to him. Umemiya was accompanied by two people: a small young man with a monk-like haircut and a person in a wheelchair named Matsubara Nao.

Sawamura gave Matsubara Nao a thoughtful look. Despite his young appearance, Matsubara was in a wheelchair at such a young age—a reminder that no matter how much wealth, talent, or fame one has, good health is paramount.

"Hello!" Sawamura extended his hand to Matsubara Nao.

"Thank you!" Matsubara glanced apologetically at his legs, indicating he couldn't stand.

Sawamura shook his hand, showing it was no problem.

Umemiya was surprised, not expecting Sawamura to actively shake hands with Matsubara.

"Do you know him?" Umemiya asked quietly.

Matsubara wryly shook his head. "I know him, but he probably doesn't know me."

Sawamura didn't know Matsubara, but the name was familiar. Seeing him in person, Sawamura was curious.

As the three settled, whispers spread around them.

"That's Sawamura!"

"He looks completely different from videos and TV!"

"I thought he'd be a bit buff, but he's actually quite plain."

"That's TV for you; people often look heavier."

"How do you know?"

"My sister works at the TV station."

Miyuki and Kuramochi finally understood Sawamura's earlier comment. He didn't want to be treated like a zoo animal.

Now, it felt just like being a monkey in the zoo.

"Mei didn't come," Miyuki noted, glancing at Inashiro's team.

Inashiro was led by a chubby guy who was likely the new team Captain.

"That's Fukui!" Umemiya quickly became familiar with Sawamura. Perhaps Sawamura's respectful gesture towards Matsubara had gained him a bit of favorability.

It was clear they had thoroughly researched Inashiro's details. Even Seidou's people didn't know Inashiro's new captain, but Umemiya did.

"Inashiro has been low-key since missing Koshien last summer. Their practice and preliminary results haven't been remarkable."

"What are you suggesting?" Sawamura asked Matsubara.

"It looks like Inashiro might make a strong comeback. If you're aiming for first place, they could be your toughest opponents."

"And you?"

Sawamura responded calmly. Matsubara's face showed a hint of unease.

"We're just a small team."

"Don't fool me. As if any small team would make it past the preliminary."

The two continued their talk.

Kuramochi watched, slightly bewildered, but kept it hidden.

'The opponent was Ugumori, a relatively obscure school. Yet Sawamura seemed quite wary.'

"The draw is starting!" announced a thin organizer, signaling the official start of the lottery.

Schools called upon would take turns drawing number cards.

The matchups had already been set. Teams would hang their drawn numbers below the matchup table.

The draw heavily relies on luck. Bad luck could mean facing powerful opponents consecutively.

"Inashiro!" When Inashiro's turn came, Fukui stepped up to draw.

He drew the number 13!

As he drew, whispers emerged below. Despite Inashiro's loss to Seidou in the summer, they remained popular.

They were quite prominent.

"Ichikawa University Third High School!" After several names were called, it was Sankou High School's turn. (That is Sankou's full name.)

As one of the top three schools in West Tokyo, Sankou was a strong competitor, drawing significant attention.

Captain Adachi stepped up and drew the number 60!

"Separated!" Kuramochi noted thoughtfully.

With over 260 high schools participating, more than 60 advanced to this round.

These 60 teams are paired, so Inashiro and Sankou, with numbers 13 and 60, respectively, couldn't meet before the final.

Since they were separated, Seidou would likely face one of them before the final.

So far, there have been no drastic groupings.

When Sankou drew their lot, Eijun glanced thoughtfully at their team.

Sure enough, he spotted a familiar face in that team.

'Amahisa Kousei!'

Now sporting a monk-like haircut, he looked like a dedicated guy.

Little did anyone know, he's also a super player.

"Here he comes!"

He's taken over from the departed Ace and become Sankou's new star.

"Who's that?" Kuramochi asked curiously.

"An acquaintance," Sawamura replied with a smile.

"By the way, you've won national championships twice before. You must know many people in Tokyo from your high school days, right?"

"Not really. The softball league doesn't produce top players like the hardball league. Most people I know haven't made a name for themselves in high school."

Most freshmen who make an impact are from the hardball league. Those switching from softball take longer to adapt. They usually mature in their second or third year.

Moreover, his rival in Tokyo is Narumiya Mei.

There are acquaintances, but this one didn't show up.

"Yakushi High School!"

Now it's Yakushi High School's turn to draw. The previously quiet audience suddenly became noisy, even more so than when Seidou High School first appeared.

"That's Yakushi!"

"They have been making a lot of noise lately."

"After the summer competition, they defeated a lot of top teams."

"I heard they even beat Inashiro with a score of 3:1."

"Seeing the score, it must be true."

Miyuki, hearing the chatter, reacted for the first time.

'Is Yakushi really that strong now?'

Yakushi High School left a deep impression on Miyuki after Seidou High School's almost defeat, where three pitchers were overwhelmed. Even in Koshien's finals, Seidou didn't face such difficulty.

Miyuki was well aware of Yakushi's strengths and weaknesses. Their batting lineup is incredibly powerful, almost on par with Seidou's previous third-year team. Despite having first-year players, like the formidable Raichi, their Ace struggles to pitch full games, leading to a reliance on less experienced pitchers.

'Defeating them isn't impossible,' Miyuki considered.

Famous Teams with strong defenses and lineups should be able to beat Yakushi.

"After the summer competition, many top players retired, and the new ones haven't yet developed. Although Yakushi also had third-year students retire, they were minor players. The core team remained unchanged. A fully developed team beating newly formed ones isn't surprising."

Although Sawamura said this, he knew victory wasn't a matter of luck. Yakushi's success indicated their real strength.

'Challenging top teams and winning shows their true power!'

If they're still seen as the summer's immature team, only Seidou will suffer.

Sanada drew the lot for Yakushi, looking very confident.

Number 47!

'Good luck!'

"Teito High School!"

Next up was East Tokyo's uncrowned king, Teito!

East Tokyo, known for one major giant and many strong teams, sees Teito High School standing shoulder to shoulder with the top three giants in the Western District.

"Who's that middle-aged man?" Kuramochi asked, astonished, as he saw Kengo Inui.

With the third-year students retired, only first- and second-year high school players remain.

This man seems to be older than his peers!

Inui's appearance made it seem like he could be in his thirties or forties.

"He looks older than Coach Kataoka, almost as old as Coach Ochiai."

"Stop joking. He's in our age. We even played a practice game against him," Miyuki explained.

"I didn't know that."

"At that time, you weren't a main player yet, so…"

That hit too hard!

Kuramochi felt his pride wounded and decided to ignore Miyuki for now.

…

T/N: That's it for Today.

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