Chapter 191: Winter

Ten minutes later, in the parking lot, Huangqian Yangyi shoved a notebook into Sawamura's arms.

"Go back and study it well; I'll be waiting for you at Seido."

"What is this?" Sawamura opened the notebook in confusion, and Takashima Rei leaned in as well.

"A training plan?" Takashima Rei was shocked, turning her head to look at Huangqian Yangyi, "You made this?"

"Of course, impressive, right?" Huangqian Yangyi held his head high with pride.

Takashima Rei nodded slightly; she hadn't expected Huangqian Yangyi to be so attentive to the task she had entrusted to him.

"Thank you for your hard work."

"It's a small thing; everything is for Seido."

Takashima Rei nodded with a smile; with an ace like this at Seido, why worry that their great cause wouldn't succeed!

"There's also this; Rei-chan, please help me mail this to that kid in Hokkaido." Huangqian Yangyi handed another notebook to Takashima Rei.

"You are so thorough in your preparations." Takashima Rei sighed continuously; Yangyi was working so hard, she would help put in a good word for him next time he wanted to ask for time off.

Huangqian Yangyi waved his hand and smiled, then left after saying goodbye to Sawamura.

At the station, after saying goodbye to Takashima Rei, Sawamura boarded the train with a heavy heart, leaning against the window and flipping through the notebook Huangqian Yangyi had given him.

"Damn it!"

Sawamura read it bit by bit; every single training plan was so detailed.

"My pitching form has problems? It needs to be like this?"

Sawamura rose from his seat and came to the aisle.

"Imagine there is a wall in front of you, the arm must whip out like a lash, it cannot be too stiff, the position where the foot lands is..."

Sawamura placed the notebook on the chair beside him, performing the movements while reading.

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, it was January of the following year.

It was winter break, and Huangqian Yangyi had a wonderful New Year with his family.

"Nii-chan~"

Huangqian Kumiko opened her older brother's door and walked in, "Nii-chan, let's go out for a walk; I want to eat ice cream."

Huangqian Yangyi was clacking away at the computer sitting at his desk. Over the past few months, that kid Sawamura would send him messages from time to time to ask questions, mostly training videos. Especially at the beginning, just the adjustments to his pitching form meant a video almost every day, which annoyed him to no end.

Conversely, after that kid Furuya Satoru received the notebook Takashima Rei mailed, he only added his contact information, said thank you, and then there was no follow-up.

"Ice cream? It's winter, you know." Although Huangqian Yangyi said this, he had already closed the computer and grabbed a coat to drape over himself.

"Winter is the best; you can eat it slowly." Huangqian Kumiko linked her arm with her brother's and smiled sweetly.

Dotingly patting his younger sister's head, Huangqian Yangyi said: "Then let's go; big brother will treat you, we'll get a super large portion."

"Hee hee, big brother is the best."

After putting on their shoes and wrapping their scarves, the siblings pushed open the door and walked out. The biting cold wind carrying snowflakes blew in, and both of them shivered at the same time.

"So cold." Huangqian Kumiko couldn't help but burrow into Huangqian Yangyi's arms.

"Heh, know it's cold now?" Huangqian Yangyi couldn't help but laugh.

"I just wanted to eat it!" Huangqian Kumiko pouted.

Huangqian Yangyi lightly pinched Huangqian Kumiko's nose: "Eat up, you love sweets so much, you'll gain weight."

"I won't! Don't talk nonsense." Huangqian Kumiko retorted subconsciously, but after finishing, she didn't know what she thought of, and her small face was full of worry.

They all say that once you enter high school, you'll change, so why is it that almost a year has passed and she still hasn't grown much.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing!" Huangqian Kumiko's small face turned red.

Huangqian Yangyi shook his head; they say adolescent girls have many thoughts, and it really is true.

Not long after, the siblings were each holding an ice cream, strolling down the street in the cold wind.

"Hey, Kumiko, do you want to try playing baseball?" Huangqian Yangyi looked at an indoor baseball training center across the street and suddenly had a whim.

