Chapter 32: Miyuki’s Will

Harada Masatoshi hit a home run, helping the Tokyo University team take the lead.

On the pitcher's mound, Umemiya was completely stunned by the hit.

In the dugout.

Coach Kunitomo rubbed his neck with his left hand, his expression revealing a sense of caution.

He had indeed given some leeway in arranging the lineup.

He didn't want the Tokyo University players, aided by professional baseball players, to lose too badly.

After all, too much effort was but into this. If the players he brought were to return in disgrace, it wouldn't reflect well on them.

It's important to know when to pull back. However, these thoughts couldn't be shared with the players, which is why he made this arrangement.

The situation before him wasn't something Kunitomo hadn't anticipated, but he hadn't expected it to happen so quickly!

It seems his previous worries were entirely unnecessary. The players who had made a name for themselves in professional baseball were still monsters in terms of strength.

'Their explosion in performance was just a matter of time...'

Like now, Umemiya had no chance to face off against these guys.

Was it because Umemiya was weak?

Certainly not.

Taking a team like Ugumori to such results in the Spring Tournament, especially in a highly competitive region like Tokyo, proved their strength.

The media even boasted that Ugumori could contend with Teito High School for a spot in the Summer Koshien tournament in East Tokyo.

Ugumori High School was undoubtedly one of the top teams.

And they were probably the most threatening ones in east Tokyo.

This was a high praise, and Ugumori had almost been regarded as East Tokyo's perennial runner-up.

As Ugumori's Ace, Umemiya was one of the top players in Tokyo. Even when compared to the best high school players nationwide, he was far from inadequate.

With such strength, he was still getting beaten so badly by these professional players.

Fumei, Tetsuya, Harada...

These three players had been the best in their student days, and after joining the professional leagues, they had undergone further meticulous training.

Now, their strength had skyrocketed, far surpassing high school levels.

The reason their strength hadn't been fully displayed before wasn't because they were weak.

It was because of their opponents!

Thinking this, Coach Kunitomo's gaze shifted to the second baseman, Sawamura Eijun.

Outside the field, Odawa Akiko, who was standing behind the fence, lifted her camera and snapped a few shots of the players on the field.

"I didn't expect the situation to change so quickly! In the blink of an eye, these high school players are facing a crisis."

Beside her, Fujio shook his head in awe.

"The top high school players can indeed rival professional players!"

'However, Umemiya clearly wasn't at the level of the nation's best. When compared to Narumiya Mei or Sawamura Eijun, he was clearly not on the same level.'

The crisis they were facing might seem accidental on the surface, but in reality, it was inevitable given the disparity in strength.

The real question was whether the All-Tokyo team's players could weather this crisis.

'Or would Coach Kunitomo from the dugout offer any advice?'

Behind the plate, Miyuki Kazuya turned his head to glance toward the dugout.

Coach Kunitomo stood there like a statue.

Clearly, he wasn't planning to give any advice at this moment.

'Are we going to be left to our own devices?' Miyuki thought bitterly.

He could more or less guess what Coach Kunitomo was thinking.

It was a friendly match, and the Pro players were here to help.

With their goal already achieved and the score in their favor, it was understandable for Coach Kunitomo to ease up a little.

Even in formal competitions, once a team has secured a victory with a significant lead, they generally ease up.

Considering the identity of the opposing team, Kunitomo's approach was understandable.

Miyuki understood, but he wasn't going to follow Kunitomo's plan.

As a baseball player, especially the team's main catcher, how could he stand by and watch his team fail?

Since Kunitomo wasn't offering any advice, Miyuki would take matters into his own hands.

"TIME!" Miyuki called out, making a gesture to signal the timeout. He then waved for all the infielders to come up to the mound.

Being hit with consecutive hits wasn't enough to break Umemiya.

What truly made Umemiya despair was the vast gap in strength between the teams.

This was the first time he realized just how far behind he was compared to the top players in the country.

Narumiya Mei had lost two hits, Sawamura Eijun had lost one.

Looking at their performance, Umemiya initially thought he had just been careless.

