"Is he really a first-year?"
"Amazing, a first-year this strong?"
"He actually struck out Yuuki-senpai too."
"I'd heard Kamishiro was already famous before, but I didn't think he'd be this incredible."
Ignoring the voices around him, Rinichi adjusted the brim of his cap and stepped down from the mound.
As he passed Coach Kataoka, the coach said, "You've thrown enough for today."
"You'll play left field in the next inning."
"…Yes, sir."
So that was just to test his ability?
Well, if that was the goal, the result certainly made an impression.
During self-introductions earlier, Rinichi had said he aimed to be both a pitcher and a batter. But it didn't seem like Coach Kataoka was planning to let him hit.
Whatever. This much is fine for now.
Being placed in the First String as a pitcher on day one was already eye-catching enough.
So he spent the whole afternoon manning left field.
When dinner time rolled around, once again he was the last one eating.
The cafeteria was empty, save for him.
Dragging his overstuffed stomach, he slowly made his way back to the dorm.
There, he found only Kuramochi sitting alone reading a magazine.
When Kuramochi saw him return, he gave a grin and said in his usual offbeat tone, "Man, you really stole the spotlight today."
But with his stomach churning in discomfort, Rinichi didn't feel happy at all. He gave a half-hearted reply, "It was fine."
Or rather, he treated it all as something natural—just the way things should be.
He sat down on his bed.
"Where's Masuko-senpai?" Rinichi asked.
Kuramochi's voice turned a little heavy. "Training."
"He's a third-year. If he doesn't give it everything now, there won't be another chance."
He turned a page in his magazine. "He's probably swinging the bat somewhere right now."
Rinichi fell silent.
"In the last game, just one mistake—just one—and he lost his starting spot."
"There are only nine positions on the field. But nearly a hundred players trying to earn them. Only those who put up results survive. The rest have to just quietly wait for another chance."
"Not that you'd understand that, right?"
Rinichi's pupils contracted slightly.
He really didn't understand.
In his world, the only thing that mattered was moving forward. He never stopped for anyone else. Never noticed what was happening around him. Never considered how others might feel, facing their own hardships.
It was only in this moment that Rinichi realized how many people behind him were working hard too.
But still… he believed that hard work wasn't always enough.
Sometimes, talent alone could overwhelm everything.
That's what he believed.
Which is why, from the start, he never cared whether Okumura could keep up with him or not.
Former teammates—or even his current ones—were nothing more than tools to help him advance toward his goals. Tools to surpass the targets he cared about.
In other words, aside from a very select few, no one had ever really mattered to him.
His overwhelming talent had always brought him results, giving him an arrogant sense of superiority.
He had been a constant winner, and naturally assumed things would be the same in high school.
But Rinichi never expressed everything he truly thought.
He played the role the team needed him to play.
If they wanted an ace to lead them forward—
Then that's who he would become.
The room was still dim as Rinichi quietly got up to change.
The rustling woke Kuramochi.
He glanced at the clock, assuming it was time to get up, but it was only 5:00 a.m.
"You're up already?" Kuramochi mumbled.
"Mm. Going for a run," Rinichi whispered, careful not to wake Masuko-senpai who slept above him.
"You're not seriously inspired by what I said last night, are you?" Kuramochi asked in his usual weird tone.
"…No."
"I always woke up this early to go running back home. It's just a habit."
After saying that, Rinichi finished changing and left the room.
Kuramochi didn't question it. He remembered that Rinichi had already been awake early yesterday—he'd just stayed in bed waiting for him and Masuko-senpai to get up.
In other words, every time they got up, Rinichi was already awake.
Oh well, not the time to overthink. It's still early. Time to get a bit more sleep.
Kuramochi rolled over and dozed off again.
"So, with this, we can narrow down the range of the question."
"Next, let's look at the diagram."
"The highlighted section here shows the range..."
The teacher explained while drawing on the board.
Rinichi listened attentively.
"Isn't that Kamishiro-kun? The first-year who made the First String on his first day?"
"Yeah, that's him! He looks so cool when he's serious."
"He really does."
"He must look even cooler when he's playing baseball."
A few girls whispered during class, but their conversation began to distract the others.
They quieted down only after the teacher gave them a warning.
Shinji frowned at Rinichi's focused back, then averted his gaze with a scowl.
After a week of "meal training," Rinichi could now finish three bowls of rice with no issue.
Although he still felt stuffed afterward.
He'd been training with the First String all week.
At first, as the only first-year in the First String, he felt out of place. But over time, things started to feel more natural.
He was constantly praised by his seniors.
Not that it was enough to make him cocky—
Especially since evening training was brutally tough.
When Rinichi couldn't keep up with the seniors, he was allowed to sit and observe from the sidelines.
Unwilling to idle, he picked up a dumbbell and started training on his own.
Back home, he'd occasionally lift weights, but after coming to Seidou, he hadn't touched them once.
The dumbbell he borrowed from a senior was much heavier than what he was used to—but if he took it slow, he figured he'd manage.
During training, his pitching was still ridiculously hard to hit.
But to Rinichi, that was just how things should be—so it didn't stir any emotion in him.
Training days came and went in repetition.
One upperclassman named Tanba suddenly started putting in noticeably more effort.
Rinichi had a rough idea why.
His own overwhelming strength had likely put pressure on Tanba-senpai, prompting him to push himself harder.
After noticing that much, Rinichi stopped paying attention to him altogether.
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