Catcher (Part 1)

The next day at 10 AM, "Alright, let's take a break!"

"Ow! I'm dead! So dead!"

Watching his teammates sprawled on the ground like dead dogs, completely losing their dignity, Sendou smiled faintly and headed to the kitchen, hoping to find some milk.

The milk in the living room fridge was gone, so he figured he'd check the kitchen.

But the moment he stepped inside...

A long pause...

"What have you guys been doing? What happened here? Was there a robbery?" Sendou stared for a long time at the sink piled high with dishes, the trash can, and the various black substances on the stove, speaking in a tone that suggested he couldn't even describe what he was seeing.

"Don't look!" Fumino immediately turned her back to Sendou, dropped to the ground, and covered her head with her hands as she shouted. Before Sendou could react, she blurted out the reason in rapid fire.

"Even though I'm really interested in cooking!"

"I've never been able to do it right!"

"A pathetic worm like me, don't look!" She kept repeating the motion of waving her arms and covering her head.

"A, so," Sendou said calmly, but inside he found the scene a little endearing. Whether she had thin skin or was just a natural airhead, he couldn't tell.

"Huh?" Furuhashi turned his head to look at Sendou but didn't get up or turn around.

"Everyone has things they're good at and bad at. Cooking is something you can get better at if you follow the right steps and practice more, even if you're not good at it. You just haven't had much time to practice."

"Oh!" She replied softly, then blushed slightly with a small smile.

"Alright, keep it up!" Sendou said and started to leave.

"No!"

"Huh?" He turned his head slightly to look at Fumino.

"Don't tell anyone about this!"

"Don't worry, I'm not that bored." Sendou turned his head back and walked off, leaving those words behind. Wakaba quietly watched the scene as she cleaned up.

"Phew!" Furuhashi let out a deep breath and was about to speak.

"Oh, right!"

"Ah!!!" Furuhashi jumped in surprise and turned to see Sendou's head poking out from behind the door.

"You don't have to prepare dinner so early. This is my oversight—I'll have those guys come help. If you don't want anyone to know, you get it. Also, call me when lunch is ready. I'll see your number and bring everyone back right away."

"Got it!"

Seeing her agree, Sendou pulled his head back, and the door closed behind him.

"Scared me to death!" Furuhashi said, clutching her chest, though, well, there wasn't much there...

"Ha!" Sendou stood outside the door, let out a quiet laugh, and walked away shaking his head.

The next day passed just like usual, though in the evening, Sendou did as Fumino and the others had said and made everyone come into the kitchen to help. Of course, he didn't give the real reason—he framed it as self-sufficiency, saying two people couldn't prepare enough food for everyone.

As for the original plan to ask the coach about things, Sendou thought about calling but decided it was better to ask in person. Besides, since he was heading back to Tokyo anyway, he should visit the coach. So instead of just asking training questions over the phone, he arranged a time to go see Coach Nakanishi at Wildcat.

Considering that Coach Nakanishi was already starting to train the new team, they agreed to meet three days later.

During the evening self-practice, Sendou pulled Sawamura and Shin, the battery pair, aside to practice separately. This was their first time practicing together in two months, while the others continued batting practice.

But on the very first pitch, Sendou was in despair. Shin couldn't catch that kind of ball at all, and his movements showed he was a complete amateur. Reading a book doesn't mean everyone can directly understand the written instructions for movements, and since no one can see their own form, they need someone else to correct them.

So Sendou had Sawamura work on his explosive power routine alone, while A Shin went back to join the self-practice.

That added another problem to the list, but Sendou remembered his own early days and came up with a solution.

Self-practice time was limited, since they still had to study, and Sendou also had to teach Fumino math one-on-one.

That said, it was mostly just answering questions and then doing his own body maintenance exercises. Maybe it was his imagination, but Fumino's learning efficiency seemed higher than when he guided her over the phone, even though Sendou felt there wasn't much difference.

If he couldn't figure it out, he stopped thinking about it—that was one of Sendou's habits.

"Today, use one pitching machine for practice and leave the other empty. Eijun, you keep running!"

Poor kid...

"A Shin, put on your gear and come with me to the other pitching machine. I'll talk, you do."

"Huh? Oh, okay!"

"Defensive practice is still your responsibility, Ono!"

"Alright, leave it to me!" Ono replied.

"Good, then dismissed. Everyone start your practice!" With that, he led A Shin to the empty pitching machine.

"A Shin, before you catch, review the squatting stance."

"I remember—keep your body stable, hold the mitt with your right hand by your right thigh or behind you. Lean your upper body forward to keep the ball from rolling behind you. Is that right?"

"You remember it well!"

"But I don't really get it. Why does bending forward stop the ball from rolling behind me?"

"Think of it this way: if you miss the catch, because your upper body is bent forward, you'll have more time to block the ball with your body!"

"Oh, I see!"

"That's right. But your body's still a bit stiff. Don't stand with your feet side by side like an ape—try a single-leg crouch so you can get up faster."

"Like this?"

"Exactly. Let's start catching! Remember, don't take your eyes off the ball, not even for a second!"

"Okay, got it!"

"First up, 100 kilometers per hour!"

"Thump!"

"Whoosh!"

"Smack!"

"Good. Don't mess up your stance, or it's pointless! Ten more balls!"

"Now try making a passing motion!"

"Keep your steps light!"

"When you pass, the toes of the stepping foot should point toward where you're throwing! Unless you're really skilled, don't bother with flashy feints—they're useful, but not for a beginner like you!"

"So, so, that's it! Now for the real deal! Ball speed at 120 kilometers per hour!"

"Alright, bring it on!"

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