CHAPTER 4: CHAPTER 4: LIN GUANGLAI’S AMBITION

He opened his eyes to the familiar ceiling once again.

It’s been almost a week since the game, but the cloud of defeat still hangs over Lin Guanglai.

He lifted his head to glance at the alarm clock on the bedside—it was 5:45 AM.

Time for the daily morning exercise.

Lin Guanglai sprang up from the bed like a carp and quickly dressed to head out the door.

The weekend morning felt a bit quiet at home: his parents were likely still asleep, and his sister went on a trip with classmates during the spring break, expected to return in a few days.

Thank goodness that woman went traveling; otherwise, if she saw him after losing the game, who knows how she’d mock him—Lin Guanglai thought to himself.

If judged by the so-called "superstar standards," Lin Guanglai was clearly not up to par: he had both parents and a sister four years older.

His father was a mid-level manager at a domestic company, sent to Japan for a related project; his mother worked at a local company in Japan, holding a moderate position; as for his older sister, though she was unruly, she was indeed good at studying: currently majoring in journalism at The University of Tokyo.

He stepped out the door, where the biting cold wind hit him, instantly waking Lin Guanglai up.

Proceeding along the residential road, he began his daily morning exercise—the routine he’s kept since he started baseball training, come rain or shine.

As he ran along the road, thoughts surged in Lin Guanglai’s mind once more: these past few days, he replayed the loss over and over again in his head, and a rather bold idea gradually emerged in his heart:

He didn’t want to develop solely as a pitcher anymore—no matter how exceptional a pitcher is, at best, he can ensure the team doesn’t lose points;

But when the team needs points, a pitcher often can only watch or symbolically swing the bat a few times and then exit—like in that day’s game.

Though pure individual heroism isn’t applicable in baseball, Lin Guanglai still wanted to pursue victory to the fullest:

——He aspired to be well-versed in both pitching and batting, to become a Dual Swordsmanship player!

Surely, Lin Guanglai was aware of the difficulties in realizing this idea:

Given the massive resources needed to cultivate a pitcher, no team would want its starting pitcher to also bat, run bases, and steal bases—this would only unnecessarily increase the risk of injury, which is counterproductive for the team.

Furthermore, the complexity of baseball dictates that a player aiming to master a position often requires significant dedication—either stabilizing scores as a pitcher or breaking new ground as a batter—this has been the common sense in modern baseball for over a century now.

In the tradition-heavy Japanese baseball world, defying convention often means departing from the norms, and until achieving undeniable success, this path is destined to be full of thorns.

Yet Lin Guanglai wanted to strive anyway; partly because he had confidence in himself, believing his talent could support Dual Swordsmanship;

Additionally, the concept of dual-pitching and batting isn’t unique in high school baseball—in many small local teams, they might barely gather a full starting lineup, so having the starting pitcher as a central batter isn’t unheard of.

As long as he can deliver indisputable performance as a Dual Swordsmanship player in high school, he believes there’s definitely a place for him in professional baseball in the future. Lin Guanglai thought to himself.

Of course, Waseda Industrial School is not a small local school; as a powerhouse in the West Tokyo region, they don’t need a player to take on multiple roles—thus, Lin Guanglai needed external support.

He roughly had a plan in mind.

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That same afternoon.

Upon hearing the doorbell ring, Lin Guanglai hurriedly opened the door—the person standing outside was none other than the Waseda Jitsugyo Baseball Club’s supervisor, Izumi Minoru, who had come to watch Lin Guanglai’s performance in person that day.

This portly, greying old supervisor has been the supervisor at Waseda Jitsugyo Baseball Club since 1992, coaching for nearly twenty years now—under his leadership, Waseda frequently made it to various high school baseball tournaments and even won the Summer Koshien Tournament in 2006, shattering Kumamoto University’s dream of a Summer甲 three-peat.

With such a prominent figure visiting, Lin Guanglai naturally dared not neglect him and promptly bowed to greet him:

"Mr. Izumi."

