Amahisa Kousei.
Zhang Han's impression of that young man had never faded. The two had known each other since the Ichidaisan tryouts. Whether it was that tryout or watching Amahisa pitch afterward, Zhang Han had come away firmly convinced that his talent as a pitcher was exceptional.
How exceptional, exactly? Zhang Han couldn't put a precise number on it. But he was certain Amahisa was no worse than Manaka, and clearly a cut above Ichidaisan's previous substitute pitcher.
Sometimes, Zhang Han even felt a little sorry for Seido.
As one of the three prestigious schools, the other two seemed to have had their ace pitchers arranged by fate itself.
Narumiya Mei of Inashiro Industrial had already been pitching at ace level in his first year. If his stamina hadn't been a problem back then, he might have claimed the ace jersey number from the start.
Ichidaisan's situation had also been far luckier than Seido's. Last summer, Tokyo's strongest pitcher had been Ichidaisan's former ace. This year, Manaka had shown extraordinary ability on the Koshien stage. And for next year, they already had strong candidates waiting.
Seido, by contrast, used to get excited just when an ace showed any signs of awakening.
Hidezawa had been the most reliable pitcher on the staff in recent years. Now Hidezawa had retired, and the entire pitching rotation suddenly felt leaderless.
Zhang Han himself, due to the side effects of his Light Speed Ball, simply couldn't pitch heavy workloads.
Tanba's performance today had been excellent, but looking at his broader record, the inconsistency was hard to dismiss.
And then there was Kawakami. He had seemed reliable enough before today, but Ichidaisan's desperate offense had routed him completely.
Who knew when Seido would find a truly dependable ace.
"Amahisa didn't make it into the first string."
Hoshida's words hit Zhang Han like a bucket of cold water.
With the pitching talent Amahisa had shown, he couldn't make the first string? Was their coach blind? Or had something happened to him along the way?
"Injured?"
"Not injured. There were some other problems."
Miyakawa and Hoshida both let it rest there.
Zhang Han was not the kind of person to push. He let it go.
"That's truly a pity."
The game was over, and Seido had claimed their first championship of the year.
The Spring Tournament title was a complicated thing for a prestigious school like Seido. Not meaningless, but not exactly a crowning achievement either. Something between the two. With Tokyo Television's backing and millions of viewers watching, it at least served a purpose in terms of recognition and exposure. From that angle, there was something to celebrate.
The teammates celebrated briefly, then turned to thank the fans who had come out to support them. After that, they headed to the locker room to change and prepare for the ride back to school.
Zhang Han peeled off his game clothes, stuffed them into his bag, and pulled on a fresh team uniform. His undershirt and underwear were still damp with sweat, clinging to him uncomfortably. He just wanted to get back to school, shower, and eat something good.
The game had run nearly two hours. It was already 11:40.
The school cafeteria would have a celebration banquet waiting. Just thinking about it made Zhang Han's mouth water.
His childhood hadn't been impoverished, but it had been tight. He had never developed much resistance to a good spread. He enjoyed himself when he could and ate well when good food was in front of him.
Manager Ota appeared and announced that Tokyo Television had arranged a post-game interview. A short program segment, open to whoever was interested.
The teammates looked at each other. Nobody volunteered.
Manager Ota had no choice but to start calling names.
"Yuuki, Miyuki, Zhang Han, Isashiki... actually, forget Isashiki Jun. You three go."
The team captain, the starting catcher, and Zhang Han, who had hit two home runs. If anyone was most qualified to represent Seido today, those three were the obvious choices.
"Why am I out, Manager?"
Isashiki Jun was clearly annoyed. If he wasn't going to be sent, his name shouldn't have been called in the first place. Calling it and then pulling it back was worse than saying nothing.
"This is a good opportunity to promote the school. The players' individual image matters for something like this."
Manager Ota chose his words carefully.
The rest of the bus stifled laughter.
It wasn't that Isashiki Jun was unpleasant to look at. It was the little beard. It gave him the look of someone who had wandered in from a gang. Putting him on camera as a representative of Seido was not exactly the image they were going for.
Isashiki Jun had nothing he could say to that.
"I'll pass. Let the upperclassmen go."
Zhang Han still had his damp undershirt clinging to him, and every second of it was uncomfortable. He wanted a shower and a meal, in that order, as soon as possible.
Manager Ota was genuinely touched. Compared to the second-year players, the third-years needed the exposure far more. Zhang Han stepping aside without being asked said something about him.
"Then I'll also..."
Miyuki raised his hand.
"No. If neither of you go, it looks too deliberate."
They couldn't make it entirely about the third-years when Zhang Han and Miyuki had personally accounted for more than half of today's runs. Leaving both of them out of the segment would be impossible to justify.
"Kominato, you come along."
Kominato Ryosuke, Yuuki Tetsuya, Miyuki Kazuya. The three of them followed Manager Ota off to record the segment.
After they left, Zhang Han made his way over to the bus driver.
"Any idea when they'll be done?"
"Shouldn't be too long. The second team's bus is about to leave, if you're in a hurry."
The driver read the situation immediately.
Zhang Han wasn't embarrassed about it at all. But he wasn't willing to ride back with the second and third string players either. The celebration banquet wouldn't start until the first string returned. Sitting in the cafeteria surrounded by food he couldn't touch yet would be its own kind of torture.
He would wait.
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