"Could we extend the intervals between pitches, avoid throwing into the Strike Zone before a full count, or maybe have Senior Takami talk to him?"
Tanaka seemed to have been studying this issue for a long time. There were faint blue shadows beneath his eyes.
"It should be easy to tell whether someone is in that state. A few days ago, I was watching a documentary, and an athlete's coach said that when a person is restless, everything about them reveals it—their wandering gaze, subtle movements, the tension in their facial muscles, even the wind around them. All of it tells you that this person hasn't truly settled down.
So when is a person focused?
All of those things disappear. It's like awakening the stillness of ancient ancestors hunting, buried in one's genes."
Amakuhisa pushed away the face that had been leaning closer and closer. "Tanaka, how about you get some rest first? How many days has it been since you last rested properly?"
"Three days? Four? It doesn't matter. Ever since you brought it up, this has been sitting in my stomach. Until I digest it, I have neither the appetite to eat nor the ability to sleep."
As the first-year calculated the time, his vision swam and his body swayed slightly, but he still insisted on finishing. "Anyway, after repeatedly comparing things, I watched all of Seido's ace's recent at-bats. He seems somewhat anxious about controlling the Flow State. When he can't enter that state, his small movements become especially frequent. The more he fails to enter it, the more anxious he gets—but once he truly enters the state, he becomes still.
I calculated the batting average, Slugging Percentage, and On Base rate for all his at-bats in both states too. Bleurgh—bleurgh—"
The sympathetic nervous system, stirred up