[378] Morning Meeting

Chapter 378: Morning Meeting

The glory of the team.

The responsibilities of the captain.

The recognition from the coach.

The trust of teammates.

The expectations from the outside world.

There was so much—so many gazes fixated on Seidou High. Those gazes brought a supreme sense of recognition and honor, but they also carried an inescapable mission and pressure.

As the ace, Eijun.

As the captain, Miyuki.

Within Seidou High, they bore the heaviest burdens. They didn't want to lose the glory they had just achieved, nor did they want the outside world to say that Seidou High had fallen after the third years left.

So, they worked tirelessly—continuously.

The path forward was singular.

Eijun understood this all too well.

"The strongest golden battery of our generation?"

Eijun tilted his head slightly to gaze at the moonlight outside the window, and spoke with a hint of self-mockery.

"Praise or pressure? Miyuki-senpai, whether it's you or me, we have no room to retreat. We can only move forward, continuously forward—that is our only path."

The choice was clear.

Win. Just keep winning.

Knock down every opponent that stood in their way.

A determined glint flashed in Eijun's eyes. Then he gathered his glove and ball, calmly walked out of the indoor training facility, and headed out.

The tournament continued.

There wasn't much time to stay still or dwell on unimportant matters.

After that night, word of the dining hall spat between Maezono and Miyuki quietly spread. It seemed the coaching staff—Coach Kataoka, Ochiai, Rei Takashima—had caught wind of it as well.

Yet to most people's surprise, it was as if Kataoka and the others were unaware of the incident, or as if it never happened.

They made no public comments on it.

Many speculated that Coach Kataoka must have told the two to handle it privately.

After all, they were the captain and vice-captain.

But only a few, like Eijun, knew the truth.

Coach Kataoka genuinely hadn't concerned himself with the matter. He believed the players he had chosen could resolve such issues themselves. He saw no need to intervene.

In this atmosphere, Seidou High entered the third round of the fall tournament—the match against Ugumori High.

This was the team that still made Eijun uneasy, a powerhouse from East Tokyo, nicknamed the "protagonist team template."

They had the potential to explode at any moment and pull off a dramatic, comeback victory.

The morning of the match.

Before departure, in Seidou's indoor training facility.

After breakfast, the Seidou team had all gathered there.

It was the final pre-game meeting.

"Overall, Ugumori is a team that attacks relentlessly, capitalizing on even the smallest openings. Especially when it comes to aggressive base stealing, our pitchers and infielders need to be extra vigilant," Coach Kataoka said, standing at the front with a stern expression.

"Yes!" Eijun, Miyuki, and the others responded loudly.

Eijun sneaked a glance at Miyuki, who was standing not far away, and then at Maezono in the back row. Both of them seemed calm, which gave Eijun some relief.

Good—no unexpected drama.

Although it was clear the conflict between the two hadn't been fully resolved.

At the very least, there didn't seem to be any issue on Miyuki's side. Eijun glanced at Miyuki, whose calm expression was tinged with a faint smile.

Same formula, same taste.

Miyuki-senpai was still his usual mischievous self.

It seemed that he had either worked things out on his own and truly let go, or—just like in the original story—he had a meaningful conversation with Yuuki and gained some insight.

As for Maezono, the problem there likely wasn't too serious. Eijun's mind flashed back to the scene from last night, before he returned to the dorms, when Kominato-senpai and Chris-senpai approached him to get an update on the situation.

The thought made the corners of Eijun's mouth curve upward.

The seniors were still around.

Even though they were no longer part of the team, they were still at school.

So, there was no need to worry.

"Well then, let's move on to today's starting lineup."

Coach Kataoka's words snapped Eijun back to reality. Even though he knew his chances of starting were slim, he still looked at Coach Kataoka with bright, expectant eyes.

But no amount of eager puppy-dog eyes could shake Coach Kataoka's calm resolve.

Kataoka steadily announced the starting lineup that he and Ochiai had originally decided upon.

However, one surprising change in the lineup did catch Eijun and the others off guard.

Only after the match would Eijun find out that this particular change was Ochiai's suggestion.

"Third batter, center fielder: Sawamura."

"Huh?"

"What?"

"Seriously?"

Eijun's bewildered expression was mirrored by Miyuki, Kuramochi, Tojo, and others, who all looked equally taken aback.

"Center field? Isn't that the most critical defensive position among outfielders?"

Even Eijun was astonished.

Typically, this position was reserved for the team's strongest-armed, most defensively skilled, and most technically sound outfielder.

Never before had the team's ace started in center field without pitching.

Not that it was impossible—it was just…unexpected, to say the least.

Eijun's moment of shock passed quickly. He snapped back to reality and responded loudly, "Understood!"

"This must be the coach trying out some defensive changes," Eijun thought to himself, and it seemed others were coming to the same conclusion.

It wasn't uncommon for strong teams to use games against less challenging opponents to test certain tactics or lineups. It was a standard practice for top-tier teams.

However…

"Ugumori isn't a team you can take lightly," Eijun mused.

Center field, huh? Maybe this could be an interesting position.

"Sixth batter, pitcher: Furuya Satoru."

"Understood."

As previously discussed, Coach Kataoka ultimately decided on Furuya as the starting pitcher for this third match.

Eijun's gaze drifted briefly toward Furuya, standing beside him. He wrinkled his nose slightly.

For some reason, he had a vague, uneasy feeling.

But just as quickly as it came, the feeling vanished.

Eijun couldn't tell if it was just his imagination or something more substantial.

All he could do was remind himself to stay completely focused today.

"And that concludes today's starting lineup. Ugumori is not a particularly strong team, but remember: the true enemy always lies within yourself. Give it your all and bring home the victory."

"Yes, sir!"

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A/N: Wow! Ugumori actually beat Teito.

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