Chapter 14: Layers Underneath

"Such great teamwork!"

From the stands, Yui Kaoru, watching the quietly initiated offensive moves by Kominato Haruichi and Kuramochi, couldn't help but express his admiration.

As expected, the person sitting beside him, Lee-Hyun, showed a look of confusion.

The skills that Lee-Hyun had been training on were mostly individual basics. He didn't really know much about coordination and tactics, and no one had taught him about them systematically.

Although Miyuki-senpai's small lessons were still ongoing, it was clear that they weren't suitable for everyone.

Sawamura-senpai didn't go.

This was because there were things that Miyuki-senpai taught that Sawamura-senpai already knew and applied, and there were others that he didn't need to know.

Even if he attended the lessons, it wouldn't help him much.

So, when Miyuki-senpai held his private baseball cram school, almost all the pitchers and catchers of the Seidou High School baseball team attended.

The only one who never attended was Sawamura.

Another person was Lee-Hyun.

His reason was even simpler and more direct.

He couldn't understand.

It would be like teaching calculus to a student who just graduated elementary school and was about to enter middle school.

Even if he wanted to learn humbly, he just wouldn't understand.

The difficulty was too great, and Lee-Hyun wouldn't be able to learn it.

Listening to things that seemed somewhat plausible but were actually complicated might even have a huge impact on his own developing system.

In such a situation, could Lee-Hyun understand just how excellent Kominato and Kuramochi's actions were?

It was undoubtedly quite difficult.

"Kominato-senpai swung at the first pitch! It's quite reckless to do that without observing the opponent's pitching. At the same time, it's unexpected, so it's both advantageous and disadvantageous. And Kuramochi-senpai also took action on the first pitch. Without any communication between them, the fact that they both made this decision together shows that they both spotted a flaw in the opponent and trusted each other not to miss this opportunity."

As he spoke, Yui Kaoru was nodding his head.

Even though they were teammates, it was rare for two people to be so synchronized.

Not only did they have great teamwork, but they also had strong abilities.

No wonder they were senior members of the Seidou High School baseball team.

Lee-Hyun, however, was completely lost.

He understood every word Yui said, but when those words were put together, he didn't know what Yui was trying to express.

They simply saw a flaw and took action immediately.

But in that seemingly simple action, there was a wealth of accumulated experience.

At that moment, Lee-Hyun truly understood why he had been left out.

After just six months of learning baseball, it seemed like he still had a long way to go.

Meanwhile, a thought began to quietly sprout in his mind.

He also wanted to be like these senpais, to understand baseball better, to enjoy the sport more.

Kominato Haruichi hit the ball and successfully reached first base.

On the other side, Kuramochi Youichi was even faster; he not only passed second base but reached third base.

No Outs, runners on first and third base.

The Seidou High School baseball team immediately displayed their unmatched offensive power.

The fans in the stands were all excited.

Especially the three fan groups of Sawamura Eijun, who were practically going crazy with songs and slogans.

It's no wonder they were so excited; after all, the next person to step into the Batter's Box was the one they supported.

The third batter of the Seidou High School baseball team, the pitcher, Sawamura Eijun.

At that moment, Sawamura Eijun, standing in the Batter's Box, felt that Seidou High School's baseball team was perhaps overdoing it by using their full starting lineup against this opponent, Nanakyo High School.

The opponent's strength was simply not up to par.

But this was hardly Seidou's fault.

The opponent was from Kyoto, and they had defeated two powerhouses before.

Although there hadn't been enough time to study their match videos, just looking at their record made it clear that they couldn't be underestimated.

Facing such a dark horse team, the Seidou High School baseball team was being extra cautious.

Now, with the game having progressed to this point, Sawamura knew he had to establish an advantage quickly so that the Coach could sub in the reserves.

That way, the pressure on the opponent would lessen, and the starting lineup could rest.

After all, there were many tough games ahead for the Seidou High School baseball team.

Wasting too much energy against an opponent like this was not worth it for the team.

Even a hawk hunting a rabbit uses all its strength!

Despite the fact that Sawamura had already roughly assessed the opponent's strength, he didn't let his guard down when facing their pitching.

He raised his bat high, his eyes locked on the pitcher's mound.

He took a firm, ready stance, fully prepared to give it his all.

In this stance, Sawamura was also quietly making calculations in his mind.

The opponent was a dark horse, and the hallmark of such teams was their fearlessness.

Even if the situation was quite risky, if the opponent wasn't ready to give up, there was still a high chance they would face off head-on.

The way to overcome a superior opponent was with courage — without it, they were close to collapse.

Putting himself in the opponent's shoes, Sawamura knew he wouldn't retreat either.

He would definitely choose to face the challenge head-on.

Not to mention, the core of Nanakyo's team was their first baseman, Hanagata, one of the Twelve Rising Talents of the past.

The core leader often determines the whole team's character.

Was Hanagata someone who would shy away from a head-on confrontation?

Although they had only faced each other once before, based on Sawamura's experience, it was clear that the opponent was not that type of person.

'That meant, when the next pitch came, the opponent would throw it within the strike zone to show their determination.'

Sawamura subtly moved his bat, focusing on the strike zone.

'Let's do it!!'

As long as the ball entered the strike zone, he would definitely hit it.

The pitcher on the mound hesitated for a moment, but after some mental preparation and encouragement from his teammates, he finally pitched the ball.

Whoosh!

The baseball flew toward the outside corner, appearing to brush against the strike zone.

'Testing the outer corners?'

Sawamura quickly guessed the opponent's intention and moved without hesitation.

Though he didn't step forward, he was confident in his swing.

Given the speed of the ball, he was confident he could make contact and send it flying.

Shuuuuuuu!

As Sawamura swung, he realized that the ball had actually missed the strike zone.

…