Izumi Minoru acknowledged him and extended his greetings to Lin Guanglai’s parents waiting at the door.

Entering the living room, Izumi Minoru took a seat and immediately retrieved a stack of documents from his briefcase and began speaking to Lin Guanglai’s parents:

"Mr. Lin, Mrs. Lin, my purpose today is mainly to assure you and convey the school’s regard for Guanglai—honestly, I’ve been a high school supervisor since the 1980s, and I’ve been leading the Waseda Jitsugyo Baseball Club for nearly twenty years. Guanglai’s talent in baseball certainly ranks among the best I’ve seen at his age."

"And coincidentally, our Waseda Industrial School is also one of the best high schools in Japan, whether in teaching resources or baseball club setup, we can be considered top tier nationwide—I hope you feel assured entrusting Guanglai to us. I believe, with his talent, even playing in Major League Baseball in the United States in the future is not impossible."

Then, Izumi Minoru elaborated on Waseda’s history, school education, and baseball club facilities—notably, as an affiliate high school of Waseda University, the comprehensive strength of Waseda Industrial School is remarkable:

In terms of student education, Waseda backs Waseda Jitsugyo with excellent faculty and holds relevant cooperative agreements with numerous universities at home and abroad. Waseda students can even audit Waseda University courses during high school and enjoy various privileges;

As the flagship of the school’s sports achievements, the Waseda Jitsugyo Baseball Club receives high-standard treatment: whether in financial budget or infrastructure setup, it far exceeds ordinary schools. Students in the Baseball Club even receive preferential admission to Waseda University Baseball Club—even if Guanglai doesn’t enter professional baseball for some reason in the future, his skill certainly earns him a place in the Waseda University Baseball Club.

Lin Guanglai’s parents nodded repeatedly, evidently satisfied with Izumi Minoru’s statements.

Following up, Izumi Minoru seized the opportunity and pulled out another document from his briefcase: "Mr., Mrs., and Guanglai, this is a plan formulated specifically for Guanglai by our baseball staff."

"We analyzed Guanglai’s middle-school game data and tailored a three-year growth plan based on his performance."

"After watching Guanglai’s matches, everyone in our baseball club believes Guanglai is destined to become an excellent baseball player, and what we need to do is provide him with everything he needs—our sincerity is right here."

Receiving the development plan handed by Izumi Minoru, Lin Guanglai’s parents skimmed through it before passing it to him, signaling with their eyes, "Make your own decision."

Undeniably, the sincerity of Mr. Izumi and the Waseda Jitsugyo Baseball Club was uncommonly generous—the plan thoroughly analyzed Lin Guanglai’s strengths, weaknesses, and how to improve in the next three years, even setting training content according to professional player standards.

Had it been the previous Lin Guanglai, he would have been delighted by Waseda’s serious regard for him; but to the current him, the plan didn’t address his batting skills specifically—quite obviously, even the immensely supportive Mr. Izumi still wanted to confine him to the pitcher’s position.

In response, Lin Guanglai shared his experience from the game against Ohtani with Izumi Minoru and expressed his aspiration to master both pitching and batting.

Clearly, Izumi Minoru was initially surprised at Lin Guanglai’s request—after all, as a starting pitcher, it would significantly harm the team if injured while on base;

But upon Lin Guanglai’s repeated insistence, this supervisor—who always prioritized "respecting students’ personal choice"—finally agreed, yet he also indicated that if Lin Guanglai wanted to bat in the leading order, he’d have to prove his abilities: "If you can’t meet the batting standards, you’ll have to stay at the ninth position," the supervisor said.

To this, Lin Guanglai willingly agreed; his life was never short of challenges.

After bidding farewell to Mr. Izumi, Lin Guanglai excitedly lay on his bed—he was eager for school to start!

Fall Tournament, Meiji Shrine Tournament, Senbatsu High School Baseball Tournament, and most importantly, the Summer Koshien—here comes Lin Guanglai!