"After the stretching, let's disband it today." After the conclusion of the game, Superintendent Kataoka signaled for everyone to leave, except for a few people who had been trained by name below.

"Miyuki, Nagumo, Chris, you three stay." After Inspector Kataoka finished speaking, he led the three of them to the manager's office.

"Nagumo, what do you think of your pitch yesterday?"

Kataoka's favorite traits of pitchers: daring to throw a fast ball or straight ball against a hitter, and not wanting to let a substitute pitcher play until the end of the pitcher's mound.

Reflecting Nagumo Shiichi's current focus is still on striking and outfield guarding, and he doesn't care too much about whether he can be a pitcher.

"Yesterday's pitching, although I was pitching according to Miyuki-san's request, but ......"

"I shouldn't be beaten by Takuya Takahama who hits second base at the right time, and then I feel a sense of defeat and insecurity in my heart, which then affects the performance of the whole team."

"Until then, I had always thought that I was very close to the strength of Senior Yagami and could handle it with such poise as he did..."Speaking of yesterday's pitching, the expression on Nangumoshi's face became gloomy.

"Nagumo, you start training alone tomorrow." Superintendent Kataoka crossed his hands, stood by the window, and spoke to Nangumo Shiichi next to him.

"Never touch the ball... Until you get your mindset right. ”

"There are only less than two weeks left before the autumn conference, but the overseer has asked me to train alone, which means that..."Nagumo Seichi was surprised, but quickly understood the intention of Superintendent Kataoka.

"That's true, I can't play as a pitcher if I throw so badly, right?!"

As a result, Shiichi Nagumo decided to focus on striking and fielding so that he could take on the field in other capacities later.

……

During the period when Superintendent Kataoka left school to coach the Japanese selection team (leaving school on the morning of the 29th), a new semester began.

"Wild Ball Club, you have had a full summer vacation, right?" A student of the same grade is greeting Naoya Kuraza.

"It's noisy." Kuraza Naoya didn't look back after speaking, and walked straight to the classroom.

As the draw for the Tokyo Metropolitan Government preliminaries in the fall draws approached, Shiichi Mingumo was still training on his own.

"Damn, I'm too weak!"

Shiichi Nagumo ended his jog around the B training ground this afternoon with such a sentence, and then picked up his bat and ran to the side to practice his strike.

……

At 2:30 p.m. on September 3rd, Aoyama Gakuin P・S Lecture Hall, a preliminary selection meeting for the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly in the autumn will be held.

The Tokyo Metropolitan High School Wild Ball Federation has decided to increase the number of seats for the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Games from 24 to 48 in the fall of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government this year, and the number of schools participating in the first preliminary selection has increased from less than 250 in previous years to nearly 260.

Last year, when there were only 12 groups in the qualifiers, if you were unlucky, you would need to win four games in a row to advance to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government in the fall. This year, there are 24 teams in the qualifiers, and even if you are unlucky, you can advance to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government in the fall if you win three games in a row.

As a representative of bad luck among the strong schools, Qingdao still needs to win three games to advance, only one less than last year.

……

"Next Sunday is the first game."

"I didn't choose to be a school this year, so I could only go to the Black House to participate in the competition."

"We don't have a strong team in this group, and Yuuki's signing is not too bad."

"If you play normally, you shouldn't lose."

"What stupid are you talking about? All three games are to end early! "Jun Izaki said the goal in a pre-selection.

"I don't even have this momentum, how can I challenge the finals?"

……

On September 5, Superintendent Kataoka, as the coach of the Japanese selection team, returned to school with Jinguji and them with a record of 5 matches, 3 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss.

"Nagumo, from today onwards, you will also participate in the garrison practice." Superintendent Kataoka walked over with Minister Ota to Minami Kumoshiichi.

"Great." Immediately, some teammates congratulated Nagumo.

'But you're going to have to work on the left side. Superintendent Kataoka walked past Shiichi Nagumo, but he did not stop arranging for him: "You have to pass the ball back to the infield steadily." ”

"Got it?" After turning his head to glance at him, Superintendent Kataoka walked into the training ground with Minister Ota.

"Nagumo is going to guard the left field..."

"He's still left out of the team for the fall conference."

"I see." After saying this, Shiichi Nagumo took out his gloves and prepared to go to the left field.

"Tanbo, today's actual combat combat practice is also up to you to pitch." Superintendent Kataoka stretched out his hand to Koichiro Tanami, who was sitting on the bench in the rest area.

"Yes!" Koichiro Tanba then got up and replied.

"The handling of fill-ins and short plays should also be treated as official matches."

"I'll do my best!!" Koichiro Tanba replied loudly that during the time that Yagami was recovering from his injury, he was very urgent for the position of the number one pitcher.

"There's no need for that."

……

"Ping!" The sophomore swings the ball to the left field.

"Nagumo, run forward." Ichiro Sakai stood outside the touchline and instructed Nagumo in the defensive practice of the left field.

"Smack!" Nangumo Shiichi stretched out his left hand and caught the falling baseball in a thrilling way.

"The start was slow." The second-year student in charge of swinging the baton shouted to Nagumo: "Quickly return the pass." ”

"Bang!" After reaching out to catch the junior's pass, the guerrilla Fumiya Kusunoki said to him, "Good, good pass!" ”

"Only the backhaul is really well done! Nagumo..."

"I will never be robbed of my chosen position by Nagumo!" Ichiro Sakai swore secretly in his heart.

"It's just a left-sided outfielder." Minister Ota stood next to Superintendent Kataoka and said to him, "I didn't expect you to let him return to the team to participate in garrison practice so soon. ”

"Even though I'm not in school these days, I still know a little bit about his performance."

"The change in mentality gave him the will to move forward again."

"Huh?" Minister Ota, who was surprised by Inspector Kataoka's answer, quickly understood: "Let him train alone, it turned out to be such a fight." "That's the plan to let him train alone."

"In the final analysis, the most important thing is his own will!" Superintendent Kataoka looked at Shiichi Minamigumo, who was running around in the left field to catch the ball, and said slowly.

"I was assigned to the left field because of my lack of strength." Nanyun Shiyi panted while reaching out to catch the baseball that the senior was flying over, and secretly made up his mind: "I want to stand on the field as an outfielder." ”

"In pitching, because of the lack of strength, you will be timid, and there will be a sense of defeat——"

"I have to change!!"

Nagumo waved his arm on one side and passed the ball to the senior who stayed in the infield.

"Damn!"

Because the next ball followed, Nanyun Shiyi could only hurriedly turn around and chase the ball.

"Overdone! Nagumo. Ichiro Sakai, who shouted to his junior, told him to avoid rushing over his head as much as possible.

"Don't get more depressed in the field!" Kuroza Naoya stopped running and shouted to Shiichi Minamigumo, who was waiting in the left field to catch the ball around.