"Hahahaha—!"
Just as Ushijima Wakatoshi was lost in thought about his pitch repertoire, an extremely discordant voice suddenly rang out behind him.
Dragging a tire along the ground, Sawamura Eijun came charging over.
"Ushijima, you bastard! Secretly doing extra training again?!"
"Are you trying to take this chance to surpass me—the future Ace Pitcher?!"
"Let me tell you right now, it's impossible! I'll work even harder than you!"
Faced with Sawamura's lively, noisy, and thick-skinned enthusiasm, Ushijima merely nodded calmly.
"Mhm. Good luck, genius."
"Haha—!"
"So you do think I'm a genius, right?! Haha!"
"You've got good taste, kid. I like you!"
Sawamura laughed loudly, completely satisfied. Surprisingly, Ushijima didn't feel annoyed in the slightest. On the contrary, his mood lightened.
The two of them continued running around the field together.
Before long, Sawamura's stamina completely bottomed out. He slowed, gasping for breath, legs trembling.
Meanwhile, Ushijima Wakatoshi didn't stop.
He kept running—steady, unhurried—until the rest of the team gradually arrived at the field.
When the second- and third-year players saw Ushijima already drenched in sweat, they were once again stunned.
This first-year… was at it again.
It had been like this for several days now.
Seido's training schedule was fixed.
Assembly at 5:00 AM.
Training until 8:00 AM.
Thirty minutes to shower and eat breakfast.
Classes at 8:30 AM.
Yet every morning, before they even arrived—
"It's Ushijima Wakatoshi again."
"He's been the first one here for six days straight, hasn't he?"
"Every time we gather, he's already soaked in sweat."
"Who shares a dorm with this guy…?"
The upperclassmen whispered among themselves.
The two people who did share a dorm with him exchanged complicated looks.
Isashiki Jun and Shirasu Kenjiro both looked slightly uncomfortable.
"Hey, Ushijima, you bastard!"
Isashiki pointed at him and shouted loudly.
"You're making your senior look lazy!"
Despite the fierce tone, there was no real malice in his words. Anyone who knew Isashiki understood—he just had a loud voice and a scary face.
As for Shirasu, he remained the same as always: plain-looking, quiet, and almost invisible.
At this moment, the entire team had already assembled.
Only one person hadn't taken his place yet.
Coach Kataoka Tesshin raised his hand and glanced at his watch.
Two minutes remained before the 5:00 AM assembly time.
Seeing this, Ushijima didn't rush over. Instead, he insisted on finishing his final lap.
Only after completing it did he calmly step into formation.
Right on time.
5:00 AM sharp.
"How many kilometers did you run?"
Coach Kataoka asked, his expression stern.
"Twenty kilometers."
The entire field went silent.
"—!!!"
"What?!"
"Is he insane?! Twenty kilometers?!"
"He's lying—there's no way!"
"Twenty kilometers in under an hour?! What kind of stamina is that?!"
Isashiki felt completely disheartened.
"You're not doubting him, are you?" Kominato Ryosuke asked with a gentle smile.
"…No," Isashiki replied firmly.
At that moment, Shirasu spoke quietly.
"Ushijima wakes up at exactly 4:00 AM every day."
"He puts on his shoes and leaves the dorm immediately."
"He comes to the field and runs until we assemble."
"…Less than an hour. Twenty kilometers."
Even the third-years were shaken.
"This… this is a freshman?"
"Even I can't do that."
"Does anyone on our team run twenty kilometers in an hour?"
"Look at his undershirt—it's completely soaked, and training hasn't even started yet."
Coach Kataoka looked at Ushijima for a long moment before speaking.
"Ushijima."
"You don't need to stand in line."
"Go change your clothes and prepare for training."
Ushijima paused slightly, clearly surprised.
He hadn't expected such treatment.
"I've been here at 4:10 AM every day," Kataoka continued.
"And every time, I see you running."
"Among over 110 players, you are the only one who has run twenty kilometers in about an hour for six consecutive days."
"From now on, after completing your run, you may go change and return directly for routine training."
"Those who are diligent, hardworking, and dedicated—"
"Will always receive privileges."
"Go."
"Yes, Coach."
Under the gaze of the entire team, Ushijima quickly headed for the locker room.
The moment he left, something ignited among the players.
If a first-year could work this hard—
What excuse did the second- and third-years have?
A fierce fighting spirit erupted across the field.
"Damn it… I can't sit still anymore."
Kuramochi Yoichi felt the strongest sense of crisis.
The reason was simple.
Ushijima Wakatoshi played the same position as him.
Shortstop.
Ushijima's batting was already better than his.
His speed was faster.
And now—this monster was waking up an hour earlier every day to run twenty kilometers?
For Kuramochi, running twelve kilometers in an hour would already be impressive.
But twenty?
What kind of stamina was that?
What kind of monster had Seido recruited?
As a direct competitor, Kuramochi felt intense pressure.
"Hehe~"
Standing beside him, Miyuki Kazuya wore a wicked, amused grin.
"Better work harder, young man."
"Your junior is far more outstanding than you."
"At this rate, your First String starting spot might disappear."
"Hahaha."
"Shut up!!!"
Kuramochi roared, veins bulging.
The more irritated he became, the more satisfied Miyuki looked.
Kuramochi did train hard.
But he wasn't blind.
Over the past six days, he had been paying attention.
Ushijima couldn't hit long balls—but his infield hitting was terrifying.
His infield hit batting average ranked first on the team.
His on-base percentage was also first.
As for Kuramochi?
He was known as Seido's "Fastest Man."
Speed was the reason he had secured his starting position.
His batting, however, was merely average.
Even so, Kuramochi's foot speed was among the best in high school baseball.
Yet—
Even that wasn't enough.
He had timed himself repeatedly.
At his fastest, he could reach first base in 4.2 seconds.
Ushijima Wakatoshi?
He was still 0.1 seconds faster.
And that difference—
Was enough to decide everything.