Seido High School's baseball team secured a breakthrough victory in their first game, ending it in just five innings. The result caused a stir across Tokyo, especially in the west. People who had believed Seido was in decline suddenly changed their tune.
Before the tournament, most expected Inashiro or Ichidai Third High School to dominate. Now, the outcome seemed uncertain. A major spoiler had appeared—and it wasn't some unexpected underdog, but the prestigious Seido, slowly working its way back to form.
While the outside world buzzed about their performance, the Seido team didn't hear any of it until two days later. With the team advancing past the first game, Manager Ota and the school leadership were thrilled.
The chubby principal and the sharp-voiced dean even came by to cheer the players on. They urged everyone to keep pushing under Coach Kataoka's leadership.
The players, however, felt no joy at all.
Right after the game, Coach Kataoka gathered everyone for a criticism meeting. From the ace pitcher to the entire batting order, no one was spared.
The players had thought they'd done well enough—maybe not well enough for praise, but at least a passing performance. Hearing Kataoka's assessment, they realized he saw it very differently.
He acknowledged the good moments, but his focus was on the errors. At the start of the game, the pitching wasn't firm, and the lineup lacked energy. Their comeback had been driven mainly by Zhang Han and Miyuki.
"Is this the baseball you learned at Seido over three years?" Kataoka's voice felt like ice.
"Don't assume that beating Musashi High means everything will go smoothly. In your current condition, if you face a real opponent, you won't hold up."
His final words left the room silent. No one dared voice a single complaint.
They all knew the truth. If they faced Inashiro or Ichidai Third with the level they showed today, winning would be extremely difficult.
Their batting looked strong against Musashi, but against a top-tier school, there was no guarantee. And with the ace pitcher's instability, who knew how things would turn out?
Whatever pride the players had felt after the game disappeared.
That afternoon, instead of resting, they returned to the field to practice. The night passed without incident.
The next day, they finally saw outside reactions through newspapers and scattered online posts. In contrast to Kataoka's harsh tone, public opinion was full of praise. If not for his earlier warning, the players might have gotten carried away, believing they truly had the strength to reach Koshien.
No one felt this shift more than Mr. Ota, the head of the Baseball Club. Right after the game, he too had thought the young team performed well. In terms of talent, this lineup didn't stand out compared to Seido's past rosters.
Even with key figures like Azuma and Yuuki, the overall stability still seemed lacking. Reaching Koshien with this group felt uncertain to him—just as it did to Kataoka.
But after the first round, Ota began to reconsider. Maybe he had underestimated them. Their chances still weren't high, he believed, but there was at least hope.
In some ways, this team wasn't weaker than previous ones; in a few areas, they even looked stronger. The addition of Miyuki and Zhang Han had sparked something good.
To Ota, the players deserved at least a little praise. Even if Kataoka wasn't the type to praise, outright criticism felt excessive to him.
"Isn't this too strict? I think this group still has some hope," Ota suggested.
"That's exactly why we can't let them get conceited," Kataoka replied.
No one wanted to reach Koshien more than he did. Because of that, he was cautious to the point of severity.
After their first win, over a dozen media outlets—both online and print—requested interviews with the team. Some reporters even gathered at the school gate. Seido had suddenly become the biggest story of the round.
Ota couldn't help admiring Kataoka's foresight. He realized he still lacked experience. If Kataoka hadn't tightened control early on, if he had allowed interviews right after the game, who knew what would have happened to a group of players not yet mentally steady?
With this buffer in place, even if they spoke to reporters now, the impact on them would be much smaller.
In the director's office, Takashima Rei, wearing gold-rimmed glasses and holding a stack of documents, spoke to Kataoka.
"More than a dozen media outlets have requested interviews. Should we arrange something?"
"Didn't we agree to decline all interviews? We're preparing for the next round. Is this coming from the principal or the dean? Whoever it is, the Baseball Club—"
"This is the school board's decision. We can't refuse," Rei said, pushing up her glasses with her ring finger. "They usually support you, Director."
Even Kataoka couldn't win this one. The board wanted to use the media attention to raise the team's profile and lift the morale that had been low for years. Given that Kataoka had failed to reach Koshien four or five years in a row, he had no grounds to refuse.
He agreed, though with gritted teeth. He also insisted that only one reporter be accepted, and that they could interview no more than three players.
Rei nodded. "Don't worry. I'll make sure the reporters don't disrupt the players."
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