Baseball: A Two-Way Player-Chapter 560 - 129: The World’s Eyes on You

"Did you watch last night's game?" In the classroom of Waseda Shogyo High School, a first-year freshman excitedly tapped on the desk, speaking with enthusiasm to his companion in front of him.

"How could I miss it? Not only did I watch the entire game, but I also stayed up all night discussing it with friends on the forum, barely slept!" The boy opposite him had bloodshot eyes, clearly excited and lacking sleep, but he was still animated and gesticulating, "Three times, a total of three times he hit the ball towards the Koshien stands, those Hanshin fans turned green!" 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Soon, more people joined the discussion. A boy with a calm appearance pushed up his glasses frame, suppressing his excitement with difficulty as he began to analyze, "The most terrifying thing is his mentality — did you see that in the bottom of the ninth, even when the game was no longer suspenseful, and he had struck out 20 times, his expression facing the last batter was exactly the same as in the first round! Such a competitive spirit is truly frightening..."

"I heard he was like this back at Waseda," another student chimed in, admiringly, "I heard from family and relatives who were once teammates with him say during regular training he would joke around, but once he stood on the official game's pitcher's mound or batter's box, he seemed like a different person — indeed, geniuses are different from the rest."

"Our school truly has an extraordinary individual..." someone murmured, filled with pride.

This morning, in every classroom of Waseda Industrial School, topics like TV dramas, idols, and exams were all replaced by one name — Lin Guanglai, and last night's destined-to-be-historic Japan match had become the most talked-about topic all over Waseda, even kids who don't usually follow baseball joined in the discussion.

Meanwhile, a young guest arrived at the Waseda Industrial Baseball Club.

"This is our club room, Mr. Seiomi — after formally enrolling next spring, this will be the place where you spend most of your time for the next three years."

Led by baseball club captain Sasaki Shinichi, Seiomi Koutaro walked into the building he had long been passionate about.

Currently recognized across the Tokyo Region as the strongest middle school student, Seiomi Koutaro, during the recent summer season, as the starting third baseman, led his team "Toubu Youth" to national victory and was personally selected as the tournament's best player, attracting interest from prestigious baseball schools nationwide.

Invitations from elite schools, including Osaka Tsubaki and Yokohama, were offered to him but he rejected them all. Ultimately, he chose to stay locally in Tokyo and accepted the invitation from supervisor Izumi Minoru to join Waseda Industries.

Although Waseda is also a well-known elite baseball school nationwide, considering recent years' performances and player development, they're clearly not at par with super-elite teams like Osaka Tsubaki, which almost annually reach Koshien.

Especially after Lin Guanglai left, the post-Lin Guanglai era of Waseda has gone two full years without participating in any national tournaments.

In a press interview, facing similar questions, Seiomi Koutaro gave his response:

"Since I first entered middle school, I decided I would join Waseda, and this has never changed in these past few years — this is a promise I made with Elder Lin Guanglai!"

"In the 2011 Summer Koshien final, I witnessed Elder Lin's grand slam on-site and was fortunate enough to catch that ball, thus obtaining a face-to-face opportunity with him..."

"Behind Koshien, Elder Lin Guanglai handed me that memorable baseball, and I promised him that I would certainly go to Waseda to inherit his mantle."

"This is the reason for my choice — as a top prestigious school with 2 Senbatsu victories and 3 Summer League wins, Waseda has been dormant for too long..."

"My aim is, upon enrolling, just like Elder Lin Guanglai did 5 years ago, to bring this prestigious school back to its rightful place!"

His past statements remain vivid, and now, Seiomi Koutaro has truly stepped into the building where Elder Lin Guanglai once stayed and fought for three years.

"Some areas are being renovated here recently, be careful, Mr. Seiomi," looking at Seiomi Koutaro's delightful expressions, Sasaki Shinichi's face broke into a smile, "I hear you have quite a connection with Guanglai? Did you watch last night's game by any chance?"

Mentioning Lin Guanglai seemed to transform Seiomi Koutaro as he opened up, chatting animatedly with Sasaki Shinichi about Lin Guanglai's godlike performance, revealing many previously unknown stories from his predecessor's high school era.

Arriving at the baseball club's locker room, Sasaki Shinichi led Seiomi Koutaro to a locker and said, "This locker will be yours next year, Mr. Seiomi — it was used by Guanglai during his school years..."

"Being granted the use of this locker as a freshman, Mr. Seiomi, shows how highly we regard your talent and ability; we also hope you can lead us back to the stage of Koshien in the next three years!"