Chapitre 72: [72] First Encounter, Lifelong Rivals
Chapter 72: First Encounter, Lifelong Rivals
Opening Ceremony, Leadership Speech.
The opening of this summer tournament dragged on for over an hour, finally coming to a somewhat exhausting conclusion, even as Furuya had become completely drained.
As the crowd began to exit in an orderly fashion, Furuya could barely manage to walk on his own.
Eijun and Haruichi supported him, guiding him out of the stadium; if they had left him to walk alone, he would have surely collapsed on the floor, subjected to the eager feet of numerous onlookers.
"Why don't you sit and rest for a moment? I'll go grab a bottle of water. Haruichi, could you stay here with Furuya?"
Once outside, they found that almost all the teams were waiting in an orderly fashion for their buses to pick them up. Eijun and Haruichi helped Furuya to a relatively shady spot that was not far from where their team was waiting.
"Sure, go ahead, Eijun," replied Haruichi, nodding in agreement.
Eijun glanced back at Furuya, who looked as if he was about to vaporize from exhaustion. Shaking his head in helplessness, he thought, "Furuya, at this rate, you're definitely going to be one-and-done this summer tournament."
After one round through the opponent's lineup, even if they didn't pick up on your pitching, you might not last because of your stamina.
After saying a quick hello to his senior, Chris, Eijun ran toward the convenience store not far away. Normally, these supplies would have been prepared by the athletes, but everything had been left on the bus during the opening ceremony. Given Furuya's current state, he was practically dehydrated.
Eijun doubted that if he didn't get him some water soon, they might have to take him to the hospital.
Upon arriving at a store near Jingu Stadium, Eijun bought two bottles of mineral water, grumbling about how overpriced everything was near stadiums as he made his way back.
Suddenly, a figure caught his eye.
It was the first time he had seen this person in real life, but he recognized the face instantly from countless encounters in front of his computer screen during his previous life, from the original story.
Eijun's pupils contracted sharply.
The rugged appearance, a rather fierce cross-shaped scar on the left cheek, a black-striped jersey against a white background—it seemed completely at odds with his nervous demeanor as he stood there, looking shy and hesitant, as if unsure of how to approach anyone, opening his mouth but then biting back the words.
Eijun's mind flashed instantly with the name of this person.
This season's biggest dark horse in the West Tokyo region, the fourth batter for Yakushi High School, a first-year student, a super monstrous hitter—Todoroki Raichi!!!
"I didn't expect to run into him here," Eijun thought to himself, a strange look crossing his face.
Perhaps this was a fated encounter?
He humorously reasoned internally.
A lifelong rival; in the original work, the first home run that Eijun gave up on the official field was hit by this guy.
Moreover, being contemporaries, for the next two and a half years, they would be the strongest competitors in the same region.
However, this guy really was a refreshing contrast between how he acted on and off the field.
Watching Todoroki Raichi, who appeared reluctant to speak to anyone, Eijun couldn't help but smile to himself. He couldn't shake off the scene from the original work where Raichi's classmates were left dumbfounded after witnessing him play with such ferocity on the field.
Indeed, such characters are essential in the realm of sports competition.
After some thought, Eijun took a slight detour and headed in Todoroki's direction.
"I'm lost, somehow lost in such a big place… umm… should I ask for directions? But… how should I ask? What if they get impatient? How do I ask politely…?" Todoroki stood at a crossroads, his face displaying an anxious and slightly reddish hue, reflecting the unease he felt at that moment.
He had just taken a few extra glances at the fried pork cutlet when he lost track of his team. When he snapped back to reality, his entire team had vanished, leaving him unsure of what to do.
Nevertheless, Todoroki was still the type who didn't say much when off the field.
But on the field, he transformed into a completely different person—talkative and ferocious.
Finally, resolved to ask for directions, Todoroki decided to approach someone.
"What's wrong? Do you need help?"
Just then, a blue-and-white figure appeared in front of Todoroki, accompanied by a bright, cheerful laugh. As Todoroki looked up, he was greeted by a sunny smile.
It was a boy of the same age as him.
To put it dramatically, at that moment, Todoroki felt a slight calmness settling in his heart.
"Uh, um, I seem to be a bit lost…" Todoroki said somewhat awkwardly, scratching the back of his head as he spoke hesitantly.
Standing in front of Todoroki was none other than Eijun, who had just noticed Todoroki's predicament.
Hearing Todoroki's barely audible words, Eijun smiled gently, a knowing grin appearing on his face. However, he couldn't help but think that off the field, Todoroki had quite an adorable side to him.
His personality did not match his rugged appearance at all.
He was quite likable.
In the original story, he had a significant role and quite a few fans.
"Where are you trying to go?" Eijun asked with a smile.
"Uh, um, to that…" Perhaps it was Eijun's cheerful demeanor that eased Todoroki's nerves, making him feel a little more relaxed, even though his cheeks were still slightly flushed.
Todoroki's words began to calm down as well.
"Oh, going there? That's actually not far at all. You just need to turn at that intersection up ahead, and you'll get there," Eijun said after forming a mental map of Jingu Stadium in his head, thinking it through briefly before coming to a conclusion.
He had initially planned to offer to show him the way, but seeing as it wasn't far and didn't require a detour, that wouldn't be necessary.
"Really?"
After hearing Eijun's words, a look of excitement clearly spread across Todoroki's face.
He exaggeratedly bowed at a ninety-degree angle.
"Thank you!!!"
"Uh, what's your name?"
"I'm Sawamura Eijun from Seido High School, a pitcher," Eijun said with a gentle smile, speaking softly.
"Um, I'm Todoroki Raichi from Yakushi High School. You're a pitcher, right!?" It was evident that upon hearing Eijun's introduction, Todoroki's eyes brightened.
As the strongest batter in their cohort from the original work, Todoroki clearly had a particular fascination with strong pitchers.
"Yeah, I'm looking forward to facing you on the field, Todoroki-san," Eijun said with a smile. "But it's getting late, you don't want to keep your teammates waiting too long."
"Right!" Todoroki nodded vigorously.
"Well then, let's meet on the field next time," Eijun said with a certain implication in his words, tipping his cap slightly and waving goodbye as he turned to leave.
Seido High School, Sawamura Eijun?
Watching Eijun's departing figure, Todoroki murmured softly to himself.
"Raichi, where are you!?"
In the distance, he could hear the voice of one of his seniors calling for him, which brought a smile to Todoroki's face. He quickly ran off in the opposite direction from Eijun.
This fateful encounter marked the first meeting of this lifetime's formidable rivals.
Whether in high school or professional baseball, it was the first clash between sworn enemies, from start to finish!
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État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone