(Eijun's POV)
It's been three months since I last saw Rei-chan. She's picking me up today to take me to Seidō.
Weird, since last time she met me at the train station, guess I changed things around this time.
"Ei-chan, you better message and call us. We know you're horrible at it, but please," Wakana says, smiling softly.
I pat her head and grin wide. "I will, Wakana. I'll try."
"We'll spam you if you don't," Nobu adds, arms crossed with his usual grin.
I laugh, glancing around at all of them.
*Honestly… I missed them a lot last time. I should really message more. They even helped me train this time too.*
"Alright, bye guys! I love you all! I wish we could've played together more!" I call out with a massive grin, running toward Rei-chan's car.
"You ready, Sawamura-kun?" Rei-chan asks as I jump into the passenger seat.
I nod, grinning. "Yes, Rei-chan! I've decided, I'm going to go to Koshien as our team's representative while giving my all to take Seidō there too!"
"Good," Rei-chan says with a smile.
"Rei-chan, what dorm am I in?" I ask, even though I already know.
"You'll be in Room 5 with second-year Kuramochi Yōichi and third-year Masuko Tōru. I'll show you later, but first, Coach Kataoka wants to talk to you, Sawamura-kun."
*Boss wants to talk to me? That's… a massive change.*
"Eijun, calm down. It's going to be fine," the voice in my head says.
I take a deep breath. *Thanks, Jack.* Rei-chan must've noticed.
"It's okay, Sawamura-kun," she says kindly. "You're not in trouble. Coach Kataoka just wants to talk to you since you're a special case—you've never had a coach before, and since your IQ is 155…"
I stay silent for a moment before answering softly, "Okay." Then I grin. "Rei-chan, I've changed a lot since you last saw me play."
She smiles back. "Can't wait to see it."
We arrive at Seidō.
(Rei-chan's POV)
We park and step out of the car. "Sawamura-kun, follow me, please," I say, heading toward Coach Kataoka's office. I glance back, he's walking stiffly, a bit tense.
*Even though I told him it's okay, he's nervous. I suppose that's natural, this isn't standard procedure.*
At the office, I knock.
"Come in," a deep voice calls from inside.
I open the door and step in, making sure Sawamura-kun follows. He quietly shuts the door behind him.
"Ah, Sawamura Eijun, correct?" Coach Kataoka asks from behind his desk.
Sawamura-kun bows deeply. "Yes, Boss! This humble Sawamura Eijun greets you, Boss!"
I nearly giggle.
(Eijun's POV)
Boss clears his throat. "Nice to meet you too, Sawamura. Please, sit."
"Yes, Boss!" I basically sprint to the chair and sit down.
"So, Sawamura, Takashima says you've never had a coach. Is that true?"
I salute like a soldier. "Yes, Boss! When I entered junior high, there wasn't a baseball team, so I made one! But it was hard getting an advisor, let alone a coach willing to work with 12-year-olds for free."
Kataoka leans forward. "So you never had an adult supervise your training to prevent injury?"
I sigh. "Honestly, Boss… Rei-chan probably told you I have an IQ of 155, right? My mom might've mentioned it too." They both nod.
"I made the training schedule for my teammates myself, making sure not to push them too hard, and to keep them safe. I even checked their bodies for possible injuries during stretches — secretly. If I saw any signs of pain, I'd give the team days off and change the routine."
When I finish, they're both staring at me, wide-eyed. I scratch the back of my head with a nervous laugh.
"That's… impressive," Boss says finally. "But it must've been difficult, Sawamura."
I shake my head. "Not really. At first, yeah, but I got used to it. The only problem was it kept me from improving. But since Rei-chan scouted me, I've been training hard, I'm like a different person now!"
"Oooh, I can even show you my training schedule!" I pull out a notebook labeled Baseball Journal and flip three-quarters in before placing it on his desk.
(Kataoka's POV)
I look at the notebook and it says.
-----
Regime One:
Barbell squat, dumbbell squat, or sled hack squat: 20
Dumbbell incline bench press: 20
Romanian deadlift: 20
Dumbbell biceps curl: 20
Dumbbell triceps extension or machine pushdown: 20
Seated cable row: 20
Lat pulldown to the front with a wide grip: 20
Reverse crunch: 20
Pull-ups: 20
Regime Two:
Barbell or dumbbell hang clean: 20
Cable wood chop: 20
Cable push-pull: 20
One-arm cable raises (each arm): 20
Medicine ball or dumbbell push press: 20
Medicine ball standing twist with a partner: 20
Box jump march: 20
Vertical jump: 20
Sprints: 20
3 sets each.
-----
*A perfect training regimen for a 15-year-old pitcher*
"Is this all you do, Sawamura?" I ask.
He shakes his head. "No, Boss. I only started this after building enough muscle with normal exercises. I knew it wouldn't injure me. I told Rei-chan my old routine too."
"What was your previous training, then?" I ask.
He flips to another page
-----
Day one
Morning:
10-kilometer run
100 push-ups
100 burpees
100 10-meter sprints pulling a tire
100 pull-ups
one hour of ballet
one hour of yoga.
Afternoon:
15 pitches, then 4 10-meter sprints, repeat until 100 pitches thrown (5-10 minute breaks between every fifteen throws)
100 bat swings
5-kilometer run.
