Shoya Katase listened humbly to Hiroki Fujii's guidance. Although he could sense the genius's occasional impatience—which made him feel slightly uneasy—gratitude remained his dominant emotion. The techniques Hiroki taught were indeed helpful; if he mastered them, reaching Koshien and securing a high rank seemed more possible than ever.
Shoya was fantasizing, imagining himself standing at the peak, with thousands, even tens of thousands, screaming his name as he basked in the spotlight. If I can achieve all this, I can endure any hardship!
His resolve hardened. However, he suddenly remembered his promise to Akane Nanao and felt a pang of worry. I broke our promise... she'll be angry, right? But then he rationalized it. When Akane realizes I used this time to improve my skills, she'll probably be happy instead of angry. This brings us closer to making our relationship public. Even if she is mad, I'll just treat her like a princess once I'm famous.
Slowly, the guilt vanished from his face as he waited for Hiroki to continue. But Hiroki stopped mid-sentence. Confused, Shoya relaxed his stance and looked up, only to find Hiroki staring off-field. Curiously, Shoya followed his gaze.
The next moment, Shoya's pupils dilated in shock. The baseball bat slipped from his hands, hitting the dirt with a heavy thud. The sharp sound startled Hiroki.
Hiroki was about to scold him but saw Shoya's dumbfounded expression and held his tongue. He quickly understood. With Akane Nanao's beauty, she could easily be a star. In an all-male baseball club, most guys would harbor special feelings for her—even Hiroki himself had been tempted.
Poor guy, Hiroki thought. No talent, and now his goddess is in someone else's arms. Tsk tsk.
Shoya stared intensely at the two figures leaning against each other. His mind was a mess. What happened? We had a promise! Why is she with him?
He didn't snap out of it until someone patted his shoulder. The air around him was filled with the gossiping whispers of the other club members.
"Whoa! Isn't that our manager? Why is she so close to that guy? Is she dating him?"
"Probably not..." Shoya forced a hollow smile, instinctively denying it.
"How is it not? Look at them, they're practically glued together!" someone countered.
Shoya had no answer. Their intimacy was beyond anything he had ever shared with her.
"Man, I'm so jealous! Akane Nanao is so pretty!"
"Exactly! Great body, perfect face... what a waste to let an outsider have her. She should have stayed within the baseball club."
Hearing their vulgar comments, Shoya clenched his fists. He wanted to scream that he was her boyfriend, that they had a promise. But then he thought of his dream, the Koshien. If their relationship went public now, his dream would shatter.
Ultimately, he chose endurance. One day, I'll tell everyone she belongs to me. But Akane... why? Why be so intimate with another guy? Have you betrayed me? I'm doing this for our future! Why couldn't you just wait?
I won't allow it! After practice, I'm going to demand an explanation! Shoya thought darkly.
Meanwhile, Ho Fei-yu walked Akane to the stairwell. He wanted to take her all the way to her room, but he didn't want to cause a misunderstanding, so he stopped there. Akane didn't object.
After a brief chat, Ho Fei-yu remembered his "flashy" outfit. He quickly excused himself and ran to the changing room. Akane stood there, watching him disappear. A strange sense of loss washed over her.
Suddenly, she froze. "I still don't know his name!" she whispered with a hint of regret. "Next time! I'll definitely ask next time. We're at the same school, after all."
Ho Fei-yu finally changed out of the sports gear. That was torture, he thought, vowing to always have spare clothes. He packed Ayato's clothes in his bag to wash them at home. For the first time, he was actually bringing a schoolbag home—though it contained clothes, not books. Studying? Not a chance in these three years.
As he stepped out of the classroom, the system pinged.
[Ding! Detection: Host's family executed justice. The "Yellow Hair" (NTR-villain) was impotent with rage, shifted his target to bully the weak, but met a hard wall instead. Counter-attack successful. Fatal 'Egg' Strike. Evaluation: A. Reward: Flying Thunder God Technique (Modified).]