DNA: Under The Sun

"...Then let's have the new captain say a few words."

Rinichi blinked back into focus.

New captain?

Everyone's eyes shifted in the same direction.

Following their gaze, Rinichi saw Miyuki.

So he's the one...

Miyuki walked through the crowd toward the front, his expression a little stiff.

"Uh... damn, what should I even say?" He glanced awkwardly toward the coach.

Ota whispered with a wry smile, "Just a short speech is fine."

One of the other second-years chuckled. "Look, he's nervous."

Scratching the back of his head, Miyuki exhaled and lowered his gaze for a moment.

"I don't know what to say... but I'll keep it short. We may have conquered the nation, but that was only temporary. What we have to do—is conquer it again!"

His eyes gleamed with sharp resolve, leaving no room for hesitation.

Those words ignited everyone's fighting spirit, burning hot enough to spill over.

A loud, thunderous cheer shook the field.

Miyuki raised his voice once more. "From now on, I'll speak my mind directly—so be prepared."

The players stiffened slightly at his tone.

"Alright, let's start with warm-ups."

"Too soft, Captain! Too soft!" screamed Maezono from the side.

"..."

Forcing himself to shout louder, Miyuki barked,

"Warm-ups! Put your voices into it!"

"Yes, sir!"

The energy surged.

Rinichi, trying to keep a low profile, drifted toward the back of the group. A trace of sly relief flickered across his face.

"Kamishiro! Run faster!"

"..."

So you can't slack off as captain, and now you're dragging me down with you, huh?

"Kamishiro! Where's your voice?!"

"..."

What a pain.

Running while shouting... that was the most exhausting thing of all, at least in Rinichi's view.

Once warm-ups ended, everyone scattered to their individual drills. Pitchers, naturally, headed for the bullpen.

But instead of following, Miyuki turned at once to look for Rinichi. Even after most players had cleared out, he still couldn't spot him.

"..."

That guy disappeared again.

He searched the batting area but found nothing. His irritation rose—until, by chance, he caught sight of Rinichi elsewhere.

A bucket of balls sat beside him as he threw pitch after pitch into the net—slow, precise, textbook mechanics.

"..."

Miyuki approached.

"What are you doing out here?"

"Head to the bullpen. I'll catch for you."

Without looking his way, Rinichi picked up another ball and released it smoothly.

"No need," he said flatly. "I just want to increase my pitch count."

"And build stamina."

"How many are you planning to throw?"

"At least 120."

If he chose to stay, then progress was mandatory.

Miyuki froze for a moment, then gave a quiet, resigned laugh. His expression softened into something more serious.

Even Rinichi keeps moving forward. If I stay the same, I'll just be left behind...

And yet—Rinichi still wasn't satisfied.

....

Later, passing the training field, Rinichi saw Coach Kataoka with a bat in hand, smacking balls across the diamond.

The players shouted, though the sheer number of voices made the scene chaotic.

Kataoka raised the bat and barked, "What's wrong? Where's the infield's voice?!"

The next chorus was a little louder, but still not enough.

Watching their sweat-stained, dirt-covered bodies, Rinichi lingered for a moment longer before turning away.

....

In the dugout, Watanabe leaned on a bench.

"What do you think of the new team?" someone asked.

He considered for a moment. "The heart of the batting order is gone. Even with Kamishiro, he can't carry it all alone... the lineup will definitely lose power. Defensively, we've still got Miyuki and Kuramochi in the infield, Shirasu in the outfield... and our ace, Kamishiro. With his pitching shutting down opponents, we can still aim for the top."

"But that just means the pressure on him is even greater. He has to dominate the mound and contribute runs. If the lineup were stronger, he wouldn't have to bear so much."

"All in all, we've still got at least four solid starters.

Now it's just a matter of who steps up to fill the gaps."

...

Meanwhile, Rinichi turned to leave.

From inside the field, one of the players spotted him.

Grabbing a ball, he gritted his teeth and hurled it across with extra force.

Within the team, the only one exempt from fielding practice was Rinichi.

Coach Kataoka had said it was to help him recover from fatigue.

Yet even after two days of rest, it still felt deliberate—almost as if the coach was intentionally keeping him out.

Now that I think about it... there's a game the day after tomorrow, isn't there?

Walking back to the dorms, Rinichi mulled over the coach's words.

"The day after tomorrow we'll have a practice game. Until then, just focus on light training on your own."

Or maybe... is it because my presence affects the others?

Like, if they know I'm there, they feel safe. And once they feel safe, they start to slack off...

It wasn't the first time something like that had happened.

Is that what the coach is worried about?

Rinichi sighed, brushing off the thought.

"Then... in the practice game, show them through your performance. Lift their spirits with how you play.

Since it's only a practice game, I don't intend for you to pitch a complete game."

If he were to go the distance, it would make things far too easy for the team. That would defeat the whole purpose of a practice match.

Rinichi thought about it more.

Doesn't that mean I'll basically be idle until the Autumn Tournament?

Maybe I should take some time off... go play baseball with Azuma-senpai or something...

He stopped in his tracks.

That doesn't sound half bad.

But then again, wouldn't that mean abandoning the team? The idea didn't sit well.

His thoughts grew tangled.

The contrast was stark—while his teammates trained desperately, he remained relatively idle. And yet, the more he appeared relaxed, the harder they pushed themselves.

Maybe this too is part of the coach's plan...

Occasionally, Kataoka would pull him in—like for the intra-squad red-vs-white scrimmage that determined the lineup.

Standing on the mound, Rinichi instilled a crushing fear in the batters, who couldn't even lay a finger on the ball.

In that moment, every hitter thought only one thing:

"This is the strength capable of suppressing any lineup."

"This is the power of the nation's number one pitcher."

After days of grueling practice, the team finally faced the practice match.

And this match was more than just a warm-up—

it was the test of their abilities, the moment that would decide the regular starters.

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