<41> Special Treatment!

Chapter 41: Special Treatment!

"What did you say? Who would want to do this kind of servant work?" Sawamura's voice was filled with frustration.

"If you really don't want to, you could easily give this opportunity to someone else. I'm sure there are plenty of people who would jump at the chance," Kanemaru chimed in from the side.

"Are you brainwashed or something? How can you say something like that?" Sawamura asked, disbelief written all over his face.

"He's right, though. This is actually a good opportunity, Sawamura-kun," Kominato Haruichi added in support.

Haruichi had grown close to Sawamura lately, and while they weren't exactly inseparable, they were pretty much always together.

And precisely because they were so close, Haruichi had come to understand just how little baseball experience Sawamura actually had, despite their impressive teamwork during the freshman match. The team Sawamura had built before joining Seidou was full of baseball amateurs, which left him unaware of many things that others took for granted.

"You think helping the regulars relax by giving them massages, and doing some minor tasks for the first-string players, is exploitation?" Miyuki asked.

"Isn't it?" Sawamura shot back, standing his ground and locking eyes with Miyuki.

"You really don't get it, do you? The ones who are chosen for this are all players the coach sees as having the potential to become regulars on the first-string team in the future. There are two main reasons why you're here."

Miyuki held up one finger.

"The first is to help you get used to the atmosphere of the first string as early as possible. That way, when you're promoted, you won't be overwhelmed and can perform at your best. Isn't that a huge benefit?"

Sawamura's eyes widened in surprise, clearly not understanding.

"You're not pulling my leg, are you?" he asked.

"Look at the three guys around you. Do you think I'd lie about this?" Miyuki replied.

Sawamura glanced around.

He didn't fully trust Miyuki's words, but he couldn't deny that his teammates had been ecstatic when they were chosen. Especially Kanemaru—his entire demeanor seemed different, more motivated than before.

"I didn't expect the coach to value me so highly," Sawamura muttered, a grin slowly spreading across his face.

He now looked like the naive son of a wealthy family, realizing his fortune.

Meanwhile, on the other side...

After the game ended, the media reports were already circulating.

Even before the print newspapers were published, Seidou High's baseball players had seen online articles about themselves.

"Monster Youth Emerges, Helps Seidou High's Baseball Team Secure a Comeback Victory!"

"154 km/h Pitch! The Best Debut in High School Baseball!"

"Monster Youth from Hokkaido, Furuya Satoru!!!"

...

"Nine consecutive strikeouts and a 154 km/h fastball—simply incredible!"

It wasn't just outsiders who were amazed; even Seidou High's own players were in awe when they reflected on Furuya's performance.

This was his very first official high school game, and it happened to be at the Kanto Tournament, no less! Coming off the bench, he single-handedly turned the game around, leading the team to victory! Furuya's performance could only be described as legendary.

Despite the admiration pouring in from everyone around him, Furuya's demeanor remained unchanged as always. In fact, he humbly claimed he still had a long way to go and that his on-field performance wasn't mature yet.

"That guy's so fake!" Sawamura declared, as if he could see right through Furuya's facade.

Clearly, Furuya was thrilled and practically bursting with excitement, yet he was pretending like it didn't affect him at all.

"Not everyone is like you. He was promoted straight to the first string, you know," Kanemaru said, clearly irritated.

"You just don't get him," Sawamura stubbornly maintained his opinion.

At the same time, Sawamura turned to Kanemaru, curious.

"You got promoted to the second string too?"

Of the four of them, three were second-string players. It seemed Kanemaru was the odd one out.

"You're going too far!" Kanemaru snapped, clearly agitated by Sawamura's jab.

While Seidou had high hopes for Kanemaru and had promoted him early, his overall performance hadn't been smooth. Despite being the core hitter of Matsukata Senior League, his results didn't quite live up to his reputation.

In stark contrast were Tojo, Sawamura, and Kominato—players who hadn't achieved much in junior high yet were now outperforming him. This especially stung since Kanemaru and Tojo had been key players on a team that reached the top four in the national youth baseball tournament. Meanwhile, Sawamura's middle school team had been nothing more than a bunch of amateurs.

But here in high school, Sawamura and Kominato were completely overshadowing him.

As for Furuya, Kanemaru had already given up comparing himself to such a freakish talent. Even though they were all first-year players, anyone with a brain could see that Furuya was in a completely different league. Only Sawamura was foolish enough to constantly try to compete with the "super monster."

Kanemaru had already resigned himself to the reality.

Sawamura, on the other hand, had fully embraced his new responsibilities and was working hard, especially when it came to helping Furuya relax. In fact, he was so eager that it seemed like he might dislocate Furuya's limbs.

"Do you even know what you're doing?" Furuya initially tried to endure, but Sawamura's technique was a little too aggressive.

If Sawamura kept going like this, Furuya's arm would be in serious pain for days, even if it didn't end up injured. With only a short time left before their second-round game, this wasn't ideal.

"Why is your body so stiff? Bending your arm at this angle should be easy," Sawamura complained.

To prove his point, he bent his own arm behind his back. Without any help, his arm twisted to an even sharper angle than Furuya's had just been.

Seeing this, both Furuya and Miyuki squinted in surprise.

"Just as I thought!"

The reason Sawamura could throw those naturally quirky pitches on the field became clear—it was all thanks to his incredibly flexible arm and joints. If he could fully develop his body's potential, he might one day rival even Furuya in his performance on the field.

"You've realized it too, haven't you, partner?"

As this thought crossed Miyuki's mind, he glanced over at Furuya and saw him squinting as well.

Furuya didn't need to say a word; Miyuki could already tell he understood. Furuya was well aware of Sawamura's potential, and judging by his expression, he was already preparing for how to deal with it.

"Things are about to get really exciting!"

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