DNA: Under The Sun

That evening, upperclassman Isashiki cornered them in the cafeteria, his voice as loud as ever.

"Every practice game's scoring has been carried by Kamishiro, damn it!"

"Practice! Practice until your hands are raw!"

"Relieving the ace's pressure on the mound is our job!"

The ones he was mainly yelling at were Miyuki, Maezono, Kuramochi, and Shirasu.

But even so, Isashiki Jun's words helped snap them back into focus.

The next day, training went on as usual.

No games scheduled.

Rinichi was starting to feel a little bored.

Like Miyuki, he wore a helmet and carried a bat, watching the others take swings inside the cage.

"What the hell, everyone's swings still look hesitant," Miyuki muttered under his breath.

Rinichi glanced at him.

"Do you really have the right to say that?"

He raised his right hand, held up four fingers, paused, then lowered one.

"In these last few games, you only connected with me three times."

Miyuki: "…"

"But compared to before, when we barely connected at all, that's still progress." Rinichi thought seriously.

He lifted his eyes.

"As expected, I should be the cleanup hitter."

"If I'm on base, your batting average should go up, right?"

Of course, unless he hit a home run—then Miyuki's average would stay the same.

Miyuki: "…"

This guy… he never stops eyeing the cleanup spot.

"By the way… we're having live batting practice this afternoon, right? I'll take the mound." Rinichi pointed at himself.

Miyuki: "…" Does he really have no self-awareness?

Besides, the whole point of the afternoon's batting practice was to build the hitters' confidence. Of course they couldn't let Rinichi pitch.

"No. You won't be on the mound." Miyuki said.

"Then… can I at least bat?"

"…"

Miyuki honestly didn't know how to answer that.

Still, this was the first time since the summer tournament that Rinichi had spoken this much to him.

The only complete game Rinichi had pitched recently was against Sakai High. Otherwise, Kataoka only let him throw two innings, didn't put him in the outfield either… At the very least, he hoped to enjoy some batting, but not even that.

Even Rinichi was getting restless.

After a long silence, Miyuki finally said:

"Go ask the coach."

Rinichi: "…"

How am I supposed to ask him that?

Then Miyuki stepped forward into an open space and called out:

"Batting practice starts at 1:30! Treat it like a real game—stay focused!"

"Yes!" everyone responded.

Rinichi's face was written all over with displeasure.

Out of the corner of his eye, Miyuki caught the expression.

"…"

Soon after, practice ended and they headed to the cafeteria.

"Who's pitching this afternoon?" Rinichi suddenly asked.

Miyuki chuckled. "Kawakami."

Kawakami-senpai?

Rinichi was surprised.

He thought it would be Furuya.

"Of course not… The purpose this afternoon is just to help the batters build confidence—"

Before he could finish, Rinichi said,

"Then I can just pitch nice hittable balls, right?"

Miyuki: "…"

Was he even listening to me?

"Anyway, you're not getting on the mound."

Rinichi said nothing. The air grew colder.

It was obvious he wasn't happy.

Miyuki: "…"

"Don't worry. There'll be games where you'll pitch complete."

"You're our ace—we just don't want you worn out."

Whether those words comforted Rinichi or not, Miyuki himself doubted it.

Probably, the one who gave him the most headaches yet the most reassurance in the whole team… was Rinichi.

When the two entered the cafeteria, they saw a crowd gathered.

Rinichi's first thought was: Is no one eating?

He moved around the edge and saw Coach Kataoka, along with the captain and vice-captain, standing there.

It seemed they were announcing a new coach.

A new coach?

Miyuki whispered to Rinichi,

"I heard the principal's invited him many times before."

Rinichi: "…"

Why do you even know that?

Coach Kataoka spoke:

"This isn't one of our alumni coaches returning, but a new, specially invited coach."

"He coached at Kanagawa's powerhouse Sagara High for twenty years. When their previous coach Yamamoto stepped down, he retired as well."

"Sagara High? Aren't they a team that often makes Koshien?" someone said.

Sagara High?

Rinichi thought for a moment. The name was familiar.

"Come to think of it, wasn't Kamishiro from Kanagawa originally?" Kanemaru asked.

Toujou nodded.

Kanemaru turned toward Rinichi.

"So you didn't go to Sagara?"

Rinichi: "…"

Suddenly, he remembered.

Sagara had scouted him before—that's why the name rang a bell.

Although many Kanagawa schools had invited him, in Tokyo the only one was Seidou.

That was one of the reasons he'd chosen to come to Seidou…

"…In any case, before the Autumn Tournament we must raise the team's overall strength and work on each of your challenges!"

Coach Kataoka's voice rose sharply.

Rinichi snapped back to attention and shouted with the others:

"Yes!"

Later, they learned the new coach's name—Ochiai Hiroshi.

That afternoon, he was already present at practice.

A short intra-squad scrimmage was held.

In the dugout, Rinichi let out a yawn, looking drowsy.

He picked up a bat, planning to get some swings in, completely unaware that Ochiai's gaze had been fixed on him the entire time.

Ochiai stroked his beard, watching Rinichi's back as he walked farther away.

The team's undeniable ace—Rinichi.

Whether in pitching or batting, he was practically flawless… Closer in style to a professional than a high school player.

And paired with that catcher…

To be honest, Ochiai felt that the infield and outfield defense hardly seemed necessary at all.

With just those two, the team was already almost complete.

If he remembered correctly… Rinichi had come from Daikyou.

He'd heard a few unsavory rumors about that team before…

But Rinichi's strength was undeniable.

In high school baseball, the batters who could actually hit his pitches were as rare as phoenix feathers.

And then there was the third-years' batting lineup.

No wonder this team had been able to dominate nationwide.

But now, their batting order was far too weak.

Ochiai shifted his gaze, resting it on Furuya standing off to the side.

Another power pitcher—if he were at a different high school, he might have been the next ace.

Unfortunately, he ended up at the same school as Rinichi… Still, if he performed well, at least he could help lessen Rinichi's workload.

Ochiai's thoughts paused.

He still couldn't quite understand why Rinichi hadn't chosen a powerhouse closer to home, one of Kanagawa's prestigious schools…

By all logic, that should have been the obvious choice—close to his family and with a track record of frequent Koshien appearances.

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