Responses
I think it's the other way round. He basically means he earns the ace number and to keep up what he's doing.
Furuya has some harsh stuff written on his journal, that's why he's observing Sawamura alot more.
Kataoka doesn't favor any players. He does his best to strengthen the team by forging eijun and furuya's rivalry. That rivalry is the stepping stone for the both of them. With that, the rest of the team will be pulled up/ inspired by their competition. That's what I think
Okay, so am I the only one who's a little... put off by the journal entry thingy from Kataoka? It gave the feeling of "you did well in the past, so you get it now, but we don't feel like you'll be able to keep it". Idk, it just kinda irks me how Sawamura only got the ace number because they want to stir things up (or at least that's how it felt). Also, I'm veryyyyyyyy angry at the whole "using Sawamura as a stepping stone for Furuya's growth". Sorry for the rant, just had to get it out there.