Chapter 18: The Second Baseman

"Is Narumiya okay?"

Looking at Narumiya, who was hanging his head on the pitcher's mound after giving up runs, the assistant coach of the Inashiro's Baseball Team asked with a worried expression.

Earlier, they had lost to the Seidou's Baseball Team at the Spring Koshien. After that, Narumiya locked himself in his dorm for two days and nights, not even stepping outside.

Narumiya, who seemed outwardly optimistic and open-minded, was actually extremely strict with himself.

Now, after losing to Seidou's Baseball Team again, and after a brief recovery, Narumiya had gained a certain level of resilience.

However, that resilience was only evident when facing Seidou High School. When facing other opponents, Narumiya might struggle to maintain that mentality.

Now, facing the university team, he immediately found himself at a disadvantage. And the one who struck him down was his former partner…

This was undoubtedly a heavy blow to the proud Narumiya.

Moreover, this was happening in front of Sawamura and Miyuki.

All the signs pointed to this situation being a serious test for Narumiya.

It's no surprise that the assistant coach of Inashiro's Baseball Team would be concerned.

Kunitomo, the head Coach, rubbed the back of his neck and then shook it. His face was expressionless as if he didn't care about the assistant coach's words.

"No one can become great without tempering. Past failures may not necessarily be bad for Narumiya. I believe he should be mature enough now."

The assistant coach still seemed concerned and mumbled.

"But?"

"There's no 'but.' No one's life is smooth sailing. Everyone gets through hard situations or stumbles. Narumiya has already stumbled once. If he stumbles again now, it will only prove he's a player of this level."

If you fall, you get up and overcome the difficulty. There's nothing to fear.

If you trip over the same stone twice, it means that's all you are.

Kunitomo also had a strict side.

But I have to say, if you encounter such an educator, it's not a bad thing.

For example, Narumiya.

His talent and personal ability are exceptional.

Among all the pitchers in this batch, Narumiya's talent and ability are second to none.

Even if we look back at the past ten years and gather all the excellent players, Narumiya's talent and ability would still be among the best.

But that doesn't mean Narumiya doesn't have flaws.

Narumiya's flaw lies in his personality.

Perhaps because his progress has been smooth and free of innate setbacks, he has never experienced any impossible level of hardship. Now, when he faces major setbacks, he tends to fall apart.

His performance in this aspect is as immature as that of a child.

After joining the Inashiro's Baseball Team, Narumiya had grand ambitions and was ready to shine.

However, his path was not smooth; he experienced many setbacks along the way.

The first was in his first year with the team, when he was promoted to the main pitcher and became the team's unofficial Ace.

In the quarterfinals, his wild pitch caused Inashiro to be eliminated.

That was the first major setback in Narumiya's life.

Even though he had lost before, even to Sawamura, it wasn't entirely his fault. His teammates hadn't supported him, so he didn't bear the main responsibility.

He wouldn't punish himself for the mistakes of others.

But that time, Narumiya himself made the mistake.

It was because of his lack of strength that such serious consequences occurred.

At that time, Narumiya stayed in bed for several days.

During that time, Kunitomo, aside from instructing others to bring food to him, never paid him any attention.

That's something not everyone can do.

To be honest, if it had been another Coach with a great talent like Narumiya, they would have pampered him, afraid of losing him.

Once a player faces difficulties, they would act like a moody teen, comforting and helping them.

You can't say such a Coach is bad. In fact, they are an exemplary coach.

But would the player rise on their own and grow stronger?

It's probably difficult.

Kunitomo saw through that.

Narumiya had to pull himself together to overcome his weaknesses.

Only by overcoming this weakness would Narumiya be able to go further on the path of baseball.

Otherwise, at best, he would be another grain in the pan.

Later, Inashiro lost to Seidou in the Summer Tournament.

They also lost to Seidou again in the Spring Koshien finals.

After two major setbacks, Narumiya locked himself up in his dorm again.

But Kunitomo and others were very clear.

Although Narumiya's actions were the same as before, his eyes had changed. He was punishing himself in this way.

After such failures, his eyes remained unchanged. Now, Narumiya stood under the shadow of Seidou's baseball team.

But his back had never bent.

Such small difficulties could never defeat Narumiya.

Kunitomo was confident of that.

In fact, his confidence wasn't misplaced. Narumiya didn't let him down.

