Chapter 79: Extra: Relying on a Great Catcher Makes You Nothing but Useless
A week ago. The weekend.
Rinichi followed Shinomiya to a corporate baseball club.
Because two middle schoolers suddenly showed up there, it looked especially strange, drawing the attention of passing players who glanced their way.
Seeing those tall, grown men, Rinichi's breathing caught for a moment.
No way… We're not really going to play against these people, are we?
Surely not—at least that's what he thought. After all, in terms of size, strength, and experience, they were on completely different levels.
At least, that's how Rinichi saw it.
But the result was completely beyond his expectations—they really were going to play baseball with them!
When he was handed a uniform, Rinichi froze.
"…."
"Take it."
He caught it reflexively, then snapped back to himself the next instant.
"Wait—we're actually going to play against them!?"
"That's right."
Shinomiya spoke lightly, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Is the world crazy, or is Shinomiya-senpai crazy?
"But… they're adults," Rinichi stammered. "And they're so much taller than us!"
He even raised his hand to compare, his face full of disbelief.
No matter how he looked at it, this was anything but normal.
"And besides, why would they even bother playing with us?"
At that, he felt a little calmer.
Shinomiya glanced at him: "This is the lowest branch of the Shinomiya family's business network."
"…Business?"
"Yeah. If you have money, it's all possible. After all, in corporate league baseball, there are clubs that will even throw matches for money."
Hearing this go completely beyond his world of common sense, Rinichi looked utterly lost.
"Aren't you a Kamishiro? And it's only you and your brother left, right? You really don't know about things like this?"
Rinichi, who refused to return to Tokyo no matter what: "…."
"Anyway, just forget about that. Focus on the experience," Shinomiya said with a meaningful smile.
Unease grew in Rinichi's chest.
"Don't worry, for now all you'll do is pitch. Let them hit. But you'll be using a hardball."
Shinomiya placed one into his hand.
A hardball?
Though he had tossed one around in his backyard before, this was the first time he'd be throwing from the mound.
Of course, that left him uneasy.
"Do you have the confidence to strike them out?" Shinomiya asked with a smile.
Rinichi said nothing, still full of unease.
Maybe I could strike out some middle schoolers… but grown men? I'll get crushed.
He stared at the ball in his hand, then tightened his grip.
Shinomiya took in every detail of his movement.
....
And in fact, it played out exactly as Rinichi feared—he got absolutely crushed.
With a resounding crack, the ball was blasted high into the sky, flying far into the outfield.
It didn't matter if he threw fastballs or breaking balls—their bats found them all, turning them into clean hits… even home runs that sailed clear out of the park.
The blazing sun felt like it was burning his heart raw, his irritation mounting, his feel for pitching slipping away.
Shinomiya gave him no signals, no instructions for pitch selection.
Homerun.
Hit.
Homerun.
Homerun.
Hit.
By the end, the tally stood at 13 home runs and 5 hits.
Even when he tried jamming them with inside pitches, they still turned them into base hits.
Beneath the brim of his cap, Rinichi's eyes grew hollow. His right hand clenched around the ball.
He had told himself to expect being crushed—but when the reality hit, it was unbearable.
Deep inside, he had clung to the belief that his pitches weren't something just anyone could hit.
But now, the only thing playing through his mind were those repeated home run swings.
He grit his teeth.
And yet—he never once thought to blame it on "the opponents being too strong."
It would have been reasonable enough to think that. That's what an ordinary person would say.
Instead, to him, it all just felt absurd.
"That kid looks pitiful. His mentality's clearly shot, and the catcher isn't even going up to calm him down."
"Still, with that kind of velocity, he'll be an ace in high school for sure. It's just… the way he throws makes the ball too hittable. Occasionally he's got sharp angles though."
"Tch. I don't want to keep playing with these two brats."
"So what, the point of this is to push the little pitcher until he quits baseball?"
"Ah, ah—look, the little catcher's going to go comfort the little pitcher now…"
From the bench, the adult players whispered among themselves.
Shinomiya stood before Rinichi, who sat motionless, lifeless, as though his very soul had been drained away.
Coming here had been the only option.
With his velocity, there were hardly any players in junior leagues who could hit him—virtually none.
As for high schoolers… at this time of year, they were all busy chasing Koshien, and besides, they wouldn't waste their time playing baseball with two middle school kids.
Here, though… the grown men were all larger in size. For the two of them, that difference was overwhelming—but that was exactly what Shinomiya wanted Rinichi to experience.
After all, compared to MLB, Asian physiques were usually at a disadvantage.
Most importantly, this was about making Rinichi endure—and accept—the feeling of being hit, of surrendering home runs.
If he could endure it… then even when he faced the same situation on his own one day, he wouldn't break down the way he had today.
If he failed, Rinichi might quit baseball entirely—throwing away a future star.
But if he succeeded… he would become the strongest.
Shinomiya knew this method was extreme—too rushed.
But only by growing faster than everyone else could someone become the strongest, the one to reach the peak first… a peak that most people could never touch.
"Rinichi."
"When you pitch, what are you thinking?"
Thinking…? Rinichi's mind went blank.
"Did you put the blame for your pitches being hit on the fact that these adults have an 'advantage'?"
"In the future, you'll face players bigger, stronger, with more stamina than you. When that happens—what will you do?"
"Quit?"
"Will you think, they just have advantages I don't?"
Rinichi froze.
"If I don't call your pitches, how far can you really go on your own?"
His grip tightened on the ball, his eyes sinking to the dirt, lips pressed tight.
And in that instant, he remembered the whispers he'd heard not long ago…
That he was only strong because of Shinomiya-senpai. That without him, Rinichi wouldn't be striking out nearly so many.
Part of him agreed. Part of him doubted. The contradiction tore at him.
Yeah… if it were just my own strength, how far could I really go?
Maybe he'd end up just like today—completely helpless.
His teeth dug into his lip, drawing the taste of iron as blood spread across his tongue, shocking his nerves awake.
"Without my home runs and hits," Shinomiya continued, "do you think you could claw back the runs you've lost all by yourself?"
"Without me, could you have struck out as many batters as you did this past month?"
"Yes, you have the advantage of velocity. But that's all you have."
"Beyond that—you have nothing."
"Relying on a great catcher… you're nothing but a useless player."
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