Unconsciously, the five of them had been standing there for a while, from batting practice to catcher practice.
The middle-aged man's catcher training began with Kiriyama Ren, wearing a catcher's mitt, squatting to catch balls from the pitching machine. This time, the pitches were not as gentle as the ones for batting practice; he constantly adjusted the pitching machine's direction, making the white balls fly with a Changeup-like trajectory.
If it was just Changeups, Kiriyama Ren could still handle it.
Next came what seemed like a prank: a large number of wild pitches mixed in with normal pitches—balls flying almost to the sky, and ground balls drastically off-target—making him scramble, jumping up and down. If he couldn't catch the ball with his mitt, he desperately used his body to block it, preventing the white ball from getting behind him.
"I don't know what his pitching strategy will be, but his blocking is pretty good." Narumiya Mei was increasingly satisfied with this catcher; he could hit and he could block.
All that was left was…
As if guessing Narumiya Mei's thoughts, their next training item was preventing stolen bases. The middle-aged man placed three targets at the corresponding positions of the three bases. Anyone who had played baseball a little could see that the bullseye was the most comfortable position for a fielder to tag out a stolen runner after receiving the ball.
Pop.
Pop!
Two sounds rang out: the first was the sound of a Fastball entering the catcher's mitt, and the second was the ball instantly taken out of the mitt by Kiriyama Ren's right hand, as he stepped forward and threw a pickoff pitch towards second base.
Without a stopwatch, it was clear from visual judgment alone that the speed of this throw to prevent a steal was very fast, and it hit the bullseye very accurately. If someone had stolen, this would definitely be an accurate pickoff.
To prove this wasn't a fluke, the next few practices all hit the bullseye with great precision. Of the throws to the three bases, second base was the fastest and most accurate, and this base was also the one runners most coveted during a game.
"Alright, take a break."
The middle-aged man finally called a halt to the training, giving Narumiya Mei a chance to walk over and greet Kiriyama Ren.
He quickly walked into the training area, stopped Kiriyama Ren, who was taking off his protective gear, and said, "You should be in your third year of junior high now, right? Have you found a high school? If not, come to Inashiro with me."
Perhaps seeing a catcher he was satisfied with made him very excited, Narumiya Mei's usual coolness was completely gone at this moment. His tone was very joyful, and he eagerly wanted to hear a satisfactory reply from the other party.
"I'm sorry, I've already decided on the school I want to go to. I'll be taking the entrance exam in a few days."
He didn't expect to be rejected. After a moment's thought, he realized Kiriyama Ren said he was going to take an exam. By this time, most schools' sports recommendations must have ended, meaning his exam was just a regular entrance exam: "You're going for a regular admission, right? Inashiro is also a good choice."
"But I've still decided to go to Seido."
Why Seido again!
It wouldn't do for the catcher he had his eye on to be taken by Seido. Narumiya Mei said in a deep voice, "It's not easy to snatch the starting catcher position at Seido right now. And next year, they also have a special recruit named Miyuki Kazuya. I don't need to tell you which one is more favored by the team, a special recruit or a general admission student."
Kiriyama Ren didn't fall for that: "Doesn't that just make it more challenging? If it's too easy to get the starting catcher position, then that school's strength must be limited."
"You're making me so mad!" Narumiya Mei stopped pretending to be a good kid and reverted to his original arrogant nature: "You catch my pitch. If you still have the same idea after catching it, I won't force you. But you should know, not every school has a pitcher like me."
A confident smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. He didn't believe anyone would want to refuse him after catching his pitch.
Hearing this, Kiriyama Ren stopped what he was doing. He wasn't sure how strong Narumiya Mei was, but it seemed like this kid, who appeared out of nowhere, wouldn't give up unless he caught his pitch. So, he might as well play along.
Returning to his position to squat, Kiriyama Ren still politely asked, "Where do you want to pitch the ball?"
"A Fastball down the middle!"
Kiriyama Ren smiled faintly. Indeed, there was nothing more imposing than a Fastball down the middle. He didn't refuse to catch this pitch; after all, he only needed to place his mitt in position. He still hadn't changed his mind about wanting to enroll in Seido.
After moving the pitching machine, Narumiya Mei walked onto the pitcher's mound. His expression no longer held the smile of a younger brother from before; now, his smile was like that of a tyrannical monarch looking down on his subjects, an arrogant smile.
"My pitch is different from a pitching machine's, you know."
He kindly warned before pitching, then lifted his right leg high. As he stepped forward, his left hand raised high, and he threw the ball with an overhand motion, the pitching style most effective for maximizing ball speed.
The sheer presence made Kiriyama Ren, who was squatting as catcher, feel his own aura being heavily suppressed. He had originally thought about subtly moving his mitt to tease him, but now his mitt was absolutely still. The powerful aura emanating from Narumiya Mei made him focus intently on the trajectory of the white ball.
A fleeting thought crossed his mind: if he relaxed even a little, the ball would fly behind him.
"A ball that gets behind the catcher is the catcher's fault." This had been his creed ever since he became a catcher. His left mitt remained steadily suspended at Home plate, ready to catch the ball.
This Fastball was not simple.
The white ball shot out from Narumiya Mei's hand like a white laser beam, crossing from the pitcher's mound to Home plate. It was indeed different from the pitching machine; it quickly reached Kiriyama Ren with undiminished power, still carrying rapid spin.
Pop!
A sound louder than any other today echoed through the training field.
Kiriyama Ren's expression darkened as he caught the ball. He paused for several seconds before standing up and tossing the ball back to Narumiya Mei. He had expended a great deal of effort to suppress the ball's late break, and his left hand was faintly aching.
Regardless, once the ball entered his mitt, it hadn't moved again.
"Well, what do you say? You'll be my catcher now, won't you?" After pitching, Narumiya Mei's intimidating aura immediately dissipated, and a triumphant smile instantly appeared. "I won't invite you a second time."
He took off his mitt and looked at his left hand: "Let me think about it."
"Then I'll come again tomorrow."
As if forgetting what he had just said, Narumiya Mei shamelessly replied, "I'll contact Inashiro Baseball Club's Strengthening Division for you in advance. You can just enroll directly then."
Narumiya Mei was confident that even with a pre-announced Fastball down the middle, few people in Tokyo could catch it as well as he did. And the few who could catch it that well had already accepted invitations from other schools. Now, he definitely had to keep this rare free agent; even if he was confident, he never lacked helpers.