CHAPTER 61: CHAPTER 61: UNEXPECTED INCIDENT

"Are you saying that in the early innings, we should try to hit more towards second and third base?" Kenshu Yasuda asked with a puzzled look after hearing the junior’s suggestion.

Lin Guanglai nodded, confirming Kenshu Yasuda’s understanding, and then explained his thoughts:

"My idea is that since Chukyo University’s manager chose to place their captain at shortstop, we can use the same strategy on their shortstop as we did to tire out the opponent’s pitcher in previous games."

"Chukyo University’s dummy starter, the second-year Asano Fumuya, is fairly decent, but his fastest pitch is only 135 km/h, and he has a limited variety of pitches—just a four-seam fastball and a slider."

"Since our top three batters are left-handed, I hope the seniors can try batting in the opposite direction when there’s a chance—not too many times, since our main goal is to exhaust Moriyama Junpei."

"As the shortstop, he must remain mentally focused at all times; if we occasionally hit balls into his defensive area—that’s a lot of defensive pressure. Coupled with the hot summer weather, even great stamina won’t hold up."

"So even if Chukyo University decides to change pitchers by then, we’ll only have to face a Moriyama Junpei who might not even be at 70% of his peak condition—a clear advantage for us."

Kenshu Yasuda didn’t speak, but carefully pondered Lin Guanglai’s words—to be honest, the team really wasn’t very confident about meeting last year’s defending champions;

After all, in terms of strength, Chukyo University is the defending champion, and many of last year’s main players haven’t graduated;

In terms of experience, Waseda Jitsugyo can’t compare with them at all—most of Chukyo University’s main players have gone through one or two full Koshien tournaments; whereas at Waseda Jitsugyo, the only one with Summer甲 experience is Mr. Izumi, and the team members are all complete rookies from top to bottom.

The opponent is right there, and they have to face them head-on one way or another, so Kenshu Yasuda, full of bravado, said:

"Let’s do it!!!"

"Guanglai, let’s go with what you said—I’ll go discuss specific strategies with Shinjiro and Kenta right now."

"So what if they’re defending champions! Facing us at Waseda Jitsugyo, their dream of consecutive Summer甲 wins ends here!!!"

Watching the determined Kenshu Yasuda jog off towards the teammates’ room, Lin Guanglai couldn’t help but nod and exclaim:

"Is this the presence of a senior? Truly commendable, Senior Yasuda..."

However, perhaps due to over-excitement, Lin Guanglai didn’t expect that the next time he’d see Kenshu Yasuda would be in a Hyogo Prefecture hospital room.

Early that morning, upon receiving the news, the Waseda Jitsugyo team quickly rushed to the hospital under Suzuki Kensuke’s lead for a visit.

Kenshu Yasuda, who had been full of vigor the previous night, was now lying on the hospital bed, pale and looking quite sickly.

"What’s going on with you, Kenshu? How did you end up in the hospital?" Tsuchiya Ryota asked with concern, looking at his teammate on the bed.

Kenshu Yasuda shook his head without answering, and it was Mr. Izumi, who was looking after him, who spoke up:

"The doctor said it’s acute gastroenteritis, nothing serious, just needs plenty of rest and dietary care."

After saying this, Mr. Izumi looked at Kenshu Yasuda with a face showing mild annoyance and slowly spoke:

"Kenshu, what am I supposed to say about you—you almost scared me, Shinjiro, and Kenta to death last night, you know!"

Just last night, while getting up for a bathroom break, Chongxin Shen Zhong discovered Kenshu Yasuda, who was on the verge of collapsing in the hotel corridor due to an acute gastroenteritis attack. He quickly woke up his roommate Matsunaga Kenta and promptly notified Mr. Izumi—together, they rushed him to the hospital, avoiding a major incident.

Looking at Kenshu Yasuda on the hospital bed, Mr. Izumi sighed: "Kenshu, whether as a baseball player or an adult, you have to learn to take care of yourself better!"

"I’m not young anymore, you know. Last night, you almost scared me to death—your parents trust the school and me, which is why they entrusted you all to me. If anything happened to you, how could I face your parents!"

Hearing Mr. Izumi’s words, the embarrassed Kenshu Yasuda quickly apologized:

"I’m sorry, Mr. Izumi, for worrying you—I promise I’ll take care of myself from now on and won’t trouble you or anyone else again!"

Mr. Izumi gently patted Kenshu Yasuda on the shoulder and stood up from his seat:

"Alright, you rest well—the discharge paperwork can be handled if there’s no significant issue later today; you won’t need to participate in the next match."

Hearing this, Kenshu Yasuda panicked and quickly got up from the bed, pleading with Mr. Izumi:

"No, Mr. Izumi! Please don’t bench me, Mr. Izumi, I know I’ve made a mistake!!!"

"It’s just a minor illness, and before the match with Chukyo University, I’ll definitely be back to full health—Mr. Izumi, please, let me play!"

Mr. Izumi didn’t give a definitive reply, only nodding: "Whether you start or not depends on your condition at the time; if the doctor agrees that you can play, then I naturally won’t take you out."

After saying that, Mr. Izumi walked out of the hospital room and then found a quiet spot to sit and contemplate—truth be told, he hadn’t slept well all night.

If possible, Mr. Izumi truly did not want to lose Kenshu Yasuda when facing such a formidable opponent like Chukyo University—

Even though he is only a second-year student, Kenshu Yasuda has almost become the core of Waseda Jitsugyo’s lineup currently:

At the West Tokyo Conference, although his spotlight was mostly overshadowed by their pitcher, anyone paying attention would notice that his 56% batting average throughout the preliminaries and his team-high 16 RBIs for a Summer甲 appearance clearly showcased his irreplaceability within Waseda Jitsugyo’s lineup.

Not to mention that as such a strong hitter, his defensive skills are also above average. In the first round of Summer甲, he had even prevented any home runs from opponents.

Such a player, even at a prestigious school like Waseda Jitsugyo with a deep bench, there isn’t anyone who can take his place:

The defensive players better than him are significantly weaker in offense, likely making it hard for them to adapt to the match intensity against Chukyo University;

The ones better in offense... sorry, there aren’t any.

This sudden situation today made Mr. Izumi’s lineup decisions immediately troublesome—he probably hopes for Kenshu’s recovery even more than Kenshu himself does.

Outside Kenshu Yasuda’s hospital room.

Inside the room, Kenshu Yasuda, lying on the bed, was chatting with Tsuchiya Ryota and others, seemingly looking better;

Outside the room, Lin Guanglai was also contemplating:

If Senior Kenshu can’t make a timely return, what kind of strategy should I, as a pitcher, devise, and what changes should be made?

Debuting at Koshien in the summer as a first-year student, with the opponent being last year’s champion, the pressure on Lin Guanglai was not small either.

"Is this truly the weight of dreams?" he thought to himself.