Before dawn, a team had already gathered on the baseball field of Seidou High School.
A group of players were running together.
The synchronized sound of footsteps dispersed the morning mist.
Leading the team was Miyuki, the captain of the Seidou High School baseball team.
In the baseball club, the captain has many responsibilities. One of the most important tasks is to lead the team in warming up before the coach arrives.
After running for nearly 20 minutes, a few figures appeared in the distance.
The early spring weather still had a chill, and these individuals were bundled up tightly.
Upon seeing them approach, Miyuki signaled for the team to stop.
"All first-year members, line up in three rows and prepare for self-introductions."
There were a total of 61 freshmen. Once arranged, the first row had 20, the second row had 20, and the last row had 21.
After the lineup concluded, Miyuki began calling for introductions.
Once this was done, he stepped aside with the other second- and third-year players.
"I'm Itou Taiga from Asawarai Middle School. I aspire to be a third baseman, I want to be a player who can be trusted with crucial batting responsibilities."
After his introduction, everyone applauded, welcoming him.
The assistant coach checked the roster, crossed out Taiga's name, and continued, "Next!"
Those who came forward for self-introduction were all players confirmed to join the Seidou High School baseball team.
Upon joining, the first task was to get to know one another through introductions.
With 61 freshmen, it would be difficult to remember all the names without some time.
To stand out quickly, a unique self-introduction would certainly help.
The new players seemed eager to attract attention.
"I really miss this!" exclaimed Kanemaru from the older students' group, filled with nostalgia.
"Exactly!" nodded Toujou beside him.
Just a year ago, they went through the same process, and seeing these freshmen now made them feel a bit nostalgic.
Though they missed it, their mindsets were different. They had once been novices; now they were key players for Seidou High School.
They watched the new players express themselves as bystanders.
"It's a pity no unfortunate soul showed up late!" Kuramochi joked mischievously.
Sawamura, standing next to him, raised his eyebrows.
Was Kuramochi referring to him as that unfortunate person?
"It's all your fault!" Sawamura nearly gritted his teeth.
"How can you blame me? You brought this on yourself by sleeping in!"
Fuming, Sawamura thought about how if it weren't for his own abilities, he wouldn't stand a chance against Kuramochi; he would make sure to put him in his place.
The third person to introduce himself was Yuuki Masashi.
"I'm Yuuki Masashi from Akadou Middle School! I want to try all positions because I don't want to limit my possibilities."
As Yuuki introduced himself, a buzz of excitement rippled through the second and third-year players.
They recognized him.
"That's Tetsu-san's little brother!"
"They look alike."
"He's got a great physique."
"I don't know why, but he seems even bigger than his brother."
"I heard he's the fourth batter for his team, very strong."
Players chatted animatedly as Yuuki continued his introduction.
"For me, high school baseball is just a stepping stone; I aspire to be an active player in the Major Leagues in the future."
This statement sent shockwaves through the already lively second and third-year students.
"Wow, he really has big words!"
"Unlike his humble brother, is this how the younger brother behaves?"
"Isn't this just their family's genetic trait?"
After Yuuki, several others introduced themselves.
Many came from impressive backgrounds, having trained in youth clubs during middle school.
"There are a lot of prestigious school graduates here!"
"Many talented recruits."
Even Captain Miyuki couldn't quell the chatter.
Thankfully, he had no desire to stop it.
"I heard from Rei-chan that being a scout is much easier now, but I don't see it. It seems like very few are turning us down?"
Finally, a sunny teenager stepped to the front, right in the middle of the first row, the core of all the freshmen.
"I'm Yui Kaoru from Mamiya's youth team. I've been a catcher since elementary and middle school, so I won't consider positions outside of catcher."
As soon as he finished, it caused quite a stir.
"Yui Kaoru!"
"Is that Yui?"
Not many in the same grade were unfamiliar with Yui. It was like not knowing Sawamura before.
After all, he was the captain of the national team in the Little League World Series and a key player who led them to the runner-up position.
He was known as The Prodigy.
When Yui Kaoru was assigned to the dormitory, he shared it with Furuya and Ono.
Upon entering, he was very sunny.
