Is there anything more infuriating than being unable to pitch due to an injury?
Originally, Sawamura thought he was over it, but upon seeing Furuya the next day, he immediately revised his thoughts.
There are still things more frustrating, just like now.
Furuya said nothing; he simply pointed at himself.
Sawamura understood what that meant.
'Leave it to me!'
Yesterday, Coach Kataoka announced that during Sawamura's recovery, Furuya would lead the pitching lineup, supported by Kawakami.
Tomorrow, in the match against Komadai, Furuya will be the starting pitcher for the Seidou High School baseball team.
The most annoying thing in life is this moment: watching his rival flaunt his skills while he feels helpless.
If it were legal, Sawamura would want to give Furuya a good beating.
Let that kid strut around some more.
"…Okay, good luck!"
Sawamura smiled and patted Furuya on the shoulder before walking away.
He needed to maintain team unity; otherwise, he would have to put that haughty kid in his place.
At that moment, Sawamura completely forgot that he had done the same when Furuya was injured before.
Then, he ran into Miyuki who was brushing his teeth.
Miyuki looked at Sawamura with a hint of guilt then looked away as if he had done something wrong.
Sawamura's earlier irritation finally eased a bit. He knew why Miyuki was acting this way: it was Miyuki who told Coach Kataoka about his injured finger, so now he felt awkward facing Sawamura.
"Thanks!"
Sawamura casually approached Miyuki, splashed some water to wash his face, and said in a low voice.
"Huh?"
Miyuki turned to look at Sawamura, surprise mixed with relief in his eyes.
Sometimes, good deeds don't always get rewarded.
It also depends on whether the person you're helping is willing to accept it.
Just like with Sawamura's finger injury.
Originally, Miyuki thought Sawamura would blame him for being intrusive, but instead, Sawamura's first word was "thank you."
He understood Miyuki's good intentions and why he had acted that way.
"Hee hee, don't worry, leave the game to us!"
Miyuki said confidently.
If Furuya had said that, Sawamura would have been furious.
But Miyuki's words sounded reassuring to Sawamura.
"Just one thing—I'm curious. After finding out about my injury, shouldn't you have asked me directly first? Why go straight to the Coach?" Sawamura asked.
"I had already advised Chris-senpai before…"
'Oh!'
Miyuki didn't finish his thought, but Sawamura already understood.
Chris-senpai probably hadn't listened to Miyuki's advice and continued to practice recklessly, which led to his injury.
And Miyuki was likely worried that Sawamura wouldn't take his advice either.
"Thank you!"
Sawamura said sincerely again.
Time flew by, and soon it was time for the semifinals.
In today's two semifinal matches, Seidou High School was up first.
The first match featured Seidou against Komadai Fujimaki! The second match had Inajitsu facing Seihou.
These two games were high-profile matchups between top-tier schools and drew significant attention.
Ten minutes before the game, the stadium was packed.
Due to ticket sales, the Demon King's Guard only had about 3,000 members.
In contrast, the Brotherhood of Red Hearts, who typically had only four or five hundred fans, saw their numbers swell to nearly a thousand this time.
Before the game started, the fans from both sides began to compete.
With the support of Sawamura's two major fan clubs, Seidou's fans completely overshadowed the Komadai Fujimaki.
The baseball atmosphere in Tokyo's Kanto area far surpassed the icy, snowy air of Hokkaido, especially with thousands of Sawamura's fans in attendance.
The combined number of Komadai fans was only a few thousand.
Compared to Seidou's fans, they were instantly reduced to nothing.
With the cheers heavily in favor of Seidou, the game was about to commence.
Before the match, Coach Kataoka called all the players together to discuss tactics.
"As Watanabe mentioned earlier, the opponent doesn't know that Sawamura can't pitch. As long as we don't fall behind, we can bluff them. Additionally, in the match a couple of days ago, the Komadai Fujimaki's Hongou already pitched seven innings, so his stamina is somewhat depleted. Our main goal in the early game is to wear down the pitcher. If we stick to our style, victory will tilt in our favor. Do you understand?"
"Understood!"
All the players answered with fervor.
"Let's begin."
Coach Kataoka nodded and turned to Miyuki.
Before the game, Sawamura had suggested to Kataoka that they should shout a slogan together.
At the time, Kataoka was puzzled, not understanding the significance.
"Since we're competing as a complete team, we need to boost our morale."
Sawamura explained.
The slogan of Seidou High School was like a king's declaration.
Once they shouted it out, they naturally had to give their all.
"All right!"
Coach Kataoka didn't hesitate and approved, as he had the same thoughts.
Under Miyuki's leadership, the Seidou High School baseball team formed a huge circle.
This familiar scene excited both the spectators in the stands and fans watching the live broadcast.
Their blood surged, and their eyes gleamed with anticipation.
The feeling of adrenaline was intoxicating.
"Ooh!"
"It is here!"
"Finally! They are going to do it."
"Roar of the Champion!"
"This is our first time at this Koshien!"
"After all, we can't underestimate the Komadai."
Amid all the attention, Miyuki, standing in the center of the circle, took a deep breath and said to his teammates.
"Did you guys feel it? The air of Koshien?"
When they heard the question, the players looked at Miyuki with varying expressions.
Some were serious, some were surprised, and some were thrilled.
Yes, they felt the air of Koshien. It was unlike anything they had experienced before. It made all the effort they did to reach this stage worth it.
"Our Senpai was here too, they felt it too. And they also won the whole thing and stood at the top, leaving us with a heavy legacy."
At the mention of the Senpais, all the players tensed. They respected their Senpais greatly and looked up to them. And they are walking the same path as them.
"But we did it too! We reached Koshien and we are one match away from the finals!"
"We train hard!! We fought hard!! And we walked the same path as them! Even earlier than them!!!"
"YEAAAH!!!!"
Yes, their amazing Senpais didn't reach the Spring Koshien, but they did!
The first step has already been achieved, what is left is to win the thing!
With Sawamura or without him they will do it!!
"NOW!! IT IS TIME FOR US TO SURBRASS OUR GREAT SENPAIS!!!!!"
"OOOOOOOOOOHH!!!!!"
Miyuki pointed to his heart with his thumb and asked loudly.
"WHO ARE WE?!!!!!!"
"KING SEIDOU!!!!!!!!"
"WHO SHEDS SWEATS MORE THAN ANYONE?!!!!!!!"
"SEIDOU!!!!!!!!!!"
"WHO SHEDS TEARS THAN ANYONE?!!!!!!!!!!"
"SEIDOU!!!!!!!!!!!"
"ARE YOU READY TO FIGHT?!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"OOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!"
"BEARING PRIDE IN OUR HEARTS, WE ONLY HAVE ONE GOAL! THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP!!!! LET'S GO!!!!"
"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
At that moment, the Seidou High School baseball players raised their heads, pointing their fingers to the sky.
As if that were their ultimate goal.
The energized crowd and the countless fans whether in the stadium or in front of their screens, joined in chanting and shouting along.
Perhaps in ten or twenty years, people will forget the brilliant achievements of Seidou High School.
But no one will forget the scene before them.
This moment would be etched into their souls, accompanying them for a lifetime.
…
T/N: Either these guys rise to this challenge, or return home to get replaced!
Anyway, Thank you all for reading!!
I hope you all have a nice day!
You also can check my Patre0n for extra Chapters.
https://www.patre0n.com/ColdColt
There are +130 Chapters there.