Tokyo, Inashiro Industrial High School Baseball Club, Coach Kunitomo's office.
"This is Miyamura-san!"
The President of the Inashiro Baseball Club brought a tall and handsome young man into Superintendent Kunitomo's office.
Superintendent Kunitomo calmly welcomed him.
Recently, he had received quite a few visitors, most of whom were inquiring about Narumiya Mei.
There were also some asking about Carlos, Shirakawa, and Yamaoka.
In this year's third-year class at Inashiro Industrial High School, there were many star players. Coupled with their outstanding performance in the Spring Koshien...
It was no surprise that professional scouts had taken an interest.
At least these four players, if they chose to enter professional baseball, wouldn't have to worry about finding a team. As for Narumiya, he might even cause a frenzy among those around him.
Since he was specially brought here by the President of the baseball club, Superintendent Kunitomo naturally assumed that Miyamura was here for them.
As their Coach, he felt he should be accommodating, not only for the sake of the school but also to pave the way for his proud and promising students.
Later, after the introduction from their President, Superintendent Kunitomo realized that Miyamura's intentions here were different.
"High school Baseball is gaining more attention in Tokyo, so our company has decided to sponsor the Tokyo Senbatsu match."
Miyamura wasted no time with pleasantries and got straight to the point.
In the background, the television was still on, showing footage from the Spring Tournament.
[The four strongest teams have been decided: they are the reigning Champions Seidou High School from West Tokyo, the veteran powerhouse Ichikawa University Third High School(Sankou) from West Tokyo, the dark horse Yakushi High School, which reached the top eight in the Spring Koshien, and lastly, our very own Teito High School from East Tokyo!]
[These four schools will face off a week later, on April 27th...]
[Additionally, it's worth noting the super Aces from these four teams. There's Mukai Taiyo, known as the successor to the Tokyo Prince title, the emerging Ace Sanada Shunpei from Yakushi High School, the rookie ace Amahisa Kousei from Ichidaisan High School, who has already attracted the attention of professional scouts, and the Ace we're most looking forward to, the Great Demon King Sawamura Eijun...]
The announcer's voice echoed from the television.
Superintendent Kunitomo did not respond directly to Miyamura's proposal but instead focused his gaze on the TV.
Miyamura followed his gaze.
He could somewhat understand Superintendent Kunitomo's complex feelings.
"It's really unfortunate that your team lost in the initial rounds! However, I believe in your team's strength, and no one dares to underestimate it. Also, your Ace Narumiya Mei-kun's ability is definitely on par with the four players on screen."
Superintendent Kunitomo still did not respond; he merely regarded the lobbyist with interest.
The atmosphere gradually grew tense.
"Although we no longer need to compete in the Spring Tournament, we still have the Kanto Tournament to prepare for, so time might be tight."
Seeing his Head Coach's attitude, the President of the Inashiro Industrial Baseball Club understood and immediately spoke up.
Although he had not reached a conclusion, the excuses were already on his lips.
"Please let me say one thing."
Miyamura respectfully nodded, looking firmly at Superintendent Kunitomo.
"I hope this friendly match can be held across all of Tokyo, using a selection model where each of the previous top 16 teams sends a representative, based mainly on your team's key players."
"Why not ask Seidou High School?"
"I believe you are the best Coach in the Tokyo area! Coordinating so many different players, you can't just look at individual achievements; experience and background matter too."
Miyamura did not shy away from addressing Superintendent Kunitomo's question.
To put it bluntly, he did not trust Kataoka's capabilities and felt that Kunitomo was the most suitable candidate.
"Who are the opponents this time?"
Superintendent Kunitomo changed from his earlier indifferent demeanor to one of interest.
Miyamura silently breathed a sigh of relief.
Superintendent Kunitomo was, of course, their first choice; the second choice was the manager of Teito High School.
However, the Coach of Teito High was older and didn't seem as suitable as Kunitomo.
Only if both of them refused would he consider Kataoka.
"It's a rising talent team from the U.S.!"
Hearing this, the President of the Inashiro Baseball Club instinctively swallowed hard.
With his keen sense, he immediately recognized that this was a rare and good opportunity.
'For third-year players, if their goal is the draft, what they currently lack is...'
'An opportunity to showcase their skills!'
In simpler terms, it's about fame.
If professional scouts don't notice you, how could you possibly be picked in the draft?
A friendly match of this level would attract even more attention than the Koshien in the eyes of the professionals.
In such a match, if the players could perform excellently, their visibility would increase significantly.
"Is it that Prodigy team from New York?"
Superintendent Kunitomo directly asked.
Miyamura was taken aback.
He didn't expect Superintendent Kunitomo to have such a clear understanding of North American baseball.
