First Steps into the Team

After the tour, Shen Qing and the others were handed back to the liaison who had initially received them.

"Mrs. Sasaki, we're very happy you chose our club. Now, let's go upstairs and go over the things you need to know. As for the children, Grandma Gu Yue will take care of them." The woman speaking looked especially like a kindergarten teacher, and beside her stood an elderly woman with graying hair.

After Shen Qing left, the remaining three sat down on the sofas in the lobby. The elderly woman named Grandma Gu Yue began explaining the various rules to the brothers, but before that, she asked warmly, "So, after looking around, do you think you'll be happy playing baseball here?"

The brothers gave polite smiles.

"Coach Ninomiya may be a serious person, but everyone thinks he's very professional, and he cares deeply about the children's futures. That's why very few kids leave here. Many have already been on the team for years. Ah, just thinking about children leaving soon makes me so reluctant to let them go." Grandma Gu Yue's neatly pinned hair gleamed softly as she moved.

"Then how long have you been here, Grandma Gu Yue?" Lang Zhi asked stiffly.

"Hmm, it's been over ten years, I suppose. My son used to be on this Little League team, and now he's already grown up. When I think about it, it's been such a long time." Like all elderly people, Grandma Gu Yue suddenly sank into her memories.

And so, under the brothers' astonished gazes, the topic gradually drifted off course. It began with the position Grandma Gu Yue's son had played, then moved on to how he had attended a famous high school but clashed with his father, who had been home recovering from an injury at the time. Then, in college, he had angrily gone far away, before eventually returning to work near his parents. Now he even had a dog, but because he often went away on business, they had to help care for it, and it was always getting into conflicts with the neighbor's cat.

"Oh, it's such a headache. Miao Wu Lang deliberately lies on top of the wall every time just to provoke Jiang Huang. Ah, Jiang Huang is my dog's name. It makes him so angry that he keeps whining, spinning in circles, and biting his own tail. Mrs. Liu, my neighbor, and I really have no idea what to do. We're both on the neighborhood committee, and every week when we have meetings, Mrs. Liu asks me, 'Is he here?' If I say, 'He is,' then she has to lock her cat indoors." Grandma Gu Yue had clearly forgotten what she had originally meant to do and was chatting with the brothers as if she had run into neighbors on the street.

But then the voices coming from the staircase snapped her back to her senses. "Ah, this is terrible. Have I been talking too much about myself? Don't tell Hui Li, okay? Ah, actually, it's very simple. Gather at four every afternoon. During holidays or weekends, unless you've asked for leave, you need to be here by seven-thirty in the morning. Um, make sure to stay safe. If anything comes up, just text me. Ah, I haven't added your email addresses yet, have I? Come on, let's get it done before Hui Li comes over. Once you start training, you'll quickly learn the rest."

With agility that didn't belong to someone her age, Grandma Gu Yue quickly got their email addresses sorted out. At the same time, she added, "Sasaki-kun already has equipment, so he can just bring it with him. Kōshū-kun will need to prepare a fielding glove, shoes, and so on, but we have a shop here as well, so you can buy everything today. The uniforms will take a week."

"Alright, that's done. Sasaki-kun, Kōshū-kun."

Just then, Shen Qing and the receptionist named Hui Li, who looked especially like a kindergarten teacher, walked over. The three boys put away their phones and exchanged smiles.

Following Grandma Gu Yue's suggestion, Shen Qing quickly bought Kōshū a full set of equipment, and they headed home for the day.

At seven-thirty the next morning, the two arrived on time. Quite a few people were already warming up on the outdoor practice field, and Kōshū and Lang Zhi's arrival drew no attention.

Several coaches in the distance were carrying things over and preparing for the day's training. Just as Kōshū was wondering where Coach Ninomiya was, the boys scattered around the field swiftly ran together at the shout of "Gather up!" and assembled by the Dugout. Kōshū and Lang Zhi followed the crowd over. Some of the boys noticed the unfamiliar faces, and people kept glancing their way.

Hayakawa Aki, who had caught for Kōshū yesterday, was among them. The two nodded to each other in greeting.

"So, you're the newcomers Coach Ninomiya mentioned." The person who had called everyone together was unexpectedly a boy about their age. He was solidly built, around five foot seven, and his short, thick neck made him look somewhat stolid. "I'm Captain Ido Shuichi. Coach Ninomiya will be here shortly, so follow along with the warm-up first."

Then he turned to the assembled group. "These are the new members, Sasaki Rōchi and Kōshū. They're second-years and will be training with us from now on. Give them a welcome."

After the brief welcome, the dozens of boys voluntarily formed four columns and began running laps around the field. Kōshū and Lang Zhi were placed at the back and followed along.

These people are so disciplined. It gives me goosebumps. Kōshū followed easily from behind. Since he had come to practice today, he had skipped his morning run.

By the tenth lap, their shouted chants had gradually become breathless. Around then, the coaches had more or less finished setting things up, and Coach Ninomiya was discussing the day's work with them while holding a record book.

"Alright—stop. Spread out, face the Dugout, and start stretching."

Kōshū spread out with the others. The captain deliberately moved closer to their side and led the movements from the front.

"Lunge stretch. Keep your upper body straight and lower your legs."

