First Entry into the Team

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

"Mrs. Sasaki, I'm so glad you chose our club. Now, let's go upstairs to go over the details, and the children can be looked after by Grandma Gu Yue," said a woman who looked very much like a kindergarten teacher, standing beside an elderly woman with graying hair.

Shen Qing left, and the remaining three sat on the sofa in the lobby. The old woman named Grandma Gu Yue began explaining the rules to the two brothers, but before that, she asked very warmly, "So, how was it? After the tour, do you feel like you can enjoy playing baseball here?"

The brothers gave polite smiles.

"Coach Ninomiya might be a strict person, but everyone thinks he's very professional and really cares about the kids' futures. That's why very few children quit here; many have been on the team for years. Ah, it's hard to think that some kids will be leaving soon." Grandma Gu Yue's neatly pinned hair shimmered softly as she moved.

"How long have you been here, Grandma Gu Yue?" Rōchi asked cautiously.

"Hmm, it's been over ten years now. My son was once on this little league team, and now he's all grown up. Just think, how long has it been?" Like all elderly people, Grandma Gu Yue suddenly drifted into memories.

So, under the brothers' astonished gazes, the topic slowly wandered off—from the position Grandma Gu Yue's son played, to how he got into a famous high school but clashed with his father, who was injured and at home at the time, then went to college far away out of spite, and finally returned to work near his parents. Now he had a dog, but because of business trips, they often had to take care of it, and it kept getting into fights with the neighbor's cat.

"Ah, it's such a hassle. Miao Wu Lang always deliberately lies on the wall, making Jiang Huang—oh, Jiang Huang is my dog's name—so angry that it whines and chases its own tail in circles. The neighbor, Mrs. Liu, and I just can't handle it. We're both on the community committee, and every week at meetings, Mrs. Liu asks me, 'Has it come?' If I say 'Yes,' she has to lock the cat inside." Grandma Gu Yue seemed to have completely forgotten what she was supposed to be doing, chatting with the brothers like a neighbor met on the street.

But then, voices from the stairs snapped her back to reality. "Oh no, I've talked too much about myself. Don't tell Hui Li, okay? Ah, it's actually very simple. Gather at 4 PM every day. On holidays or weekends, unless you have permission to be absent, you need to be here by 7:30 AM. And be careful, okay? If anything comes up, just text me. Ah, have I added your emails yet? Come on, let's get it done before Hui Li comes back. As for the rest, you'll learn quickly once you start training."

With a nimbleness that belied her age, Grandma Gu Yue quickly handled the email exchange while multitasking: "Sasaki-kun, you already have gear, so just bring it directly. Takano-kun, you'll need to prepare a fielding glove, shoes, and so on. But we have a shop here too, so you can buy everything today if you want. The uniform will take about a week."

"Alright, all set. Sasaki-kun, Takano-kun."

Just then, Shen Qing and the kindergarten-teacher-like woman named Hui Li walked over. The three put away their phones and exchanged smiles.

Following Grandma Gu Yue's advice, Shen Qing quickly bought all the gear for Takano and headed home.

The next morning at 7:30, the two arrived on time. At the outdoor practice field, many people were already warming up. Takano and Rōchi's entrance didn't draw much attention.

In the distance, several coaches were carrying equipment together, preparing for the day's training. Just as Takano was wondering where Coach Ninomiya was, the scattered youths on the field quickly gathered at the dugout at the sound of "Fall in!" Takano and the others followed the crowd. Among them, some youths noticed the new faces, and glances kept turning toward Takano and Rōchi.

Among them was Hayakawa Aki, who had caught for Takano the day before. The two nodded in greeting.

"So, you're the new guys Coach Ninomiya mentioned," said the one who had called the assembly. He was about their age, stocky, around 1.7 meters tall, with a short, thick neck that gave him a somewhat honest look. "I'm the captain, Ido Shuichi. Coach Ninomiya will be here soon. For now, follow along with the warm-up."

Then he turned to the lined-up team. "These are the new members, Sasaki Rōchi and Takano. Second year of middle school. They'll be training with us from now on. Let's welcome them."

After a brief welcome, dozens of youths automatically formed four rows and began running laps around the field, with Takano and Rōchi at the back.

'These guys are so disciplined, it's kind of creepy,' Takano thought, jogging easily behind. Since he had training today, he hadn't gone for his morning run.

By the tenth lap, everyone's chants were tinged with heavy breathing. The coaches had mostly finished setting up, and Coach Ninomiya was discussing the day's work with them, clipboard in hand.

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

Takano spread out with the others. The captain deliberately moved closer to their side, leading the stretches from the front.

"Lunge stretch, keep your upper body straight, push your leg down."

