The baseball coach looked at me silently for a moment, then immediately pulled out a speed gun.
"Let's measure your velocity."
He walked toward the mound.
"Velocity? It doesn't seem that fast..."
"That's just how underhand pitching is. Try it one more time."
I gave a short "okay" and gripped the ball again.
The sensation of the seams against my fingers was clearer than before.
Hiss... But I don't know how I threw it like that...
Let's just try it again.
I lowered my body again and threw the ball toward where the catcher was.
As I pushed the ball with the low trajectory unique to underhand pitching, it flew zoo-oo-oop from below and was sucked into the catcher's mitt.
Pop...
'Okay, the ball went in properly. Then the speed?'
The coach checked the numbers.
"It came out as 125, Jeong-ui."
"Is that... okay, Coach?"
"For an underhand pitcher, even in the pros, around 130 is considered effective to some extent."
He seemed deep in thought for a moment as he said that, then added.
"That means at this level, in high school, it's a velocity that works reasonably well. Looking at just your fastball velocity, you are practically an immediate asset. It means we could use you right now."
At those words, I felt a strange emotion.
It was an unexpected evaluation.
"Won't you play baseball again? Our school doesn't have an underhand pitcher, so having one would be very good. Besides... as you might have noticed, our situation isn't great. We need you."
But I couldn't answer immediately. I took a breath before opening my mouth.
"Well... Coach. Thank you for the kind words. There was a reason I quit. So I need a little time to think."
I paused for a moment, then continued cautiously.
"For now, I think being a temporary member would be appropriate."
The baseball coach nodded only after hearing me out until the end.
"Understood. Think about it. You can go back now. Thanks for your time."
"Uh... then I'll be going."
As I walked down from the mound, I felt my mind getting complicated.
In the meantime, the coach ran over to the catcher, pointed at the mitt, and asked.
"How was it catching him?"
The third-year starting catcher shook his mitt once and laughed briefly.
"Both times, it came exactly into the mitt. I'd need to see him throw a bit more... but if he has control like that, he'd be usable, right?"
"I think so too. For now... we have to wait for that guy's choice, though."
( ❋ ❋ ❋ )
"Director."
The baseball coach immediately sought out the Manager (Director).
The Manager, who was checking the roster, looked up.
"What is it?"
"I found a student we can definitely use as a player."
There was certainty mixed in the coach's expression.
The Manager's eyes changed subtly at that moment.
"You found a student we can definitely use? Was there such a student?"
The coach paused for a moment before bringing up the name.
"His name is Kim Jeong-ui. He is the son of player Kim Jeong-seok, who was called KB."
As soon as those words were finished, the Manager reacted briefly with interest.
"Really?"
He searched his memory, then spoke as if he couldn't understand.
"Was there a kid like that among the first years? No, why didn't he come as a specialty student? It's a bit weird for a player like that to come to our school as a specialty student anyway... What is it?"
The coach shook his head.
"No. He is currently a second year. He says he took a break from baseball for over a year."
The explanation that followed was more specific.
"So I just checked him, and he is an underhand pitcher with a velocity in the mid-120s. There are parts to polish, but the basic control of his fastball is stable."
The Manager leaned back in his chair and let out a laugh mixed with a sigh.
"A player who rested for over a year is an underhand pitcher throwing 120? That's a relief. If we use him, we could use him right away? He's not a specialty student, right? Then we have to make him play baseball no matter what."
The Manager's calculation was fast and realistic.
"If we just bring him in, the headcount becomes stable, and considering his name value, it will be much easier to talk to the Principal."
In a situation where the existence of the baseball team was at stake, Kim Jeong-ui was a card that possessed both skill and justification.
"But he said he would stay as a temporary member for now. He is also contemplating, so I think we need to watch him a little more."
The coach added cautiously.
"No, I think he will end up playing baseball? This... you can't cheat blood. The fact that he agreed to be a temporary member means he already has lingering regrets."
But the Manager shook his head and cut him off decisively.
Then, gazing out at the training field through the window, the Manager let out a long breath.
"Phew... Now we can tell the baseball kids to rest easy."
