Ken however, had no reaction upon the mound. He began his warm up throws and as feeling especially good in this moment.
After around 15 throws, he indicated to the umpire that he was ready.
“Play ball!”
A loud cheer erupted as everyone got ready to witness arguably the top pitcher in high school at this moment.
Daichi finished his cooling down stretches in the locker room as his coach went over a debriefing. Even though they had stomped the opposition convincingly, no one seemed complacent.
Perhaps this was because of the man in front of them, Coach Narukami.
Despite his age, the coach’s eyes were bright and intelligent, filled with passion. He demanded excellence from his players, creating a professional and harmonious atmosphere within the team.
Of course this had its drawbacks, like having to stay behind after a game or practice for debriefs. Yet everyone had gotten used to it by now.
“Daichi, you played excellent today. A big part of why no one could touch the ball was because of your leads, please keep it up.”
Daichi nodded. He wasn’t surprised with how the game turned out since he had been studying their opponents for the past 2 days.
However, he was starting to get a bit antsy. He knew that his big brother was on the field right now and wanted nothing more than to rush out into the stands to watch him.
“Yatsuo, that run they scored was because of your mistake. Do you understand?”
“Yes coach, the ball slipped in my grip.” He replied.
“Yes I saw that. Make sure you’re using the rosin bag regularly so we can avoid such situations.”
“Yes coach!”
Coach Narukami prattled on for a while longer, giving insight into the game they’d just won, even detailing who their next opponent could be.
After what seemed like an eternity, they were finally able to leave the locker room. Without waiting for the others, Daichi ran up the stairs and quickly stared out over the field.
“Huh?? What happened?”
Around an hour had passed since they left the field, yet the game had already finished. He had even seen Ken’s tall figure walking onto the field as their team had left after the match.
‘Did they win or lose?’
Daichi panicked a little, not knowing the result. He turned to the nearest person to him, frightening the poor guy greatly.
“Excuse me! Who won the last match!??”
After finally calming down his beating heart, the middle aged man told him the news.
Urawa got crushed.
Daichi felt his body relax after hearing those words. For a small moment he had thought his brother had been knocked out of the tournament, yet their dream was still alive, perhaps even more than ever.
Only now did Daichi feel calm enough to leave the arena.
***
Coach Hanada ushered his rowdy team into the residence with a smile on his face, he was about to follow them in before he was interrupted.
BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ
“Hmm?”
“Hello?”
“Seiji, long time no speak.”
The voice was deep and firm, yet it held hints of age and wisdom.
“C-Coach Takashi, it’s good to hear from you.”
He was taken aback, not expecting a phone call from such a big wig at this moment.
“Please, there’s no need to stand on formalities here Seiji, call me Hajime. People might think we’re strangers if you keep addressing me like this.” Hajime Takashi said, chuckling a little.
“Ah yes sir. How can I help you?”
Despite being given the green light, Coach Hanada was a little reluctant to address the man as such, showing how much he respected him.
“I just saw your match against Urawa. You’ve got some talented guys on your team.”
Seiji’s eyes lit up at the compliment, his hand shaking subconsciously by his side.
“W-Was there anyone in particular that stood out to you Coach?”
The line was silent for a while before Hajime finally answered.
“That clean-up hitter on 1st base looks promising, I think he might have a shot.”
“Oh? Is that all?” Seiji felt his stomach tighten as he said these words. Usually he wouldn’t question this man’s vision, however he needed to do his best.
“Hahaha, I know who you’re talking about. I can see he has potential, but he’s too one dimensional as a pitcher.”
Hajime didn’t seem to mind the question, yet he still delivered his brutal assessment.
Coach Hanada frowned in response, this was not what he wanted. To him, this person was the most hardworking on the team and more than deserved an opportunity in this situation.
“What if I told you he hasn’t shown everything he’s got yet?”
“Hmm? Are you saying—”
“Yes. He’s been saving it for the semi-finals, all so he can take Osaka Toin by surprise.”
Seiji balled his hand into a fist, praying inwardly that his white lie would bear fruits.
“Interesting… To think that you could be so sneaky Seiji. Hahaha!” Hajime laughed deeply, clearly enjoying the insider information.
Only after a few moments did his laughter die down, leading to another silence.
“Very well, I’ll keep watching him closely. After all, it’s very rare for you to patron one of your players so willfully.”
Seiji breathed out a sigh of relief, feeling his body relax.
“Thank you sir. Let’s have a chat after Nationals finishes up.” He replied gratefully.
“Best of luck out there.”
BEEP BEEP BEEP
Coach Hanada removed the phone from his ear and looked at the screen for a few moments. Only now that he was off the phone did he realize just how tense he had been.
He wasn’t sure if he made the right decision, throwing Ken into the spotlight like that, however it didn’t feel right not to.
As long as he kept playing like he was right now, there was no reason for him not to be given such an opportunity.
“I just hope he can finish learning the curveball in time…” Seiji said, placing his phone back into his pocket.