"Your cousin is pretty handsome, Yuki."
Isashiki Jun, who naturally looked fierce even when relaxed, glanced toward the jogging figure on the field.
Ushijima Wakatoshi was running steadily, neither fast nor slow, his posture calm and composed.
There was no helping it.
In the entire Seidou Baseball Club, there were only two foreigners.
One was Chris, a third-year.
The other was Ushijima Wakatoshi.
And unlike Chris, Ushijima was tall, handsome, and far too eye-catching.
"Mmm."
Yuki Tetsuya slipped on his glove and followed Isashiki's gaze, landing on his cousin.
At the moment, Ushijima wasn't doing any specific drills.
He was just jogging.
On the surface, it looked like light conditioning.
In reality, he was thinking.
Mainly about his current situation—and his System.
What left him speechless was how low-profile it was.
No voice.
No missions.
No forced guidance.
Just one thing.
Sign in.
As long as he signed in, the System would distribute treasure chests containing baseball-related skills.
That was it.
Looking at the timer for his next Silver Chest, still five days away, Ushijima felt a trace of anticipation.
I wonder what the next one will be.
His attribute panel was painfully simple:
Name: Ushijima Wakatoshi
Height: 188 cm
Weight: 80 kg
Dominant Hand: Right
Batting Stance: Right
Stamina: Diamond
Speed: Gold
Pitching Skills:
• Two-seam (Silver)
• Four-seam Fastball (Diamond)
• Control (Silver)
Batting Skills:
• Infield Hit (Gold)
That was all.
No long-hit ability.
No power batting.
I really hope the next Silver Chest gives me something for batting, he thought.
Preferably long hits.
Ushijima Wakatoshi liked being a batter.
He liked smashing pitches into the outfield.
He liked watching the opposing ace pitcher's expression freeze in disbelief.
Especially when he crushed their winning pitch.
Breaking an ace pitcher's mentality—that feeling was addictive.
In baseball, the batter was the offense.
The pitcher was the defense.
And Ushijima preferred offense.
As for pitching?
To be honest, he didn't like it much.
Growing up, both Yuki Tetsuya and Yuuki Masashi—his cousins—were batters.
Not pitchers.
Influenced by them, Ushijima learned to swing a bat early and always saw himself as a batter.
So why was he even considering pitching now?
Two reasons.
First—
The System's beginner gift included pitching skills.
Second—
Seidou's pitching lineup was… weak.
Those two points alone were enough to make him hesitate.
Just as Ushijima was jogging quietly—
"Hey, isn't that Yuki's cousin?"
"Why are you jogging too?"
A familiar voice rang out beside him.
Ushijima turned his head.
Miyuki Kazuya jogged alongside him, glasses reflecting a mischievous glint.
"Yes, Senior."
Second-year.
Respect was mandatory.
Japan's senior–junior hierarchy was strict.
Disrespect could easily lead to trouble.
"Huh?" Miyuki chuckled.
"Why do you look just like the captain—cold face, strong aura and all?"
Ushijima replied calmly,
"I don't want to act like this."
"But I'm a junior, and you're seniors."
"If I don't look obedient enough, I'm afraid you'll say I'm disrespectful."
"Hahaha!"
Miyuki burst out laughing.
"I get it now."
"It's fine, it's fine. I don't really care about that stuff."
"And you're an international student too—totally understandable."
Ushijima nodded lightly.
"Kahahaha~!"
Suddenly, another voice joined in.
A short figure darted over from the side.
"So you're Captain Yuki's cousin?"
"You really are handsome."
"No wonder there were so many girls hanging around the club today!"
"So it was all for you, huh, Ushijima? Kahahaha!"
Ushijima looked at the speaker.
Second-year.
Short.
Loud.
Kuramochi Yoichi.
Shortstop.
And judging by the grin—
Trouble.
Before joining Seidou High School's baseball club, Ushijima Wakatoshi had already looked through the team's roster.
"Probably," he replied calmly.
"But I didn't expect it either."
At that moment, Sawamura Eijun—running nearby—looked around curiously.
Only then did he notice that quite a few girls were indeed gathered outside the field, their gazes clearly directed toward this area.
"…They're really watching us."
Just like that, the morning training session came to an end.
The players headed to the Seidou Dormitory for breakfast, which was arranged by the baseball club.
The dormitory also served as the baseball club's residence.
"Besides the second- and third-years," the team manager announced,
"first-year members who need accommodation should register with me."
"You'll move into the dorms this afternoon."
"Those who don't need accommodation must also register and state it clearly."
As an international student, Ushijima Wakatoshi naturally chose to live in the dormitory.
Although Yuki Tetsuya's parents had offered to let him stay at their home, Ushijima declined.
He didn't want to inconvenience them.
More importantly—
Living in the dorm meant more time for training.
After registering, Ushijima returned to attend classes.
To be honest, it wasn't that he admired foreign cultures or particularly loved Japan.
From a student's perspective, however, Japan's high school schedule was simply paradise.
Back in China, classes started at 7 a.m. and often ended at 10:30 p.m.
More than ten classes a day.
Forty minutes per class.
Relentless.
In contrast, Japanese high schools started at 8:30 a.m.
Four classes ended by 12:30 p.m.
After lunch, there were only two afternoon classes, finishing before 3 p.m.
Club activities began immediately afterward.
This was why Japanese sports anime characters always seemed to have endless time to train.
In China?
Unless you were a specialized sports-track student, that kind of schedule was impossible.
For Ushijima Wakatoshi, this lifestyle felt almost unreal.
And there was another reason—
He had been reborn.
Academically speaking, Japanese high school classes were a dimensionality reduction for him.
Even without transmigration, the math, physics, and chemistry taught to first-year students in Japan were topics he had already learned back in junior high.
Sleeping in class wouldn't even affect his grades.
Before transmigrating, Ushijima had been a top student, scoring 680 on the college entrance exam.
As a science-track student, his math and science scores were especially strong.
The only subject he truly disliked now was history.
Japanese history classes distorted certain historical facts.
That alone was enough for Ushijima to lose interest entirely.
He ignored it without hesitation.
As long as his other subjects were strong, a poor history score wouldn't affect his eligibility to play.
That was all that mattered.
At 3 p.m., Ushijima Wakatoshi arrived at the baseball field on time.
April afternoons in Japan were cool and comfortable.
All club members had already gathered.
"First-years!"
"Hai!" The rookies responded in unison.
The assistant coach held a document and spoke clearly.
"Starting now, we'll conduct ability tests based on the defensive positions you hope to play."
"Change into your cleats and gather at Field B."
The players immediately moved.
Sawamura Eijun looked especially excited, clearly eager to show off.
Unfortunately for him, he was promptly stopped by the head coach and given a harsh lecture.
"Heh… this is getting interesting."
Ushijima wiped the sweat from his forehead and glanced at the troubled boy.
Sawamura was the original protagonist of this world.
But now—
The story's center was shifting.
Still, Ushijima held no ill will toward him.
On the contrary—
He quite liked Sawamura's personality.