Chapter 344: Third Round

The next day.

Seido High School, classroom building.

Having just finished a class and preparing to rest his head on the desk for a while, Huangqian Yangyi saw Miyuki, who had been picking up money, turn his head back and point toward the doorway, where several retired third-year seniors were standing.

Isashiki Jun leaned against the doorframe in a pretentious manner, trying to attract the attention of the girls.

Kominato Ryosuke stood on the other side of the doorframe with his arms crossed.

Yuki Tetsuya stood at the entrance facing the classroom with his hands in his pockets, while Masuko Toru stood behind him with a smile on his face, looking like a personal bodyguard.

"Why are the seniors here?"

"How would I know? But they're definitely here to see us. Let's go take a look," Miyuki said, then stood up and walked toward the door.

Huangqian Yangyi followed immediately, casually swatting the back of the head of Kuramochi, who had been sleeping since the start of class.

"Hahaha, you guy, Huangqian, a shutout against Teito." As soon as he walked over, Isashiki Jun slapped Huangqian Yangyi on the shoulder and said loudly; unlike Inashiro and Ichidai Sanko, who were also in West Tokyo, Seido and Teito had relatively few encounters.

Even though Seido was now called the kings, Teito, as the hegemon of East Tokyo, was quite unconvinced, especially their fans; shutting them out cleanly in the Autumn Tournament this time had truly shut many people's mouths.

"Isn't that a common occurrence? Jun-san, why are you so excited?" Huangqian Yangyi picked his ear with his pinky, looking completely indifferent.

"You brat, still so arrogant." Isashiki Jun laughed and punched Huangqian in the chest, then turned his head to look at Miyuki.

"Miyuki is also impressive; that stolen base was too cool."

"Haha, just a bit of luck." Miyuki smiled modestly.

"I hope your luck is always that good." Isashiki Jun chuckled.

Miyuki's stolen base this time did indeed have some element of luck, but it was also his ability that allowed him to seize this opportunity to help Huangqian Yangyi earn a chance to bat.

"Huangqian, Miyuki, Kuramochi, well done." Yuki Tetsuya remained as concise as ever.

Although the Autumn Tournament had already gone through three preliminary rounds, they hadn't paid much attention to the previous ones, but this match against Teito was the true test for the new team.

The performance of the new team did not disappoint the third-year seniors; as Captain, Huangqian Yangyi, and Vice Captains Miyuki and Kuramochi were leading the team well.

Looking at Huangqian Yangyi standing before him, Yuki Tetsuya's heart was filled with pride; this was the captain he had recommended, their ace and Fourth Batter.

"Seniors, when will you have time to come watch a game in person?" Huangqian Yangyi asked.

"We will. We'll go together for the finals," Yuki Tetsuya said.

At this moment, Kominato Ryosuke, who had been silent, looked at Kuramochi with a smile: "Even if you've become a Vice Captain, you mustn't get arrogant."

"Hahaha, Ryosuke-san, I'm very reliable." Kuramochi laughed loudly; although Kominato Ryosuke was praising him, he had a lingering illusion that he would be disciplined the next second.

"Mm, help him out more with the coordination with Haruichi," Kominato Ryosuke said.

Hearing this, Kuramochi stared blankly at him, "Ryo-san, were you actually capable of being this gentle?"

"Ryo-san has never said such things to me."

"Is it just because I'm not your younger brother?"

Kuramochi looked aggrieved, tears even appearing in his eyes.

"Try saying that again..."

"Ya~ the weather is so nice today." Kuramochi instantly changed his expression.

"Hahaha, Uga!"

Masuko Toru clapped his belly and laughed loudly in the back.

"Masuko-senpai, you seem to have gained weight," Huangqian Yangyi stepped forward and patted Masuko Toru's stomach.

"Uga! No, I haven't!" Masuko Toru took a deep breath and tightened his stomach.

The teasing ended, and after the group chatted for a few moments, before leaving, Yuki Tetsuya extended a fist and punched Huangqian Yangyi in the chest.

"From here on, it's up to you to lead the team forward. The second-years should be more relaxed, but for the first-years like Furuya and Sawamura, you'll have to put in more effort."

"We will!" Huangqian, Miyuki, and Kuramochi nodded in unison.

In the blink of an eye, the day of the third-round match arrived; in the second round, Seido's opponent was Nanamori High School, a weak team. Facing this team, Manager Kataoka let Furuya start, and the game ended early in 5 innings with a score of 19:2.

And someone also refreshed his Home Run count in this game, reaching an astonishing 69.

This day, Saturday, Fuchu Municipal Stadium.

At nine in the morning, the spectators gathered outside the stadium were much more numerous than in the first two rounds; on one hand, it was because Seido was playing today, and on the other, because the tournament had reached the third round, and the level and quality of the games had improved significantly.

"Ugumori, this team is a dark horse."

"They just defeated Nio Gakusha, and their ace is also worth looking forward to."

"Tsk, excellent newcomers are popping up like bamboo shoots after rain, but it's a pity they all have to fall under Seido's brutal batting lineup in the end."

"Damn, the way you put it, it feels like Seido is the big boss in a game."

Before the game had even started, the enthusiasm of the spectators had already made the entire stadium boil with noise.

The spectators were very expectant, wondering what kind of performance Ugumori High School, having defeated Nio Gakusha, could put up when facing the kings, Seido—would they collapse at the first touch, or could they struggle for a few more innings?

That's right, two innings; as long as they could avoid being ended early in 5 innings, in the eyes of the spectators, Ugumori's performance would be worthy of being called impressive.

As the two teams arrived and warmed up, the atmosphere at the venue became even more heated; in the press box, people from major media outlets had already set up their cameras.

"Senpai, there are so many people today, it's almost catching up to the first game between Seido and Teito." Reporter Akiko, who had already become a full-time staff member, was still paired with the veteran senior Mine Fujio; after arriving at the scene, she had originally thought the level of attention for this game wouldn't be very high, but she hadn't expected so many people.

"A duel between a dark horse and the kings—this kind of drama always attracts a lot of attention. Ugumori, having defeated Nio Gakusha, carries the hopes of many who love to see underdogs rise and the mighty fall."

"And Ugumori's opponent is Seido, so it's no surprise they're receiving this much attention. Although I estimate Huangqian Yangyi won't take the mound to pitch in this game, Seido's other three pitchers are also worth watching, especially those two first-years; there are many people who think highly of them now," Fujio said while adjusting his equipment.

After listening to Fujio's explanation, Akiko nodded: "If Huangqian Yangyi doesn't take the mound today, then perhaps Ugumori won't lose too miserably."

"That's true, they should be able to score some runs, but how could Ugumori compare to Seido's scoring ability?" Fujio shook his head; now, when encountering Seido in a game, even if Huangqian Yangyi doesn't take the mound to pitch, other schools still have to face that powerful batting lineup. If they can't conquer it, victory is nothing but a pipe dream.