After falling behind in the score, facing a crisis with no Outs and runners on first base, Narumiya displayed incredible composure.

His head, which had been hanging low, was lifted again, and a stubborn smile appeared on his face.

He wasn't satisfied! He was very, very dissatisfied.

Even though the player who hit the ball was his former partner and respected senior, Narumiya was still extremely displeased.

What could he do about his dissatisfaction?

Of course, he was going to get his pride back.

Narumiya understood this clearly.

WHRROOSH!

Without hesitation, he threw the ball.

The ball was clocked at 150 km/h, and the small baseball, like an arrow, covered several meters of space and appeared right in front of the batter.

'So fast!'

The sixth batter from Tokyo University, originally the fourth batter, had a very strong ability.

To be the fourth batter in a prestigious university team, even though Tokyo University wasn't as strong this year as last, their players were still formidable.

Any player capable of taking such a position in a prestigious team was a monster.

Watching Narumiya throw that pitch with determination, the batter smiled coolly.

He studied psychology and understood Narumiya's mindset. He knew Narumiya was trying to prove something.

This was quite typical for high school players.

The batter raised his bat without hesitation and swung hard at the ball.

Paak!

To everyone's surprise, he made contact.

The Batter's smile grew wider.

'As expected, a Straight!'

The pitch was exactly as he guessed. Narumiya, wanting to prove himself, had thrown a Straight ball.

But the batter secretly thought,

'This kid is a monster!'

The recoil from the bat was stronger than anything he had ever felt.

The pitchers in university didn't have such powerful pitches.

The newcomers were indeed amazing; just a high schooler, yet his strength surpassed most university pitchers.

But this was the end.

The professional baseball stars had already created an opportunity for them.

How could they let this opportunity slip by?

With a determined look, the batter forced himself to hit the ball.

The ball flew toward second base.

It was still promising…

Before the batter could think too much, he witnessed an incredible scene.

A figure appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, in front of the ball.

It was him!

When the batter saw that figure, his eyes widened.

In a team of monsters from Tokyo, only a few had earned the attention of the university players.

And the one in front of him was one of the most famous.

The Great Demon King, Sawamura Eijun.

Across all of Japan, anyone who played baseball, whether in professional leagues, universities, high schools, or even adult amateur leagues, had heard of Sawamura Eijun.

Even if they had never seen him play, they still knew the name.

The sixth batter from Tokyo University, also their team captain, had a deep impression of Sawamura Eijun.

He didn't think Sawamura's skills were as exaggerated as the media made them out to be.

However, he knew that someone with that much fame must have exceptional abilities.

But in his mind,

'The Demon King is a pitcher, isn't he?'

'Why is he now a second baseman?'

Sawamura, calm and composed, caught the ball and threw it to second base.

Shirakawa, who had anticipated this, was already at second base.

He caught the ball and quickly threw it to first base.

Snap!

"OUT!"

Snap!

"OUT!!"

"Double play!!!"

The play was so dazzling that the few spectators couldn't help but applaud.

On the Inashiro team, the players who had been training stopped to watch the incredible showdown.

If they didn't, they'd be crazy!

Everyone was clapping enthusiastically, even the Tokyo University players couldn't help but give a thumbs-up.

Even though their opponents were younger and a bit inexperienced, they had to admit that play was brilliant.

"Nice catch you Eijun-brat!"

Narumiya shout at Sawamura.

Sawamura signaled him to calm down. It was only a double play. They still needed one more Out.

"It's all thanks to Mei-san's nice pitching!"

"Of course."

Narumiya shamelessly accepted Sawamura's praise.

Off the field, with the rest of Inajitsu's team members,

"He almost looks like a professional second baseman!"

Ezaki Suguru, the second baseman of Inashiro's baseball team said, somewhat enviously.

He wasn't being self-deprecating; it was just that Sawamura's performance gave off that impression.

If Shirakawa, the current shortstop, had to choose a second baseman partner for a big match…

He might have a hard time picking anyone but Sawamura.

That's the kind of magic Sawamura showed on the field.

At first glance, it didn't seem like much—Sawamura just defeated one of Tokyo's top second basemen.

But upon further reflection, the difference was staggering.

It was like an expert basketball player still managing to make a perfect kick in football.

The shock created by such a scene was almost incomparable.

