DNA: Under The Sun

"Are you planning to just hole up in the dorm all day?" Kuramochi asked.

Rinichi buried his face in the pillow, then after a while turned his head toward the wall and muttered,

"Isn't training only starting tomorrow?"

But Kuramochi still looked uneasy.

"If you're not feeling well, you should say something."

"I know, I know."

Like a nagging mother. Rinichi scoffed.

There was no way he was unwell. He prided himself on his body being in top condition.

His gaze drifted to the phone lying by the pillow.

A moment later, he heard Kuramochi shut the door.

Rinichi sat up and gripped the phone.

Training officially starts tomorrow. I should decide by then.

That thought sank him into silence. He ruffled his hair in frustration.

"So annoying…"

He flipped through his contacts and stopped on a familiar name.

With a breath held, he dialed. The line connected quickly.

"Senpai, I—"

Before he could finish, Shinomiya cut in.

"You want to quit the club?"

Rinichi froze. He hadn't expected that.

"Or do you think winning the national championship was nothing more than an assignment I gave you?"

Still, Rinichi remained silent.

"Rin… tell me, was playing baseball at Seidou fun for you? Did you find happiness there?"

Again, no response.

Shinomiya sighed.

"I see. Well, if it's fun, then keep playing. Besides, you're already in Seidou. At least finish the full three years. Leaving halfway through… doesn't that feel irresponsible?"

That hit a nerve. Rinichi flared.

"I've thought about that!"

Shinomiya softened his tone.

"I know, I know. Don't get mad. It's because you feel that responsibility—and because you really do enjoy it—that you're still torn about staying, isn't it?"

Rinichi said nothing, but his silence was answer enough.

"Part of this… is it because of me?"

Silence again. Shinomiya let out a quiet, helpless laugh.

He knew Rinichi well enough: silence meant either displeasure or hesitation.

"You got along with Okumura too, didn't you? And from now on, you'll always work with different catchers. Don't worry—your pitches will be caught. Good pitchers aren't replaced. Only weak ones are."

"This isn't youth baseball anymore, Rin."

Rinichi's gaze grew heavier.

"Besides, isn't Miyuki pretty good? They call him a genius catcher."

"…."

"Of course, he's not as good as Chris-senpai."

"…." Rinichi nearly twitched. Why bring Chris-senpai into this now?

And rare as it was, Shinomiya had actually used polite honorifics out of respect.

"But if you choose to keep playing, try becoming Miyuki's partner. Think of it as a test. If you can work smoothly with any catcher, wouldn't that make you the strongest pitcher?"

Shinomiya's tone carried the same warmth one might use coaxing a child.

The words struck home. Rinichi whispered, almost unconsciously:

"The strongest pitcher…"

Shinomiya smiled faintly, eyes lingering on a magazine spread featuring Rinichi's pitching form under the bold headline: "Japan's No. 1 Pitcher."

"Someday, Rin," Shinomiya suddenly said, "let's play baseball together again."

Rinichi's eyes lit up.

"Really?!"

"Of course! When?"

"…When you have time. For now, shouldn't you be preparing for your next game?"

"…Right."

"So? Are you staying at Seidou?"

Rinichi didn't answer. He just hung up.

Shinomiya stared at the dead line, helpless.

"Well… I guess that means he won't be quitting after all."

He set the phone down and turned back to the newspaper.

There, Rinichi stood beside Miyuki in a photo, the headline declaring: "The Strongest Battery."

The smile faded from Shinomiya's lips. His calm eyes seemed colder, deeper, unreadable.

....

"Captain?"

Rinichi blinked, halfway through chewing his meal.

Kanemaru leaned forward.

"Who do you think will be the next captain, Kamishiro?"

Rinichi glanced at him, then at the curious faces surrounding the table.

"…." Why are you asking me that?

He popped another bite of food in his mouth and asked back:

"Who do you guys think has the best chance?"

In the end, captaincy was for the upperclassmen. It had nothing to do with him.

Still… who will be the new captain?

"Normally, it's always the core members of the team."

"Like Kuramochi-senpai or Miyuki-senpai, right?"

Someone casually added that remark.

Rinichi: "???"

So that's who everyone was betting on?

He began to vividly picture in his mind what the team would look like if either of those two actually became captain.

If it were Kuramochi-senpai… things would probably get a lot more interesting.

"But, if we're talking about someone who really has that captain aura… I'd say it's Maezono-senpai."

Maezono-senpai?

That… didn't sound too bad either.

Rinichi mulled it over quietly.

"Hey, Kamishiro, stop just eating there—give us your opinion."

Rinichi: "…"

"You guys should probably be more worried about whether you can even make it onto the starting roster."

He had absolutely no interest in joining in on their little gossip session.

Whoever became captain—it really didn't matter to him. If they were chosen, then it meant the coach had already acknowledged them.

And if the coach acknowledged them, there was nothing more to question.

Everyone around him: "…"

Ouch. That was a brutally honest line.

Because it wasn't just the captain's spot that was competitive—the battle for a starting position was even more intense.

And after winning the national championship, everyone's hunger to make the starting lineup had grown even fiercer.

Kanemaru Shinji, however, couldn't help but imagine when they all became third-years… in the beginning, the one who could lead the team would make it much stronger…

At that time, the one most likely to be captain… was probably Rinichi.

After all, back in the junior league—during the final summer—he had been the captain of Daikyou.

But… the Rinichi from back then felt completely different from the Rinichi now—

The current Rinichi had this almost detached air, as if he didn't care about anything except shining on his own.

Thinking this, Kanemaru's gaze drifted toward Rinichi's calm, half-lidded eyes.

Sensing that look, Rinichi, still chewing lazily, tilted his head with a puzzled expression. "What?"

Kanemaru: "…"

He quickly turned his gaze away. "Nothing."

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