Haneul High Baseball Club
*Gulp*
"Are all the first-years here?"
"Yes, Coach! The entire first-year class is assembled!"
The moment Coach Kim Taehwan entered, the lively atmosphere in the baseball clubroom instantly turned serious, Yang Uijin's playful energy vanishing in an instant.
"Welcome. Some of you earned your spots through the entrance exam, while others transferred in to fill vacancies. Consider yourselves lucky."
Coach Kim's gaze swept across the room, landing first on me before shifting to the unfamiliar student beside me. Now that I looked closely, he seemed to be one of Kim Sihu's lackeys.
Thought he was just a hanger-on, but apparently he plays baseball too.
"Personally, I believe in systematic baseball. In this day and age, talk of an ace's fighting spirit or sense of responsibility is just a rebranded excuse for overworking pitchers. I don't particularly care for the idea of one pitcher burning himself out to secure a victory."
With that, Coach Kim began filling in the order sheet on the board.
"The Weekend League runs twice every weekend. Each region fields twenty teams for a single-elimination league. The top four teams advance to the national tournaments—the Blue Dragon Flag and the Phoenix Flag. Perform well there, and you'll qualify for the President's Cup. In other words, the President's Cup Golden Lion High School Tournament."
The board listed the point system: 20 points for elimination in the round of 64, 25 for the round of 32, 30 for the round of 16, 40 for the semifinals, and automatic qualification for the President's Cup for the two teams reaching the finals.
So the finalists from the Blue Dragon and Phoenix Flags get automatic entry, and the rest fill in by points. Sounds fair.
Come to think of it, the President's Cup includes the Golden Lion as well.
I'd seen a golden trophy shaped like a lion displayed in the clubroom and assumed there was a separate Golden Lion tournament beyond the three major ones, but that trophy was apparently the President's Cup itself. Beside it hung a golden disc engraved with a phoenix—the Phoenix Flag championship trophy. The Blue Dragon Flag trophy stood nearby as well.
"Haneul High currently holds the record for the most wins across the Phoenix Flag, President's Cup, and Blue Dragon Flag. Lately we've been criticized for an unstable bullpen, but..."
Coach Kim glanced at me and Kim Sihu.
"That'll be ancient history soon enough."
Under the pitcher section of Haneul High's lineup, our names began to appear.
[Starter]
No. 11. Lee Seojun (SP, Right Three-Quarter)
No. 1. Kim Sihu (SP, Left Sidearm)
"Right-handed starter: Lee Seojun. Left-handed starter: Kim Sihu."
Hmm. Unless I give up batting, starting both ways will be tough... Wait, I'm starting?
I'd assumed that under a coach who viewed an ace's fighting spirit as overwork, I wouldn't be allowed to throw complete games while also hitting home runs. But apparently passing the perfect-game test and proving I could handle infield and outfield drills had convinced him otherwise.
[Relievers]
No. 21. Yoo Yongchan (RP, Right Overhand)
No. 66. Jeong Woojin (RP, Right Sidearm)
No. 78. Cha Sungbin (RP, Left Overhand)
No. 18. Lee Hyunsu (RP, Right Overhand)
No. 41. Choi Yongsu (CP, Left Overhand)
No. 37. Shin Taeryong (CP, Right Underhand)
The rest of the relief corps was filled with second- and third-year names.
.........
The two first-years had stolen the starting spots, yet the upperclassmen showed no visible resentment. Last year's pitching staff had apparently been a disaster, and more importantly, mine and Kim Sihu's velocities already exceeded high school levels. There simply weren't that many third-years left. Most of last year's starters had been first- and third-years at the time. Once those third-years graduated, the remaining first-years became second-years, and even the new freshmen were starter material. Many had either quit or transferred before we arrived.
Ah, and Kim Sihu probably had something to do with it too.
I found myself impressed all over again by how thoroughly he'd terrified his older teammates into fleeing.
"With this pitching staff, I'd say we're the best in Seoul... no, the best in the country. This might go down as the greatest pitching staff in Haneul High history."
...Hold on.
Something felt off. The wording made it sound like he only wanted to use me as a pitcher...
"Um, Coach...?"
"Ah, Lee Seojun also needs to be listed in the batting order, so we'll monitor your condition and adjust training accordingly. Epinel will be assigned to you full-time."
