Chapter 46: Unknown
Shun didn't have much time to dwell on this since there was only one rest day between the first and second rounds of the Tokyo tournament, so he needed to rest well for tomorrow's game.
The boy woke up early as usual and went out for his morning run. He returned home after an hour and a half and quickly took a shower before breakfast was ready.
"Good morning!" - Shun arrived in the kitchen just in time, seeing his two sisters seated and his mother placing the food on the table.
"Good morning!" - Mika smiled at Shun but quickly turned her attention back to breakfast.
"Good morning, Bro!" - Little Yumi looked at Shun excitedly, almost jumping out of her chair to hug her brother.
"Hehe, you seem excited today, Yumi!" - Shun quickly stopped her from jumping off the chair, placing his hand on Yumi's head and gently patting her.
"Today, Mom and I are going to watch your game, Bro!" - The little girl looked up at him with puppy-dog eyes that loved to receive affection and smiled.
"Ohh, looks like I'll have to do my best for you!" - Shun said with a smile before sitting down and starting to devour breakfast. Since he got the system and began his training, the amount of food he consumed had only increased.
Shun finished breakfast and headed to school. He attended classes and went with Kenta to the baseball field as soon as classes ended.
"Looks like everyone's here. Get on the bus, we're leaving!" - Coach Yamada said as soon as the whole team arrived.
"Huh? Isn't it too early? Our game doesn't start until 4 pm" - Ren was confused, it wasn't even 1 pm yet.
"We're going to watch the game before ours since our next opponent will be the winner of that game." - Captain Kazuki explained before getting on the bus.
"Eh? What a waste of time, I can't just waste my time like this..." - Shun grumbled at his captain's words. In his opinion, there wasn't any team in the tournament that was a real threat to them.
The team's bus arrived at the stadium after nearly 30 minutes, and the captain led everyone to the stands to watch. When Shun climbed the steps of the bleachers and looked at the scoreboard, he saw Seishin Junior High School 0 X 0 Hokuto Junior High School.
"3 Outs! Changeover!"
Shun heard the umpire's announcement. They had arrived a bit late, and the top of the first inning was already over. He looked at the field and saw a young boy with brown hair and black eyes leaving the mound and heading toward the dugout, his uniform white with green details, and the word Hokuto written on his chest.
"Seishin... isn't that the elite team that always goes to the Kanto tournament?" - One of the third-year players said, a little scared.
"Yes... their high school team is a traditional powerhouse in Tokyo, they've even won the Koshien a few times." - Captain Kazuki said seriously, his face showing concern.
"Their middle school team serves as a feeder system for the main team, which is why many talented players choose to play for them instead of going to the senior league." - The captain continued explaining, making everyone on the team grow serious.
"So our next opponent is Seishin, huh?" - Shun said casually as he turned toward the exit of the bleachers.
"Hey Shun, where do you think you're going?" - The captain asked angrily. He thought the boy would at least be a little worried to find out they would be facing an elite school in the next round.
"I've seen who we're facing, no need for me to stay here and watch. I'm going to get some swings in outside, don't worry, Captain, I'll be back in time for our game, haha!" - Shun laughed casually and left. He didn't care much that Seishin was an elite school, in fact, he was a bit disappointed.
"That guy seemed interesting, what a shame." - Shun sighed as he remembered the Hokuto pitcher. The reason Shun was interested in the boy with brown hair was simple, he wore his glove on his right hand, meaning that he was a left-handed pitcher like Shun.
Shun left the stadium and went to take some swings and throw a few times against the wall. The boy wasn't kidding when he said he didn't have time. With school, the daily system training, the game, and the arena, Shun had to push himself to finish everything and still manage to eat and sleep healthily.
Meanwhile, in the dugout of the Hokuto Junior High team.
"Nice pitching, Kohei! Looks like you're in good condition today!" - A young boy with white hair and black eyes said with a smile while removing his catcher's gear.
"Hm. Do you think the plan will work, Suga?" - The brown-haired boy asked with a serious face.
"Hehe, don't worry, we're going to win this game!" - The white-haired boy kept smiling as he spoke with confidence.
Those two were Kohei Sasaki and Yoshinori Sugawara, both second-years. They formed an unknown battery in an unknown school. But it wouldn't be long before everyone in Tokyo knew their names.