Chapter 99: Strategy
That evening, after dinner, everyone was still lingering in the cafeteria.
While listening to the chatter around him, Rinichi didn't say a single word. Suddenly, he stood up, drawing everyone's attention.
"Sorry… I'll go first."
"Mmh? Hey, Rinichi—" Miyuki called after him.
But Rinichi acted as though he hadn't heard, closing the door behind him.
"What's with Rinichi?"
"He seems a little off today…"
"But his performance wasn't affected at all. It should be fine, right?"
"Could it be because he can't go on the school trip?"
Kanemaru accidentally blurted that out, and instantly everyone's eyes fell on him.
Kanemaru: "..."
Everyone: "..."
So there was something like that after all.
Miyuki's gaze sank. No way.
His mind went back to the third inning, to those inexplicable words Rinichi had said to him.
Out on the field, now pitch-black without a single light, Rinichi stopped in his tracks and turned to look at the empty, shadowy stadium.
In the darkness, he vaguely saw a tall figure running laps. But while his eyes followed that figure, his thoughts wandered elsewhere.
A ball suddenly shot toward him.
Startled, Rinichi caught it, his glove closing around it before dropping slightly. The face he saw before him was that of Shinomiya.
"What are you spacing out for?"
"I was asking—you've been at Daikyou recently, right? How's it going with the new catcher? Are you getting along?"
Rinichi was silent for a while, then replied, "…Yeah."
"You don't sound too lively…" Shinomiya said.
Rinichi lowered his eyes. "Senpai…"
"I… don't want to play baseball anymore."
Shinomiya froze at his words. "Why? Don't you like baseball? Or is this about the catcher issue making you not want to play?"
Rinichi lifted his gaze. "I…" He clenched his teeth. "I don't play baseball because I like it."
When he recalled that, the running figure on the field came closer to the railing near him. Seeing the face clearly, Rinichi blinked—
—It was Furuya Satoru.
The fastball pitcher who had said he would surpass him.
"Does it matter?" Shinomiya's voice overlapped with the memory. "Were you happy when you played baseball with me, Rin?"
Without hesitation, Rinichi answered, "Happy."
"See? Then it's really about the catcher problem, isn't it?"
Rinichi fell silent, turning his gaze away.
"Of course… having a catcher who can't handle your pitches would be pretty frustrating…"
"But that's not enough reason to quit baseball."
Rinichi stayed quiet for a long while, then spoke softly, almost changing the subject:
"Why is it… that even when those guys work so hard… they still end up like that?"
Shinomiya frowned slightly. "Like what?"
"I mean… that team we faced the other day. From what I know, they trained harder than most teams. But still—" Rinichi cut himself off.
"Weak?" Shinomiya guessed.
After a pause, Rinichi gave a faint "…Yeah."
Shinomiya sighed helplessly.
"You're really bothered by that, huh?"
"The truth is, no matter how much effort you put in, you don't always get equal results. For some people, no matter how hard they try, they'll never reach the level of others who were simply born with talent."
"Almost everything in life requires talent."
"Like you, Rin… as long as you put in the effort, you can reach heights most people never could."
"That kind of thing is precious."
"Do you… hate that about yourself?"
Rinichi's breath hitched. "…A little."
"But Rin, that very quality is what lets you lead teammates to victory, so they don't have to walk away with regret."
"That's your unique strength."
"Or… do you see that ability as a burden?"
Rinichi shook his head.
"See? You really do care about your teammates."
"..."
"That's enough. Your teammates trust you. You guide them to victories and spare them regret—that's who you are, Rin."
"Hey, Rin, how about trying to become captain?"
"…No." He didn't want something that troublesome.
Shinomiya chuckled knowingly. "Fair enough…"
"Rin, you'll just keep getting stronger. Maybe the constant victories will make things feel dull. Honestly, you'd be better off not joining a powerhouse school. The difficulty would be higher that way."
"..."
Seeing Rinichi's expression, Shinomiya laughed. "Just kidding. If you joined a weak team, you'd die of frustration at how bad your teammates are."
"That's not funny at all." Rinichi frowned.
"Find the fun in it, Rin. That joy is what will fuel your desire to keep playing baseball."
"And sharing victory with your teammates—it's fulfilling, isn't it?"
"Your future high school teammates will be great. Rin, you'll never quit baseball in high school."
…Those words came back to him.
Never quit baseball in high school?
Rinichi: "..."
His thoughts paused for a moment.
It was only then that he realized—he'd been tricked.
Whether it was senpai saying he wanted to come to Seidou, the later invitation from Seidou, or that recent phone call with him…
Maybe he should never have asked in the first place. Maybe he should've just quit outright—
But in truth, he didn't really want to quit.
Besides, he'd been scouted into Seidou. Both the vice-captain and coach had high expectations of him.
So quitting wasn't an option.
Yes… Shinomiya had calculated it all perfectly.
First, he was told to pledge his heart to Seidou, to focus on Seidou. Then came the invitation—at that time, curiosity mixed with his decisiveness made him accept it. Later, when he wavered between wanting to quit and not, he called Shinomiya, who brushed it off with: "If you can work smoothly with any catcher, Rin, wouldn't that make you the strongest pitcher?"
Every word had been calculated—Shinomiya knew Rinichi's personality, when he would choose what, what words would sway his thoughts…
It was scheme upon scheme upon scheme.
Rinichi: "..."
The evening breeze suddenly felt a little cold.
—senpai wanted him at Seidou.
At that moment, Miyuki came over.
Seeing him, Rinichi turned away and muttered, "Miyuki, I kind of feel like quitting the team."
Those words completely stunned Miyuki, his face frozen in disbelief. Just as he was about to speak, Rinichi added: "Just kidding."
But when he said it, his tone was oddly agitated, almost like snapping.
Miyuki, scared half to death by Rinichi: "..."
This was their precious ace, after all.
Rinichi brushed past him quickly.
Watching his retreating back, Miyuki said, "If something's bothering you, you can talk about it."
As captain and catcher, it was his role to keep the ace's state of mind in check.
"Who'd want to tell you?!" Rinichi shot back without even turning his head.
Miyuki: "..."
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