"Did you watch last night's ga?" In the classroom of Waseda Shogyo High School, a first-year freshman excitedly tapped on the desk, speaking with enthusiasm to his companion in front of him.
"How could I miss it? Not only did I watch the entire ga, but I also stayed up all night discussing it with friends on the forum, barely slept!" The boy opposite him had bloodshot eyes, clearly excited and lacking sleep, but he was still animated and gesticulating, "Three tis, a total of three tis he hit the ball towards the Koshien stands, those Hanshin fans turned green!"
Soon, more people joined the discussion. A boy with a calm appearance pushed up his glasses fra, suppressing his excitent with difficulty as he began to analyze, "The most terrifying thing is his ntality — did you see that in the bottom of the ninth, even when the ga was no longer suspenseful, and he had struck out 20 tis, his expression facing the last batter was exactly the sa as in the first round! Such a competitive spirit is truly frightening..."
"I heard he was like this back at Waseda," another student chid in, admiringly, "I heard from family and relatives who were once teammates with him say during regular training he would joke around, but once he stood on the official ga's pitcher's mound or batter's box, he seed like a different person — indeed, geniuses are different from the rest."
"Our school truly has an extraordinary individual..." soone murmured, filled with pride.
This morning, in every classroom of Waseda Industrial School, topics like TV dramas, idols, and exams were all replaced by one na — Lin Guanglai, and last night's destined-to-be-historic Japan match had beco the most talked-about topic all over Waseda, even kids who don't usually follow baseball joined in the discussion.
anwhile, a young guest arrived at the Waseda Industrial Baseball Club.
"This is our club room, Mr. Seiomi — after formally enrolling next spring, this will be the place where you spend most of your ti for the next three years."
Led by baseball club captain Sasaki Shinichi, Seiomi Koutaro walked into the building he had long been passionate about.
Currently recognized across the Tokyo Region as the strongest middle school student, Seiomi Koutaro, during the recent sumr season, as the starting third baseman, led his team "Toubu Youth" to national victory and was personally selected as the tournant's best player, attracting interest from prestigious baseball schools nationwide.
Invitations from elite schools, including Osaka Tsubaki and Yokohama, were offered to him but he rejected them all. Ultimately, he chose to stay locally in Tokyo and accepted the invitation from supervisor Izumi Minoru to join Waseda Industries.
Although Waseda is also a well-known elite baseball school nationwide, considering recent years' performances and player developnt, they're clearly not at par with super-elite teams like Osaka Tsubaki, which almost annually reach Koshien.
Especially after Lin Guanglai left, the post-Lin Guanglai era of Waseda has gone two full years without participating in any national tournants.
In a press interview, facing similar questions, Seiomi Koutaro gave his response:
"Since I first entered middle school, I decided I would join Waseda, and this has never changed in these past few years — this is a promise I made with Elder Lin Guanglai!"
"In the 2011 Sumr Koshien final, I witnessed Elder Lin's grand slam on-site and was fortunate enough to catch that ball, thus obtaining a face-to-face opportunity with him..."
"Behind Koshien, Elder Lin Guanglai handed that morable baseball, and I promised him that I would certainly go to Waseda to inherit his mantle."
"This is the reason for my choice — as a top prestigious school with 2 Senbatsu victories and 3 Sumr League wins, Waseda has been dormant for too long..."
"My aim is, upon enrolling, just like Elder Lin Guanglai did 5 years ago, to bring this prestigious school back to its rightful place!"
His past statents remain vivid, and now, Seiomi Koutaro has truly stepped into the building where Elder Lin Guanglai once stayed and fought for three years.
"So areas are being renovated here recently, be careful, Mr. Seiomi," looking at Seiomi Koutaro's delightful expressions, Sasaki Shinichi's face broke into a smile, "I hear you have quite a connection with Guanglai? Did you watch last night's ga by any chance?"
ntioning Lin Guanglai seed to transform Seiomi Koutaro as he opened up, chatting animatedly with Sasaki Shinichi about Lin Guanglai's godlike performance, revealing many previously unknown stories from his predecessor's high school era.
Arriving at the baseball club's locker room, Sasaki Shinichi led Seiomi Koutaro to a locker and said, "This locker will be yours next year, Mr. Seiomi — it was used by Guanglai during his school years..."
"Being granted the use of this locker as a freshman, Mr. Seiomi, shows how highly we regard your talent and ability; we also hope you can lead us back to the stage of Koshien in the next three years!"
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