That night, West Tokyo City had already fallen asleep. During the day, the sound of passenger planes passing overhead faded into the background, but at night it stood out sharply. The sound drew closer from afar, reaching its loudest rumble as it flew overhead before gradually receding and disappearing. It was like the pain of a nighttime cramp—endure it until it peaked, and then it slowly eased enough for him to get out of bed.
"Hurts, hurts, hurts." Kōshū muttered as he pushed aside the book on his chest. The orange desk lamp he had forgotten to turn off illuminated the time. "It's already past midnight."
He quietly made his way to the kitchen, opened the refrigerator, then glanced at the thermos beside it. The Sasaki Family had two sets of habits, one Chinese and one Japanese. For example, some chopsticks had pointed ends while others had flat ends. Sometimes, when Kōshū was starving, he would get halfway through a meal before realizing he had mixed up the chopsticks. The refrigerator also kept chilled water, while a thermos beside it provided hot water.
Thinking of the calf that had cramped from the cold, Kōshū poured himself a cup of warm water out of a desire for good luck.
Then, as he tipped back his head to drink, he spotted light spilling from the adults' room.
They're still awake? Kōshū moved closer.
"...There are only so many athletic student spots." That was Mr. Sasaki's voice. "I got into Seido through the entrance exam back then. I remember the Deviation Value was in the fifties. That should be completely manageable."
"You really are relaxed," Shen Qing said irritably, pulling out the admissions brochure. "You can talk a big game, but I'm the one left worrying about it."
Mr. Sasaki did not dare reply. There were too many examples of that in his life; he had no grounds to argue back.
"This year's highest is sixty-five, and the average Deviation Value is around sixty."
"Mm... Takano should have no problem with the exam, aside from needing some tutoring in Japanese History. But Lang Zhi is in a bit of danger." Mr. Sasaki was also looking through this year's latest admissions brochure.
"Ah, you asked for this yesterday too. Impressive," Mr. Sasaki flattered her.
Shen Qing ignored him and continued, "I asked whether she had ever come to scout Kinoshita Little League. She said she greatly admired Coach Ninomiya's coaching philosophy, so she came to watch Kinoshita Little League many times every year. But Coach Ninomiya didn't want scouts affecting the players, so he only allowed them to observe from the coaches' office. Later on, he would call the players into the office for a three-way meeting with the scouts."
"That's thoughtful of him. Some polite things adults say get taken seriously by children." Mr. Sasaki sighed, then immediately asked the question he cared about most. "Did she scout Kōshū and Lang Zhi? Could she give them athletic student spots?"
"She seemed to have a stronger impression of Kōshū. She mentioned Lang Zhi much less, so I'm guessing Lang Zhi is in greater danger."
"Lang Zhi again? Sigh..." Mr. Sasaki let out a long breath. "So Lang Zhi should probably get in through the exam, but we already discussed it. His grades have always been like this. Does that mean we can only start tutoring him now?"
"Baseball and tutoring at the same time... he might not be able to keep up," Shen Qing said worriedly.
"So why are his grades so average? Is it because I didn't care enough about him when he was little?"
"Why are you saying that again?" Shen Qing patted her somewhat dejected husband. "How about having Takano tutor Lang Zhi? They're learning and testing on the same material anyway."
"Sigh, suddenly I feel like maybe we shouldn't make things hard for the kids. When it comes down to it, it's just my own obsession. The kids don't necessarily have to go to the same school..."
Kōshū did not listen to the rest. The problem was already clear: how was he supposed to get into Seido as a Specially Recruited Student? Specially Recruited Students could have their tuition and fees waived, which sounded great. And there was also the question of how Lang Zhi would get into Seido. That guy had already awkwardly expressed, Wherever you go, I'll go. If he ended up being thrown into another school, just thinking about it felt awful.
"Sigh..." It was only tutoring, Kōshū thought lightly.
He pulled out his phone. At present, he knew only one person who had entered Seido through a Specially Recruited Student spot. Even though it was already past midnight, he felt not the slightest guilt about sending a message.
"Senior Miyuki, how did you get into Seido as a Specially Recruited Student?"
Thirty seconds passed without a reply. Kōshū boredly tapped the casing of his phone, then decided not to wait any longer and called directly.
A groggy voice answered. "Kōshū, what is it?"
"Sorry to disturb you, Senior Miyuki. Please read the text message. I'm hanging up first." Miyuki, whose call had been hung up on, was still half-asleep. When he opened the newest message, he burst out laughing and woke up completely.
He sat up and replied, "What is it, Kōshū? So desperate to get into Seido that you can't sleep?"
"...Hurry up." Hanging up on him had indeed been a wise decision. If he had heard that in person, his hackles would have risen.
"Rei-chan, Seido's scout, has come to watch our games many times. Once you start playing as an ace, she'll definitely come watch too."
"Oh, then do you know what the pitchers invited over as Specially Recruited Students were like before?"