After another ten-plus minutes of stretching, Coach Ninomiya stepped forward and announced the day's training plan: "This morning, each group will do defensive drills. This afternoon, batting plus live practice. The new guy, Sasaki, will follow the infield group for defensive drills and batting today. For the live practice this afternoon, he'll sit out and observe first to get integrated. Got it?"

Rōchi answered loudly, "Got it."

"As for Takano, today, assistant coach—Coach Yoshioka—will teach you the basics. Got it?"

Takano copied Rōchi's loud reply, and the main group split into several teams, each following their coach to designated spots for practice. Coach Yoshioka called Takano back to the indoor practice field, walking briskly ahead, with Takano close behind.

"I assume you already know the basics of baseball. If not, you can find Grandma Gu Yue after training, and she'll take you to the video room for a detailed explanation of the rules."

Between quick steps, the coach turned his head to glance at Takano's outfield glove.

Once inside, without a word, he went straight to the equipment area, grabbed an infield glove, and without giving Takano time to react, said, "Today, your task is to fix your throwing form and posture."

Coach Yoshioka led him to the ball net, tossed the ball over, and then instructed him on how to quickly adjust his grip, find the seams, and throw it out.

"Whether you're in the outfield or infield, the moment you catch the ball, don't just throw it immediately. First, quickly transfer it, adjust your grip to a four-seam fastball, then throw. On the field, you need to ensure the ball you throw can be caught by someone, so preparation time is necessary. What you need is to make this whole sequence fast and fluid through practice. Of course, the coordination and field judgment that come later will build up over time. For now, let's start with step one: the catch, quick transfer, and finding the seams during the transfer."

"So far, is there anything you don't understand? If so, we'll stop here." Coach Yoshioka's teaching was intense, but Takano could keep up.

"Nothing I don't understand, Coach Yoshioka."

"Good. First ball." Takano caught it, made sure his grip felt comfortable, and threw the ball.

"Your throw is a bit jerky, and your body isn't ready. Watch my demonstration closely." He stood beside Takano, breaking it down in slow motion as he explained. "When waiting for the ball, prepare your body to throw. If you throw with your right hand, your right side needs to swing forward to drive your arm. So when you catch, your left foot should already be stepping forward. By the time you adjust your grip, you'll naturally follow through with the right-side motion."

Coach Yoshioka had Takano follow the breakdown, step by step, many times, then gradually sped it up until, without the ball, the whole motion became smooth. Only then did they return to throwing practice.

They repeated this until noon, when the restaurant near the Kinoshita Club delivered lunch. Takano and the others rejoined the group. The captain confirmed everyone was present, then led them up the stairs next to the dugout to the second floor of the building Shen Qing had visited earlier.

'So you can get to the second floor from inside too,' Takano thought, feeling some soreness in his arms.

"Mom said the lunch buffet costs extra every month," Rōchi said, sidling up with a sweaty smell. Takano moved away.

'He's been calling her "Mom" pretty freely since he changed his tune. Hope he doesn't start calling me "Big Brother" one day,' Takano shuddered at the thought.

"So expensive, especially for two people," Rōchi muttered.

Takano ignored him, followed the group, grabbed a plate, and scooped food from each tray. There was a lot of meat, no doubt about it.

No one seemed very tired; they gathered in groups, chatting and laughing. Rōchi was called over by the infield teammates he'd trained with that morning, and Takano silently followed.

"Did you two come together?" a boy with a forehead wrinkle asked curiously, introducing himself as Sato Kibara, a third-year second baseman.

"Yeah, but he's a beginner."

"That's kind of weird. Aren't you both second-years? Why join now?" another person chimed in, though he didn't introduce himself. Takano didn't know his name, just noticed his teeth were quite white.

"Well, some stuff happened, and we decided we wanted to play hardball, so we transferred," Rōchi brushed it off.

Just as those around were about to ask more, the captain's voice came from the other side of the table: "Sorry about that, they're just too curious. It's been a long time since we've had new members—Coach Ninomiya's standards for picking players are strict, so they couldn't help asking a few extra questions."

"Ah, I see. I used to be a starting shortstop—well, on the rubber-ball team, anyway. And Kōshū, even though he's new to baseball, his pitching isn't bad," Lang Zhi explained with a smile.

Huh, so he's going for the cheerful guy persona in the baseball club. Kōshū had been playing wallflower the whole time, stirring his soup, only nodding when the conversation turned to him. By the end of the meal, everyone had formed an initial impression of the tall boy: quiet.

[1] Honestly, I'm already thinking about the story of Kōshū joining Seido, but I just can't skip what comes before.

[2] I dug up a ton of materials today—the Diamond no Ace premium section is a real treasure trove. I pasted everything into Word, pretending to work while actually slacking off.

P.S. Same thing this morning: sat through a three-hour meeting, feeling restless, wanting a break. Lucky for me, it wasn't a project meeting—just had to listen as an audience member, no tasks assigned.