Kapitel 122: [122] So, Just Be Honest
Chapter 122: So, Just Be Honest
Looking at such an honest Haruichi, Eijun suddenly felt that his previous worries seemed a bit unnecessary.
He could sense a subtle feeling of relief within himself.
Wasn't he just overthinking it?
He felt a bit embarrassed.
The courage, honesty, and never-give-up spirit he once had seemed to have faded a little.
A young man should have a youthful sharpness.
Filling his head with unnecessary thoughts was only torturing himself without any benefit.
The final battle, Inashiro Industrial, Narumiya Mei...
Everything remained as it was.
But he himself was no longer the same.
If he didn't even have the courage to face things head-on, how could he hope to correct past regrets?
Only by confronting the future and daring to challenge it could one avoid leaving behind regrets.
Once he understood this, Eijun's mind cleared up all of a sudden.
"Yeah, I was overthinking it," Eijun said with a bright smile. His tone was clearly more relaxed, which made Haruichi let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Though Haruichi didn't understand why Eijun had suddenly gotten caught up in such strange thoughts and emotions.
To Haruichi, they were strange indeed.
After all, they didn't fit the image of Eijun that he had known since the beginning of the school year.
But there was no need to delve into it.
The only thing Haruichi knew for sure was that at this critical moment before the semifinals and finals, Eijun, being one of the team's key players, couldn't afford to make any mistakes—not physically, but mentally and emotionally as well.
He needed to maintain a steady state of mind.
Now that Eijun had returned to normal, Haruichi felt much more at ease.
What Eijun didn't know was that Haruichi had already decided that if Eijun had continued to remain confused and couldn't sort things out on his own, he would have gone to find Miyuki-senpai or Chris-senpai.
Thankfully, the worst-case scenario didn't happen.
Eijun seemed to have figured things out on his own, which was the best outcome.
"Still, I didn't expect you to say something like that, Haruichi."
Now that Eijun's mindset had returned to normal, his usual attitude reappeared, along with a smile. He spoke softly.
Eijun's words made Haruichi's face flush with a faint red.
"Eijun-kun!!"
"Haha, my bad, my bad, Haruichi."
"The semifinals and finals—we have to win!"
"Yeah!!"
All Eijun needed to do now was give everything he had—to fight, to struggle, to sweat for the ambition in his heart and for his original dream.
So, all he had to do was be honest.
Believe in yourself, and you can surpass everything. Let yourself, a small butterfly from another world, flap your wings and stir up a mighty storm in this world!
The gentle summer breeze blew softly over the lush green grass. The boy's last lingering worries scattered with the wind.
For these boys, there was only one thing they could not take lightly—the summer sun.
Everything was ready, all that was left was the right wind. Jingu Stadium, the champions, were about to arrive!!!
Meanwhile, as Eijun cast away the worries hidden deep in his heart and focused entirely on preparing for the upcoming battle, the other three high schools were also in the midst of their intense preparations.
....
In a certain district in western Tokyo, located to the northwest, stood a grand school—Sensen High School, one of the strong teams of West Tokyo.
At this moment, in Sensen High's coach's office, Head Coach Ugai Kazuyoshi sat on his sofa, watching a television screen displaying footage from the quarterfinal match between Seido High and Yakushi High.
In his hand was a notebook filled with names, accompanied by various detailed statistics.
Behind Coach Ugai stood three shadowy figures.
These three individuals were currently the core members of Sensen High School: the captain and left fielder, Hidaka; the ace pitcher, Maki; and the starting catcher, Yagi.
These three were the most crucial players in Sensen's lineup at the moment.
"Whoosh."
"Smack."
"Strike! Batter out! Game over!!"
"Seido High School wins and advances to the semifinals!!"
As the video of the game concluded and the recording ended, the group, gathered in Coach Ugai's office, watched silently. The coach, who had been watching calmly, slowly opened his eyes and spoke.
"What do you think of that pitcher?" Coach Ugai asked lazily, just after the video stopped.
"His control is stable, and that moving fastball is really difficult to hit. Plus, his unusual pitching motion makes it hard to time the swing properly. Unless you step into the batter's box and experience it firsthand, it's tough to judge," Captain Hidaka said, shaking his head with a serious expression.
"And then there's his mastery of changing speeds, his decisive changeup, combined with sharp inside pitches—the cutter. You could say that this first-year pitcher is Seido's true ace," Yagi added thoughtfully. Both of them had extremely high praise for Eijun.
The astonishment in their tone was clear. After all, a first-year pitcher achieving such a level was something that surprised both Yagi and Hidaka.
On the side, Maki remained expressionless. However, a keen observer could detect the envy, jealousy, and even resentment hidden in his eyes.
The eyes are the windows to the soul, and at that moment, Maki's changing emotions were on full display.
Of course, the other three didn't notice.
"Haha, Coach Kataoka really did find himself a gem. This pitcher has no real weaknesses. If I had to point out something, it would be his lack of experience in big games," Coach Ugai said, shaking his head lightly.
"What do you mean, coach?" Yagi asked with a hint of curiosity.
"There's also that catcher, Miyuki Kazuya. He's the backbone of the team, the brain of the squad. In every game, you could say he plays a commanding role. With a catcher like that, you can be sure the pitcher's abilities will be fully utilized. Yagi, you should take note and learn from him," Coach Ugai said, dodging Yagi's question.
"Yes," Yagi responded quietly, after a brief pause.
"Seido, the reigning champions, huh? Indeed, compared to previous years, they don't seem to have any obvious weaknesses. Especially with a batting lineup this strong, they're easily one of the best in the country," Coach Ugai said casually.
His words seemed like praise for Seido's strength.
This left Hidaka, Yagi, and Maki exchanging glances, unsure of what their coach was getting at.
"But this team still has one fatal flaw..." Coach Ugai muttered, a meaningful smile appearing on his face as he gazed at the top name on the report in front of him: Seido's coach, Kataoka Tesshin.
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