He shook his head regretfully: "No, it's a team from the West Coast. Although they aren't as famous as the New York team, they rank among the top three in North America."
Superintendent Kunitomo did not show the slightest regret.
To be honest, he felt a significant sense of relief.
He had a clear understanding of the strength of those North American teams. Although he was just a high school Coach, his vision had never been limited to his own little world; he always looked nationwide and globally.
'If the opponent were the Prodigy team from New York...'
There was no way a makeshift team of Tokyo star players could be enough.
It's not just about having strong players; the strength of a team cannot be gauged simply by individual talent. These are two completely different concepts.
But if the opponent is the West Coast team, then relying on star players to form a team would be enough to get a good game.
It's a good opportunity.
It's not that Superintendent Kunitomo is overly realistic; his willingness to accept such an invitation comes with a certain personal interest.
If it weren't for his own disciples, he wouldn't have even considered agreeing to this kind of event.
After all, before the Summer Tournament, he was already busy with his own affairs.
"Please, you must agree!"
Miyamura stood up very respectfully and bowed deeply.
His attitude was extremely humble.
Superintendent Kunitomo had already made up his mind and did not put Miyamura in a difficult position. He readily agreed and even reached out to help him up.
"When is it specifically?"
"I'd like to schedule it after the Kanto Tournament and before the Summer Tournament starts."
The Kanto Tournament starts in May, while the Summer Tournament begins in July.
That means it would be arranged for June!
"No problem! However, I hope we can start a bit earlier. After the Kanto Tournament ends, we can start anytime."
Superintendent Kunitomo's attitude made Miyamura very happy.
Of course, this wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision; in fact, the project had already been planned since last winter.
With Kunitomo's approval, Preparations had been almost finalized.
However, Miyamura's ideal Coach had been busy with the Spring Koshien, which is why he had not found the opportunity to speak up.
This invitation had been delayed until now.
"By the way, there's one last thing."
"Mm?"
"If it's convenient, the opposing team hopes that Sawamura Eijun-kun can play."
After saying this, Miyamura left.
The President of the Inashiro Industrial Baseball Club said with deep emotion:
"I didn't expect Sawamura Eijun to have such a high reputation in North America."
This request was certainly not made by the organizers themselves but was proposed by the other side.
If those North American players didn't know Sawamura's name, how could they possibly make such a request?
"His Skill has attracted the attention of both Major and Minor leagues; it's no surprise."
"Should we send them the invitation to join? We're about to face off against them in the Summer Tournament, so I fear it may be difficult for Kataoka-san to allow his Ace to come to Inashiro at this time."
"An invitation is a must, but whether they come is up to them."
Superintendent Kunitomo said expressionlessly.
He indeed looked forward to personally coaching Sawamura.
However, whether Kataoka would give him that opportunity remained uncertain.
A forced invitation would not be sweet; if the other side is unwilling, Superintendent Kunitomo would not push it.
"This kind of request puts us in a difficult position as well."
The President of the Inashiro Industrial Baseball Club shook his head with a wry smile.
It's easy to imagine that among all the selected players, there must be someone very skilled at gathering information.
If the Inashiro Industrial High School players want to perform well, they must showcase their true abilities.
Inevitably, this would lead to information leaks.
But if they don't show their true abilities, they will waste such a good opportunity.
Thus, he felt it was a tough position to be in.
"The situation on their side is the same as ours, not to mention the Kanto Tournament."
Superintendent Kunitomo shook his head.
He was no longer willing to think about some abstract future possibilities.
Right now, the most important thing was to seize everything they could grasp in front of them.
Just like now; even if it wasn't a decisive factor, they had to work hard to arrange their future trajectory as much as possible.
Just like now, he is unwilling to let go of such an opportunity for the players to show their strength.
If the player can perform well in that match, this will definitely be enough to make these players really famous.
In this way, their journey to the draft will be much smoother.
Not to mention that it's really time for the Summer Games, and they're not completely unprepared.
The matter was settled like this, just the second day after Coach Kunitomo agreed to be the Coach.
In the Tokyo Spring Tournament, all the teams that made it to the top 16 were invited.
These 16 people plus nine people from Inajitsu.
A whole new team was formed.
They will represent Tokyo and play against a team from the West Coast of North America.
All other teams got a spot, and many didn't even name who they wanted.
They let their team choose whoever they want.
Another team has been invited to two places.
And it's not just two random people, they are both named.
That team is Seidou High School.
For the name-calling, the fourth batter of their team, the main Catcher, Miyuki Kazuya.
And the Ace in their team.
Sawamura Eijun!
…
T/N: That's it for Today.
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