Chapter 78: Extra: Sacrificing the Whole Team for the Ace
Fully geared up, Shinomiya's gaze fell on Rinichi, who was still sitting frozen on the bench.
Standing behind him, he spoke flatly:
"Go warm up. The game's about to start."
Only then did Rinichi stiffly respond, his voice dull, his eyes empty of light.
Some players in the corner whispered anxiously.
"What's with Rinichi today?"
"No idea…"
The game began, yet Rinichi looked no different standing on the mound.
The brim of his cap cast a heavy shadow across his eyes.
He stared down at the ball trembling faintly in his right hand, then clenched it tightly to stop the shaking.
The umpire's sharp "Play ball!" made his chest seize up.
Rinichi gritted his teeth.
"Ball!"
…
A creeping fear spread through him.
"Walk!"
For the first time, everyone saw him like this.
The fielders exchanged uneasy glances, calling out words of encouragement toward the mound.
But Rinichi, standing there, couldn't hear a thing.
As for Shinomiya—he didn't even gesture, didn't offer the slightest comfort. That was what baffled them most.
....
"Walk!"
That made three straight walks.
The bases were now loaded.
And still, Shinomiya's face remained impassive, with no sign of calling for a timeout.
The atmosphere grew suffocating.
Every pitch Rinichi threw veered wide of the strike zone.
The coach's expression darkened, sweat beading on his brow, yet he didn't dare intervene.
That Shinomiya kid—was he really willing to sacrifice the whole team for the sake of the ace?
At this point, it certainly looked that way.
Then came the fourth pitch. A hit-by-pitch.
Even with a soft ball, the batter grimaced in pain.
And just like that, the opposing team walked in a run.
Only then did Shinomiya finally call time—but his hand signal told the fielders to stay back.
He approached Rinichi, who stood slumped, sweat dripping down his face.
"You plan to keep this up?" Shinomiya's voice was calm, almost cold.
"To drag the whole team down with you?"
Rinichi's hands tightened on the ball.
"How many hits will it take before you calm down? How many runs?"
"You're the ace. The pillar of this team. No matter what happens, the one who must never waver is you."
"The ace's performance sets the tone for everyone else—when you shine, the offense ignites, the team gets stronger. But if you crumble, the entire team falls into despair."
"Rinichi…"
"Wearing that number '1,' standing on the mound, means carrying the weight of the entire team."
But… wasn't that the same as saying he had to shoulder everything alone?
The crushing weight made it hard for him to breathe.
Shinomiya exhaled softly.
"This game—you're not coming out. No matter how many walks, how many hit batsmen, how many runs they score—you'll stay on that mound."
Rinichi's head snapped up, eyes wide with shock.
"If the team loses, the blame is yours alone."
Lightless eyes filled with terror.
"So stop thinking about escape. If you run from this, then the next game—and the game after that—will be waiting for you all the same."
Shinomiya slapped a gloved hand against Rinichi's chest.
"Think carefully."
Then he turned and walked calmly back behind the plate.
No one else knew what words Shinomiya had spoken—only that he had spoken at length, while Rinichi's expression grew darker and darker.
Clearly, whatever he said hadn't been encouragement.
Across the diamond, the opposing coach sighed, his eyes full of pity for the young pitcher.
Poor kid.
Not only did his catcher refuse to comfort him, he'd probably hit him with harsh, cutting words instead.
What on earth had that boy gone through to end up like this?
From start to finish, it was nothing but wild pitches and walks.
And the coach of this team? … He didn't even step in.
Truly incomprehensible.
But then again, rumor had it the real authority on this team wasn't the coach at all.
The outcome was inevitable.
They lost.
The opponent's runs all came courtesy of Rinichi's endless walks and a couple of timely hits.
The fielders seethed with frustration.
Frustration at losing in such a way.
But seeing Rinichi's broken state, they swallowed their complaints, venting only in whispers afterward.
They all knew—this was Shinomiya's decision. Rinichi was forced to finish the game, never once pulled from the mound.
Thank goodness it was only a practice match. If it had been official, they might not have held back from a fight.
Later, as Shinomiya slung his bag and passed Rinichi, he stopped.
"I gave you a week to adjust your mindset…"
"And in this game, you still haven't."
He paused, mulling over his next words.
Shinomiya exhaled softly.
"Alright then. From now on, you won't take the mound. Mukai will pitch instead."
Rinichi blinked back to awareness, lifting his head to meet Shinomiya's calm, unreadable expression.
"Do you really think you have the ability right now to carry this entire team?"
"In this game… maybe one strike out of every ten pitches was a good one."
"A so-called 'ace' like that can't lead anyone."
Rinichi fell silent, his chest burning with frustration and unwillingness.
When Shinomiya walked away, Taiyo moved forward, but before he could say a word, Rinichi stood, slung his bag over his shoulder, and muttered only:
"Sorry."
Then he turned, walking slowly toward home.
Above him, a few crows perched on the power lines, croaking harshly into the fading light.
His left hand clutched at his right wrist, as if holding something in check. His eyes darkened.
....
At the dinner table, Rinichi sat motionless, chopsticks unmoving in his hand.
"What's wrong, Rinichi?" Ryuichi frowned.
Snapped from his daze, Rinichi answered flatly, without expression:
"Nothing."
He began picking at his food.
"Something bad happen? You can tell me, you know. Bottling it up isn't good."
Rinichi stayed silent.
What good would telling you do?
Ryuichi sighed inwardly.
He'd been like this ever since he came back last week.
It had to be baseball.
He had thought about telling Rinichi that they might go back to Tokyo… but Rinichi would almost certainly refuse. He'd already joined the local youth team.
But then there was their grandfather to consider…
Trying to balance both sides—it was harder than it should be. Especially for someone still just a high schooler.
"Did you have a fight with a teammate?"
"Or are you just unhappy with your performance?"
For years now, Ryuichi had become used to playing the role of Rinichi's "mother."
The chopsticks froze in Rinichi's hand. He lifted his eyes, his expression turning sharp.
"My problems are my own. I'll handle them. You don't need to interfere."
Ryuichi raised his hands in surrender.
"…Alright, alright."
"Rinichi can handle everything himself."
That was all he could say, going along with him.
"But still, if you ever come across something you can't fix… you can tell me. I can help you think it through, can't I?"
Think it through?
Rinichi lowered his gaze.
It hadn't come to that. Not yet.
Besides… they were his problems to solve.
He'd already burdened Ryuichi with too much.
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