Ochiai spoke in his usual calm tone.

"Strong winds, heavy rain—under weather like that, it's not that you can't throw the Five-Seam Ball at all. But without doubt, those conditions will greatly affect your pitching, won't they? A pitch like the Five-Seam is much more likely to run wild and miss badly in such weather."

"It's not only the Five-Seam Ball. The rest of your Numbers pitches are more or less affected too."

"That is the first problem with your Numbers."

A glint of wisdom flickered in Ochiai's eyes as he spoke evenly to Eijun.

"The second problem is limits. Unlike ordinary breaking pitches, some of your Numbers put a heavy toll on your arm—and even on your stamina and focus. After pitching through the whole autumn tournament, you must have realized this too. Some of those pitches, if thrown too much, cause strain to your arm and fingers. It may seem minor now, but… your future is clearly as a professional player, isn't it? Five years, ten at most—if you keep pitching like this, your fingers will surely be in trouble."

Ochiai's expression turned grave as he said this.

The weight of his words made Eijun's face grow serious too.

"You're right. When I throw, I vaguely feel it… though it isn't very strong."

Eijun licked his dry lips before admitting softly.

"But so far I haven't found a way to fix it. And since the impact didn't seem that big, I've just been ignoring it."

He gave a wry smile.

Ever since coming here, Eijun's rapid growth had left him ahead of his peers.

Because of that, the side effects of his Numbers pitches had grown even greater than in the "original" path.

Even he was starting to feel a little overwhelmed.

"That won't do, Sawamura-kun. Your Numbers are still in development. At present, you can throw five or six reliably, with another seven or eight in the works. And maybe more in the future. This arsenal is what will make you a top-level pitcher. Naturally, you can't abandon them. But you must fix the problems. That's the best path forward."

Ochiai's eyes glinted as he continued quietly.

"Coach Ochiai, since you called me here, that means you already have a solution, right? Please guide me."

Eijun was not a fool. If there were no solution, Ochiai would've just given a warning, not summoned him here to talk for so long.

So he quickly caught on and bowed slightly, speaking with respect.

"Heh, you always pick up quickly, don't you? Well, yes. For these two problems, I do have some ideas. For now, the most important step is correcting your grip and your lower-body form."

Ochiai gave a small laugh and said it lightly.

"Form and grip?"

His words left Eijun blinking in confusion.

"Did you really think all of your current grips are perfect as they are?"

Ochiai gave him a flat look and spoke coolly.

"Eh?"

Eijun scratched the back of his head with his left hand, looking baffled.

Weren't grips the very core of his breaking pitches?

He had found what worked, and that's why those pitches existed.

If he changed the grip, wouldn't the pitch itself change?

He blinked again, his face showing even more confusion.

Then, suddenly, a thought struck him.

"You mean the grips for my pitches can still be improved?"

"Yes. More precisely, they can be adjusted to match your overall mechanics—especially your lower body, your finger control, and your release trajectory. All of that needs to be considered."

Ochiai nodded.

"The foundation doesn't need to change—that's the essence of each pitch. But the details can be refined. For example, your cutter: what if you loosened the finger pressure a little, and let the whole arm generate the release instead? Or adjusted the height of the release point? And then, there's your lower-body power transfer. All of that can be improved."

Ochiai gave a concrete example, explaining carefully.

"And as for release power—not every pitch has to be thrown at maximum effort. You've realized this already, haven't you? Different breaking pitches require different levels of force. Some must not be thrown with full power, or else their balance collapses and the movement disappears. Controlling effort isn't just about fastball velocity. It applies to breaking pitches too. On the big things, you're already doing great. So, to grow stronger, you need to polish the fine details."

Ochiai's words were clear and easy to understand, striking right at Eijun's core concerns.

Eijun nodded repeatedly, thoughtful.

"Pitching, Sawamura, is endless. Constant exploration, constant refinement. Baseball is a sport without limits—so long as you have the talent to push them."

Ochiai spoke with deep meaning.

Eijun nodded as if enlightened.

"Yes, I understand, Coach Ochiai."

"Good. For now, your left arm still can't grip a ball, so the grip adjustments will wait. Starting today, we'll begin with your lower-body stability. You can also do light shadow pitching to simulate the motion."

Ochiai gave a satisfied nod.

"Yes!!"

Eijun had thought he'd be stuck with nothing but dull endurance training for three weeks.

But now it seemed things wouldn't be so boring after all.

He clenched his left hand tightly.

This special training—tempering his body further—

was also a way to improve his command of the Numbers.

For him, it was an invaluable opportunity.

Truly, Ochiai deserved his reputation as a renowned coach.

Looking at the calm expression hiding strong confidence on Ochiai's face, Eijun felt sincere respect from the bottom of his heart.

This was a mentor of real caliber.

"Your basic training isn't finished yet, is it? Go complete it. Tonight, come to the indoor training facility—we'll start your lower-body reinforcement then."

"Yes, excuse me!"

Eijun bowed deeply, stepped back, then strode out of the bullpen toward the field.

"Stronger. I can become stronger."

In his eyes flickered a faint golden glow.

Velocity.

Control.

The balance of fastballs and breaking balls.

Mastery over his Numbers.

And his power as a batter.

Narumiya Mei—that is my current goal. First, I must surpass him.

Only then can I step forward toward a broader future!!!

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