Miyuki had become the starting catcher for Seido in his first year and taken on important hitting responsibilities alongside it.
His hitting performance last year was not quite at the level of some of Seido's core hitters, but evaluated by the standard of a first-year freshman, his report card in hitting alone would earn a solid seventy points or above.
And that was before accounting for his outstanding work as a catcher.
This year, in the Spring Tournament, Miyuki had already hit three home runs and scored more than ten runs. That kind of performance was in no way inferior to any well-known star player.
To be fair, in terms of importance to Seido, the current Miyuki was not inferior to Zhang Han at all. His presence on the field was not as dazzling, but his role was equally important.
Put the two of them on opposite sides of a scale, and it was genuinely hard to say who mattered more, or who was better.
After listening to Fujio's analysis, Owada Akiko's large, watery eyes sparkled with admiration.
As expected of a senior. He saw more than she did.
"But why is Miyuki's popularity so much lower compared to Zhang Han?"
When Miyuki played, the fans were excited, but they could still hold themselves together. When it was Zhang Han's turn, the atmosphere was something else entirely. That could no longer be called excitement. That was madness.
Especially the young girls in the front rows of the stands. They looked ready to leap down from the seats and fight alongside him.
"From the perspective of professional baseball experts, before Zhang Han developed his light speed ball, the two were evenly matched. After that, he naturally drew more attention. But the most important reason is still their on-field performance. Miyuki's position limits how visible he is. He's simply not as dazzling as Zhang Han."
"Is it not also because of their looks?"
Owada Akiko's question left Fujio momentarily speechless. He stared at his assistant, genuinely wondering for a moment whether she was really a newcomer.
As a professional baseball reporter, he really wanted to shake his head and deny it. But he couldn't find a single reason to.
It was a cruel observation, but what Owada Akiko had guessed was probably one of the real reasons.
Miyuki was also very handsome. However, his glasses cost him roughly thirty points with most girls, and compared to Zhang Han, his appearance was a step behind regardless.
Those two factors combined had created the current situation.
Miyuki clearly looked good. Without his glasses, he could reach ninety points easily. But he just happened to be standing next to Zhang Han, who was operating on a score of one hundred and one.
It wasn't a question of not recognizing quality. It was a question of comparison. Put the two side by side, and Miyuki naturally came up short in terms of looks.
That was a significant reason why Zhang Han had an enormous female fanbase while Miyuki's remained small.
The game continued, and the hitting battle had the audience's blood running hot.
But no one expected that after Miyuki scored the seventh run, the game would suddenly shift into a pitcher's duel.
Manaka, having just given up that seventh run, was fully awake now. His subsequent pitching was excellent. He handled Seido's lower-order hitters cleanly and got the final two outs of the third inning without trouble.
Coming off the mound, Manaka took a long look at Tanba, who was standing in the on-deck circle.
His mind drifted back.
Three years ago, after the Junior High Summer Tournament, Manaka had received an invitation from the prestigious Ichidaisan Third High School. He had gone to his closest teammate, Koichiro Tanba, and invited him to come along. The two of them would carve out a new path together.
But Tanba, who had always been inseparable from him, surprised him. He said he wanted to join Seido instead.
The words the shy Tanba spoke that day were deeply imprinted in Manaka's memory.
"I don't want to keep chasing your back."
At first, Manaka was quite hurt. He felt abandoned.
But over time, with the guidance of his coaches and the people around him, and after working through it himself, he came to accept it. If Tanba wanted to try his luck at Seido, then he deserved support and a genuine blessing.
Still, Tanba's time at Seido had not gone smoothly. He had become the ace pitcher last autumn, but his performances on the mound were always inconsistent, plagued by problems. The media had come to regard him as the weakest ace among the three major powerhouse pitchers.
In today's game, Manaka himself had started terribly, giving up seven runs. He could only tip his hat to Seido's powerful hitting lineup.
But Tanba's struggles had their own reasons behind them.
"Did you really get what you wanted at Seido?"
Manaka wanted to ask his old friend. And looking at the opponents in front of him, he felt something reignite. His fighting spirit came back.
From that point on, Manaka Kaname pitched with relentless drive.
Seeing how motivated Manaka had become, the Seido players grew wary. Just as they had feared, if he kept this up, scoring would become difficult. And when it came time to defend, that problem would only feel bigger.
As Seido's players sat with that unease, a tall young man stepped forward.
Tanba.
Facing Ichidaisan Third High School's upper-order hitters, Tanba pitched in an astonishing state. He had always been unstable at critical moments, but today he stood firm. He gave Miyakawa and Hoshida nothing to work with and got them out directly.
Because they were in the middle of a game, Seido's teammates kept their reactions in check. But privately, they were ready to pry their senior's head open and see what had gotten into him.
What had set Senior Tanba off like this?
If he could hold this form, it would be very difficult for Zhang Han to take the ace number from him.
With both pitchers locked in, neither side managed to score through the fourth, fifth, or sixth innings.
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