Chapter 4: Blessing and Hard Work

"Is it a good thing?" Kuramochi asked Sawamura with questioning eyes.

Sawamura nodded with a wide smile, showing his teeth. "It's a good thing, a good thing!"

Becoming vice-captain would be a good thing. It might not completely align with Kuramochi's ambitions.

Returning to the dining hall, his teammates cast curious glances at Sawamura.

"Our captain has been decided!"

Sawamura built up suspense, and suddenly everyone's gaze turned serious.

"Tomorrow, when the team gathers, everyone will know."

Sawamura said with a broad smile.

As Kuramochi headed towards the coach's office, he was filled with unease. As Sawamura expected, he had ambitions to become the Captain.

Thinking about becoming captain himself filled his head with excitement.

He took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

"Come in."

As expected, the Coach's voice came from the office.

When Kuramochi pushed open the door and entered, he found more people inside than he had imagined.

Not just Coach Kataoka, but all four managers of the baseball club were there: Club President Ota, Vice President Takashima, and Coach Ochiai.

In addition to them, Maezono was also standing.

Kuramochi's heart skipped a beat as he realized the situation might be different from what he expected.

But deep down, he still held onto a glimmer of hope.

At that moment, Coach Kataoka began speaking. "After discussing with the Presidents and Coach Ochiai, considering the opinions of former Captain and Ace Sawamura, we finally decided to hand over the Captain's position to Miyuki. What are your thoughts?"

As Coach Kataoka posed this question, Kuramochi widened his eyes inwardly. He wondered, 'Damn it, what should I really say?'

Maezono beside him seemed disappointed too.

Everyone here has dreams. Being summoned like this undoubtedly meant talking about the Captain. They weren't originally the former captain or decision-makers of the team. Therefore, consulting them on selecting the captain was unthinkable. It meant there was a new role for them in the new team.

At Seidou High School's baseball club, traditionally there is one Captain and two vice-captains.

Currently, Miyuki is indeed the Captain. They are likely candidates for vice-captain.

"From the perspective of individual abilities and contributions to the team, I think Miyuki is the right person for the job."

Kuramochi naturally expressed his support for his friend becoming Captain.

Coach Kataoka nodded and then turned his gaze to Maezono.

Maezono seemed a little disappointed at the moment.

He knew he had little chance in the captaincy competition, but he was still a candidate. Late at night, when he was alone, he had even thought, if the management did nominate him as captain, could he really fulfill that role?

But now, all his dreams had vanished.

Like buying a lottery ticket knowing the chances of winning were slim, he couldn't help feeling disappointed when the results came out.

Maezono was feeling that way now.

He was a little disappointed, but he had to say what needed to be said.

"I have doubts whether Miyuki can understand the players' feelings. However, he is positioned as an absolute mainstay of the team unlike us. His ability is undoubtedly the strongest and most suitable for being the Captain of the current team."

Both of their opinions were in agreement.

The coaching staff of Seidou High School was also very surprised by this attitude.

It didn't matter how much Miyuki had shown his presence in the team before. Even in the team that had won the national championship, he was just a substitute.

To suddenly promote him as the Captain was proof of his ability, but there are a lot of things that are left unsaid.

However, it was unexpected that both competitors would support Miyuki.

'There was no need to worry any further.'

"Then, please support him firmly for the next year, and lead our team." Coach Kataoka was very pleased that his students were united like this.

"Yes!"

"Yes!"

They both answered immediately and left the room.

They won't miss out on the vice-captain's position.

After they left, Ochiai said while stroking his small goatee, "Were you planning to make Sawamura the vice-captain? It seemed natural for him to become the captain of the next team after the current Senpais retired"

A rare smile appeared on Kataoka's face.

"To tell you the truth, I also thought so. But after talking to Sawamura, my thoughts changed. We were being too rigid before.

Why does the team's standard-bearer have to be the captain? By separately considering the positions of captain and vice-captain, we can provide the team with dual pillars.

Furthermore, the positions of captain and vice-captain are very beneficial for players when they move on to professional baseball or university selections. Sawamura no longer needs such a thing now. Giving him more would be unnecessary. Therefore, there is no reason to waste his time.

Moreover, this will give the current players a chance to learn and grow, and this will be beneficial to the team as a whole."

In the afternoon, Sawamura practiced with everyone else.

Everyone thought Sawamura's body would relax five to six days after leaving the team. However, during practice, Sawamura was still the most active player. Compared to their memory, he seemed to have grown even more.

"You really haven't touched baseball for so long?"

Kanemaru, who was practicing together, could barely keep up with Sawamura.

"No kidding. I just came back on vacation, but I didn't stop training at all."

Of course.

Naturally, Kanemaru found Sawamura's commitment unsurprising.

Success, after all, demanded relentless effort from anyone. There's no free lunch in the world. Everyone has to work hard to succeed.

Sawamura Eijun now has the best reputation nationwide and possesses a very high level of skills.

This is all because he built it up step by step through hard work. It was a testament to his unwavering commitment.

"I won't lose either!"

Thinking so, Kanemaru gritted his teeth and caught up with Sawamura.

He knew, that having such a player as a teammate and a friend was a blessing he was very grateful for, and he would take advantage of it, and never let it pass.

A night of silence.

The next day was the day the new Seidou High School baseball team gathered.

After winning at Koshien, receiving interviews, holding celebrations, and taking a vacation.

Today marked the arrival of a new start, necessitating a reorganization of the team.

In other words, the new Seidou High School baseball team will be born this morning.

…