"Second batter, Toujou!"
One out, nobody on base.
During middle school, Takatsu had been something of a celebrity player. But in his confrontation with Kawakami, a first string pitcher from Seido, he hadn't been able to gain any advantage. He had been dominated from start to finish.
From the freshman dugout came a lot of noise. Although these were all elites selected from over forty freshmen, they were still somewhat at a loss facing a pitcher like Kawakami.
The first string players who had come specifically to watch had nothing to do and were watching with great interest.
"These guys probably thought Kawakami's pitching speed was so-so when they watched from the stands, and figured he wouldn't be a big deal. If they actually step up to the plate with that mindset, I'm a bit worried whether they can even last to the end of the game."
Kawakami's poor performance in the morning game was certainly connected to his struggles to some extent. But that was clearly not the main reason. The main reason he had given up six consecutive runs was that their opponent had been Ichidaisan Third High School, with one of the most explosive offenses around.
Middle school star players were small fry compared to Seido's core first string. If the freshmen couldn't grasp the size of that gap, today was going to be a difficult lesson.
"Watching the Freshman Welcome Match now, does it make you feel nostalgic?"
Miyuki asked Kuramochi beside him with a smile.
In last year's Freshman Welcome Match, he and Zhang Han had caused the biggest stir. But Kuramochi had also made his mark. His stolen base had left a deep impression, especially on Coach Kataoka. So much so that after the third-year upperclassmen retired, Kuramochi had been promoted to the first string at near rocket speed.
Kuramochi himself didn't see it that way. Apart from that stolen base, his performance had given him little to be proud of. The memory had become something of a sore spot for him, and he had no wish to revisit it.
"Besides you two, we got hit pretty badly!"
Kuramochi said grumpily.
"Starting to feel sorry for our junior teammates?"
"How could that be? Standing on the upperclassman side now, I'd rather get on the field and give them a crushing lesson myself."
"Your personality is truly awful."
"You're not really in a position to say that to me. When it comes to bad personalities, who can compare to you?"
"I wonder when Zhang Han will be on the field. I'm quite looking forward to it."
"Is it because you're uncomfortable seeing Zhang Han about to partner with Chris-senpai?"
Kuramochi asked, clearly enjoying the topic.
Zhang Han, having awakened his Light Speed Ball, was widely seen as the next ace of the Seido High School Baseball Team. His teammates didn't yet know that Zhang Han couldn't pitch too many balls in a single game, so they firmly believed that by summer, the number one jersey might well belong to Zhang Han. As Zhang Han's partner, how could Miyuki feel entirely comfortable watching him team up with a competitor?
When Chris was mentioned, something shifted in Miyuki's expression. He looked toward the senior team's dugout, watching Chris analyze something for his teammates.
Ever since his injury healed, Chris-senpai had been back in training. Half a year away had left almost no mark on him. If the team hadn't already grown and settled into playing with Miyuki, the starting catcher position might very well have changed hands by now.
Coach Kataoka had specifically arranged for both Miyauchi-senpai and Chris-senpai to participate in this Freshman Welcome Match. It was probably also to re-evaluate both players through the game. If their performance was outstanding enough, a new round of uniform number competition would be inevitable, perhaps not by the Kanto Tournament, but certainly by summer.
"Ping!"
Just as a smile crossed Miyuki's face, the confrontation on the field produced a result.
After missing on his first swing, Toujou's second swing connected. The ball rolled in front of the third baseman and was stopped by Masuko, who threw to first for the out. But the contact itself was enough to lift the freshmen's spirits considerably.
Even the usually serious Coach Ochiai nodded with satisfaction.
As expected of a program like Seido. This year's recruitment had drawn some genuinely good prospects. Toujou was a good example. His pitching already had a certain standard, but more importantly, his hitting instincts and awareness were sharp. His sense, his swing, his small techniques, none of it looked green anymore. He was like a polished piece of jade.
"Also from Matsukata Little League?"
Ochiai thought back to the three powerful hitters from Matsukata who had caused such a stir during the Spring Tournament. Toujou's performance didn't seem so surprising when you considered that. He had been Zhang Han and Hoshida's teammate, an important member of Matsukata's golden generation.
"Putting him at second in the order might be a bit of a waste. He has the potential for the core hitting lineup."
Two outs. Nobody on base.
Kawakami had gotten those two outs in excellent form. Toujou had made contact and briefly lifted the freshmen's morale, but it hadn't disrupted Kawakami's rhythm at all. He was not a strikeout pitcher.
He was a contact pitcher, one who worked to get hitters to put the ball in play and trusted his defense to do the rest. Luring Toujou into hitting the ball had been the plan all along. Chasing strikeouts would only have disrupted his own rhythm.
At this moment, a slender young man, just over 1.6 meters tall, stepped into the batter's box.
The old alumni who had specifically come to watch were visibly startled. Had they misread the lineup? Why was it not Toujou, who had just performed well, but a young man who was neither tall nor particularly strong, standing in a core lineup position?
"Who arranged this? Isn't that a bit reckless?"
"Putting a small guy like that in the core lineup, what's the thinking?"
"Is that a wooden bat he's holding?"
"A wooden bat?"
The spectators buzzed among themselves. The first string players who had come to watch also frowned. They didn't usually pay close attention to first-year players, but looking at the young man's physique, it was very hard to imagine what kind of performance he could produce.
"By the way, doesn't that young man look a bit familiar?"
Isashiki Jun frowned, scrutinizing the freshman, then turned to look at Kominato Ryosuke standing nearby.
Kominato Ryosuke looked a bit stronger, had smaller eyes, and was slightly shorter. But overall, the resemblance between the two was striking. And they shared the same surname.
Looking alike could be a coincidence. Sharing a surname could also be a coincidence. But both together? The odds of that were too low to ignore.
The first string players glanced at each other.
Could these two be...?
"That's my younger brother."
"Brothers playing baseball together, that's something to be envied. But is he also a second baseman?"
Two brothers on the same team was not unusual. Two brothers playing the same position was harder to explain. Even if both performed equally well, only one of them could play in a given game.
"Who doesn't have a troublesome younger brother? He just likes to follow in my shadow. There's nothing I can do about it."
The complaint was genuine, but there was something unmistakably fond underneath it.
"It's already a blessing to be on the same team as your younger brother. There's no need to force the position."
Kominato Ryosuke did not appreciate the captain's attempt at comfort.
"That's only if he makes it into the first string."
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