The Old Baseball Player System

"Shoto's become quite a tough opponent, huh? It won't be easy if we end up facing them in the Kanto tournament." - A boy with a fake mustache on his face remarked. This was Kohei Sasaki, the ace of Hokuto Junior High School, and he seemed pretty interested in Shoto's team, especially in Shun, after seeing the boy's perfect game.

"Hmph! Let's go!" - Sugawara, Hokuto's catcher, huffed as he stroked his long, fake white beard. He didn't seem interested in watching the awards ceremony at all.

"Alright..." - Kohei sighed as he looked at his irritated friend. For some reason, Sugawara always acted like this after seeing Shoto win, yet he always insisted on watching Shoto's games. Luckily, Kohei knew his friend was a bit of a weirdo, otherwise, he would have started losing his mind from interacting with Sugawara.

The two friends got up and started walking toward the exit, but before they reached the stairs by the dugout, they heard a child's voice calling.

"Santa, wait!" - A little boy, around four years old, yelled as he ran toward Sugawara.

"Huh?" - Sugawara looked shocked as he saw the child running toward him. Then he noticed a woman running after the boy, probably his mother.

"I'm sorry, but could you take a picture with my son?" - The woman managed to grab the boy before he could jump on "Santa" and hug him, but as she asked her question, Sugawara's confusion only grew.
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"Pft! Of course, he'd love to." - Seeing his friend frozen, unsure of what to do, Kohei couldn't hold back a chuckle and went on to tease him further.

"Thank you!" - The woman expressed her gratitude, and without wasting any time, the little boy ran up and hugged "Santa." Sugawara remained paralyzed as the woman took a picture of him with the boy. After the photo, both thanked him and left, but it took a few seconds before Sugawara could say anything.

"I-I... What just happened?" - Sugawara asked Kohei, looking confused, still not fully understanding what had just taken place. But, unfortunately for him, Kohei couldn't hold back any longer.

"Hahahahaha! You're the best, man!" - Kohei burst out laughing, clutching his stomach. Witnessing his friend's shock, he couldn't deny that coming to this game had been worth it.

---

Back on the field, the players from Kasuga and Shoto left their dugouts, forming lines facing each other.

"Thank you for the game!" - All the players from both teams said as they bowed toward each other.

Shun straightened up, looking at Kasuga's players. As happy as he was to have qualified for the Kanto tournament, it was hard seeing his opponents in tears.

Many of Kasuga's players were third-year students, meaning this was their last official game with the team. Shun couldn't say he fully understood that feeling, but he knew that this was just how things worked, those who lost went home, while those who won lived to play another day.

"Shun!" - Shun was about to turn and head back to the dugout when someone called his name. He looked toward the voice and saw Imai, Kasuga's ace, walking toward him.

Imai's eyes were swollen, clearly from crying, but at that moment, there were no tears on his face.

"Hey..." - Shun greeted, a bit uncomfortable. He wasn't used to talking with opponents, especially right after defeating them.

"It was a good game. Let's do this again in high school!" - Imai extended his hand toward Shun with a slightly forced smile, but Shun could feel the sincerity in his voice.

"Hehe, of course!" - Shun grinned as he shook Imai's hand. He would love to face Imai again, after all, he loved baseball.

"Don't lose!" - Imai gripped Shun's hand firmly, speaking with a determined expression before releasing it and turning away. He didn't wait for a response and walked off, leaving Shun alone.

Shun watched Imai's back, a bit surprised by his words, but he could feel the hopes Imai had placed on him. Shun clenched his fist tightly, a determined look in his eyes as he looked at the number 1 on Imai's back.

'I won't lose!' - Shun repeated those words with determination in his mind.

---

The Shoto players had to wait a bit longer in the dugout while a small stage was set up on the field. Shun noticed Seishin's players arriving on the field from the other dugout now that Kasuga's players had left.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, it's an honor to speak with you all! I'd like to ask everyone to stand and welcome the two winning teams that will represent Tokyo in the Kanto middle school tournament!" - A man in a suit spoke into a microphone, and the remaining crowd in the stands stood up, applauding.

The Seishin and Shoto teams emerged from their dugouts, forming two lines in front of the stage. Shun carefully observed the Seishin players. He hadn't paid much attention to their game today, but he knew they would be tough opponents if they met in the Kanto tournament. Fortunately, Shimizu had recorded the entire game, and Shun would definitely study them as much as he could over the coming week.

"Now, please step up to the stage to receive your medals, the winners of the first bracket in the Tokyo tournament, Seishin Junior High School!"

A round of applause echoed through the stadium as Seishin's players climbed onto the stage one by one, receiving their medals and greetings from the tournament representatives and a few notable figures on stage.

Shun watched eagerly as the Seishin players received their medals, barely able to wait for his own turn to step up. While Shun knew this wasn't the ultimate prize he wanted, it had been a long time since he'd received a medal for baseball, and he couldn't deny that he'd love to wear one around his neck.

After all the Seishin players returned to their line, the man in the suit quickly spoke into the microphone again.

"And now, please come to the stage to receive your medals, the winners of the second bracket in the Tokyo tournament, Shoto Junior High School!"