At the hotel where the Seidou High School baseball team is staying.
All the players silently looked at Sawamura.
The words from Sawamura were something they had never considered.
The training had been so tough that after each session, the first thing they did when they returned to their dorms was to sleep.
To fight for their positions, sometimes they even had to train on their own.
Under those circumstances, how could they have the mindset to think about the future?
At their age, before graduation, it was hard to imagine the things Sawamura was talking about.
Only as graduation approached did they vaguely feel that their naive days of playing baseball might soon be over...
Although they didn't have as clear an understanding of the future as Sawamura did, they already had a sense deep down.
That's why their spirits were so low.
Now, Sawamura's words felt like a loud wake-up slap on their faces.
Yes, how could the future possibly be predicted?
They might not know everything else, but one thing was crystal clear.
If they lost tomorrow's game, they would regret it for the rest of their lives.
This was the only chance for Seidou High School's baseball team to ascend to legend.
If they failed this time, it could be years—perhaps decades—before they got another chance.
They couldn't miss this opportunity, absolutely couldn't.
After hearing Sawamura's words, the room fell silent.
Everyone silently looked at him before erupting into enthusiastic applause.
"That's our Ace!"
"In a critical moment, he's reliable."
"You kid!"
Kuramochi affectionately wrapped his arm around Sawamura's neck.
No one knew just how deeply Kuramochi was grateful to Sawamura.
Not just the other teammates, but even Kuramochi himself had lost his composure before.
Thinking about how their team was about to become legendary, thinking about how their high school baseball careers were coming to an end...
Kuramochi felt both excited and lost.
If Sawamura hadn't said those words, others might not have noticed, but Kuramochi himself would probably have had a hard time sleeping.
These conflicted thoughts might have troubled him for a long time...
Now, though, he didn't need to agonize anymore. When the time for retirement came, he would have plenty of time to reflect.
For now, all he needed to do was focus on preparing for the final match.
Faced with Kuramochi's affection, Sawamura seemed slightly uncomfortable.
'It hurt!'
Kuramochi was being too rough, he couldn't breathe.
It was incredibly uncomfortable with his arm around Sawamura's neck.
That feeling was probably close to being shackled.
However, everyone understood his pain, and that made Sawamura feel quite satisfied.
He believed that as long as everyone could carry on this spirit, their current situation would not be the end.
This was just the beginning of their brilliant lives.
Sawamura's speech received unanimous recognition from his Seidou teammates.
Their hands were red from clapping.
Coach Kataoka had actually noticed that his team's state had seemed a bit off lately.
The closer they got to their goal, the more cautious and careful they became.
That wasn't a good sign!
In high school matches, skills and techniques were important, but honestly, in student competitions, momentum mattered just as much.
If one side was full of momentum while the other was hesitant, even if the hesitant side was stronger, it would be difficult for them to win.
The mindset determined the result.
This sort of thing was common in high school baseball games.
But before he could speak up, Sawamura had already solved the issue.
Coach Kataoka, who had intended to step in, quietly retreated and returned to his room.
In his room, Coach Ochiai stroked his small goatee and seriously said to Kataoka:
"Are you still worried about the next captain? Don't we already have a ready candidate?"
Sawamura, no matter how you looked at it, Ochiai believed he was the best candidate for captain.
But Coach Kataoka had concerns.
Although Sawamura had always been reliable, it was precisely because of this that people seemed to forget something important.
"When Miyuki and the others graduate, Sawamura will be the fourth batter and the Ace pitcher. If we also make him the captain, won't the burden be too much for him?"
Coach Kataoka's concerns weren't without merit.
In fact, what he said was very reasonable.
But just because it made sense, did that mean they should take that path?
These were two different issues, and they mustn't be confused.
To Coach Kataoka, Sawamura was still a 16-year-old boy.
He felt it was a bit much to put all the team's responsibilities on him.
Now, there were even people discussing privately that while Seidou High School's baseball team had the name of a king, it was really just Sawamura's team.
This might not be a big deal for ordinary grassroots teams.
Especially for those performing well, people might even think it was expected.
If not for someone like him, how could those teams have risen?
However, when this term was applied to a prestigious team, it didn't sound right.
Top-tier teams were made up of many baseball experts.
These guys were experts, and naturally, they had the common flaws of experts.
They were all proud and never held back when provoked.
To call Seidou High School's baseball team Sawamura's team!
That statement had the potential to stir up trouble.
Would the other key players have any second thoughts after hearing that?
Coach Kataoka guessed they probably would.
These days, who was afraid of whom?
The stronger the player, the prouder they were.
If they were motivated to outshine Sawamura in a game, Seidou High School's baseball team would be in big trouble.
It would be like five players playing League of Legends, and no one was willing to tank or support.
Everyone did their own thing.
At first, it might look cool, but in the end, you'd realize you couldn't team up at all.
