Chapter 10: Testing!

After dealing with the two, Kataoka's gaze swept from left to right across the faces of the First Years.

"Not bad, your spirits are all very high."

"First, welcome everyone to the Seido High School Baseball Club. Since you have chosen this place, I believe you all have some understanding of it."

"Seido! Ability is supreme!"

"No matter what achievements you attained during middle school, from this moment on, everything returns to zero!"

"Did you hear me?" Director Kataoka roared.

"Yes!!!"

The First Years were all like they'd been injected with adrenaline after hearing these words; it's no wonder they say they're simple-minded.

After the customary annual opening remarks, it was time for the First Years' self-introductions. With so many people in the Baseball Club, if one wanted to stand out, a self-introduction with personal flair was a great way to earn extra points.

Starting from the left, one by one, the First Years completed their self-introductions, some confident, some nervous.

Among them, the one who left a deep impression on Huangqian Yangyi was Kuramochi Yoichi; this guy spouted so much nonsense he almost told everyone whether he preferred wearing boxer briefs or trunks.

"My name is Miyuki Kazuya, from Edogawa Little League, and the defensive position I hope for is Catcher!"

Miyuki Kazuya stared with glowing eyes at Kataoka Tesshin, who was standing before him.

A confident smile, a resonant voice, plus that handsome face of his, made him stand out from the crowd compared to those who had already introduced themselves.

The appearance of this name also triggered a small wave of gasps; whether they were First Years or upperclassmen, most had heard the name Miyuki Kazuya.

As a famous genius Catcher in the Kanto region, he had already attracted too much attention before even entering high school.

"Tch, 'genius' this, 'genius' that..." A voice came from nearby, and when Huangqian Yangyi turned his head, he saw Kuramochi Yoichi looking annoyed.

Tsk tsk, drawing aggro on the first day of joining the club, you really are something.

"Next!"

"My name is Huangqian Yangyi, I come from Kyoto, and the defensive position I hope for is Pitcher!"

"No other considerations, finished!"

Huangqian Yangyi shouted with his hands behind his back, using a voice even louder than Miyuki's.

It's just having a loud voice, as if anyone couldn't do that.

"You're pretty good."

Miyuki whispered.

When it came down to it, other than being loud, Huangqian Yangyi's self-introduction had no other special features, and the First Years didn't have much of a reaction.

What was different was that after Huangqian Yangyi finished shouting, the line of upperclassmen became restless; those looks were as if they wanted to eat him alive.

A few minutes later, the self-introduction session ended.

"Morning practice starts now. Second and Third Years, independent training on A-side Field; First Years, B-side Field. You are allowed to practice in your own way, and defensive tests will be held at 4 PM," said Kataoka Tesshin.

This year's joining time happened to fall on a Monday, so everyone had to go to class later, leaving no choice but to push the First Years' defensive tests to the afternoon.

"Yes!"

"Miyuki, Huangqian, you two go run!"

"Hai~"

And so, while the other First Years had already started getting to know each other and playing catch, Huangqian Yangyi, that poor sap, followed behind Miyuki with a face full of resentment.

"An hour and a half! Miyuki Kazuya, you animal!"

After morning practice ended, Huangqian Yangyi returned to the dormitory grumbling to shower and change clothes, then went to eat breakfast with Miyuki.

At 8:30, in First Year Class A, Huangqian Yangyi arrived at the door of his classroom; his high school life officially began at this moment.

"Go in, why did you stop?"

Huangqian Yangyi sighed; it would be perfect if Miyuki were in a different class.

Looking at Miyuki Kazuya grinning beside him, Huangqian Yangyi felt his future was bleak.

Entering the classroom, he saw Kuramochi Yoichi sitting by the window at a glance.

Seeing the two enter, Kuramochi Yoichi clicked his tongue; how did these two guys end up in the same class as him?

"Student Kuramochi, I didn't expect us to be in the same class," Huangqian Yangyi said with a smile.

A smiling tiger!

Kuramochi Yoichi secretly labeled Huangqian Yangyi in his heart.

"Haha, this must be fate, our seats are also connected," Miyuki said, sitting behind Kuramochi Yoichi with a smile.

This guy is an idiot, Kuramochi Yoichi evaluated Miyuki.

Although he didn't want to, he still greeted both of them.

Back row by the window, the home of the king; a few minutes after Huangqian Yangyi sat down, the bell for class rang.

The first period was English, and just as Huangqian Yangyi took out his book, the teacher walked in.

"Rei, Rei-chan!"

Hm?

Takashima Rei glared over with a sharp, icy gaze.

"Sensei!"

Huangqian Yangyi immediately corrected himself, and he saw Miyuki turn his head; both of them had bitter expressions on their faces—they couldn't sleep in class anymore.

Class time passed very slowly! At least that's what Huangqian Yangyi thought.

Finally managing to hold out until school let out at three in the afternoon, Huangqian Yangyi dashed out of the classroom, leaving Miyuki behind.

At 4 PM, the Second and Third Year upperclassmen consciously went to A-side Field for independent practice, while the First Years began their defensive tests on B-side Field.

Seeing some newcomers were too nervous, Department Head Ota stepped out after Kataoka finished speaking to comfort everyone.

"Students, today's test is just to get a general understanding of you. Don't take it too seriously, and don't have any psychological burden. In our team, we generally don't select players directly from the First Years."

"As long as everyone takes it one step at a time and builds a solid foundation, there will always be a day when you shine..."

After Department Head Ota finished speaking, he quietly glanced at Kawakami, who was standing in the corner of the last row.

The test began, and under the guidance of the Assistant Coach, the new students lined up in an orderly fashion to start the first item: the stationary pitching distance test.

The first to step up was Shirasu; he gave the impression of being an honest kid, not saying much, looking quite plain, but the moment the ball was thrown, everyone went quiet.

"110 meters!"

Who could have imagined that the first person to step up would not only be calm but also throw 110 meters.

"Next."

The new students lined up to pitch, with most of them landing in the 70 to 80-meter range.

"Kazuya, it's your turn." Huangqian Yangyi lifted his knee and nudged Miyuki's buttock.

Miyuki Kazuya rubbed his butt, walked forward to take the baseball, took a deep breath, and threw it out.

"115 meters!"

Wow~

A chorus of admiration rose up; the new students looked at Miyuki's back and could only sigh that he lived up to his reputation.

"Hehe~" Miyuki turned his head and flashed his big teeth at Huangqian Yangyi.

"Next, Huangqian Yangyi!"

Huangqian Yangyi walked forward and high-fived Miyuki as he returned.

"Perform well, Ace!" Miyuki said in a low voice.

"Heh, that goes without saying."

Taking the baseball handed over by the Assistant Coach, Huangqian Yangyi shook out his arm; although he was told to perform well, it was just a test, so there was no need to go to the extreme of using full power.

Whoosh~

A white laser beam shot out from his fingertips; before anyone could even react, Huangqian Yangyi had already finished his pitch.

The Assistant Coach responsible for announcing the numbers stood stunned for a full ten seconds after confirming the distance.

"1... 125 meters!"

A discussion even more boisterous than before erupted, and this time, the subject of their discussion was this guy who had originally been unknown.