The cheerleading squad, the second string, and the third string players, who had returned a step earlier, had not gone back inside the school. Instead, they were waiting at the school gate alongside the principal, the dean, and a crowd of students.
The Spring Tournament title was not something to boast about on its own, but the publicity from Tokyo Television was another matter entirely. Seido had become famous overnight. The principal and dean were overjoyed, and that joy had produced the scene now unfolding in front of them.
"Let us extend our warmest welcome to our triumphant heroes," the dean announced in a high, carrying voice.
The baseball team members and students lining both sides broke into enthusiastic applause.
The plump principal, holding a wreath, made his way toward Coach Kataoka. Coach Kataoka bent down to let him place it around his neck. This was not flattery on Kataoka's part. It was simple physics. If he hadn't lowered his head, the principal couldn't have reached him.
Seeing the top of Coach Kataoka's head for the first time, the principal was quietly moved. After all this time, it was the first occasion he had seen Kataoka bow his head before him.
"Congratulations."
"Thank you. For your trust, and the Board of Directors' as well."
Coach Kataoka meant it. His early record had not been good. Without the principal and the Board's unwavering support, none of this would have been possible.
"But isn't this a bit much? Last year, when we advanced to Koshien, we didn't even..."
The warmth of the reception made Coach Kataoka uneasy. A Tokyo Spring Tournament title didn't feel like it warranted all of this.
"Back then, we were worried about the players getting too confident before Koshien. Now your players have matured. We believe they can handle even the highest honors without it going to their heads."
The principal smiled as he said it.
Anyone who rises to a position like his, whatever path they took to get there, is not a simple person. Coach Kataoka looked at him with something close to renewed respect.
"Thank you."
This time it came out even more sincerely than the first.
The principal stood on his toes and patted Coach Kataoka's shoulder.
"We are still looking forward to you leading these young men to even greater heights."
"Yes!"
Accompanied by their classmates, the Seido team made their way to the school's banquet hall.
The cafeteria had put out an extraordinary spread. Not just for the first string. The second and third string players had more than enough to share in as well.
Zhang Han had been looking forward to this for a long time.
He was generally not interested in the school's everyday food. It didn't suit his taste, and if the cafeteria hadn't been free, he would have eaten very little of it. But banquets were different. Banquets had meat, and a lot of it.
Consuming too much meat wasn't ideal for an athlete, but an occasional indulgence was fine.
He had barely sat down before someone reached over, snatched the lobster right out of his hand, and said, "Have you noticed how quiet it is in here today?"
Zhang Han looked around.
Usually, the cafeteria had a low hum to it. People spoke quietly, but there was always conversation, always a few clusters of friends murmuring to each other. Today there was nothing. Silence.
The first string players who had just come off the game were focused entirely on eating. Their mouths were occupied; there was no room for talking.
The second and third string players were behaving strangely. They weren't wolfing their food down. They were eating carefully, almost elegantly, as if restraining themselves. And unlike usual, almost no one was talking. Just quiet, methodical eating.
"When did everyone become so refined all of a sudden?"
Zhang Han muttered, genuinely puzzled. For a moment he wondered if he had walked into the wrong room. The place looked right. The faces were the same. Something else had changed.
"There are plenty on the table. Why did you take mine?"
He turned to Miyuki with clear dissatisfaction.
"It hasn't been peeled yet."
Miyuki said this with complete innocence.
"Don't you have hands?"
"My peeling isn't as good as yours."
It was such a shameless answer that Zhang Han couldn't find a reasonable response to it. He peeled another one, took a bite, and let himself enjoy it. Among all seafood, shrimp had the best texture, at least in his opinion. Especially chewy.
"There's supposed to be a welcome match this afternoon, right? Everyone is probably thinking about that. It's not surprising the mood is like this."
Zhang Han remembered the news he had heard earlier, though something about today's welcome match felt a little different from what he had expected.
"You don't know yet, do you? Before this match, the second string and the new students had a preliminary round. Nine players were selected from the second string and eleven from the new students. And apparently the new students have had special coaching. They've been in training for a week already."
Zhang Han blinked.
Even though the first string, second string, third string, and new students always trained separately, something this significant happening without him catching wind of it was unusual. Toujou and Kanemaru hadn't mentioned a word either.
Now that Miyuki brought it up, Zhang Han did recall that those two had been acting a little strange lately. They hadn't bothered him in days. They had probably been in special training.
"They've really grown up."
Zhang Han felt a small pang of something, but mostly he felt relieved.
"This has nothing to do with us though, right? Coach wants to assess the new combat power, and once that's sorted, we just cooperate."
Zhang Han still didn't see how any of this connected to him.
Miyuki looked at him with an expression that suggested he wanted to say something but wasn't sure how to start.
"If you have something to say, just say it."
"It might have nothing to do with me. But it might not be the same for you. Have you noticed that Coach's attitude toward you today has been a little off?"
Zhang Han hadn't noticed at all. But now that Miyuki mentioned it, he turned it over in his mind, and it did seem a little strange.
"What could that have to do with me?"
"You'd have to ask Coach directly. But you haven't forgotten how last year's welcome match went, have you? We were thoroughly beaten by the seniors. We had no information going in, we underestimated how serious they were about it, and there was no one giving direction. We were a complete mess. Now think about how much preparation these new students have been given. Doesn't the difference in treatment seem a little large?"
"When you put it that way, it does seem a bit unfair."
"You know Coach isn't the type to do things without reason. Would he build up the new students' strength just to let them put on a show?"
It seemed unlikely.
To put it bluntly, if Coach Kataoka wasn't actively making things harder for the new students, they should consider themselves fortunate. Expecting him to favor them was wishful thinking.
Zhang Han turned the question over while working through his food. What could the afternoon's welcome match possibly have to do with him?
Miyuki might have a point, but it still felt unlikely. He had just played a full game that morning. Coach Kataoka was not the type to send him back out. And against students who had been on the team less than a month, his presence would be less competition and more bullying.
He couldn't work it out, so he set it aside and focused on eating. He also had to stay alert around Miyuki. Once you got to know him, you realized the man was not only extremely sharp-tongued but entirely shameless. An honest person could get taken advantage of very easily if they weren't paying attention.
After the meal, Zhang Han spotted Toujou and Kanemaru. Both of them were sitting very still, eating carefully and not much. Eating too heavily before a game was a risk. If they were sick on the field, they would never hear the end of it, and Coach Kataoka would certainly take note.
It looked like both of them had made the eleven-player roster from the new students.
Zhang Han smiled quietly to himself but didn't go over. Anything said now would be unnecessary. Better to say something after the game.
Even as elite selections from the new intake, he didn't think they stood much of a chance against the nine players from the second string. The second string wasn't first string level, but they had played in many practice games. Their track record alone was impressive. How could new students who had barely been on the team a month expect to challenge seniors like that?
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