"Eh?" Huangqian Kumiko cried out in surprise, "But, I don't have any athletic ability."

"Just play for fun, there's nothing else to do anyway, might as well," Huangqian Yangyi laughed.

Helpless, Huangqian Kumiko had to quickly finish the ice cream in her hand, and the two walked into the baseball training center together.

After paying, Huangqian Yangyi took his sister to the indoor Batter's Box.

Although it was winter, there were still quite a few people here, mostly children.

"Kumiko, come over here."

Huangqian Yangyi beckoned, and after Huangqian Kumiko came over, he put a helmet on her. Although it was a pitching machine, Huangqian Yangyi couldn't bear to let his sister take even the slightest risk.

"Let's go, go in and try."

"Mm!" Huangqian Kumiko nodded.

Wearing gloves and holding a bat, Huangqian Kumiko felt she looked incredibly cool, just like her brother.

Seeing this, Huangqian Yangyi set the pitching machine speed to 80 kilometers, a Fastball.

"It's about to start."

"I'm ready," Huangqian Kumiko said confidently. Although she hadn't practiced specifically, under her brother's influence, her batting stance was quite standard.

Whoosh!

The baseball machine shot out a small white ball.

Huangqian Kumiko turned her body and swung the bat, spinning in place twice like a top, and finally fell to the ground on her bottom.

"Pfft!"

Huangqian Yangyi couldn't help but laugh out loud, then hurriedly reached out to cover his mouth. He was a good brother; how could he laugh at his sister?

"Hmph! If you want to laugh, just laugh." Huangqian Kumiko stood up, unconvinced.

"No, I wasn't laughing." Huangqian Yangyi pointed at the pitching machine opposite them, "The second ball is coming."

Whoosh!

Bang!

This time, Huangqian Kumiko miraculously managed to hit the baseball.

"Nii-chan! I'm amazing, right!" Huangqian Kumiko hopped and skipped, fishing for praise.

"Amazing, our Kumiko is the best," Huangqian Yangyi said, as if coaxing a child.

The two siblings played in the training hall for a while, but as more customers arrived, Huangqian Yangyi was recognized; after all, this was a gathering place for baseball enthusiasts.

"Shhh!!!"

"Keep it down!"

Huangqian Yangyi hurriedly signaled for the few girls who rushed over for photos to be quiet; if this really drew attention, it would be hard to wrap things up today.

After taking photos with these people under the murderous gaze of his sister Huangqian Kumiko, Huangqian Yangyi suddenly felt a tightening in his lower abdomen—he needed to pee!

After Huangqian Yangyi left for the restroom, someone noticed Huangqian Kumiko, who was still struggling with the pitching machine.

"Hey, that's Huangqian Kumiko."

"I heard Kitauji won the silver prize at the National Wind Music Competition this year."

"Both siblings are so amazing."

"I'm shipping them!"

"That's not right, they're siblings!"

"That makes it even more exciting!"

Hearing these terrifying and earth-shattering remarks, Huangqian Kumiko hurriedly dropped the bat and rushed out to find her brother.

When the two returned home, they happened to run into Kousaka Reina, who had come to practice with Huangqian Kumiko; she was dressed warmly, carrying her Trumpet, and standing at the Huangqian family's doorstep.

"Reina, why are you here?" Huangqian Yangyi asked, knowing the answer.

Since the holidays began, this girl had been running to his house every other day, ostensibly to practice with Huangqian Kumiko, but in reality, her intentions were known to everyone in the Huangqian household.

"I'm here to practice," Kousaka Reina lied without blushing or skipping a beat.

"Mm, come on in," Huangqian Yangyi smiled.

The three of them entered the house together; Huangqian Yangyi sat in the courtyard drinking tea, watching the falling snow while listening to his sister and Reina play.

In the blink of an eye, it was late January, and the winter break ended.

Huangqian Yangyi carried his pack and dragged his luggage back to Seido.

After another two months of training, Huangqian Yangyi's first year of high school concluded, and he welcomed his second year at Seido High School.