"Heh."
It seed that Eijun could sense the faint hint of urgency in Wakana's voice.
A soft, lodious laugh rang out from Wakana, the sound like the chi of a bell, making Eijun's heart feel warr.
"By the way, I haven't congratulated you yet, Seidou's ace. Everyone is really happy for you. They keep saying they want to find another ti to co watch your ga."
After a brief pause, Wakana's voice continued, filled with admiration and joy for Eijun.
As a childhood friend, when Wakana received the ssage from Eijun along with the picture of him wearing the ace's number, a strong sense of pride filled her heart.
It wasn't just Wakana. Eijun's family and friends, all those who found out that Eijun had beco Seidou High School's ace, felt an imnse joy that matched Eijun's own.
To them, Seidou was a prestigious team, a powerhouse. And for a first-year pitcher to beco the ace?
That was certainly sothing to be proud of and celebrate.
"Yeah, thanks."
Eijun smiled as he replied. After that, the two fell into a brief silence, both unsure of what to say next.
The late sumr air still carried the chirps of the last cicadas. A gentle breeze blew through.
The sweet sound of Wakana's breathing reached Eijun's ears, and for a mont, he felt that this mont was perhaps the most fulfilling, aside from winning the championship.
Away from baseball, it was as if his heart had been completely filled.
"Well..."
"I was going to say..."
"You go first..."
"What did you want to say?"
It felt like a scene from a shonen manga, the exact sa kind of mont where both people spoke at the sa ti after the silence, causing them both to pause in surprise.
"Heh."
"Ha ha."
A burst of genuine laughter ca from both the boy and the girl, filling the mont with ease.
"You're going to have to work even harder in the upcoming gas, Eijun."
"Yeah, of course. Winning once isn't enough for . Next year, I'll definitely lift that banner again on that stage."
Eijun's determined tone made it easy for Wakana to imagine the expression and aura he must have at that mont, the kind of confidence that made her admire him.
"I'm looking forward to it. I can't wait to see you beco the strongest ace, Eijun."
Wakana's voice was filled with admiration and trust.
"Definitely."
The sumr night, bathed in moonlight, had a soft breeze that made the atmosphere feel dreamy.
The boy and the girl seed to be getting closer to each other, just one thin layer left between them, a layer that could be easily torn apart.
After Eijun ended the call with Wakana, he glanced at the ti on his phone.
"10:31 PM. Half an hour, huh? Not good. If Kuramochi-senpai asks, I'll just say I bumped into Haruichi. Yeah, that's what I'll say."
Eijun thought for a mont, deciding to lie to Kuramochi once again. After all, he couldn't tell him the truth. If that guy got upset, Eijun knew his chances of getting any decent rest tonight would be gone.
"Ugh, it's already September, but it's still so hot."
With a natural expression, Eijun pushed open the door and entered.
As expected, Kuramochi was still sitting with his back to him, engrossed in his ga, the screen flashing with the ga's graphics.
"Oh? Eijun, you were in the restroom that long? Did you get a stomach ache?"
Kuramochi's voice was calm as usual, with no hint of suspicion, and Eijun let out a sigh of relief. He couldn't help but laugh to himself inside.
Seems I was being a bit paranoid. I was just gone for a little while. There's no way he'd suspect anything.
"Yeah, when I ca out, I bumped into Haruichi and chatted with him for a bit about the Autumn Tournant," Eijun answered nonchalantly.
He returned to his bed, glancing at Kuramochi, who was still focused on his ga, and quietly pulled out his phone, placing it back on the bedside table.
"Oh, I see," Kuramochi replied.
But this ti, for so reason, Eijun's heart skipped a beat.
"So, can our amazing ace tell when you learned such advanced techniques like Shadow Clone Jutsu? I swear, I saw you talking on the phone, but you said you were chatting with Kominato? Tsk, tsk, really impressive," Kuramochi's voice was laced with an icy chill.
The sudden words sent a shiver down Eijun's spine.
Turning around, he saw Kuramochi's sly, almost smirking expression.
Eijun froze, his face stiffening as a sense of frustration flashed across his eyes.
Could it be? Was he caught just like that? Was his luck this bad?
"Uh, well, Kuramochi-senpai, just calm down a bit. I can explain..." Eijun stamred, trying to hold his ground.
Kuramochi's fingers cracked ominously, his gaze colder than ever, making the situation feel even more intense.
"Explain? You want to explain? Eijun, I didn't know that becoming an ace would make you so brave—bold enough to lie to your senpai. If I hadn't seen it, were you planning to keep hiding it? Tell the truth, was it Wakana who called you just now?!"
"Uh, yes, it was Wakana, but Kuramochi-senpai, no—please calm down!" Eijun pleaded, his voice shaking.
"No more talking, you brat. Accept your punishnt!" Kiramochi roared.
"No, Kuramochi-senpai, please no!!"
Bang!
"Aaahhhhhh!!"
Eijun cried out, a blood-curdling scream echoing through the room.
The night passed quietly after the dramatic outburst, with the devious, scheming Kuramochi sporting a satisfied, evil grin.
"Ah, what a delightful night," he chuckled to himself.
Ti passed quickly, and in less than two weeks, it was ti for the first match of the new team: the regional qualifiers for the Autumn Tournant.
Two public high schools, one private high school—there was no need to elaborate on the public schools.
In the world of baseball, not all public high schools were weaklings.
However, out of a hundred public schools, it was rare to find one strong enough to pose a real challenge.
A school like Oya, which had previously made it to Koshien, was one of the few public schools that Seidou could handle. It was rare to see such a formidable public school. The private school, based on the research from Watanabe-senpai, didn't seem to have an especially strong team either.
Of course, only Eijun knew that in the original story, this private school had caused Seidou a great deal of trouble, nearly leading to a disastrous loss.
The groupings were the sa as in the original story. The difference this ti was that Seidou High would face these three schools with a different attitude.
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