Are you studying sewing balls this week?

In January in Japan, the air still carried the biting cold. The suffocating Winter Training had finally passed. The muscle soreness from the intensive training gradually dissipated with the holiday rest. Everyone was happily practicing baseball on the training field, except for one person.

"You're saying that during the winter break, you secretly went out for several days to practice a new Changeup."

"Yes..."

It was club activity time on a cloudy afternoon in the new semester. In the head coach's office of the Kinoshita Junior Baseball Club, Kōshū's throat was very dry, and he couldn't help but keep swallowing, but this didn't make him feel any better; instead, it made his mouth feel drier.

Five minutes had passed since he answered Coach Ninomiya's last question.

Coach Ninomiya was still buried in paperwork, seemingly forgetting that there was someone sitting across from him.

In the silent office, only the sound of the pen scratching on paper remained. Kōshū's attention was gradually drawn to the sounds outside. The wind howled, and vibrations came from somewhere, causing the office window to tremble slightly. Among all the sounds, the shouts of the young baseball players were the most prominent.

'What lap are they on?' Kōshū thought absentmindedly. Just then, Coach Ninomiya's voice broke the silence.

"Kōshū, you used to practice sprinting, right? Tell me, why do we have Winter Training?" Coach Ninomiya had dealt with many children and was well-versed in the art of gradual conversation.

Kōshū was taken aback, but because he had been left out for five minutes, he wasn't as nervous as he had been at the beginning, and his mind was working smoothly.

"If we don't practice because of the bad weather in winter, our performance will decline quickly."

This was the most direct feedback, and Coach Ninomiya nodded.

"If we train in the winter, there are no games, so coaches and athletes can focus solely on training, and the training in such harsh weather will be even more effective."

"Yes, you've covered most of the key points." The old man added, "It's understandable that a short break in practice will cause performance to decline, but why is training in harsh weather more effective?"

Here it comes again, the series of follow-up questions.

"From my own feeling, the human body is not as active in winter as in summer, and it tends to store fat. If we train at this time, it's actually going against the body's cycle, which can bring greater results."

"Yes, you're right. That's why countries around the world and different sports categories, like your previous sprinting, have this fixed program of Winter Training. So now the question is, why doesn't the team continue Winter Training for such a long time during Christmas, but instead takes a break?"

Coach Ninomiya's patient guidance made Kōshū a little ashamed to say the answer.

"...To allow the body to recover."

"Yes!" Coach Ninomiya finally looked up. "Actually, you missed one benefit of Winter Training, and that is the tempering of willpower through persevering in harsh weather. So Winter Training is not only training for the body's muscles, soft tissues, etc., but also training for nerve cells. So the rest after Winter Training also includes two aspects: one is the rest of the muscles, and the other is the rest of willpower, which is the nerve cells. People can't always be tense under high pressure, and this is especially true for young people like you."

Kōshū exchanged a glance with the old man across from him and lowered his head without speaking.

"Resting willpower, does it sound very abstract? Let me give you a real example. Continuous weightlifting will quickly reach a plateau. Continuing to increase the intensity at this time may even worsen performance. But if you rest for two days in between, you can immediately break through the plateau next time. Two days may not be enough for the body's muscles to grow too much, but it can quickly restore the spirit. The amount of willpower a person has has a very large impact on performance."

Coach Ninomiya paused, giving the middle school student time to digest and think.

"So, what did I say before Christmas? I told you to rest well. Since you're a child, do something a child should do during this time: sleep in, watch TV, play games, go out with friends, especially pitchers. You absolutely can't practice blindly where the coach can't see you."

Kōshū's head was even lower. He knew this would happen. Coach Ninomiya wouldn't scold or punish players, but he would analyze things so thoroughly that you would feel ashamed yourself. 'Just get through this conversation, anyway, what's done is done, and the effect of my pitch is so good—'

But he still didn't understand Coach Ninomiya enough.

"Since you didn't rest during Christmas, then I'll give you this week to rest."

"Eh—Coach Ninomiya..." Kōshū's protest was interrupted by the old man waving his hand.

"During this week, you'll just warm up with everyone. Each day, you can only throw 30 balls to maintain your condition. Participate in fielding practice every other day. You don't have to be idle for the rest of the time. There are many worn-out balls at the logistics teacher's place. Go learn how to sew Sewing Baseball."

"Ah—" Kōshū finally realized the seriousness of the matter. There was an Intra-squad Practice Match this weekend, and he wouldn't be able to play like this.

"Kōshū," the old man understood his thoughts perfectly, "The Junior High Baseball League enforces a limit of 80 pitches per day for a pitcher, precisely to prevent pitchers or coaches from overdoing it. Junior high is a crucial time for physical development. What's the point of recklessly intensifying training and exhausting oneself during junior high?"

"Kōshū, I remember telling you half a year ago that our coaching team unanimously believes you have the potential to enter Professional Baseball. Therefore, as your first coach, we must make good use of your talent. Except for some exceptionally gifted pitchers, most people wear out their shoulders the more they use them, consuming their potential and ruining themselves early."

"Coach, I promise—"

"Alright, alright, I understand. If you really can't stay idle, just run. By the way, I've already informed your family. Just rest well this week."

After saying that, Coach Ninomiya buried himself in paperwork again, and Kōshū had no choice but to start his miserable week with this 'punishment'.

"Hahahaha," Lang Zhi was the first to mock him. "I told you, if you train like that, you'll definitely be punished by the coach."

Then he was used as a negative example, showing his presence in front of all the team members.

"Pfft, Kōshū, I didn't expect you to be so passionate." In the locker room after today's training, everyone joked as they passed by.

"Kōshū, are you okay? We can warm up with you this week." These were the concerned Hayakawa Aki, Shibasaki, and others.

"Ah, as expected, you guys are the best. Hayakawa, I only ran and studied Sewing Baseball today, and I haven't thrown those 30 pitches yet..."

Hayakawa, who had just shown a worried expression, immediately turned his back to Kōshū: "No way, training is already about to end, there's no need for you to pitch anymore."

"Hahahaha." Lang Zhi, who had witnessed everything, laughed so hard he clutched his stomach. He had finally seen his brother get the short end of the stick, and to hear more clearly, he unconsciously approached the center of the vortex, and Kōshū, who had been frustrated all afternoon, grabbed him by the neck.

"But Coach Ninomiya didn't say I couldn't discipline my arrogant younger brother this week."

"Ah—why am I always at the end of the chain!!"

Kōshū: Useful skill +1