Chapter 41: Privilege
"Miyuki!"
"Tetsu!"
"That was amazing!"
"Kamishiro!"
"Nice pitch, Tanba!"
"Boss!"
"Coach Kataoka!"
"Just two more wins!"
"You've gotta make it to Koshien this year!"
"Seidou is the strongest!"
As they walked off the field, they were met with a sea of cheers.
Rinichi never expected so many people to be cheering them on like this.
Back at school, the upperclassmen immediately resumed their voluntary training, while Rinichi just sat dazed in a corner, only getting up when it was time to eat.
He didn't eat much, but he did drink a lot of water.
...
"At the various stadiums hosting the West Tokyo Tournament, the final four teams have finally emerged today."
"From Group A, Seidou, led by their first-year ace Kamishiro."
"Group B, a regular in the top eight and a powerhouse from the western district, Sensen Academy."
"Group C, reigning champions of last year's West Tokyo Tournament, Inashiro Industrial."
"And finally, Group D, the only public high school among them and a prestigious academic school — Sakurazawa High."
"Which team will be the one to seize a ticket to the dream stage?"
At that point, Chris turned off the TV.
"That wraps it up. Now that Inashiro has won, the semifinal matchups are officially set," he said.
Rinichi yawned. After his bath, he felt especially tired.
Isashiki Jun remarked, "Looks like we're facing Sensen in the semifinals after all."
Chris picked up a thick book from the nearby table and flipped it open.
"They're a regular in the top eight with over 80 team members…"
"But this spring, they fell into a pitcher's duel against Ichidaisan and lost by a single run."
A senpai added, "I remember they have a ridiculously tall pitcher."
"Yeah," someone else chimed in.
"He must be over 200 cm tall." Kuramochi even gestured with his hand for emphasis.
"From his first year, he's worn the ace number. Even pro scouts are watching his untapped potential. The giant — Maki Yousuke," Chris added.
"He uses his height to throw steep fastballs and what's said to be the highest release-point curveball in all of Japan."
The mention of a tall curveball pitcher instantly made everyone think of Tanba.
"In the day after tomorrow's semifinal, Kamishiro will still be the starting pitcher, but I'll only have him pitch two innings. Depending on the situation, I'll rotate in Tanba, Kawakami, or Furuya," Coach Kataoka explained.
Hearing his name mentioned, Furuya's eyes lit up.
"That's great," Haruichi, sitting next to him, said.
"Alright, that's it. Get some rest and recover from the fatigue."
"Yes, sir!"
Rinichi stood up, stretched, and let out another yawn.
He figured he'd probably fall asleep the moment he lay down.
Even though he didn't pitch a complete game today, the fatigue must've been accumulating from previous matches.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Chris pulling Furuya aside for a private chat.
Now that he thought about it, if Coach Kataoka lets Furuya pitch tomorrow, it would be his first appearance in the summer tournament so far.
Rinichi thought about that absentmindedly and looked away.
Later, when Kuramochi and Masuko returned to the dorm, they saw Rinichi already fast asleep.
"This guy even sleeps with the light on," Kuramochi muttered, switching it off. "Come on, let's go see Miyuki."
Masuko nodded in agreement.
When Miyuki saw them, he asked, "What's up?"
He had just gotten back too.
Kuramochi and Masuko sat down without hesitation.
"Kamishiro's already out cold,"
"We didn't really have anywhere else to go, so we came here," Kuramochi said.
Miyuki: "…"
"While we're at it, let's talk about you and Kamishiro. What are you planning to do? Are you seriously going to let things stay like this? You still have a year and a half to work with him, you know."
"If something goes wrong during a future game, that'll be a real problem."
"If we want to win, Kamishiro's strength is absolutely essential."
"Man, this sucks. Tanba-senpai hates you, Kamishiro hates you—you've managed to piss off both the former and the current ace."
"But Kamishiro gives off this vibe... how do I put it... Yeah, like he doesn't need a 'catcher'—just a 'net that can catch anything he throws.'"
Miyuki forced a bitter smile.
...
The next day, Rinichi woke up fully recharged.
He was even enthusiastically swinging the bat around with his upperclassmen.
"A curveball thrown from the highest release point in Japan, huh? Honestly, that's hard to even imagine," Isashiki Jun said.
Ryousuke, taking his swings, added, "We've never even faced him in practice games."
The highest release point… that would mean the pitch comes in higher than most others.
Fortunately, Rinichi's specialty was hitting high pitches.
...
"Starting lineup, listen up!"
Suddenly, Coach Kataoka's voice rang out.
Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to look.
"Everyone gather at Field B. We're going to start practicing hitting pitches thrown from a height!"
"Yes, sir!" Rinichi responded in unison with the others.
When they arrived, they found a pitcher's mound built unusually high, with workers still finishing construction.
Rinichi: "…"
It was the first time he had seen a mound this tall.
"Raising the mound itself must be to simulate Maki's height, right?" Yuuki Tetsuya remarked.
Coach Kataoka, wearing a glove, pointed his thumb at the upperclassmen behind him.
"They were the ones who suggested this last night. They spent the entire night piling up that dirt."
"We really wanted to contribute to the team somehow," one of them added.
Right after that, Coach Kataoka stepped onto the mound and began pitching.
No one had expected the coach to throw the balls himself.
"Who's up first?" he asked.
"Coach, you're really going to pitch yourself?!" Kuramochi said in disbelief.
"It's not like we can have Tanba or Kamishiro pitch, right?"
"This is great. We don't usually get a chance to hit the coach's pitches," Ryousuke said.
While they were talking, Rinichi, bat in hand, eagerly put on his helmet and gloves and stepped up to the plate.
"Kamishiro! Don't cut the line!" Isashiki shouted.
But it was too late—Rinichi was already in the batter's box.
"Sorry, senpai."
He got into his batting stance, eyes focused, and smiled.
"I'll go first."
"Make sure to crush it, Kamishiro!"
"If you can't hit it, get out quick!"
Everyone was eager for their own turn to face the coach's pitches.
Each player got only three swings before switching out.
Rinichi swung and missed twice—but on the third pitch, he hit a home run.
The ball nearly flew over the high net.
Everyone watching was left stunned by the power of that hit.
But as more batters took their turn afterward, they realized something…
Coach Kataoka had been giving Rinichi special treatment—he only pitched fastballs to him.
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