"Once you understand one principle, everything falls into place. Sawamura's understanding of baseball has reached an entirely different level. No matter where he plays, he should be able to perform well."

Of course, the catcher position is an exception. After all, the skills required for catching are completely different from those needed for other field positions," Kunitomo, the Coach, casually remarked, shaking his neck.

He wasn't surprised by Sawamura's excellent performance, but he didn't expect him to perform this well.

Sawamura's understanding of baseball exceeded even Kunitomo's expectations.

In fact, many of the other skilled players were switched to different positions by Kunitomo. After the switch, even those who excelled in their original positions were able to perform admirably in their new roles.

Take Miyuki, for example, from the Seidou High School Baseball Club.

His performance as a first baseman was also noteworthy, not falling short of his previous partner, Hoshida.

Other players were the same, like Yamaoka Riku, who played first base but did just as well when moved to third base.

However, players like Sawamura, who performed far better than the original players at their new positions, were rare.

Of course, this was only possible because Sawamura's fundamental skills were extremely solid.

Once the ball was thrown, the pitcher became the ninth fielder.

Sawamura had practiced fielding skills extensively. His ability in this area was definitely on par with any star player.

By carefully observing his teammates and opponents, he was able to adjust quickly and effectively.

But it wasn't until this moment that people were truly amazed by his performance, as he had never been given such a chance before.

Among the surprised onlookers, there was one pair of eyes that stood out.

They belonged to the player of the Yomiuri Giants, Fumei Tsuyoi.

'This is Sawamura Eijun!' he thought.

It was clear that Fumei was familiar with Sawamura's name.

His gaze deepened as if he wanted to swallow Sawamura whole.

This was a stark contrast to the earlier dismissive attitude he had shown toward these high school players.

If Harada had seen the expression on Fumei's face now, he would have realized that Fumei wasn't dismissing his opponents at all—he was treating this match as the most important of all.

Why Fumei was acting this way, we will explain later.

Now, back to the match.

After two Outs, the Tokyo representative team's inning wasn't over yet.

They still needed one more Out.

At this moment, the seventh batter of the Tokyo University team stepped into the Batter's Box.

Despite facing the ambitious Tokyo team, this batter remained calm.

'At the end of the day, they're just a bunch of 17 or 18-year-old kids. There's no need to take them too seriously, or else I'd be asking for trouble,' he kept reminding himself before his turn at bat.

Like the fourth batter in his own team, this batter was also studying psychology.

In terms of skill, both he and his teammates were exceptional. With the help of psychology, their performance was even more impressive.

Now, the sixth batter was employing the "mental victory" method.

He tried to calm himself and face the opponent's pitches confidently.

But this method didn't seem to be as effective as he had hoped.

Without making a sound, Inui, who was in the catcher position, quickly saw through his plan.

His eyes narrowed as a plan formed in his mind.

He immediately gave a sign to Narumiya, the pitcher.

What kind of person was Narumiya?

He was certainly no pushover on the mound.

When he saw the signal, he instantly understood Inui's intentions.

'I didn't expect you to be such a tricky guy. You really don't look like it!' Narumiya thought.

Being the main catcher for a top team required more than just skills—it demanded extraordinary mental fortitude.

There was always a mental battle involved.

When it came to strategy, Inui's approach was simple and effective.

Narumiya agreed with the plan and immediately threw the ball.

WHRROOSH!

The small baseball flew towards the batter's chest.

The batter's mental preparation shattered in an instant.

Narumiya's pitch was nothing like he had anticipated.

At that moment, everything the batter had planned was useless.

SNAP!

"BALL!"

In a rush, the batter lost focus.

Before he could think of another strategy, Narumiya continued throwing balls one after another.

"STRIKE!"

"STRIKE!!"

After one Ball, two perfect Strikes followed.

The batter didn't even have time to swing.

His face turned pale.

Then came the final pitch, which seemed no different from the others.

The batter, frustrated, swung at it.

'Don't underestimate me!'

After all, he was a college student, three years older than the opponent.

His competitive nature made him reluctant to back down.

But the moment his bat swung through, the baseball never came.

'What…?'

'A Change-up!!'

The batter stood frozen in place, stunned.

Snap!

"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!!!"

Bottom of the second inning, the All-Tokyo team attacked.

The first batter to step into the box for the team was their fourth batter,

Sawamura Eijun!

…