Under the glow of the setting sun, the mbers of Seishou High left the field in defeat.
Their journey had transford drastically—from the initial high morale, to the dejection during the match, and finally to a strange self-consolation at the end.
All these emotional shifts took place within a re half-hour ga.
After the ga ended, Seishou's coach did not stay behind to offer any post-defeat reflections as he might have initially planned.
Even if they tried to convince themselves that their opponent was simply too strong, it didn't change the harsh reality—they had been utterly crushed.
Not only did they lose 16 runs in just four innings, but the ga ended prematurely due to the rcy rule.
And as if that weren't enough, they hadn't managed a single run, hit, or even reached base.
This reality was impossible to ignore, especially considering how confident Seishou High had been at the start.
Their coach, in particular, had radiated an air of assured victory.
By the end, however, his confident smile had beco frozen and awkward.
As soon as the match concluded, the coach heaved a sigh of relief—not because of any sense of accomplishnt, but simply because the humiliation was finally over.
He hastily gathered his team, boarded the bus, and left Seidou High, eager to return to their school.
For them, today was anything but a pleasant experience.
...
"Great pitch, Sawamura," Coach Kataoka praised with a rare smile as he returned to the bench. Behind his sunglasses, a glint of admiration revealed just how satisfied he was with his ace.
"Yes, Coach!" Eijun responded loudly, his voice full of pride and energy.
"You did really well, Sawamura-kun."
"Haha, dependable as ever, Ace!"
"Yahaha! You're really starting to act like a proper ace, huh?" Kuramochi teased as he packed up his gear with a mischievous grin.
"What do you an starting, Kuramochi-senpai? I am the ace, okay?" Eijun shot back, clearly annoyed.
"Well done, Sawamura-kun."
"Oh, that was impressive, Sawamura!"
Among the few other first-year varsity mbers, Tojou and Kanemaru offered their sincere complints. However, a hint of complex emotions lingered beneath Tojou's smile.
After all, Tojou had once aid for the position of Seidou's ace himself.
Fate, however, had led him to beco an outfielder instead, despite his initial aspirations.
Life was full of twists, and baseball was no exception.
Even so, Tojou had to admit that Eijun was simply on a different level. If he wanted to continue his baseball journey and keep his spot on the team, adjusting his mindset was essential.
He was well aware of that.
"To suppress an entire lineup with just fastballs—truly worthy of being our proud ace," Miyuki remarked as he removed his catcher's gear, smiling as he approached Eijun.
"It felt pretty good using it in a real match," Eijun responded without missing a beat. "But I noticed a slight issue with the new fastball. Miyuki-senpai, it still feels lacking. Join for practice tonight—I want to work on it more."
Ignoring Miyuki's words of praise, Eijun clenched his left hand briefly before releasing it, his tone filled with dissatisfaction.
Miyuki blinked in surprise before breaking into a laugh, shaking his head.
This pitching fanatic...
It was clear that Eijun's world revolved solely around baseball.
Yet, perhaps it was precisely this obsession that made him the pride of their team—Seidou High's unrivaled ace.
Looking at Eijun's sharp and defined profile, Miyuki sighed inwardly.
"Sawamura, that pitch just now relied on high-speed rotation to achieve that effect, right? However, I suggest you shift your weight forward a bit. You unconsciously leaned backward when pitching, which isn't ideal for generating power. Additionally, because of the slight directional deviation, air resistance will introduce more flaws to the pitch. Let's set aside the grip for now; you might want to focus on adjusting your lower body movents."
Just as Miyuki was about to say sothing more, Ochiai, stroking his small mustache, walked over to Eijun with a calm expression.
"That pitch just now — I noticed you leaned your weight backward a bit during your motion. If you shift your center of gravity forward, it might help with power delivery and reduce unwanted resistance," Ochiai said plainly.
Eijun was montarily stunned but quickly snapped back to reality.
"Yes, sir."
There was no denying it — Ochiai was a true baseball expert.
Even from a distance, he could analyze the finer details with remarkable precision.
Although there were still so discrepancies due to his lack of a close view of Eijun's exact grip and pitching motion, Ochiai's suggestions already gave Eijun a sense of enlightennt.
A burning desire to imdiately test out the advice rose within him, much like a child who had just received a brand-new toy and couldn't wait to play with it.
"Do you have ti today, Coach? I'd like to ask for so guidance," Eijun said respectfully.
Regardless of Ochiai's personality, his professional knowledge was undeniable.
Eijun understood well that if he wanted to improve and reach the next level, Ochiai's advice and guidance were invaluable.
After all, even in the original storyline, Ochiai eventually changed his perspective and acknowledged both Eijun and Maezono.
This was a rare opportunity that Eijun had no intention of letting slip by.
With Ochiai having been part of Seidou's baseball team for a month now, it was the perfect chance for a one-on-one coaching session.
"Sure."
Ochiai was not surprised by Eijun's request. He fully understood his role on the team and simply nodded calmly to show his agreent.
"Captain Miyuki?" Eijun's face lit up with joy upon receiving Ochiai's consent. He imdiately turned his head toward Miyuki, his eyes gleaming with intense anticipation.
That bright, eager expression left Miyuki shaking his head in exasperation.
This guy would never compromise when it ca to baseball, huh?
"Yeah, I'll definitely help you train tonight, Mr. Ace," Miyuki said with a smile.
"Thanks, Captain."
The two shared a smile as their right fists lightly bumped together.
The preliminary rounds were over, and the fall tournant was just around the corner.
The golden season of autumn was one of harvest. And the reigning champions had no intention of leaving empty-handed.
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