"Slap." Kōshū tossed down his phone.
There was only a little over a week left until the Autumn Tournament. As training gradually intensified, he still noticed the negative effects left behind by the Summer Koshien.
My shoulder feels a little heavy. During recovery training, pitching had still felt easy, but after so many days of continuous workouts, his arm had only grown heavier the more he threw.
Kōshū figured that the fatigue buried deep in his muscles had not fully dissipated yet, so he took the initiative to request fewer pitches and instead increase his lower-body stability training.
Naturally, this did not escape Ochiai Coach's notice. After finishing Eijun's usual instruction that day, Ochiai's eyes were unconsciously drawn toward the ace pitching nearby. He only threw a few dozen pitches yesterday before stopping. Why is he quitting so early again today?
Just as he was thinking that, his line of sight was blocked by a fluffy-haired head.
"Sergeant, where are you looking?"
Eijun bared his teeth, blocking the space between Ochiai Coach and Kōshū as though he had discovered some criminal act.
A bead of cold sweat slid down Ochiai's forehead as he shifted his head away. "Sawamura, pitching properly is more important than anything!"
"No, no, no, Sergeant. You were watching Big Brother's pitching again just now, weren't you?" The resentment in his tone was impossible to miss. Ever since learning that he would not be part of the Autumn Tournament, he had become like this, treating Ochiai Coach as the last spider's thread before falling into hell. "Sergeant, did you see my pitch just now?"
"It is about time you stopped relying on my assistance." Ochiai Coach was equally helpless. After spending so many days stuck with Eijun, correcting Sawamura's pitching had practically become one of his most