Chapter 31: Seido VS Ichidai Sanko

Narumiya Mei, back in the team, remained sullen; that little blondie was just too hateful, actually giving him a nickname—that bastard chestnut-haired monster.

Huh??

Chestnut-haired monster?

Narumiya Mei froze for a few seconds, then put his hands on his hips and laughed wildly, "Ahahahahaha."

Next time, next time I see him, I'll call him that!

Just as he was feeling smug, Narumiya Mei suddenly covered his face and wailed; why, why hadn't he thought of that just now?

Late-arriving intelligence is useless.

On the other side, at the entrance of a restroom not far away.

Tanba was pulling up his pants as he came out, and he bumped head-on into someone wearing a gray-and-white team uniform.

"Hiss~ that hurts," the person said, clutching their chest.

"I'm sorry," Tanba hurriedly bowed to apologize.

"Eh? Koichiro?"

Tanba looked up.

"Ah, Yao!"

Zhenzhong Yao patted Tanba's arm and smiled, "Long time no see, Koichiro."

"Yeah, are you going to the restroom too?" Tanba said.

Uh...

"Haha, you're still just as bad at making conversation; never mind, let's say what we have to say on the field."

Hearing this, Tanba fell silent; he didn't say anything about not being on the field himself. Although the two were good friends, they were each serving their own masters now, and he wouldn't be foolish enough to reveal the team's deployment.

Seeing Tanba remain silent, Zhenzhong Yao smiled, "I'll head in first, see you later."

"Yeah," Tanba nodded.

Arriving at the locker room, Tanba glanced at Huangqian Yangyi, who was laughing and talking.

Although he had played in the previous game against Horikoshi High School and pitched until the end, compared to the fact that Manager Kataoka had sent a First Year Pitcher to the mound for this game against Ichidai Sanko, Tanba still felt unwilling; was he really that untrusted?

"Tanba, Tanba!"

Miyauchi Keisuke's voice woke Tanba up.

"Let's go, the game is about to start!"

"Oh, oh, okay."

Tanba looked around; only he and Miyauchi Keisuke were left in the locker room.

On the field, the players from Seido and Ichidai Sanko were conducting their pre-game warm-ups.

Their fluid movements and tacit cooperation drew waves of screams from the spectators in the stands.

Not long after, the pre-game warm-ups ended, and the players from both sides returned to their respective dugouts.

"Spring Tokyo Tournament, Semi-finals, first game!"

"The match between Seido High School and Ichidai Sanko High School officially begins!"

As the commentator's voice fell, a huge cheer erupted from the stands.

"Seido!!"

"Sanko!!"

Both opposing teams were famous baseball powerhouses in Tokyo and were old rivals who had been at each other's throats for years. Meeting in the semi-finals, to say nothing of casual spectators, the fans of both sides alone were enough to stir up a massive tide.

On the Third Base side, before the players took the field, Manager Kataoka crossed his arms and said, "Everyone, although the Spring Tournament is not as important as the Summer or Autumn ones, since we have already come this far, there is no reason to shrink back."

"Get your spirits up and go!"

"Yes!!"

All the starting players roared as they rushed onto the field; today, facing Ichidai Sanko, they would avenge last summer!

"Top of the first inning, Ichidai Sanko bats first, Seido on defense; both teams' players are in position, the game begins!"

Amidst the commentator's passionate voice, Seido's Ace Pitcher Nanjo Taishi had already stood on the Pitcher's Mound. Facing the lead-off Batter of Ichidai Sanko, Tanaka Wataru gave the signal for a low, outside Four-seam Fastball.

Nanjo Taishi nodded; the two had perfect chemistry, and without much hesitation, he pitched!

Pop!

The little white ball drilled into the mitt, and the Batter swung and missed.

"Strike!"

"First pitch goes outside, swing and a miss!"

The commentator shouted loudly, even though it was just an ordinary pitch.

On the field, having secured one Strike, Nanjo Taishi continued to deal with the Batter seriously, and his coordination with Tanaka Wataru allowed them to quickly retire Ichidai Sanko in order.

Bottom of the first inning, it was Seido High School's turn to attack.

"Zhenzhong Yao's High-speed Curveball is quite sharp."

Watching three Seido players, including the third-spot Batter Yuki Tetsuya, get struck out and leave the field, Huangqian Yangyi said to Miyuki.

"It's faster and more accurate than what we saw in the video recordings, and the pitch path is also very tricky," Miyuki said.

"However, if that's all he has, that High-speed Curveball won't be able to stop the big bats of our upperclassmen."

Although the first inning ended with neither side having a single runner on base, Huangqian Yangyi felt that if Zhenzhong Yao only had this one High-speed Curveball, wanting to suppress the Seido batting lineup led by Dong Qingguo was undoubtedly a pipe dream.

"No, Yangyi," Miyuki had a different view on this, "Zhenzhong Yao's Four-seam Fastball and High-speed Curveball already have a fairly high level of completion. Plus, Ichidai Sanko's overall defensive level is no less than our Seido's; even if we can hit the ball, it will be very difficult to connect our offense and score runs."

Huangqian Yangyi nodded, "You're right; I've habitually been thinking about the problem only from the Pitcher's perspective."

Regarding Huangqian Yangyi's self-reflection, Miyuki chuckled, "Well, pitchers are all a bunch of self-centered guys; it's not strange at all that you'd think that way."

The two did not deliberately lower their voices during their conversation; Manager Kataoka and Chris both nodded after hearing it—a player who knows how to think is worth praising at any time.

Whether it is Huangqian Yangyi or Miyuki Kazuya, the arrival of these two will bring a brand-new future to Seido.

"Huangqian, Miyuki, you can start warming up," Director Kataoka shouted.

"Yes!"

The two stood up and walked toward the Bullpen, and just then, a crisp sound rang out from the field.

Nanjo Taishi, who had just stepped onto the Pitcher's Mound, was hit by an Ichidai Sanko Batter for an Extra-base Hit that landed in the Right Fielder's position; Seido's third-year Right Fielder Shinoki Keita quickly picked up the ball and threw it back, but unfortunately, the opponent still made it directly to Second Base.

"Top of the second inning, Ichidai Sanko takes the lead in the offensive! Seido's ace Pitcher has been hit for an Extra-base Hit, no outs!"

Listening to the commentator's voice, Nanjo Taishi on the Pitcher's Mound took a deep breath; the previous pitch was a bit too high, and the opponent seized the opportunity.

"A crisis has emerged."

"Stop watching, hurry up and warm up," Miyuki pushed Huangqian Yangyi into the Bullpen.

Inside the Bullpen, Huangqian Yangyi no longer looked at the game on the field, steadily throwing one pitch after another into Miyuki's glove.

The Seido supporters in the stands all showed expressions of surprise after seeing the movement in the Bullpen; in a game against Ichidai Sanko, does Director Kataoka still intend to send a First Year Pitcher onto the field?

One must know that it has been less than 20 days since the First Year freshmen enrolled; even if one is a genius, there must be a limit.

Even though Huangqian Yangyi had taken the mound and pitched in the previous game against Donghe High School and performed quite well, he had only pitched one inning after all, and apart from his fast pitch speed, basically nothing much could be seen.

Good potential, a promising future—this was the impression Huangqian Yangyi left on the audience at the time.

Everyone believed that in the future, or perhaps even this very summer, this First Year Pitcher would become a mainstay for Seido and contribute his strength to the team.