The next day, at ten o'clock,
"Alright, let's take a break!"
"Ugh! I'm dead! I'm dead!"
Watching his companions lie on the floor like dead dogs without a shred of dignity, Sendou smiled faintly and headed for the kitchen. He wanted to see if there was any milk.
The milk in the living room refrigerator had run out, so he wanted to check whether there was any left in the kitchen.
However, the moment he entered the kitchen...
After a long silence...
"What are you doing? What happened here? Did someone rob the place?" Sendou was silent for a long time as he looked at the sink piled full of dishes, the trash can, and all sorts of black substances on the stove. Or rather, he did not know how to describe what he was seeing.
"Don't look!" Fumino instantly turned her back to Sendou and sprawled on the floor, clutching her head with both hands as she shouted. Before Sendou could react, she blurted out the reason in a rapid-fire stream of words.
"Even though I'm really interested in cooking!"
"I've never been able to do it well!"
"Don't look at someone as insignificant as an insect!" As she spoke, she waved one hand and clutched her head, then waved and clutched her head again, repeating the motion over and over.
"Ah, so that's how it is?" Sendou said calmly. Still, he thought Fumino looked a little cute like this. Was she thin-skinned, or just a natural airhead?
"Huh?" Furuhashi turned her head to look at Sendou, neither getting up nor turning around.
"Everyone has things they are good at and things they are bad at. Even if you're not good at cooking, as long as you follow the correct steps and practice a few times, you'll get better at it. You just haven't had much time to practice."
"Oh." She answered softly, then gave a faint smile with a slight blush on her face.
"Well then, do your best." Sendou said as he turned to leave.
"Don't!"
"Hm?" He turned his head slightly toward Fumino.
"Don't tell anyone about this!"
"Don't worry. I'm not that bored." Sendou turned his head away and started walking. Then those words reached Wakaba, who quietly watched the scene while cleaning up.
"Phew!" Furuhashi let out a deep breath and was just about to speak.
"Oh, right!"
"Ah!!!" Furuhashi jumped in fright. Turning around, she saw Sendou's head peeking out from behind the door.
"You don't need to start preparing dinner this early. This was my oversight, so I'll have those guys come over and help. If you don't want anyone else to know... you know what to do. And call me once lunch is ready. When I see your number, I'll bring everyone straight back."
"I got it already!"
Seeing her agree, Sendou pulled his head back, and the door closed behind him.
"You scared me to death!" Furuhashi said, holding her chest. Though, well... there was nothing there...
"Heh!" Sendou stood outside the door, suddenly chuckled, then shook his head and left.
The second day passed as usual. That evening, Sendou really did have the entire group help out in the kitchen, just as Fumino and the others had said. Naturally, he did not reveal the real reason. He simply said they needed to be self-reliant, since two people alone could not prepare meals for so many.
As for asking Coach Nakanishi about the matter he had originally planned to discuss, Sendou had just been about to call when he thought it would be better to ask in person. Besides, he should visit the coach when he returned to Tokyo. So, instead of calling to ask about training, he made an appointment to visit Coach Nakanishi at Wildcat.
Considering that Coach Nakanishi had also begun training the new team, they decided to set the meeting for three days later.
During evening self-practice, Sendou called Sawamura and A Shin, the pitcher-catcher pair, aside for separate practice. This was their first time practicing together as a battery in two months, while everyone else continued batting practice.
Yet after the very first pitch, Sendou despaired. A Shin simply could not catch that kind of ball, and judging from his movements, he was clearly an amateur. Reading about it did not mean everyone could immediately understand the movements described in words. Besides, people could not see their own posture and needed someone else to correct them.
So Sendou could only have Sawamura go do his explosive power routine by himself, while A Shin returned to self-practice.
That added another problem, but Sendou remembered his own past and came up with a solution.
There was not much time for self-practice, since everyone still had to study. Sendou also had to tutor Fumino in math separately.
That said, he mostly answered questions before doing his own physical maintenance training. Perhaps it was an illusion, but Fumino's study efficiency seemed higher than when he had guided her over the phone, though Sendou felt there was not much difference between the two.
If he truly could not figure something out, he simply stopped thinking about it. That was one of Sendou's habits.
"Today, use one Pitching Machine for practice and leave the other one free for me. Eijun, keep running!"
Poor kid...
"A Shin, put on the protective gear and come with me to the other Pitching Machine. Do as I say!"
"Huh? Oh, okay!"
"Ono, defensive practice is yours as usual!"
"Alright, leave it to me!" Ono replied.
"Alright then, dismissed. Start practicing on your own!" With that, he led A Shin over to the vacant Pitching Machine.
"A Shin, before we start catching, let's review the catcher's crouching stance!"
"I remember. Keep your body stable, hold your right hand clenched at the right side of your thigh or behind your back. Lean your upper body forward to keep the ball from rolling behind you. Is that right?"
"You remember it clearly!"
"But I don't really understand. Why does leaning forward keep the ball from rolling behind me?"
"I see. Imagine this: if you miss the ball, since your upper body is leaning forward, you'll have more time to use your body to block it!"
"So that's how it is!"
"That's right. But your stance is still a little awkward. Don't stand with your feet side by side like a gorilla. Try crouching with one foot forward. That'll let you get up faster."
"Like this?"
"That's it. Let's start catching! Remember, don't take your eyes off the ball, not even for an instant!"
"Yeah, I understand!"
"First, 100 kilometers per hour!"
Thump!
Whoosh!
Smack!
"Very good. Keep your posture from falling apart, or there's no point! Ten more pitches!"
"Now, try getting into a throwing stance!"
"Keep your footwork light!"
"When you throw, the toes of your stepping foot should point in the direction you're going to throw! Unless you're skilled enough, don't think about all those fancy feints. They're useful, but they aren't for a beginner like you!"
"That's it, that's it! Now comes the real thing! 120 kilometers per hour!"
"Alright, bring it on!"
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