Chapter 9: Direct Hit
Rinichi picked up a bat from the corner.
"You're not going to take swings too, are you?"
Kuramochi looked up slowly from his manga to eye Rinichi.
"I am. No training tomorrow anyway," Rinichi said, pulling open the door. "I heard there's someone in our grade with a pretty strong pitch. I figured I'd go take a swing."
With the Kanto tournament approaching, the regulars were given a break tomorrow—Rinichi hadn't expected to be included, but it also proved that he was now considered one of the core players.
"Figured I'd stop by and check on Masuko-senpai too."
Kuramochi raised an eyebrow. It was the first time he'd seen Rinichi show even a hint of fighting spirit.
He chuckled in amusement. "Coach Kataoka's not going to let you play."
"I'll make him let me play. I won't be pitching anyway," Rinichi said, his eyes a bit more serious than usual.
"Yeah, yeah, go on then. Just don't leave Masuko-senpai hanging by himself." Kuramochi dropped his gaze back to his manga.
"Understood," Rinichi said formally before closing the door.
It was a bit dark outside, and the grounds were mostly empty.
He wandered around for a bit before finding Masuko.
"I'm here to keep you company, Masuko-senpai."
Of course, he just wanted some extra batting practice himself.
Masuko looked slightly surprised but only nodded before continuing his swings.
Rinichi quietly took his stance and began swinging as well.
...
Back in the dorm, Rinichi lay on his bed reading, but noticed Kuramochi and Masuko changing into their uniforms.
Masuko left first—it made sense, since he had a Red vs. White intersquad match today with the first-years.
"Isn't today supposed to be a rest day? You training too, Kuramochi-senpai?" Rinichi asked.
Kuramochi grunted a yes and buttoned his jacket before glancing down at him. "Didn't you say you were gonna face that pitcher in today's match?"
Rinichi: "…"
He had nearly forgotten.
He snapped his book shut and quickly started changing.
Just as he grabbed his bat, Kuramochi threw an arm around his neck and dragged him off. "Come on, let's go warm up!"
"Miyuki said you've been slacking off whenever the coach isn't around."
Rinichi felt betrayed.
So basically, the whole team knew he'd been slacking—just not the coach?
Or maybe even the coach knew?
"But, Kuramochi-senpai, I have to face that pitcher…" Rinichi tried, nudging his bat toward Kuramochi in protest.
Kuramochi laughed. "Don't worry, the match won't start that soon. Come run a few laps first."
"…"
And so Rinichi ended up running with the upperclassmen.
Luckily, they didn't run too much before switching to weights and batting practice.
Panting, Rinichi looked up to see Miyuki standing nearby with a bat bag slung over his shoulder.
"Heading to watch the Red vs. White game?"
"Yeah!" he answered quickly. Not that watching was his real reason for going.
He grabbed his own bat bag and set off ahead.
Miyuki was surprised at his enthusiasm—and that he had brought his bat.
All the guy had done today was run, right?
Miyuki smirked. "You're not thinking of hitting in the game, are you?"
Rinichi faltered for a moment, slowed his pace, then turned to answer.
"I am."
"For real? You think Coach Kataoka will let you play?"
"You're not planning on pitching too, are you?"
"…No. I just want to bat."
"Because you said, Miyuki-senpai, there's a really strong pitcher."
Miyuki burst into laughter. "So you were curious after all!"
"No," Rinichi replied flatly.
"I just want to face him as a hitter. That's all."
He was being honest.
Truthfully, he was a bit excited about this supposedly strong pitcher Miyuki had mentioned. If he was fast, even better.
A figure surfaced in his mind—his gaze sharpened slightly.
Seeing that look, Miyuki had a good guess what was going on.
"What, aiming for the cleanup spot now?"
Rinichi nodded without hesitation.
"Well, nothing wrong with that. Just wish you had that kind of drive when it came to pitching too…"
"…"
As they spoke, the two had already arrived.
Rinichi glanced around and noticed a crowd of people standing or sitting on the other side, watching the game.
"That's quite a lot of people," Rinichi remarked.
"Weekend games usually draw this kind of crowd," Miyuki replied.
Was it because this was a prestigious school? That would explain the spectators.
Rinichi shifted his gaze from the bystanders to the scoreboard.
The first-years hadn't scored a single run.
Meanwhile, the second- and third-years… had already racked up ten runs.
And it was only the third inning.
That honestly surprised Rinichi.
Then Coach Kataoka's voice rang out: "Pitching change. Furuya Satoru, you're up."
Just as he said that, a boy stepped out of the dugout.
Rinichi recognized him—it was the same guy who had asked Miyuki to catch for him the night before.
"That's the first-year pitcher I told you about—the one who's good besides you," Miyuki said.
Rinichi immediately understood and pulled a bat from his bag.
"Whoa, wait. You're not just going to walk up there like that, are you?"
"I am." Rinichi said flatly, shoving the bag into Miyuki's hands.
"…Does this guy even see me as a senior?" Miyuki muttered.
Rinichi strode forward. "Coach Kataoka, may I take a swing against him?"
His appearance drew everyone's attention.
"Stand down. This isn't the time to mess around," Coach Kataoka replied.
"Please," Rinichi said, face serious.
The air grew tense.
It was the first time Kataoka had ever seen Rinichi look so earnest.
They locked eyes for several seconds before Kataoka finally said, "Alright."
That decision stunned everyone.
He actually let Rinichi go up.
"Yes!" Rinichi replied with energy, heading to the left-handed batter's box. He even borrowed a helmet from an upperclassman.
He dug his cleats into the ground. "I hope you'll give me three pitches."
Kataoka simply assumed Rinichi had seen Furuya pitch before. "Fine."
But in truth, Rinichi had never seen him pitch.
He readied his stance, locking eyes on Furuya.
The motion of Furuya's windup seemed to slow dramatically, frame by frame, in Rinichi's mind.
The ball left his hand—
And began to rise.
Rinichi got his answer in an instant—but he didn't swing.
He hesitated for a split second, surprised by the speed of the pitch.
And the fact that it rose just before reaching home plate!
The ball zipped past Coach Kataoka's mask and slammed into the fence behind him.
"Ball!"
Furuya's pitch surprised Rinichi—and also thrilled him.
The moment he remembered he was supposed to swing, a bit of excitement sparked in him.
He exhaled and tightened his grip.
His gaze sharpened. The aura around him shifted, so much so that Furuya felt the pressure.
Furuya went into his windup—identical to before.
But this time, the pitch came right down the heart of the plate.
Slightly off-center, but still in the zone.
Rinichi's pupils contracted. He swung with all his might.
"PING!"
The bat sliced through the air—and connected. The ball soared, clearing the fence completely.
"Home run!"
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