Chapter 49: Seido Makes a Substitution

In the previous match against Teito, Narumiya Mei didn't throw a single Forkball, yet he's using it on only the second pitch now.

Shinoki Keita gripped his bat, preparing to hit again; the previous swing-and-miss was mainly because he was caught off guard, otherwise he definitely would have made contact.

"As expected, he was still affected by that last pitch," Miyuki sighed and said.

"What are you sighing for? What's so strange about missing that?"

Huangqian Yangyi couldn't understand it at all; isn't it normal to miss a Forkball? Who could have guessed that Narumiya Mei and Harada Masatoshi would bring this pitch out so quickly? Plus, Shinoki Keita had just watched a 145 km/h inside Four-seam Fastball, so it's nothing to be surprised about that he was fooled by a Forkball while on guard.

Miyuki gave a helpless, bitter smile, "No, it's not that he was affected by this pitch; it should be said that he was affected by you."

"By me? What kind of joke is that? You're trying to pin this on me too?" Huangqian Yangyi was almost too angry to speak.

At this moment, Chris, who was sitting down, closed the notebook in his hand and said, "What Miyuki said might be right."

"Huh? Senior Chris, how come you're saying that too?" Huangqian Yangyi turned his head in surprise to look at Chris.

Hearing the three of them talking, the other team members also curiously diverted some of their attention, and even Coach Kataoka, standing in front, twitched his ears.

"I only said it's possible," Chris smiled: "Senior Shinoki's swing just now was very decisive; one look and you could tell he was going for a Fastball. The expression on his face was too obvious."

"So?" Huangqian Yangyi was puzzled.

Chris frowned and organized his thoughts before saying: "Narumiya Mei's pitch speed isn't as fast as yours. After seeing the first pitch, Senior Shinoki, who has long been suppressed by your pitching, perhaps had a feeling that 'I can hit this speed,' which is why he swung so fast and decisively on the second pitch."

"Yeah, it's like he was trying to compete, but Mei didn't throw a Fastball," Miyuki added from the side.

After listening to their analysis, Huangqian Yangyi was speechless. He turned his head to look at the field; Shinoki Keita, who had been struck out, was already walking back with a depressed look on his face.

Upon returning to the bench, Shinoki Keita saw his teammates looking at him with strange expressions, and he didn't even understand what was going on.

"Shinoki," Coach Kataoka suddenly called out.

Shinoki Keita hurriedly turned around: "Coach."

"When you were swinging, what were you thinking?" Coach Kataoka asked sternly.

If it were just missing the ball, there would be nothing to say; it's very normal.

But Shinoki Keita's swing just now was clearly problematic—a feeling of swinging wildly without any thought.

Shinoki Keita's face turned pale, and he didn't dare to say a word.

When he was standing in the Batter's Box, he was the only one who knew his own mental state best.

Seeing Shinoki Keita's state, Coach Kataoka didn't continue to criticize him, but instead turned to the players behind him and said: "Once you step onto the field, you must give it your all. You must never underestimate him just because the opponent is a First Year and his pitch speed isn't as fast as Huangqian's!"

Underestimate Narumiya Mei?

Hearing this, everyone couldn't help but wipe away some sweat.

Including the second and third-year seniors, there really wasn't anyone who underestimated Narumiya Mei. If it were in the past, perhaps someone really wouldn't have taken a First Year freshman seriously, even if he had great fame in middle school.

But fundamentally, middle school baseball and high school baseball are two completely different worlds.

But now, with Huangqian Yangyi as an example, they wouldn't have such thoughts anymore. Moreover, Narumiya Mei's strength is plain to see: a top speed of 145, excellent control, and he also possesses two types of Breaking Balls that are already highly refined.

While they were talking in the Seido dugout, Narumiya Mei on the field secured another Strikeout, sending the Eighth Batter, Second Baseman Yanagiya Kazuki, off the field.

"Amazing, he lives up to his reputation."

"Mei!!"

"Throw another one!"

"Strike him out!"

"Little brother!"

Seeing their newcomer perform so fiercely, the Inashiro supporters roared as if they had been injected with adrenaline.

Narumiya Mei didn't let his fans down either, and soon struck out Seido's ninth batter, Yoshikawa Junpei.

Having secured three consecutive outs, Narumiya Mei looked triumphantly toward the position where Huangqian Yangyi and Miyuki were sitting, only to find the two of them whispering to each other and not looking at him at all.

!!

Hmph!

The chestnut-haired monster is one thing, but even Kazuya is doing this!

This is just too hateful!

Why aren't you looking at me?

Like a beloved toy being snatched away by someone else, Narumiya Mei felt a little depressed.

"He stopped looking, right?"

"He stopped looking."

Huangqian Yangyi and Miyuki both secretly observed Narumiya Mei on the field with the corners of their eyes, only to see him walking off the field angrily like a crab.

"Why does he want to look at you? Is there something going on?" Huangqian Yangyi asked.

Miyuki chuckled coldly: "I know him too well. With such a good pitching performance, he would definitely provoke us. As long as you don't look at him, he'll just get angry at himself."

Huangqian Yangyi's mouth twitched. What is this, the tacit understanding between old lovers?

"Let's go, it's our turn," Miyuki said.

In the top of the seventh inning, the loudspeaker sounded again.

"Seido High School is changing pitchers. Number 12 Catcher Tanaka Wataru, Number 10 Pitcher Tanba Koichiro are leaving the field; Number 19, Catcher, Miyuki Kazuya, and Number 20, Pitcher, Huangqian Yangyi are entering!"

As soon as the voice from the loudspeaker fell, faint discussions broke out in the stadium.

"Changing pitchers again so soon?"

"What is Seido doing?"

"Tanba's performance was pretty good, he's just going down like that?"

"Who is Huangqian Yangyi?"

"Damn, you don't even know Huangqian? He's Seido's super First Year!"

Some people spontaneously started introducing him to those around them who didn't recognize Huangqian Yangyi.

A few seconds later, a burst of cheers suddenly erupted from the spectator stands; the Seido supporters, cheering groups, Cheerleading Squad, and Wind Instrument Department all moved at this moment!

"You, you aren't going to be like this every time you take the field from now on, are you? It's too high-profile." Miyuki, who had just stepped out of the Dugout, was startled and said helplessly.

Huangqian Yangyi walked at the front of the team, waving to the surrounding spectators with a smile on his face, completely ignoring him.

"This kid is just too infuriating." Isashiki Jun huffed and puffed; there were so many of them, so why were they only shouting Huangqian Yangyi's name?

Hearing Isashiki Jun's complaint, Yuki Tetsuya smiled and patted him on the shoulder: "Hit a Home Run, and you can do that too."

"Huh?" Isashiki Jun wore an expression that said, "Are you kidding me?"

Is a Home Run something you can just hit by talking about it?

The others ignored Isashiki Jun's grumbling and followed behind Huangqian Yangyi as they ran onto the field.

Standing on the Pitcher's Mound, the cheers behind him were still deafening; just like before, Huangqian Yangyi lowered his head and raised one hand, then brought it down sharply, and the entire stadium fell silent.