Now, it seemed like he was the one who was out of touch.

He had thought that just because things were going smoothly for them, the opponents were doable to defeat, not realizing that they were terrifying monsters.

With no more of Nao's expectant gaze or the support of his teammates, Umemiya felt like he was completely alone.

'Why am I even standing here?'

'What right do I have to be here?'

For the first time since joining the event, Umemiya doubted his own abilities.

He really did question where the problem lay.

"Have you given up?"

At that moment, a figure appeared before him.

The figure wore the full gear of a catcher, the face mask on their helmet pushed up.

The Mitt covered their mouth, and their eyes held a piercing gaze.

This person wasn't unfamiliar to Umemiya. It was none other than Miyuki, who had just failed to sync with him earlier.

"What?" Umemiya snapped back irritably.

"I see you still have the energy to answer. It seems you're not in bad shape, right?" Miyuki asked calmly, without taking offense at Umemiya's attitude.

Umemiya was caught off guard by the question and fell silent.

"These guys are the best high school players and have undergone professional training. Of course, they're stronger than us. That's only natural," Miyuki said decisively.

"But does that mean we just give up? Where's the logic in that? If that were the case, why bother having a real match? Isn't that what Ugumori believes in?"

"Don't pretend to be so understanding. As a Captain of a top-tier team, how could you possibly understand us?"

Umemiya retorted sharply.

Though both were part of the All-Tokyo team, their paths in high school had been vastly different.

One had been the Captain of the top team, Seidou High School, while the other was a rising underdog.

Different environments have forged different personalities.

"Maybe you don't understand me as well as you think. To be honest, I'd rather be in a weaker team and face the best teams in matches than be a catcher on a champion team!" Miyuki said with a smile.

Hearing this, both Sawamura glanced at him with thoughtful expressions and Shirakawa clicked his tongue.

While others might think Miyuki was being pretentious, Sawamura and Shirakawa understood him completely.

If it were Miyuki, he would genuinely feel this way.

He hadn't lacked opportunities to join Inashiro or Sankou High.

Of course, now those schools were a far cry from Seidou, the current top team in the country.

But when Miyuki first joined high school, Seidou had been in a period of decline...

"I can vouch for this guy. He made it here through sheer effort, step by step. We didn't just join a champion team from the start, we made it one!" Sawamura said with a grin.

He understood Miyuki's plan and was ready to support him.

When Hoshida and Yamaoka heard this, they couldn't help but smile.

As for Shirakawa, he was resisting the urge to click his tongue again.

'You don't have to rub it in our face, okay?'

"Even though our previous pitches were hit, I think our coordination was fine. The hits weren't entirely our fault. Would you continue trusting me and throw the ball to my Mitt? Partner!!!"

Hearing these words, Umemiya's heart warmed.

It was like a drowning man suddenly grabbing a life-saving straw.

Umemiya's eyes turned red.

After all, things had already reached this point. Was he afraid to take a risk?

"Alright! I'll trust you one more time!!!"

In his heart, Umemiya knew full well that the reason the ball had been hit repeatedly was mostly his own fault.

During the pitch, he hadn't fully trusted Miyuki.

But now, he felt that his previous thoughts had been narrow-minded.

He could trust Miyuki this time!

They are both in this already, so why did one or two more instances matter?

The pitcher and catcher's spirits soared.

The infielders watching this scene, however, looked incredibly grim.

'What did this guy mean by that?'

'Was he saying that we were partially to blame for the three runs scored?'

'This guy really likes to run his mouth!'

Of course, if they really wanted to think that way...

It wasn't entirely wrong.

After all, aside from that last home run, the other hits weren't necessarily uncatchable.

During the timeout, Miyuki not only encouraged his partner Umemiya but also subtly motivated all the infielders.

When they returned to their positions, Sawamura looked at Miyuki behind the plate and couldn't help but feel deeply moved.

'It was a huge regret that this guy had to retire early due to injury...'

His talent, even from Sawamura's past experience, was rare.

Although he became Seidou's next Coach, not seeing him make it big in the Major League was a shame.

'I hope the same won't happen again.'

…

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