Thank goodness. I was worried he'd only use me on the mound... Wait, who did he just assign to me?
While I was still processing that, the Haneul High managers, including Epinel, appeared. Unlike us, who finished classes after third period, the managers had to attend all seven periods, so they'd come straight here before lunch.
"That's how it is. I haven't spotted any issues with your pitching form yet, but if anything comes up, I'll let you know right away. Take care of him, all right?"
"Got it. Thanks."
Once my partnership with Epinel was confirmed, a strange sense of satisfaction welled up. Having the team manager assigned exclusively to me felt... nice.
Though it only worked because there are multiple managers.
Haneul High had four managers total, Epinel included. Their duties involved analyzing upcoming match schedules and opponent strengths for the coaches, and most importantly, arranging practice games. The first-years clapped politely.
The coaching staff has it easy.
Besides Coach Kim Taehwan, there was only one other coach. He and Coach Kim had worked together in the pros. With just those two handling hitting, pitching, base running, and defense, I'd wondered how Haneul High could afford only two coaches, but apparently they simply didn't need more.
Those two are just that good.
"Now for the batting order... First, Heo Kangmin."
"Yes!"
"Second, Oh Jihun."
"Yes!"
Names continued to be called from third onward...
[1] No. 18: Heo Kangmin (3B)
[2] No. 10: Oh Jihun (SS)
[3] No. 25: Yang Uijin (C)
[4] No. 33: Lee Surin (CF, DH)
[5] No. 2: Lee Yuta (2B)
[6] No. 11: Lee Seojun (DH, CF)
[7] No. 73: Jeong Jiman (LF)
[8] No. 36: Oh Hanil (1B)
[9] No. 7: Lee Hyunbin (RF)
The batting roster was set.
So the first-years are in the outfield.
Center field demanded strong defense and baserunning. It was considered a key defensive position alongside shortstop and second base.
"When Lee Seojun pitches, he'll swap positions with Lee Surin. Any problem with that, Surin?"
"None! I was a center fielder as a first-year anyway."
Designated hitter when pitching, center field otherwise.
Coach Kim clearly intended to use me in the outfield rather than the infield. Fine by me—more playing time.
"The rest of you are the second string, but don't be discouraged. Haneul High's second team will also play practice games against other schools. If a starter gets injured, you'll be called up immediately. Train with the mindset that you can move up at any time."
"""Yes!!"""
The second-stringers' voices rang out energetically.
"All right, that's enough for today. Official training begins tomorrow, so you're dismissed."
At Coach Kim's words, players either headed back to the dorms or up to the field to loosen up.
"Ah, could you spare a moment?"
I'd been about to head to the mound to sync up with Yang Uijin, but Epinel took my hand and asked if I had time.
I followed her without resistance.
"Th-this is a ticket to the NHK Heroes versus LT Oceans opening game... Want to go together?"
She handed me the ticket.
.........
I'd thought Epinel was this friendly with everyone, but after watching how she treated the other members today, I was certain that wasn't the case. My instincts told me she had feelings for me. This was, with very high probability, a date.
I've never really gone anywhere with a girl before...
In my previous life—after giving up on becoming a player—I'd wandered aimlessly until university, where I made plenty of friends and connections. There had been girls I could call friends, but no one had ever actively invited me out like this.
Guess I'm going.
Maybe it was the Russian-Korean blood, but even combining the other three managers' kindness probably wouldn't match Epinel's. That snow-white hair, so rare in Korea, gave her an almost fantastical aura.
"Sure. Let's go together."
"Really?"
The moment I accepted, she lit up with excitement, told me she'd see me after school, and hurried off with the other managers to eat lunch. Watching her go, I felt a subtle shift in how I viewed Epinel—a character who had barely appeared in the original novel beyond being Haneul High's manager.
"Ooh, already got yourself a girlfriend?"
"What do you want now?"
"What, you're not even calling me by name? We're fellow starters from the same middle school, bro..."
"Oh, shut it, Jihun. Be quiet."
I'd wanted to head straight home, but... oh well. After a quick training session, I exchanged brief feedback with Epinel once she finished seventh period, then went home.
And then...
"Our first practice game opponent has been decided."
Only three days since joining Haneul High's starting lineup, and a practice game was already scheduled.