Chapter 29: Birthday

Suddenly stopped by Miyuki Kazuya, Okumura's face showed a bit of confusion.

Although he hadn't been part of Seidou High School's baseball team for long, he was already familiar with the atmosphere there.

For a teenager who truly loves baseball, this was like heaven.

Everyone was wholeheartedly dedicated to baseball, with no other extraneous thoughts.

Even if there were occasional unpleasant moments, most players didn't have time to waste on such trivial matters.

If they had the time, they would rather practice their swings a little more.

A first-year junior directly contradicted Sawamura, leading to a conflict. If this were at another school, no matter how popular Sawamura was, the seniors would still have to show their attitude.

Okumura thought that life would definitely be difficult for him.

But it was completely different at Seidou High School.

Everyone treated this situation as gossip, and no one really took it seriously.

There were no seniors who blindly stood up for Sawamura.

Okumura occasionally accepted others' finger-pointing, but that was all; no extreme behavior occurred at all.

This made Okumura very relieved.

He had thought that perhaps some Senpais, unable to suppress their pride, would try to make things difficult for him.

But it seemed such things would not happen at Seidou High School's baseball team.

Just when Okumura had let his guard down, an unexpected person approached him.

Miyuki Kazuya!

Okumura would rather be troubled by other seniors than by Miyuki Kazuya.

They were positional competitors.

"I heard you had a conflict with Sawamura?" Miyuki Kazuya sat on a chair, half-turned, and asked Okumura.

Okumura stubbornly twisted his neck, adopting a stance of "no comment."

This attitude made Miyuki only laugh.

"I don't care about the details, that's your business. The key is, as a catcher, what exactly did you say to Sawamura? If our team's Ace pitcher is affected by your provocation and it impacts his performance, who will take responsibility for that?"

'Eh?!'

Okumura was left speechless.

Although he didn't think Sawamura would let something so trivial affect his performance, as a catcher, it was still his fault if he caused trouble for the pitcher.

"I don't know what you've been through before, or maybe Sawamura unintentionally touched on something deep for you. As the Captain, I have one request from you: put the team first, and don't let your personal thoughts affect the other players."

Miyuki's tone was unusually severe.

Okumura clenched his fists secretly but didn't say a word.

He just glared at Miyuki with great intensity.

Miyuki actually wanted to ask why Okumura had been glaring at him ever since he was assigned to this dorm, but he decided against it.

"And instead of talking rudely to your Senpais, maybe you should play with them more. And see for yourself what kind of people they are, right?" Miyuki said.

Okumura was extremely annoyed.

To be spoken to like this by the player he aspired to surpass, he felt completely humiliated.

What was worse, that bastard with glasses was right.

How could Okumura not understand what Miyuki Kazuya had said?

It was just that the knot in his heart wasn't something that could be unraveled with a few sentences.

Night of May 15th.

After a day of training, the dormitory 5 was like a festival.

On the table, there was a big cake bought by Hirota and Matsumoto.

Sawamura, wearing a birthday hat, and having a goofy face, was joking around with everyone in the room.

Today was his birthday.

Originally, according to Sawamura's own wishes, he didn't plan to celebrate this birthday. Now, there were 120 people on Seidou High School's baseball team, and after everyone celebrated Sawamura's birthday, he was expected to return the favor and celebrate others' birthdays.

But honestly, Sawamura didn't have that much time.

So, they celebrated on a smaller scale.

Apart from the two Kohais, only the members of dormitory 5 and Miyuki were present.

Miyuki cut a piece of cake and then, holding a pillow, went back to his room to sleep.

"You don't eat the cake and run without saying anything, where are your manners, Cap?" Sawamura exclaimed.

Miyuki turned around and suddenly realized, saying without sincerity, "Happy Birthday!"

"Oh, Thanks!"

The moment he said these words, Miyuki continued his way to the door.

"Oi! Come back here!" Sawamura shouted angrily.

