"By the way, I'm really sorry for leaning on your shoulder for so long," Furuya Satoru suddenly realized he had been resting on Zhou Hui's shoulder and felt it was inappropriate, so he quickly turned to apologize.
"It's fine, it's no big deal," Zhou Hui replied with a smile, stopping the motion of rubbing his shoulder.
Although his shoulder still ached, he knew it wasn't appropriate to show discomfort at that moment.
"By the way, are you also a freshman at Seidou High School?" Furuya Satoru asked.
"That's right! So you are too?" Zhou Hui nodded.
"Since we're both freshmen at Seidou, I'm Zhou Hui," he introduced himself.
"Zhou Hui..." Furuya began to mumble the name, as if he had heard it somewhere before.
Indeed, Zhou Hui was a well-known name in Hokkaido. Anyone who followed baseball magazines would recognize it.
"The Demon King of Hokkaido," "The Terrifying Monster from China," "The Most Important Link in the Eagles' Lineup"—these were all phrases the media used to describe Zhou Hui.
It was clear that the media had high hopes for him. Such exaggerated terms also proved his strong abilities. It was safe to say that if Zhou Hui were placed on an ordinary team outside of a competitive zone, he could very likely lead that team to Koshien.
"Don't overthink it; I'm from China, so my name is naturally different from yours," Zhou Hui said, understanding what Furuya was thinking but choosing not to voice it.
"I see..." Furuya's voice was so soft that it seemed only he could hear it.
"I'm Furuya Satoru," he introduced himself briefly.
Regardless, they had now made each other's acquaintance.
Afterward, the two of them took a taxi to Seidou High School.
Seidou High School was a prestigious private school located in a bustling area of West Tokyo, renowned for its baseball program. Many players in the current professional league had come from Seidou High School.
Arriving there felt like stepping into a "baseball incubator." The school was spacious, with luxurious training facilities, and the entire campus exuded a magnificent atmosphere.
It was certainly false to say that the tuition was low. Seidou High School's fees were among the highest for private high schools in the entire country. This made many students who didn't get into public high schools hesitate when considering Seidou.
While the school was comfortable, it was also normal for it to have high tuition fees. However, that didn't mean they were foolish. They offered generous benefits for talented players.
To recruit Zhou Hui, they had already invested significant effort, both in terms of energy and finances.
Once they got out of the taxi, both were stunned by the sight before them.
They hadn't expected Seidou High School to be this large! It was much bigger than what they had seen in the enrollment brochure!
Both of them came from families that weren't particularly wealthy and had attended ordinary local schools in junior high. Coming to a big city like this was truly an eye-opener for them.
At least it was for Zhou Hui. Although Furuya was also shocked, it was clear he was less overwhelmed than Zhou Hui. Furuya's grandfather was from Tokyo, so he had a more open perspective.
"So this is Seidou," Zhou Hui said, gazing at the vast campus with excitement.
Seidou High School was the dream school for many young baseball players. It was also one of the private high schools with a high admission score.
Thus, even within the baseball team, there were many players who excelled academically. Each year, there were only eight special enrollment spots, and once they were filled, there were no more.
These exceptionally talented players could enter Seidou High School through the special enrollment spots. Life for such individuals at Seido would be quite comfortable. If there were no expenses to worry about, Seidou might even provide them with money.
Players with slightly less ability would only have the opportunity to enroll without an entrance exam, but they would still have to cover their own accommodation and tuition fees.
Most players entered through the regular entrance exams, which indicated they had achieved notable results during their junior high years.
Academics were also important at Seidou High School, even for the baseball team. There were regulations stating that if students did not pass their final exams or make-up exams, they would not be eligible to participate in the summer tournament.
Not even the team captain was exempt from this rule.
Joining the baseball team wasn't just about playing; academics were also a crucial part of the experience.
This was the rule at Seidou High School! Therefore, it was genuinely difficult for those without a solid academic foundation to establish themselves on the baseball team.
Zhou Hui and Furuya didn't linger at the entrance for long; they grabbed their bags and walked through the gates of Seidou High School.
Once inside, Zhou Hui took a deep breath and felt a sense of relief wash over him.
The greenery was one aspect, but it was also a psychological effect.
Seidou High School, a powerhouse in baseball, was his dream institution. Now, he felt like he had made that dream come true.
"Where should we go first?" Zhou Hui asked, glancing at Furuya.
"Um..." Furuya seemed a bit dazed, taking a long time to respond.
It appeared that this situation was somewhat challenging for him. Zhou Hui decided not to rely on him and to take the initiative.
"For the freshman orientation, we should go to..." Zhou Hui began to think.
This was something Ms. Takashima hadn't informed him about, and it wasn't clearly stated on the acceptance letter either. As a result, they entered Seidou High School feeling lost, unsure of what to do next.
Looking up at the sky, Zhou Hui noticed it was getting late. It was already 5 PM, and the sun had set, but they had just arrived at Seidou High School.
If they went to the student affairs office to complete their enrollment procedures now, it might not be realistic. The staff there might have already left for the day.
"Let's head to the dormitory first!"
That was undoubtedly the best choice. Finding a place to stay was the priority; everything else could come later.
Furuya nodded and followed Zhou Hui as they began searching for the dormitory.
In such a large campus at Seidou High School, finding a dormitory building was no easy task.
It took them at least twenty minutes before they finally spotted the dormitory building.
"This should be it, right?" Zhou Hui looked up at the sign at the entrance of the dormitory.
Seidou Dormitory.
"That's right, this is it," Zhou Hui answered himself, while Eijun remained silent beside him.