"I'm honored to live in the same dormitory as Furuya-san. If you want to pitch, feel free to come to me anytime; I'm a catcher!"
When he said this, Yui seemed to radiate energy.
"Is that really possible? Then I'm thinking now…"
Given Furuya's reserved personality, he likely wouldn't refuse a chance to pitch.
"Seriously? You just finished your massage. Plus, he's a freshman; you won't hold back, will you?" Ono, from the same dorm, felt his heart race.
He grabbed Furuya, who was eager to pitch.
Without proper mental preparation, Furuya's first pitch could be too much for a freshman.
"I don't need you to hold back. I'm very interested in the pitching of Furuya-san and Sawamura-senpai!" Yui said confidently.
After Yui, the next person to introduce himself was much more low-key.
His introduction was standard; he only mentioned he was an outfielder.
"My name is Kagami Kouta!"
Except for his height, he didn't have any remarkable features, and everyone naturally overlooked him.
However, Sawamura shot a deep look at Kagami.
'His style resembled that of Shiratsu-senpai, a quiet but effective.'
Surrounded by freshmen, aside from those who felt good about themselves, most were seen as strong by their peers.
Thus, it was natural to leave this significant position to them.
Of course, there were also those who brazenly tried to assert themselves.
Take Hirota, for example.
"I'm Hirota Hikaru from the Akagi Middle School baseball team. I hope to be the first baseman. I'm very confident in my hitting and hope to contribute to the team."
"I came to Seidou because of the call from my Shisho, Sawamura Eijun, and I hope to continue learning baseball under his guidance. Under his lead, I hope to be able to create more miracles just as we did before..."
While others kept their introductions to a few words, Hirota took more than a minute, showing no sign of stopping.
"Alright, alright! I'm not that interested in that much, you can skip introducing your favorite actress."
The assistant coach interrupted him impatiently.
"Ha ha!"
This amusing scene left the upperclassmen watching in laughing.
"This guy in your dorm is really something. Is he Sawamura's Kohai?" Toujou said to Kanemaru with a smile.
"If you chat with him, you'll find he's quite interesting. But don't live with him," Kanemaru replied with a grimace.
"Why not?" Toujou asked, puzzled.
'Isn't this guy fun? Being around such a kohai might even make you feel younger.'
"Can you imagine thousands of flies buzzing around your ears every day?"
'Eh?'
Kanemaru gritted his teeth, "There should be a law against talking so much! If I could, I would have slapped his mouth to death long ago!"
'Slapped his mouth to death?!'
'What kind of resentment is that?!!!'
As Toujou glanced at Hirota, still going on, he suddenly felt a shiver.
"Next!"
Finally silencing the annoying guy, the assistant coach sighed with relief and motioned for the next player to continue.
Next to Hirota was Matsumoto Jun, who had joined Seidou High School with him.
"I'm Matsumoto Jun from the Akagi Middle School baseball team. I hope to be a catcher!"
After this statement, he nodded respectfully and intended to step back.
Sawamura immediately shot him a fierce look.
'Appeal!'
'Appeal!!'
'Appeal!!!'
Despite Hirota's antics causing Sawamura embarrassment, he felt Matsumoto should say more.
This was about Boss; how could he remember everyone?
With 61 freshmen and 59 upperclassmen, the total number of players reached a staggering 120.
New dormitories were being constructed, and once they were ready, even those would only accommodate three people each.
The overall total would hit a terrifying 180! (By the next year.)
With so many students under his command, Big Boss Kataoka might not remember everyone after three years of high school.
How could Matsumoto not say a couple more words right now?
'Not to mention, the most competitive position this year was the catcher.'
'Without a good performance, how could Matsumoto stand out amid the competition with Koushuu and Yui?'
Seeing Sawamura's dissatisfied expression, Matsumoto's heart trembled.
He quickly continued, "I have a lot of confidence in my catching; I can handle any ball flying toward me! If you are a pitcher, please don't hesitate to ask me to catch for you!"
This sounded almost like a provocation.
Furuya, Kawakami, Nishiyama...
The eyes of the three unconsciously turned toward Matsumoto.
…
T/N: The pitcher squad acquired a new target!