Miyuki rolled his eyes and ignored Sawamura.

As the only guest, besides Sawamura's Kohais and dorm mates, he was completely unreserved.

"This frustrating guy!" Sawamura muttered angrily.

 "You should know better than to get angry at that guy," Kuramochi said with a grin, raising his glass and approaching Sawamura like a cool Senpai.

Sawamura secretly pouted.

Suddenly, he seemed to remember something.

"No, wait a minute, we're the same age now!"

After this birthday, Sawamura would officially turn 17, and since Kuramochi's birthday hadn't passed yet, it meant that he was also 17 now.

So, they were really the same age.

"Kuramochi-senpai's birthday hasn't passed yet?" Nishimura asked in surprise.

"Of course not. I'm May 15th, he's May 17th. Although we're close, for now, we're both 17-year-olds," Sawamura explained with a bright smile.

Kuramochi wanted to punch him and remind Sawamura that Senpais shouldn't be teased.

'But forget it.'

'It was Sawamura's birthday today, so he let it slide.'

"When it's your birthday, we'll already be in Gunma, so we probably won't be able to celebrate it. Why don't we just do it today?" Sawamura suggested, noticing Kuramochi's disappointed expression.

Kuramochi nodded in disappointment.

By the time his birthday arrived, Seidou High School would already be in Gunma, preparing for the Kanto Tournament.

He wouldn't have a chance to celebrate it.

Sawamura's thoughtfulness touched him deeply.

'Wait a minute, didn't that mean.'

Kuramochi looked at Sawamura with an evil grin.

"What with that grin!"

"If I am celebrating my birthday today, doesn't this mean I am still your Senpai?"

"Huh?"

"Now! Say 'Senpai' and let's hear it!"

"But I didn't call you by your name yet!"

"Say 'Senpai'!"

Sawamura had probably shot himself in the foot and was on the verge of crying.

The lively night finally came to an end.

The next day, the players from Seidou High School's baseball team boarded their buses and set off for Gunma Prefecture.

The second and third-string players and the cheerleaders were also with them.

Three full buses carrying over 150 people.

***

Gunma Prefecture, Senku High School.

On the baseball field, the players were scattered across the field, each practicing on their own.

Senku High School's equipment is still well-equipped, and the field is very large. The players are spread out, and not crowded at all.

They can all do their own exercises.

However, for some reason, the morale of the team is not very high.

The players are all with their heads lowered, not sure what they're thinking.

They seem lethargic during training, and mistakes are commonplace.

In the dugout, there is a bald, overweight man, standing at 1.6 meters tall and weighing at least 110 kilograms.

With a dry mouth, he assigns various tasks to the players.

His eyes are deeply sunken, and he looks somewhat hollow.

After a while, a young figure runs over.

"Coach, it's time for us to get ready. We will be heading to the Kanto Tournament venue tomorrow."

Unexpectedly, a team with such a spiritless appearance is one of the participating schools in the Kanto Tournament.

If this had been a week ago, before the Kanto Tournament's groupings were announced, the mental state of this bald, overweight coach and his players would have been completely different from what it is now.

At that time, they were full of energy, and as the first team of their school to enter the Kanto Tournament, they were determined to create new history for the team.

Simply making it to the Kanto Tournament had already been a historic achievement.

A team like this should have been quite intimidating.

Because they wouldn't have anything to lose.

Every step forward was creating a new history for the team.

In this situation, they could naturally play with light hearts and perfectly showcase their strength.

Moreover, their performance in the previous Gunma Prefecture competition had also been very good. They made it all the way to become the runner-up in Gunma Prefecture.

Although they eventually lost to Hakuryu High School, it was still an honorable defeat.

Hakuryu High School is now not only famous in Gunma Prefecture but also recognized as one of the top teams in the country. Losing to such a team was something they couldn't complain about.

Everything seemed perfect.

They even imagined reaching the quarterfinals or semifinals in the Kanto Tournament.