"Around 145 kilometers per hour, a sharp fastball, and Forkballs and Sliders that were hard to get used to." Miyuki seemed not to have thought at all before replying to Kōshū.
"...Aren't you describing Narumiya Mei?!" He was invited by Seido too??
"If you can reach Narumiya's level by the end of your third year of middle school, Seido will definitely invite you. Or rather, many schools will definitely invite you."
"Senior Miyuki, I suspect you're talking nonsense. If I could guarantee reaching that level, I wouldn't be asking you. So what's the minimum threshold for catching Seido's scouts' attention?"
Miyuki still did not answer directly. He only sent one final reply: "If you come to Seido, whether through special recruitment or the regular exam, you'll definitely meet Narumiya Mei eventually. Are you scared? Or are you not aiming to become a First String pitcher or an ace pitcher? If so, I advise you not to come. Go play happy baseball at a public school."
After that, Miyuki Kazuya never replied again. Kōshū was shocked that the always carefree catcher could get angry one day. At the same time, he reflected on what he had said and on his somewhat rash behavior that night.
People were strange like that. Someone who could express dissatisfaction at the right time often earned more respect. Of course, Kōshū later learned that Miyuki had fallen asleep while waiting for the messages, which was why he had not replied afterward. That sense of respect immediately faded considerably.
"Using Narumiya Mei as the template?" He compared the gap between them. His top speed was 134 kilometers per hour, his average speed 130. He only had a fastball and had not learned any Changeups. The only thing that could be called impressive was his pitching accuracy, and it was uncertain whether he could maintain that once his velocity rose significantly.
In less than a year, he needed to at least be not too far behind this year's Narumiya Mei... Maybe it would be better to discuss that goal with Coach Ninomiya.
The next day, Kōshū visited the coaches' office, which was frequently visited by players.
"You want to learn Changeups?" Coach Ninomiya was a man of absolute authority on the field, but in private, he was very willing to give his players room to speak. "Tell me what you're thinking."
"I want to enter Seido High School as a Specially Recruited Student, so besides improving my velocity, I want to develop one or two Changeups as soon as possible that I can use in games."
"Mm." Coach Ninomiya nodded. "Then which Changeup do you want to learn? Do you have anything in mind?"
"A Cutter or a Slider. Right now, I only have vertical movement. I want to add some horizontal possibilities."
"Then Kōshū, do you know why we did not let you learn Changeups before?" Coach Ninomiya asked.
Kōshū did not feel much pressure. After thinking for a moment, he said, "The Fixed Stance. Even now, I use a fixed stance to pitch so that, as a beginner, I can quickly develop physical habits through repetition."
"Then why did you choose those two pitches? Because you've seen others throw them?" Coach Ninomiya seemed determined not to let Kōshū off easily today. Kōshū had a feeling that unless he laid everything out clearly, the coach would remain uneasy. After all, in their eyes, he was still only a second-year middle school student.
"For the Cutter, I've seen Shibasaki-kun's grip. It's almost the same as a fastball, and the arm swing and release point are very similar too, so it won't affect my fastball. As for the Slider, the release is also similar to a fastball, but it breaks more sharply and can increase the power of my pitching. So I'm planning to start with one of those two pitches."
Coach Ninomiya showed no particular expression after hearing that. He only nodded and said he would discuss it with Coach Fujii. As Kōshū was about to leave, he called him back and said they would be holding the monthly Intra-Team Physical Test again next week.
Kōshū understood what Coach Ninomiya meant. If the results of the physical test had already reached Kōshū's goal for the year, then starting early would be perfectly fine.
Come to think of it, I said I wanted to go to Seido, and Coach Ninomiya had no reaction at all. Sure enough, if he wanted to qualify as a Specially Recruited Student, he would have to rely on his ability.
"How did it go?" The moment Kōshū came downstairs, Lang Zhi stopped him and asked.
"Of course it's possible. My pitching speed reached the target ages ago." Kōshū avoided Lang Zhi's expectant gaze.
"What about me? Did you ask about the Specially Recruited Student thing for me? If I want to reach that level, how should I make a training plan?"
The moment Kōshū closed the coaches' office door, he remembered that he had forgotten to ask for Lang Zhi. So he put on a stern face and said, "That kind of thing, you can only ask yourself..."
"You liar. You clearly promised."
"Ah, did I?"
"Stop playing dumb over there!"
The two of them bickered and tussled, said goodbye to Grandma Gu Yue, who counted heads at the entrance every day, and argued all the way home.
Anyone who saw this title would think the protagonist had already finished learning it...
But I only mentioned it in passing here...
Today, I learned a writing method called the "three-act structure": "establish a goal—set obstacles—overcome difficulties and achieve the goal." It seemed like I had not been writing according to that structure before...
I really need to plan out the plot properly from now on. Back when I wrote on Jinjiang, I rarely thought about these things. I could write tens of thousands of words without even needing an outline. Now, my life is hanging entirely by an outline...
Before you continue