Eventually, it would be one team fight, one loss.
If the other team's cunning plan succeeded, this scar might stay on Seidou High School's baseball team forever.
One step away from legend!
Even if it was just one step, the legendary Seidou High School's baseball team would lose the chance to become a legend.
Of course, there was also the possibility of an overwhelming early lead, and before the opponent could recover, they completely crushed them.
But such situations were rare.
And the national tournament was a tough elimination match.
This process would be long!
If any part of it went wrong, it would be hard to make it to the end.
To avoid that horrible situation, Kataoka was ready to step in.
But unexpectedly...
Coach Ochiai had already keenly guessed some of Kataoka's thoughts.
It couldn't be said that Kataoka's worries weren't valid, but Ochiai thought he was underestimating Sawamura.
"I know what you're worried about, but honestly, why not consider this issue from a different perspective? Besides Sawamura, who else among the second-year players could lead the team?"
Coach Kataoka was stunned.
He really couldn't imagine anyone else leading the second-year players.
The leader, whether in practice or as a spiritual icon, had always been Sawamura.
Though other players were quite strong, when it came to leading the whole team...
It was still Sawamura.
No one else had the strength or influence to lead like he did.
Kominato, Furuya, and Toujou, though strong, weren't the type of players who could lead the team forward.
And while Kanemaru was good for the job, he wasn't strong enough to be a role model.
Sawamura might appear carefree on the outside, but as Captain, he had a charm of his own.
During practice, Sawamura's presence occasionally showed.
Not to mention his performance in the game.
Coach Kataoka realized that, at present, Seidou High School's baseball team really didn't have another suitable candidate for Captain other than Sawamura.
Whether Kataoka had doubts or not, Sawamura was the only option for the future Captain of Seidou.
So, as it was a bit too much on one player alone, Kataoka will have to direct a lot of Captain, Fourth Batter, and Ace's duties on Sawamura's teammates as much as possible.
This will lessen the burden on Sawamura while giving the other players a chance to grow.
On the other side, after the meeting ended, Sawamura didn't follow his own advice and just headed to bed.
Instead, he stared out the hotel window, gazing at the moonlit sky, which was devoid of stars.
What a nice day!
The weather was good, but Sawamura didn't have much interest in enjoying it.
He was still troubled by the matter.
Even though he had comforted his teammates earlier, Sawamura found it hard to let go.
Despite being told that worrying about things that couldn't be changed was pointless, he couldn't help it.
Isn't that what humans are like?
Being conflicted and torn is part of human nature.
Time really passed quickly!
He still remembered when he first joined Seidou High School's baseball team, when third-year seniors like Chris and Yuuki Tetsuya were still around.
The excitement of continuing the battle with those Senpais.
Sawamura was so eager for this day to come!
Finally, after all his hard work, his dream was becoming a reality.
But just as he hadn't fully enjoyed the moment, Miyuki and the others were already graduating.
The golden pair was about to go their separate ways.
If only they could continue working together...
Even though Sawamura's mental age had long surpassed that of his peers.
"What are you thinking?"
Miyuki approached and asked.
Sawamura just shook his head and didn't say a word.
If it were anyone else, Sawamura might have opened up.
But with Miyuki, he knew that Miyuki understood these things deeply.
At that moment, they simply couldn't connect.
Sawamura didn't plan to tell Miyuki what was on his mind.
Even telling a girl might be seen as a confession.
Let alone telling another guy. Who could say for sure nowadays?
Before the final match, the two teams were already at each other's throats.
"Summer Koshien, the final. Seidou High School's baseball team earned the last competitive opportunity."
The announcer made it clear that he was giving his all.
In this situation, he felt that if he didn't pour all his energy into it, he would regret it in the future.
Regardless of how it happened, it led to the current tense situation.
The two teams were staring each other down, unwilling to lose.
The stands were packed with fans, mainly there to cheer for Seidou High School.
Of course, there were also some with other thoughts.
While Hokkaido's Komadai Fujimaki High School wasn't historically a powerhouse...
In recent years, they have shown exceptional performance. Even Seidou's players couldn't afford to underestimate them.
With such an opponent, Seidou had to give 120% effort.
After a coin toss, Seidou's team would be the second to attack.
The first to launch the offense was Komadai Fujimaki.
An intense match began.
The game went unexpectedly fiercely, and after a bloody battle, Seidou's baseball team won 3-2.
'That wasn't easy!'
When Sawamura woke up in the morning, recalling the events of the match, he couldn't help but smile bitterly.
'It felt so real!'
The game in his dreams seemed like it had actually happened.
But the result was the opposite...
Even someone with a mental age beyond 30 like him couldn't avoid such worries.
Let alone the other players.
Their worries were probably even greater.
Realizing this, Sawamura couldn't help but smile bitterly.
He thought high school players no longer excited him.
But now it seemed he was too big-headed!
…