Baseball: A Two-Way Player

In the morning, Uesugi Yasuyuki woke up as usual, opening his eyes to see the familiar ceiling.

He turned his head to look at the other side of the room. Lin Guanglai was still lying in bed, not up yet — this was unlike him, Uesugi Yasuyuki thought to himself.

After all, whether it's regular training or match days, Lin Guanglai is always among the first few in the team to wake up — outsiders might think his achievements are due to talent; but Uesugi Yasuyuki, who has been inseparable from Lin Guanglai since junior high, knows that in terms of effort, he is at least just as diligent, if not more.

Getting out of bed, Uesugi Yasuyuki walked to the window of the dormitory, noticing a faint mist on the glass; wiping away the mist with his hand and looking outside, Uesugi Yasuyuki frowned.

"It's raining... and it looks like it's coming down quite hard. Can today's game still be played..."

Just as he was thinking this, the door of the room sounded.

Retracting his thoughts from the world outside the window, Uesugi Yasuyuki turned around and walked to the dormitory door, opened it: standing outside was the team's vice-captain, Kenshu Yasuda.

"Good morning, Yasuda-senpai," Uesugi Yasuyuki greeted him.

"Morning, Yasuyuki. Hasn't Guanglai woken up yet? Strange, this isn't like him..." Looking past Uesugi Yasuyuki, Kenshu Yasuda saw Lin Guanglai still lying in bed and felt a bit puzzled;

but he didn't think much of it, just assuming it was an occasional lie-in, and after retracting his gaze, he spoke to Uesugi Yasuyuki:

"Yasuyuki, once Guanglai wakes up, remember to tell him that due to the heavy rain, today's match against Showa High School has been postponed — the coach said to do indoor training in the team gym today."

"Understood," Uesugi Yasuyuki replied, saw Kenshu Yasuda off, and then turned back to Lin Guanglai's bed to wake him up.

"Wake up, Guanglai."

Lin Guanglai did not respond.

"Lin Guanglai—wake up! Today's match is canceled, the coach wants us to train in the gym."

Still no response from him.

Seeing Lin Guanglai in bed still not speaking, Uesugi Yasuyuki simply reached out to shake him, trying to wake him directly; but as his hand touched Lin Guanglai's body, the overly hot temperature he felt in his palm made Uesugi Yasuyuki realize something was seriously wrong.

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When Lin Guanglai woke up, he felt his eyes blurred, his head dizzy, with no strength in his muscles.

Opening his eyes, though sore from the fever, he found his window crowded with people: the serious-looking doctor, the anxious-looking club president Sasaki Shinichi, the pale-faced coach Izumi Minoru, and his baseball teammates crowding the room's doorway, all looking worried.

Under everyone's gaze, Lin Guanglai, dragging his heavy body, struggled to get up from the bed and spoke in a slightly hoarse voice:

"Coach, President... why are you all here? Also, what's wrong with me?"

The Waseda Jitsugyo Baseball Club's president Sasaki Shinichi sighed, then sat down beside the bed and spoke in a caring tone:

"The doctor said you have a respiratory infection caused by a cold, which resulted in a fever. You need to rest well for at least three to five days."

"Guanglai, you're the one who knows your body best; this issue, you should actually ask yourself."

Hearing this, Lin Guanglai began to recall yesterday's game, as well as every detail from returning to school until he went to bed.

"During yesterday's match against Fuchu, wasn't it drizzling halfway? I got rained on a bit, but didn't think much of it..."

"After coming back, I indeed felt my body was a bit heavy, so I went to bed early after eating and bathing..."

"I thought I was just tired from pitching, so I didn't say anything..."

He hadn't finished speaking when Coach Izumi Minoru interrupted him; usually lenient towards Lin Guanglai, this time, he released his emotions uncharacteristically:

"I thought, I thought, don't say those things to me, Lin Guanglai!"

"Do you remember what I always tell each of you—what's the most important thing for an athlete? Your body is your asset!"

"A player who can't even manage his own body, how do you expect me to rely on him to take on more responsibilities?"

"This was just a West Tokyo Conference match, but what if tomorrow's game was a Koshien semi-final, or even a final—when you're in this state as the team's captain, what about your teammates? What about those who wholeheartedly support us?"

Having said that, the frustrated Izumi Minoru glanced at Lin Guanglai and then walked out of the room without looking back.

Seeing the coach's demeanor, as the club president, Sasaki Shinichi comforted Lin Guanglai:

"Guanglai, don't take what Coach Izumi said to heart, he's just mad right now. You should focus on recovering and getting well soon—we rely on your performance if Waseda Jitsugyo wants to go to Koshien."

After saying that, Sasaki Shinichi got up from the bed, patted Lin Guanglai's shoulder, and also walked out.

Seeing that both the coach and the president had left, the players outside the room crowded in, chirping around Lin Guanglai's bed.

Outside the room, Izumi Minoru walked until he reached outside the student dormitory, looked at the torrential rain outside the window, found a deserted corner, and lit a cigarette.

As the tobacco burned, under the soothing effects of the swirling smoke and nicotine, Izumi Minoru's emotions somewhat calmed.

"Izumi, wasn't your earlier statement a bit too much?" Sasaki Shinichi asked from behind him.

Facing this question from his old partner, Izumi Minoru shook his head and sighed deeply: "I know my tone earlier was harsh, but Shinichi, have you thought about it, if I didn't use this tone, how would I make Guanglai remember this lesson deeply?"

"Guanglai is a very talented kid, in my over twenty years of career, I've never seen a genius of his level; for someone like him, the sky is the limit—therefore, as educators, we must wholeheartedly help him realize his potential."

"It's the details that determine success or failure, and often what determines a player's career ceiling are these seemingly trivial things: caring for the body, the desire to win... If players make mistakes and we don't correct them, should we let them pay a larger price after they enter society later?"

Faced with this question from Izumi Minoru, Sasaki Shinichi understood his good intentions and couldn't help but sigh: "You really think far ahead..."

Suddenly, as if thinking of something, Sasaki Shinichi asked Izumi Minoru: "Speaking of, with Guanglai like this now, it seems he won't make it against Showa Academy. Have you thought of how to adjust for the next match?"

This question hit the nail on the head. Izumi Minoru spread his hands and shook his head: "If I had thought of it, I wouldn't be here smoking."

"Without Guanglai on the field, it affects more than just the team's offense and defense..."