Chapter 37: Victory!

"Tch!" Isashiki Jun walked down with a crab-like gait; if he could have smashed that hit out, it would have been a golden home run!

Having failed to seize this opportunity to make a name for himself in one swing, Isashiki Jun felt incomparably frustrated.

Following that, the Ichidai Sanko battery displayed their strong willpower when facing Seido's bottom of the lineup.

Seido's 7th batter Shinoki Keita was struck out, 8th batter Yanagiya Kazuki hit a single, and Yuki Tetsuya took the opportunity to return to home plate and score a run.

Afterward, still with the bases loaded, Nanjo Taishi, who had been moved to play Left Fielder, failed to produce at the plate and was struck out; the 5th inning ended with a score of 7:6, Seido leading.

In the sixth inning, it was Seido's turn to defend again; Huangqian Yangyi and Kazuya faced the Ichidai Sanko fourth batter as soon as they came up, yet even for a powerful fourth batter, facing Huangqian Yangyi's pitching for the first time remained difficult to handle.

With three consecutive pitches, he struck out the Ichidai Sanko fourth batter; the two's coordination was invincible for a time, cutting down gods and Buddhas alike.

The game reached the ninth inning; relying solely on a Four-seam Fastball, Huangqian Yangyi and Kazuya did not let Ichidai Sanko hit a single, a performance that could be called perfect.

The score between the two sides had also become 11:6, and Ichidai Sanko's momentum was gone, yet the Seido players were still not at ease; as the game reached its end, everyone became even more serious.

In a baseball game where a single pitch could decide the outcome, no one dared to let their guard down until the very moment the game truly ended.

In the dugout, Huangqian Yangyi had just prepared to stand up when Coach Kataoka suddenly spoke: "For the final inning, Nanjo, you go close it out."

"Hm?" Huangqian Yangyi looked up in surprise at Kataoka Tiexin.

"There is still a final tomorrow; rest as much as you can and conserve your strength," Coach Kataoka said.

Hearing this, Huangqian Yangyi sat back down, "Understood, I will listen to the coach."

Although he had only pitched 4 innings and thrown 36 pitches, Huangqian Yangyi had no complaints at this moment; having Nanjo Taishi close out the final inning was also very reliable.

With Nanjo Taishi's ability, unless he imploded himself, Ichidai Sanko could only hope for a miracle from God to turn the game around.

"Remember to do your cool-down stretches and ice your shoulder."

His shoulder was patted, and Huangqian Yangyi turned his head to see it was Nanjo Taishi.

"Good luck, Senior, don't give them any chances."

Nanjo Taishi smiled and said, "Saying this might be a bit embarrassing, but your ability is indeed stronger than mine; what you lack now is experience and stamina, and you will definitely be able to carry the banner of our Seido in the future."

"But, you can't underestimate me either; they won't be able to turn the game around while I'm on the mound."

Whether it was inferiority or confidence, Nanjo Taishi's words always sounded a bit sad.

Huangqian Yangyi gave a heavy nod and then turned his head to say: "Kazuya, don't you dare drag our senior down!"

"Heh..."

Kazuya rolled his eyes and ignored him, "Senior Nanjo, let's go."

"Right."

After Coach Kataoka signaled the umpire for a substitution, the two walked onto the field with the team.

In the stands, the spectators were not very surprised to see Nanjo Taishi come out instead of Huangqian Yangyi; for a powerful First Year, pitching 4 scoreless innings was enough, and it was best to hide what could be hidden at this time to avoid leaking too much information.

After all, the teams of Inashiro Industrial and Teito were still sitting in the stands at this moment.

In the Inashiro group, Narumiya Mei, who had finished watching Huangqian Yangyi pitch, was biting his collar in frustration.

"Damn it, he actually got taken out."

Narumiya Mei's cheeks were puffed up in anger, "That fuzzy monster must have other pitch types; Ichidai Sanko is really useless, they couldn't even force out his true strength."

Hearing Narumiya Mei's words, the surrounding Inashiro players looked helpless.

"Mei, you saw it too; this Huangqian Yangyi's Fastball has an average speed reaching even 150, it's not an easy thing to hit," Harada Masatoshi said, sitting beside Narumiya Mei with his arms crossed.

"Indeed, and with that guy Kazuya, it's even harder to deal with."

On Narumiya Mei's other side, the red-haired Shirakawa Katsuyuki also wore a troubled expression.

"What's so great about them," Narumiya Mei glared unconvinced at Kazuya behind Home Plate.

That bastard Kazuya must be feeling very smug right now.

Just as Narumiya Mei thought, Kazuya was feeling quite pleased with himself; not only did he get to pair up with Huangqian Yangyi in today's game, but now someone else had been swapped in while he could stay on the field—it was simply too great.

In the top of the ninth, there were no issues with the coordination between Kazuya and Nanjo Taishi; even when hits were knocked out, Seido's tight defense did not allow Ichidai Sanko to successfully score any runs, and the moment the game ended, the score was locked at 11:6.

"Spring Tokyo Tournament, semi-finals, Seido High School versus Ichidai Sanko High School; the team that successfully eliminated their opponent to advance to the finals and secured a spot in the Kanto Tournament is Seido High School!!"

As the commentator's voice fell, the entire stadium stands erupted at this moment.

The finals—although it was only the Dudahui finals, for Seido over the last two years, it had been quite difficult; every member of Seido felt genuinely happy and relieved at this moment.

"Let's go, to the locker room; it'll be our turn soon," Harada Masatoshi said.

Narumiya Mei stood up without a word and left the spectator area with his teammates. Only by winning the game against Teito could they meet Seido on the stage of tomorrow's final.

Compared to Ichidai Sanko, for Narumiya Mei personally, he wanted to meet Kazuya in the finals even more.

After the team assembly ended, Huangqian Yangyi and his teammates packed their things and returned to the locker room; after resting for a while, they would go to watch the game between Inashiro and Teito, as this game would decide their opponent for tomorrow.

Whether it was Inashiro Industrial or Teito, both schools were only stronger than Ichidai Sanko; no matter who the final opponent was, it would be a tough battle.

Inside the locker room, Huangqian Yangyi had just prepared to go with Kazuya to the stands to watch the Inashiro and Teito game.

"Onii-chan, daisuki~"

Inside the locker room, everyone from Seido turned their heads in unison to look at Huangqian Yangyi.

"Ahem, I'll take this call, you guys go ahead," Huangqian Yangyi grabbed his phone and slipped into the restroom in a flash.

Although having a younger sister was nothing shameful, having such a ringtone go off in a crowd was still a bit socially mortifying; now everyone knew he was a sister-complex.

"Hey, Senior Chris, you're roommates with Yangyi, do you know what's going on?" Kazuya quietly moved to Chris's side and asked in a low voice.

The locker room was so quiet at this moment that Kazuya's whispered question was undoubtedly redundant; everyone had pricked up their ears, ready to listen to the gossip.