<71> Furuya, The Ace?

Chapter 71: Furuya, The Ace?

The players of Kokai U Sagara High School couldn't suppress their shock and apprehension.

They hadn't even managed to handle Tanba, let alone consider the possibility of Seidou High School bringing the first-year monster Furuya onto the mound.

Just the thought of it made the coach and players of Kokai U Sagara High School break out in cold sweat. The idea was terrifying.

"Put him in!"

"Furuya!!!"

The die-hard supporters of Seidou High School's baseball team seemed to echo the fear in their opponents' hearts. They collectively called for Furuya to take the field.

This was not just a desire to witness Furuya's blazing fastballs but also a hint of dissatisfaction with their current ace.

In truth, Tanba's performance in today's game was commendable. Even with minor mistakes, the loyal supporters of Seidou shouldn't quickly lose faith in their ace.

However, the issue is that, from the supporters' perspective, this wasn't the first time Tanba had made such errors. In previous games, Seidou High School's ace had faced repeated issues.

Now, in such an important game, Tanba made the same mistakes as before. How could the fans in the stands tolerate this?

The fact they didn't openly demand Tanba step down shows considerable restraint.

When Tanba returned to the dugout, he clenched his fists so tightly that the veins stood out.

As his catcher, Miyuki was the first to notice the strange behavior of his senior teammate. But Miyuki had no solutions for this and could only watch in silence.

On the surface, it seemed that Tanba was saved by Furuya. If not for Furuya, Seidou would have surely lost a run.

Logically, Tanba should be grateful to Furuya. Yet the challenge was that Furuya's intervention might not have been a salvation for Tanba but rather a burden.

Before today's game, the second and third-year players of Seidou High School harbored a strong desire to prove themselves on the field.

They wanted to show they hadn't reached this point only by relying on the first-year prodigy.

However, the situation wasn't panning out as they had hoped.

Thanks to Furuya's extraordinary performance, Kokai U Sagara High School's players were visibly shaken.

Seidou High School's teammates clearly observed this.

In such a context, even if they defeated their opponents, could they truly prove their excellence?

Not to mention, Tanba, as a key player, was being questioned by the fans in the stands.

"What should we do?"

In the top half of the seventh inning, as Seidou prepared to bat, confusion loomed over the players.

Coach Kataoka, seeing the uncertainty on his players' faces, understood their thoughts. He approached Tanba and sternly asked, "Tanba, do you intend to give up your position as ace?"

The question struck everyone like a bolt of lightning, leaving them stunned.

Tanba's eyes widened in defiance as he looked at his coach.

Seeing Tanba hesitate, Coach Kataoka turned to Furuya. "Furuya, if we decide to make you the ace starting tomorrow, how would you feel?"

Ace?

Caught off guard like Tanba, Furuya also looked bewildered. But he quickly regained his composure, looked at his coach seriously, and replied, "I will complete the task!"

Furuya had never given up on the ace position. If Coach Kataoka chose to promote him now, Furuya would have no objections.

Hearing Furuya's confident answer, even though some of the upperclassmen felt their younger teammate was a bit overly assertive, they had to admit that this was exactly how an ace should be.

In comparison, although Tanba was filled with reluctance, he said nothing when Coach Kataoka suggested replacing him as the ace. In such circumstances, could the Seidou High School teammates really trust him to hold their defense?

"It's just a hypothetical situation, no need to get so worked up," Coach Kataoka first reassured Furuya before turning his gaze toward Tanba.

"Do you understand now? That's what you lack—a dominating presence that says, 'Who else if not me?' As far as today's pitching is concerned, your performance wasn't bad. You were a bit absorbed in your own pitching, but the quality was adequate. The challenge you need to face next is how to recover after making mistakes. If you can do that and overcome your previous weaknesses, then you will undoubtedly remain the ace of Seidou High School's baseball team. If not, you should relinquish the position."

Even amid external doubts, Coach Kataoka's trust and support for Tanba did not waver.

Tanba felt the fire reigniting within him.

"Yes!"

The ace of Seidou High School regained his fighting spirit.

Furuya, who had unknowingly become an instrumental tool in this process, blinked as he realized the role he played.

Could Coach Kataoka truly treat someone like that, even if he was the coach?

Furuya gave his coach a resentful glance.

His small gesture was caught by the other players on Seidou High School's team, who responded with knowing smiles.

Put yourself in his shoes—if they were Furuya and treated that way by the coach, their mood probably wouldn't be too rosy either.

They had never seen someone being teased like this.

"Alright, they've already witnessed our defense. Now it's time for them to see our offensive capabilities. Show them everything you've learned in your practice."

After six innings, Seidou High School had only scored one run, which was a disgrace for a team known for its offensive prowess.

Hearing the coach's words, one by one, their faces changed.

Indeed, it was time to score more runs.

"Get up there!"

Under Captain Yuuki's signal, a few batters headed to the plate.

However, in the seventh inning, they still couldn't score any runs.

Kokai U Sagara's ace, Oda, seemed to be in the zone, continuously pitching tricky and difficult-ball paths.

One by one, the batters were retired.

At the end of the top of the seventh inning, the score remained 1-0.

The game seemed to be at a stalemate.

Without conceding any more points, Kokai U Sagara High School's momentum started to rise again.

Although Furuya was a challenge, the monster first-year from Seidou still hadn't taken the mound, right?

As it stood, they just needed to handle the struggling Tanba.

If they could score a run or two, the situation could completely change.

They might have a glimmer of hope.

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