Hayashi Sora lay in bed, thinking about his next sign-in reward.
"I hope tomorrow's sign-in reward will be world-class ball control. If that happens, I'll be able to pitch anywhere I want!"
"No, physical strength is also crucial! It would be better to get world-class stamina first!"
He tested his own endurance and found it lacking—maybe after ten more pitches, he'd be exhausted. In baseball, with nine innings and at least three batters per inning, a pitcher needs to throw many strikes. Given his current poor ball control, Sora realized he'd likely throw far more pitches per game, quickly wearing himself out.
"If I don't get stamina or ball control in the next sign-in, my only focus before the summer tournament will have to be physical and ball-handling training."
Lost in thought, Sora was startled when the assistant coach called out to him.
"Sorry, I was distracted. What's up?"
The assistant coach repeated,
"How many times can you throw at that speed in a row without resting?"
"Eleven. But my ball control isn't great. What I need most right now is stamina and control," Sora replied honestly.
The coach nodded.
"Understood. But to better gauge your physical limit, I want you to pitch with full effort until you're exhausted."
Sora agreed and returned to the mound, switching into full-power mode.
On the other side, Komiya Takashi, who had just lost to Sora in pitching speed, was not satisfied. He threw alongside Sora, determined to keep up. But no matter how hard he tried, Sora's ball always reached the catcher first—ten times in a row, no one could surpass him in speed.
However, in terms of stamina, Komiya Takashi had the edge. After ten pitches, Sora was drenched in sweat, his arm heavy as lead and unable to continue. Komiya, though also sweating, still had plenty of energy left. Sora wasn't discouraged; after all, Komiya had played baseball since childhood, while Sora's new body hadn't been trained at all. The difference in physical conditioning was expected.
Still, Komiya wasn't happy with a victory in stamina alone. What he valued most was speed—and in that, he'd been completely outclassed by Sora. Silently, Komiya resolved to double his efforts in pitching practice and one day surpass Sora.
---
After the aptitude test, the assistant coach began arranging targeted pitching training for each freshman, based on their strengths and weaknesses. With the test data in hand, he reported to head coach Kataoka Teshin.
"In the aptitude test, two pitchers stood out. Komiya Takashi's fastest pitch is 150 km/h, but his control is poor. Hayashi Sora's ball is even faster—158 km/h—but his control and stamina are both lacking. He can't throw more than 11 pitches at full strength."
Kataoka's eyes lit up. The ace pitcher he'd been seeking had finally appeared. While both freshmen had clear weaknesses, those could be improved through training. But pure ball speed—that was a rare, natural talent.
"Arrange their training for now. If they hit a wall, bring them to me. And make sure the training load increases gradually—don't force growth too quickly."
"Understood," the assistant coach replied, heading off to supervise their next session.
---
The Grind Begins
From the next day, under the assistant coach's plan, Sora began intense physical and ball control training. The same routine continued on the third and fourth days.
Each day's sign-in brought new rewards:
- **Day 2:** [Ding… Sign in on the 2nd day, reward: World-Class Sprint!]
- **Day 3:** [Ding… Sign in on the 3rd day, reward: World-Class Bunt!]
- **Day 4:** [Ding… Sign in on the 4th day, reward: National-Level Strength!]
- **Day 5:** [Ding… Sign in on the 5th day, reward: National-Level Ball Control!]
- **Day 6:** [Ding… Sign in on the 6th day, reward: World-Class Reflexes!]
- **Day 7:** [Ding… Sign in on the 7th day, reward: National-Level Stamina!]
With every passing day, Sora's abilities improved. He enjoyed the feeling of getting stronger just by showing up, but he remained low-key, only showing a gradual improvement in training so as not to arouse suspicion.
On the eighth day, the system chimed again:
[Ding! You have completed the 8th day sign-in! Reward: World-Class Guts!]
Though Sora didn't notice any immediate change, he trusted the system. During batting practice, he realized he could stand closer to the pitching machine without fear—proof that his courage and mental toughness had reached a new level.
"With world-class sprinting, bunting, guts, and reflexes, my success rate in hitting and stealing bases in high school games should be over 90%!"
Sora couldn't help but look forward to his first real game.