A look of relief, as if a burden had been lifted after a long time, appeared on the Manager's face.
( ❋ ❋ ❋ )
Back home, I put down my bag and sat blankly for a long time.
Inside my head, the trajectory of the ball I threw on the mound earlier repeated over and over.
I couldn't understand why I, who couldn't throw properly with an overhand delivery or even a normal throw like a fielder, could throw so naturally with an underhand motion.
Even thinking logically, it didn't make sense.
Clearly, it was a form I had tried a few times in middle school, but it hadn't fit well. But today, the ball left my hand as if it were nothing.
No, should I just be grateful that I can throw well even if it's underhand?
It felt like a very thin crack had opened in a road I thought was completely blocked.
Then should I really dip my toes in just a little?
Saying I would be a temporary member seemed like a good choice, even to myself.
I didn't have the conviction to say I was starting again rashly, and I needed grounds for myself too.
Why it works, how much it works, and if it can continue. I needed time to verify that.
And the part I was most worried about was the situation when this story reached Mom and Dad.
Whether they wouldn't be able to hide their expectations, or if they would worry about me quitting again, or if they wouldn't even let me start...
Just thinking about it was a little scary.
But at the same time, it was also true that a very small hope had sprouted in one corner of my heart.
I thought that rather than spending the remaining two years of high school as if I didn't exist, it might be better to grab onto baseball again, where I might have talent.
I started to get excited for no reason.
Even if I fail, can't I at least try? That kind of feeling arose.
Besides... the face of that girl who played the violin also came to mind.
"Haa..."
I hadn't reached an answer yet. But I felt that at least for today, I had earned the right to worry about it.
( ❋ ❋ ❋ )
"Son! You have to get up now~!"
At Mom's call, I woke up with a start, eyes snapping open.
I only grasped the situation after seeing the light coming through the window.
Maybe because I worried too much last night before sleeping, a lot of time had passed.
My mind went blank, and the first thought was that if I messed up, I'd be late.
I got up as if rolling out of bed, stood hurriedly before the sink, washed only my face roughly, and threw on my uniform.
"Mom, I'm off then."
I rushed out quickly even as I slung my bag over my shoulder and left the front door.
Thanks to sprinting to school, fortunately, I wasn't late.
As soon as I opened the classroom door, entered, and sat down, I let out a sigh of relief and buried my face in the desk.
First period ended, and it was break time.
"Because the Concours competition is opening this time, I think I'll get busy."
My gaze was suddenly drawn to one side of the classroom.
It was that girl who had played the violin before.
"You'll get busy too now? Still, it's a relief that your side is operating well. Didn't you say the baseball team was in a tough spot?"
The girl said to her friend with a voice that sounded a bit regretful.
"The baseball team? Ah, they say the baseball team is going to keep operating."
At the violin girl's words, her friend asked back, looking surprised.
"Really? It hasn't been long since the story about the situation getting bad came out, but the situation changed already?"
The violin girl nodded and added.
"Yeah. They said the one person needed is likely to be filled."
At that moment, I tilted my head unconsciously.
The words 'one person needed is likely to be filled' lingered in my head.
Is that one person me?
Or someone else?
It's strange.
I haven't decided anything yet. I only said I would try as a temporary member, and I was still contemplating whether to really play baseball again.
It's still unknown, and my mind isn't fully set yet, so how did the story spread so quickly?
But if such a rumor is already circulating in the classroom...
Really, isn't there someone else besides me?
Then... what happens to me?
It was when I was deep in serious thought.
"Hey there."
...?
Huh?
I lifted my head at the voice I heard in front of me.
Then, I saw the girl who played the violin right before my eyes.
"Uh...? What?"
"Aren't you going to come early from now on?"
Huh? No, that...
I just went early that day as a special case...
I was about to say that, but seeing her face look slightly disappointed, I couldn't.
"I slept a bit late yesterday, so I was late today. Maybe, starting tomorrow, I'll come around a similar time?"
"Really? That's a relief. I thought I had disturbed you."
"No. I told you back then that wasn't it."
Because of her relieved smiling face, I felt all my worries disappearing in an instant.
(End of Chapter)
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