Day Two
Morning:
10-kilometer run
100 push-ups
100 burpees
100 10-meter sprints pulling a tire
100 pull-ups
one hour of ballet
one hour of yoga
Afternoon:
500 bat swings,
75 shadow pitches
5-kilometer run
-----
"This was my schedule for the first month, Boss," he says with a grin.
"Sawamura, this is a lot for a 15-year-old. You could've gotten injured."
"I know, Boss. I checked my body every morning. If anything was sore, I'd skip afternoon practice and split it up. I also took two rest days weekly — just a light 2 km runs to condition my body properly."
I nod approvingly. "Good. And your full training schedule now?"
He flips again and shows me
-----
Day one
Morning:
5 kilometer run
50 push-ups
50 burpees
50 10-meter sprints pulling a tire
50 pull-ups
one hour of ballet
one hour of yoga
Afternoon:
15 pitches, then 4 10-meter sprints, repeat until 150 pitches thrown (5-10 minute breaks between every fifteen throws)
100 bat swings
2 kilometer run.
after dinner:
Training Regimine
Day Two
Morning:
5 kilometer run
50 push-ups
50 burpees
50 10-meter sprints pulling a tire
50 pull-ups
one hour of ballet
one hour of yoga
Afternoon:
200 bat swings against pitching machine
Fielding practice with pitching machine for 100 catches
25 shadow pitches left arm
75 shadow pitches right arm
Two kilometer run.
after dinner:
Training regimine
-----
I glance down at the pages.
"This is good," I say, nodding. He's grinning from ear to ear.
"Alright, Sawamura. I'm impressed. Now — about you purposely getting bad grades…"
His eyes widen.
"I've made an arrangement with the school," I continue. "You can keep pretending to get bad grades so your classmates won't suspect anything. But after practice, you'll submit your real work to me, the one that shows your actual level. No one will know your IQ, but in return, you'll tell me how your day went and how you're feeling."
His jaw drops.
(Eijun's POV)
*SERIOUSLY?! THIS ARRANGEMENT IS SO GOOD!*
I nod furiously. "YES BOSS! THANK YOU, BOSS!" I bow 90 degrees while sitting. "But Boss, why are you doing this for me?"
"We don't want you to fail school because of your trauma. Plus, if your grades drop, you can't play," he says.
I nod, forming an "O" with my mouth.
"One more thing," Boss adds. "Since you've never had a coach, you're not used to team hierarchy."
*I actually am… but I can't say that.*
"Yes, Boss!"
"You'll get a few days of lenience to adjust, but after that, you must follow it perfectly. Understood?"
My eyes widen. "YES, BOSS!"
"Good. You can go now. Your new roommates are probably wondering where you are."
"YES, BOSS! BYE, BOSS! BYE, REI-CHAN!" I call as I head out.
"Wait… who's he calling Boss?" I hear Boss mutter as the door closes.
I head to the dorms and find Room 5.
*Oh right — the tradition.*
I giggle, head to the bathhouse, and put on fake makeup — a wound and some running blood for effect.
Then I rush to Room 5 and knock frantically. "HELP! HELP! HE'S AFTER ME!"
The door swings open. Kuramochi-senpai and Masuko-senpai stand there, pale.
I pant dramatically. "Help, please! He's coming!"
I grin when I see their faces "Got you, Kuramochi-senpai, Masuko-senpai!"
Kuramochi bursts out laughing. "Haha! You got us good, kid! I was supposed to prank you! What's your name?"
"Sawamura Eijun! Nice to meet you, senpai!" I bow with a grin.
"How'd you know our names, Sawamura?"
"Oh, Rei-chan told me," I answer cheerfully.
"Makes sense. Anyway" Kuramochi points to himself. "I'm Kuramochi Yōichi. You can call me Mochi-senpai or Kuramochi-senpai." Then he points at the silent giant beside him. "That's Masuko Tōru. You can call him Masuko-senpai. He's not talking as self-punishment for messing up in a game."
I nod seriously. "That's good discipline, Masuko-senpai."
Masuko holds up a note: *Thank you, Sawamura.*
Mochi grins, slinging an arm over my shoulder. "Alright, let's wipe this makeup off and play some games. Time to bond."
"YES, MOCHI-SENPAI!"
"Be quieter, Sawamura," he sighs.
"Oh, sorry, senpai! I'm naturally loud!"
He chuckles, shaking his head. We play games until 2 a.m.
Before bed, I speak to Jack.
*Jack, show me my stats.*
---------------
STATS MENU
Attribute Points: 0
Stamina: A (56/100)
Speed: B- (48/100)
Agility: B- (68/100)
Strength: B- (34/100)
Flexibility: A (54/100)
Control: A- (89/100)
Batting: c+ (97/100)
Bunting: A (56/100)
Fielding: C+ (96/100)
Base Running: B- (55/100)
Mentality: A+ (76/100)
Baseball IQ: A+ (74/100)
Non-Dominant Arm: C+ (87/100)
Skills: 29 (tap for more info)
---------------
*Jack, compare my stats to a player from my third year.*
"Your pitch accuracy is comparable to Narumiya Mei in his second year. Your batting matches Kominato Haruichi in his third year. Physically, you're close to your third-year autumn stats," Jack reports.
*Good. Jack, set an internal alarm for 6 a.m.*
"Got it, Eijun. Goodnight."
I roll onto my side and close my eyes, a grin tugging at my lips.