In the Seidou High School baseball club conference room, Maezono tightly gripped Miyuki's collar, his eyes flashing with disappointment and anger.
Miyuki, however, made no move to fight back, merely staring at Maezono like an angry bull in silence.
"Stop it now!"
"Zono, what are you doing?"
The others quickly intervened, trying to separate the two.
Earlier that night, Miyuki had spoken extensively with Watanabe, openly expressing his thoughts.
He told Watanabe, "If staying in this club is painful for you and you're genuinely preparing for exams, I won't stop you. I can't prevent someone who wants to leave!"
Despite saying this, Miyuki now refused to offer any further explanation to Maezono.
Maezono's anger was uncontrollable. "Is telling him to leave if he wants to leave what a Captain should say?"
He demanded angrily from Miyuki.
Miyuki's face showed indifference. "What else should I have said?"
"What did you say?"
Maezono questioned, doubting his own ears.
Miyuki continued, "We gathered here to play baseball, right? I don't think we're just a group of people coming together to be friends and have fun."
'What?'
Everyone around looked at Miyuki in shock.
"Can we all hold hands and walk the same path forever? That's impossible. Even the Senpais like Tetsu-san have found their own futures. Eventually, we'll all face this day. The only difference is when it will come. Am I wrong?"
Miyuki said.
"You idiot! You can't say things like that on the premise that they might leave the team! If he really wanted to leave, would he still talk to you? He just wants you to understand his thoughts.
Don't impose your values on others! Everyone in this team has moments of doubt and insecurity. As the Captain, isn't it hard to offer a word of encouragement in such times?"
Maezono questioned angrily.
Kuramochi frowned as well. "Miyuki, I understand your point, but if he truly wanted to leave the team, would he have written such detailed notes?"
Miyuki was stunned by this.
Substitute catcher Ono spoke up. "Everyone here has doubts and anxieties. Will we become regular members? Will we play in games? What if we can't secure a number? But no one easily decides to leave the team because everyone feels this uncertainty."
"You, who have always been a regular and have been focused on how to win, might not understand our feelings…" Maezono said, shaking off Miyuki's collar.
Even now, he maintained some level of rationality. With Ace Sawamura sick, if he hurt Miyuki or some accident happened, Seidou would be in trouble.
The team can't do without Sawamura, but it also can't do without Miyuki.
Without Sawamura, Seidou would at most drop a level or two from the top of the nation.
That would still be an all-Japan-level team.
Without Miyuki, with Chris-senpai having graduated, Seidou High School might not even be a national-level team.
No one besides Miyuki can handle all of Sawamura's breaking balls.
Substitute Ono struggled to catch Furuya's balls, let alone Sawamura's sharp breaking.
Though he released Miyuki, he still had to say what he needed to.
"Ordinary players like us will definitely feel confused and uneasy, but isn't leading teammates who are uncertain or confused to fight together the mission of a Captain?"
"If you give up this mission and ask us to fight on our own, I will never accept you as our Captain!"
Maezono, ready to leave in anger, opened the door and saw two people outside: Watanabe, the topic of the discussion, and Sawamura wearing a large mask.
Maezono felt momentarily embarrassed, unsure of how to face Watanabe.
Sawamura's gaze also made him uneasy.
"Nabe!"
Maezono tried to say something, but Watanabe ignored him and ran off.
Instead, Sawamura stepped into the conference room.
"I've seen quite a show!" Sawamura said.
"As the Ace of the team, I really don't understand everyone's mindset. When players want to leave, they have to be blunt about it, while those who support their choice either way are criticized. I can't warp my head around it!"
Miyuki, though pleased by Sawamura's support, found his words even more irritating.
Even Miyuki felt uncomfortable with what Sawamura said, let alone the others.
Miyuki had expected that everyone would turn against Sawamura this time.
But unexpectedly, everyone around them lowered their heads or looked away in unison.
Even those who had been so angry before were no exception.
'Why?'
This differential treatment made Miyuki feel unsettled.
Despite being a Kohai, Sawamura's prestige in the team was very high. Besides being the Ace, his brilliance was dazzling and intimidating.
Moreover, Sawamura always practiced until the very end.
In Seidou High School, where hard work is highly valued, being able to do this made him admirable.
When they saw Sawamura, they often thought of the saying:
The most frustrating thing in the world is when someone more gifted than everyone works harder than everyone.
Sawamura was a person who could evoke despair if you were close to him.
Miyuki practiced too, but he preferred to do it privately, unseen by others.
Sawamura, on the other hand, enjoyed the company and always trained with others.
In his words, "Training alone was too boring."
Having spent so much time with these seniors, Sawamura had always maintained a good relationship with everyone.
Now, as he spoke up, others were willing to listen.
"We might have misunderstood Nabe-san's intentions. He never said he wanted to leave the team. Nevertheless, it's true that he's been training half-heartedly lately.
