August 2 rain

I don't know when I started keeping a diary. It's not that I write every day, but Koshien is about to start, and I've started writing diligently these days. Maybe it's because I realized that my days in the baseball club were numbered, and I wanted to record the last few days.

As soon as the overnight stay ended, we were notified that we were forced to move to a hotel. I wanted to complain a long time ago, even though I was in Hyogo, but it turned out that for the sake of fairness, I also had to stay in a hotel.

Tomorrow is the lottery meeting, and in the past two days, the powerful people from all walks of life have come to Hyogo, and Osaka representative Ritsusei will stay in the same hotel with us. I shouldn't be able to escape tomorrow's lottery meeting, my heart has been beating the drum, I think of the previous autumn county competition, because I drew Mofeng High School in the first round, and I was eliminated in the first round. What if you run into Xuanfeng International in the first round this time, or the Rissei Society, which has the highest call to win the championship? How do I explain this to my coach and teammates?

There was no point in worrying about it, so I walked out of the hotel and went to Koshien Stadium to have a look.

In front of the court, I stood for a long time. I haven't been here since last year, and it's been 17 months, so it's been a long time.

Just as I was turning to go back, I suddenly felt like something was calling me on the pitch behind me.

It's been more than a year, but you keep appearing in my dreams, making me feel like you're never far away.

Your soul has always been in the stadium you longed for, and is it there now? Won't I see you again in a few days?

So I put my hands together and prayed: If your soul is really there, please bless me, and let me draw a good lot tomorrow so that we can have a successful race.

***

August 3 was cloudy

Speaking of which, it was the first time for me to participate in such a lottery meeting, and I was so nervous that I couldn't wait for Kitahara or Alie to replace me immediately. Until the time of the draw, my body was still shaking.

The number I drew was 18a, and my opponent was Kakegawa Complex, who drew 18b. The first game will only be played on the 5th day due to the first-round bye, but it is also the first game of the second round. After all, it was a pre-match draw, and it was only a pre-quarter-round grouping, which was quite decent in terms of results, and the teams that we focused on before were divided into different eighths of the district.

Compared to us, the luck of Kyoto Da Lingfeng is very bad, they drew the number 1b, which is the number of the opening match, and the first two rounds will face the challenge of the top two in Tokyo, which has to be based on the premise of the first round victory over Nishitokyo, the representative of the imperial capital. I am afraid that the outside world may be more looking forward to seeing the Tokyo derby between Meiji Kogyo and the imperial capital Nishitaka in the second round than the Tokyo second battle of the Kyoto Great Reifu.

Coach Kusakabe also seems to be very satisfied with the sign I drew this time, so it seems that my prayer in front of the court yesterday was conveyed to you? However, I am still a little worried, after all, the opponent in the second round is Kakekawa Comprehensive, Shizuoka Prefecture's traditional powerhouse, and the Hokuto High School or Okinawa Agriculture and Forestry that may be encountered in the third round are also teams that have made it out of the North Hokkaido Championship and the Okinawa Championship, respectively.

The coach said to me, "Maybe, after all, they are all kings in their respective regions, and they can't be careless...... But you also have to be confident, you are strong! For me, not being in the same half as the Xuanfeng International Academy is the greatest luck, and if I can, it's best to fight them to the death in the finals."

At this time, I realized that the coach did not pay attention to other teams, but only made a difference in attention. Genfeng International's performance in the Gunma Competition is probably only the tip of the iceberg of its strength, and even I can't help but wonder if it will show more strength on the national stage this time.

***

August 4 rain

Since August, the sun has not shown its face in Hyogo, and the temperature is cooler than usual, and it is raining even more today. Could it be that autumn has come early?

But everyone's enthusiasm is still there. When the rain was light, I was still doing my daily training outside, and when the rain was heavy, I went back indoors for independent training

。

"It's raining so hard that I feel a little chilly."

"I think it's much cooler, I really died of heat the other day!"

In the face of such weather, teammates also have different opinions.

I looked at the sky, the color as if the gray paint had dissolved in the water, as if I was pouring out something.

This rain always has a sense of déjà vu.

I remembered that a year ago, when I first started having that dream, it was raining like this. The stadium at this moment may be exactly the same as the stadium in the dream.

At that time, it seemed that I had some difficulty even breathing normally. The reason why Chengfeng High School was able to change from a baseball school to a county powerhouse is entirely due to his credit and the changes he has brought to this team. After the team lost him, I was given the responsibility to continue to lead the team, and I really thought about giving up countless times at that time. For me who was so weak, he appeared in my dreams again and again, talking to me about everything, and playing with me as he did at the beginning.

So, even though it's been a year, I still feel like he's always been there for me, and if I can, I really hope he'll be there for me. But recently, I feel more and more that this companionship has a time limit, and when will this time limit be?

***

On August 6, it was sunny and rainy

On this day, I was affected by the weather, I felt a little absent-minded in training, and I kept thinking about these things. That is, until an uninvited guest came to our hotel and found me.

That person was a bucktooth uncle who was not very tall, wearing sunglasses, and in short, he looked very suspicious.

The man claimed to be a scout for the Hanshin Tigers. He was the one who went to his home to mail the brochure because he noticed me early on.

I was a little surprised, when my dad showed me the brochure, I thought it was like a flyer, but now I know that only the people he fancy receive the brochure in the mail.

The strength was recognized, and I was indeed a little happy for a moment. However, there is something that I have almost forgotten that I have come back to think about - the question of the way out after graduation.

At the time, I was still avoiding this question, and now I am afraid that it is time to seriously consider it.

(To be continued)