What kind of glory would that be?

As for beyond that, they were self-aware and never had extravagant hopes.

There were some teams that were simply not in the same league as them, and they knew they'd have no chance if they faced them.

They were very clear about this.

Just like their previous match against Hakuryu High School, in that match, Hakuryu High School had clearly shown mercy.

Perhaps they didn't want to reveal too much of their strength to competitors from other regions before the finals.

But even so, they were still beaten 6:2.

At first glance, the score doesn't seem too bad, but in reality, they had very little ability to fight back during the game.

In fact, it could be said they were played with at the opponent's will.

If Hakuryu High School hadn't shown mercy, the score would never have stopped at six points.

That match made all the players at Senku High School clearly realize a reality.

When they meet the top powerhouses in the country, they are simply not opponents.

In this situation, participating in the Kanto Tournament, if they want a good ranking, it all depends on the draw.

The draw for this year's Kanto Tournament is very, very difficult.

There are as many as six of the country's top giants participating.

Three from West Tokyo, one from Kanagawa, one from Gunma Prefecture, and one from Shizuoka Prefecture.

So many giants gathered together and divided into eight groups to compete.

For Senku High School, the probability of facing one of the top giants in the first round is still very high.

They could only hope to be placed in one of those two groups or, at the very least, draw a weaker giant.

That's how they could show their strength.

Maybe after the two giants face off, they could pick up a ready-made advantage...

People always like to think about the best-case scenario.

The coach and players of Senku High School kept hypnotizing themselves, hoping for a good draw and result.

In the end, they believed it themselves.

Maybe after the draw, the giants would fight each other, and they could take advantage of the situation.

The more they thought about it, the more excited they became, and the more beautiful it seemed.

Senku High School was about to hold a celebration banquet.

At that moment, the draw came down like a bolt from the blue.

When they saw their opponents in the group, all the players of Senku High School collapsed onto the ground one by one.

After all, the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment.

Upon seeing the group they were in, they even thought that someone must have interfered.

If no one had interfered, why would they be facing Seidou in the first round!?!?!?

Although there are many top giants in the country participating in this Kanto Tournament.

Even among these top giants, Seidou High School's baseball team holds a particularly special position.

They are the undisputed national number one, the reigning champion that has dominated the country year after year.

Facing such a team, Senku High School had no hope of winning at all.

The grassroots team that once vowed to destroy Seidou High School is now just a forgotten name, their graves already overgrown with grass.

Could it be their turn now?

"Down in the dumps, if it helps. I can cry with you all night."

The bald, overweight coach, named Oda.

This is a well-known name, not only famous in Japan but also influential worldwide.

Of course, this Oda is not the same person as the manga artist Oda. The two aren't even remotely related. (Eiichiro Oda, The author of One Piece.)

Under his leadership, Senku High School was able to break through and become the runner-up in Gunma Prefecture.

Now, seeing his players downcast, having lost even their basic fighting spirit, he couldn't help but scold them.

"The greater the hope, the greater the disappointment. I know how you feel right now. But now you represent Senku High School. Do you want to embarrass yourselves at your own doorstep?"

Seeing his students so listless, Coach Oda felt he had to take some measures.

"The opponent is the national powerhouse, isn't that great? Others want to play against the national number one but don't even have the chance!"

"Before, you guys were too obsessed with winning. After winning a few games in Gunma Prefecture, you got cocky and thought all matches must be won. But that's not necessary. As long as you can show your strength, I think you are the best players!!!"

He slapped them and then gave them some encouragement.

Coach Oda's methods with his players were still effective.

But he couldn't change one fact.

That is, in the Kanto Tournament, Senku High School is facing a hellish start in the first round.

Not to mention they can't beat Seidou High School.

Even if they somehow managed to beat Seidou High School, what then?

Even if they were lucky enough to win, their team would be completely exhausted.

They would just be meat on the chopping block, waiting to be slaughtered by others.

...