When he himself wants this, what can we say? As teammates or friends, we can only wish him well. Should we beg him not to leave? Isn't that imposing our own views on him?
It seems gentle but is actually more cruel. We all chose to come to this team of our own will. Since we chose to be here, we must be responsible for ourselves. Each of us has dreams. If we can't work hard for them, why did we leave our hometowns?"
Sawamura's words were sharp!
He could have been more diplomatic, but he refused to be a peacemaker.
Therefore, he chose to unequivocally support Miyuki.
Even if Miyuki was not without fault, as long as it was not a matter of principle, Sawamura would support him.
Simply because he was the team Captain.
Without the respect for the captain, the team's unity would be in jeopardy…
***
Edogawa Stadium.
The second round of the Fall Tournament has arrived, and today Seidou High School is set to face Ugumori High School.
Following the turmoil stirred up by Watanabe, and with Sawamura's support, everyone reluctantly accepted Miyuki's perspective.
As Sawamura said:
"You can disagree with Miyuki-senpai's methods and dislike his behavior, but you must follow his lead and cooperate with him.
This is for the benefit of all of the team and us. If you have issues, you can always talk to him about it. If that doesn't work, speak with the Coach. If Coach Kataoka decides you are more suitable to be the team captain, I will support you unconditionally!"
On the surface, Miyuki's actions might seem harsh, but there is a different kind of gentleness beneath.
Whether from the standpoint of a teammate, partner, or friend, Eijun understands him very well. Miyuki's approach might not make him popular, but it's effective.
It's natural for someone with Miyuki's qualities to be Seidou's Captain. No national powerhouse like Seidou would choose an unknown player as Captain—both for the team's leadership and the school's reputation.
Typically, the team Captain is the most prestigious player. Exceptions occur when the most famous player isn't suitable, or if there are too many star players, the team might choose someone else for balance.
In most teams, the strongest and most respected player becomes the Captain.
Yet, Maezono is an exception.
Sawamura understands that Maezono's disagreement with Miyuki's values and treatment of teammates isn't due to ulterior motives.
Instead of disrupting the team, Sawamura chose to watch as things unfolded.
Before his regression, Sawamura might not have acted this way—he lacked the insight and was unwilling to interfere in Senpais disputes.
But with over a decade of experience and national competition experience from his regression, he understands the clear distinction between being nice and being naive.
For Sawamura, it does. Even if it means being direct with someone he admires, like Zono-san, he cannot ignore this.
When Sawamura spoke, the entire team was shocked. His usual easygoing attitude was replaced with a sharp edge.
Yet, upon reflection, it was clear Sawamura's point was valid. His viewpoint was simple: seek common ground while respecting differences. It's fine for players to have different dreams and ideals as long as everyone works together towards a common goal.
Despite lingering tensions, the team was ready for the game.
After publicly reprimanding Maezono, Sawamura practiced with him and gave him advice on his swing.
"You don't need so much force from your waist. Just use your arm strength to swing the bat."
Sawamura acted as though nothing had happened, but Maezono, lacking Sawamura's easiness, ignored him, though he adjusted his swing according to Sawamura's advice.
Haruichi watched, feeling awkward. 'Isn't it embarrassing for Eijun-kun to talk like that?'
After training, Maezono finally spoke up. "I…"
Sawamura waved him off. "No need to thank or apologize. I know you did what you thought the best for the team, but even unintentional mistakes have consequences."
Maezono, initially grateful, was immediately angered. "Thanks, you jerk!"
***
Thus, Sawamura's strong intervention quelled the storm, though some residual issues remained.
During the pre-game meeting, everything seemed to return to normal, at least on the surface.
Today marked the second round of the Fall Tournament, with Seidou High School facing Ugumori High School.
Sawamura's fan clubs secured their usual seats. Even for a national powerhouse like Seidou, it's challenging to fill a stadium of nearly 20,000 if the opponent isn't a big draw.
Nevertheless, the stands were packed, with few empty seats visible.
"Even if the opponent isn't a powerful giant, Seidou still attracts a lot of attention," said Owada Akiko and her partner Fujio, who continued to cover Seidou matches.
"That's to be expected. Seidou is the top seed in the Tournament. Their impressive win over the second seed, Teito, and the ongoing excitement from the recent Koshien means it's no surprise so many people are here. As the competition heats up, the crowds will only grow. If they face a strong opponent, even large stadiums might not be enough."
Fujio added, "For instance, tomorrow's Inashiro battle!"
Owada couldn't help but smile at the thought. "Inashiro vs. Seidou! Just imagining it is thrilling."
"Let's focus on today first. Both teams need to win their matches to face off tomorrow," Fujio said, glancing at the field.
Ugumori, ranked among the top sixteen in East Tokyo, is strong but still a mile behind Seidou High School. On the other hand, Inashiro's opponent, Nanamori Academy, stands no chance.
'The game is expected to end early, likely within five or seven innings.'
…
T/N: With that, Seidou's drama is out of the way.
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