Chapter 448: The Intra-Squad Match Proposal
In this moment, Miyuki truly let his scheming side shine.
He had already been planning to reassert his presence with Eijun, to quietly remind him who held the reins in their battery. All he'd been missing was an excuse—
And wouldn't you know it, Eijun walked right into it on his own.
No need to hesitate.
Strike while the iron is hot—that was one of Miyuki's golden rules in life.
And the outcome? Well, it was exactly as you'd expect.
After getting Eijun to agree to a whole slew of lopsided conditions—
Miyuki finally let him off the hook, thoroughly satisfied.
Eijun, on the other hand, looked like a wronged little wife, sulking in frustration.
As the saying goes:
"Good and evil will be repaid in turn; the heavens miss no one."
"Lift your head and look—justice never skips a soul."
People really ought to remember—
Don't get too full of yourself.
...
"Status report?"
After that short burst of teasing, Miyuki quickly got back on track. He had always been good at separating business from pleasure.
Eijun's inner grumblings only lasted a second or two.
The moment he heard Miyuki's serious tone, he straightened up and replied at once.
"Not bad. The two-seamer's coming along nicely. Everything felt solid during my session with Chris-senpai earlier—no major problems."
Eijun answered in a calm, composed tone.
"Got it."
Miyuki nodded.
Then, as expected, his gaze shifted toward Chris, who had just walked over.
It wasn't that he didn't trust Eijun—
But from a catcher's perspective, especially as the one receiving the ball, the view and insights were always different.
Pitchers saw things from their own point of view.
Catchers had a completely separate read on the pitch—especially since they were the ones actually receiving it.
That's why, even after asking Eijun, Miyuki still turned to Chris for confirmation.
"Yeah, overall it's stable. The pitch is landing in the strike zone now. But you still need to watch the height, Miyuki. And because it's a newly learned pitch, you've got to be careful—it might tend to float high in the later innings. As far as sinking fastballs go, Sawamura's version has a bit of an inside drift before it drops. Honestly, it's already becoming his own personal take on the two-seamer. Just make sure to watch out for that in an actual game."
Chris's voice was calm but serious as he addressed Miyuki.
"Yes, I understand, Chris-senpai."
Miyuki nodded earnestly in reply.
And with those words—
His tone shifted slightly, carrying a subtle note of respect.
To Miyuki, there were very few people his age or close in age that he genuinely respected.
Chris was without question one of them.
From the moment they first met back in junior high to everything that happened after entering Seidou—
Chris's experience, his perseverance, and his quiet strength had earned Miyuki's sincere admiration.
...
October 20th
"Huh? Did you say an intra-squad match?"
"Intra-squad?"
"At a time like this?"
After wrapping up their usual daily training, the players gathered together as Coach Kataoka, along with Coach Ochiai and Ota, stood in front of Eijun and the rest of the team and announced a surprise decision:
They would be holding a red vs. white scrimmage match that very afternoon.
Among the players, only Eijun showed no particular reaction.
The rest glanced at one another in confusion.
After all, they were right in the middle of a high-stakes tournament.
Their upcoming semifinal and potential final opponents weren't going to be easy.
Normally—
This wasn't the time for high-risk practice games that could lead to injuries.
Even Miyuki had a slightly puzzled look on his face.
But in the next moment—
Miyuki understood what Coach Kataoka was thinking.
Lately, the team atmosphere had been getting a little too relaxed.
Especially among the bench players—
Tension was lacking.
By holding an intra-squad game like this, they could not only satisfy the bench players' desire to get on the field and vent some energy, but also put subtle pressure on the starting lineup.
Give them a sense of urgency.
In fact—
Coach Kataoka likely intended to use this match to evaluate the condition of each player on the 20-man roster.
And if a regular player wasn't performing up to standard while a backup showed better form?
Kataoka wouldn't hesitate to make a change.
Just look at Kanemaru and Shoji.
It's not like Kanemaru had officially taken Dhoji's starting position, but in terms of playing time, he was clearly ahead.
One was a second-year starter wearing jersey #5.
The other, a first-year backup wearing #15.
A very real, very visible example.
You could bet Shoji felt the pressure—and so did everyone else.
Kataoka's goal was to use this direct confrontation to inject a healthy dose of self-awareness and competition into the team.
That way, they'd never slack off, whether in training or in actual games.
Self-motivation is important—
But so is external pressure.
That's one of the secrets behind a powerhouse team's lasting strength.
Internal competition helps maintain the team's sharpness and overall performance.
...
"But," Kataoka added with a slight nod, "this intra-squad match will be a little different from usual."
"Different?"
Among the players—
Miyuki's eyes glinted faintly, as if something had just clicked in his mind.
"The teams will still be split into starters and backups," Kataoka explained, "but we've made a few adjustments. For the starting team: Furuya will pitch the first five innings, then Kawakami will take over in the sixth. Kanemaru will start at third base."
"For the backup team: Sawamura will pitch the first five innings, then Kaneda will pitch the sixth. Shoji will start at third base."
"Huh?"
"Wait…"
"Seriously?"
Voices of surprise and confusion rippled through the Seidou players.
Even Eijun looked momentarily stunned.
What? I'm the ace now… and I'm starting for the backup team?
Not that Eijun minded which side he pitched for.
And of course, just because he was assigned to the backup team didn't mean he'd been demoted.
His jersey number, his standing on the team—he'd earned all of it through performance.
So there was nothing to worry about.
He was just… a little confused, that's all.
Honestly, most people didn't understand the move.
The Shoji vs. Kanemaru switch made some sense—they were in direct competition, and Kanemaru had been getting more starts recently.
But Sawamura?
Very few could grasp the reasoning there.
Except maybe a select few—
And perhaps only Miyuki had an idea, albeit an uncertain one.
...
"Coach Ochiai will lead the starters. I'll lead the backups," Kataoka declared.
"This is a real battle—I expect to see you all giving it your absolute best. Got it!?"
"YES, SIR!!!"
-------------------
If you want to read 10 advance chapters ahead.
Visit my patreon: patreon.com/Leonzky