After more than ten minutes of stretching, Coach Ninomiya stepped forward and announced the day's schedule. "This morning, each group will do fielding practice. This afternoon will be batting plus game-situation drills. Sasaki, you'll follow the Infield Group for fielding practice and batting today. You won't participate in the afternoon drills for now. Observe first and get integrated with the team. Is that alright?"

Lang Zhi answered loudly, "Yes."

"As for Kōshū, Assistant Coach Yoshioka will teach you the basics today. Is that alright?"

Kōshū copied Lang Zhi and loudly replied that it was. The main group then wordlessly divided into several teams, each following a coach to their assigned practice area. Coach Yoshioka called Kōshū back toward the Indoor Practice Field. He walked briskly ahead, and Kōshū hurried after him.

"As for baseball knowledge, I assume you've already looked into it. If you haven't, you can find Grandma Gu Yue after practice. She'll take you to the video room to watch a detailed explanation of the rules."

As he strode along, the coach spoke while glancing back at Kōshū's Outfield Glove.

Once inside, he said nothing. He went straight to the Equipment Area, picked up an Infield Glove, and gave Kōshū no time to react. "Your task today is to lock down your throwing motion and posture."

Coach Yoshioka led him in front of the net, tossed him a ball, and instructed him on how to quickly adjust his grip, find the seams, and throw it.

"Whether you're in the outfield or infield, the first thing you do after catching the ball isn't throw it immediately. You need to quickly transfer it to your throwing hand, adjust your grip to a Four-Seam Fastball grip, and then throw it. On the field, you need to make sure the ball you throw can be caught, so preparation time in between is unavoidable. What you need is to make that entire sequence fast and smooth through practice. Of course, the coordination and field awareness involved afterward will need to be built up gradually. For now, we'll start with the first step: the catching motion and quick transfer, while feeling for the seams during the transfer."

"Is there anything you don't understand so far? If there is, we'll stop first." Coach Yoshioka's teaching was compact, but Kōshū could keep up.

"I understand everything, Coach Yoshioka."

"Good. First ball." Kōshū caught it, then threw it after making sure his grip felt comfortable.

"Your throw hesitated, and your body wasn't prepared either. Watch my demonstration carefully." He stood beside Kōshū and explained as he slowly broke down the movement. "When waiting for the ball, prepare your body to throw. If you throw right-handed, the right side of your body needs to swing forward so it can better drive your arm. That means when you catch the ball, your left foot should already have stepped forward. Once you adjust your grip, you can naturally follow through with the movement of your right side."

Coach Yoshioka had Kōshū break down the motions and repeat them step by step many times. Then he gradually increased the speed. Only after the whole movement became fluid without a ball did they return to throwing practice.

They repeated the drill until noon. The restaurant beside Kinoshita Club delivered lunch for everyone, and Kōshū and Lang Zhi rejoined the team. After the captain confirmed everyone was present, they went up the stairs beside the Dugout to the second floor of the building Shen Qing had visited before.

So you can get to the second floor from inside too. Kōshū's arm felt a little sore.

"Mom said we have to pay extra every month for the lunch buffet too." Lang Zhi leaned over, smelling of sweat. Kōshū moved away from him.

Ever since he changed the way he addresses people, he's been calling everyone so enthusiastically. He's not going to call me big brother one day, is he? Kōshū shuddered at the thought.

"It's so expensive, especially for two people," Lang Zhi muttered.

Kōshū ignored him. Following the large group, he took a plate and filled it one tray at a time. There was, admittedly, a lot of meat.

No one seemed particularly tired. They gathered in small groups, chatting and laughing. Lang Zhi was called over by the teammates he had practiced infield with that morning, and Kōshū silently followed.

"Did you two come together?" a boy with forehead wrinkles asked curiously. He introduced himself as Sato Kibara, a third-year middle school second baseman.

"Yes, but he's a beginner."

"That is pretty strange. Aren't you second-years? Why join at this point?" Another person joined in, though he didn't introduce himself. Kōshū didn't know his name, only that his teeth were very white.

"Well, a series of things happened, and it made us decide that we wanted to play hardball, so we transferred over," Lang Zhi brushed it off.

Just as the people around them were about to ask more questions, the captain's voice came from the other side of the table. "Sorry about that. They're just curious. The team hasn't had new members in a long time, and Coach Ninomiya is very strict about choosing people, so they asked a few extra questions."

"Ah, I see. I used to be a regular shortstop, though it was for a Rubber-ball Baseball Team. And Kōshū may have just started baseball, but his pitching is pretty good," Lang Zhi explained with a smile.

Huh, so he plays the cheerful guy in the Baseball Club? Kōshū had been acting like a wallflower beside him, stirring his soup and only nodding whenever the conversation turned toward him. By the end of the meal, everyone had formed an initial impression of the tall boy: quiet.

Actually, I've already started thinking about the story where Kōshū joins Seido, but I just can't skip over everything that comes before it.

I looked up so much material again today. The Ace of Diamond reference section really is a treasure trove. I pasted the materials into Word and pretended to work while actually slacking off.

P.S. This morning was the same. We had a three-hour meeting, and my mind was restless the whole time. I wanted a vacation, but luckily it wasn't a project meeting. I just had to listen as an audience member and wouldn't be assigned any work.