Chapter 50: Eight of them!

"Damn it, this is too cool!" Narumiya Mei bit down hard on his collar, his pupils already narrowed into slits.

How are these Seido guys so good at putting on a show? Not only do they have a team slogan, but even that chestnut-haired freak has so many people helping him show off—it's infuriating.

Watching Narumiya Mei, who looked like an angry puppy beside him, Harada Masatoshi sighed helplessly to himself. Ever since Narumiya Mei joined Inashiro, he had been responsible for looking after every aspect of this guy, and he understood his personality quite thoroughly.

Seeing Huangqian Yangyi showing off and looking so cool on the Pitcher's Mound, this brat must be feeling unconvinced. Harada Masatoshi began to seriously consider whether he should talk to the Cheerleading Squad later to let the Inashiro people help Narumiya Mei show off too.

"Watch closely!"

Manager Kuni suddenly shouted at this moment.

The game on the field had already begun, and the Inashiro 3rd Batter had stepped into the Batter's Box.

The 3rd Batter, Inashiro's current Third Year Captain Haneda Kazuki, was a batter with Extra-base Hit ability; his muscular build looked full of power.

Facing Inashiro's heart of the order right from the start, many spectators couldn't help but feel worried for this First Year, Huangqian Yangyi.

Although Huangqian Yangyi had a fast pitch and decent control, if he only had a Fastball, he would eventually be hit. This was what many spectators were worried about. After all, for a First Year to have such a fast pitch and such good control, he must have put in a lot of hard work and spent a lot of time—did he really have the energy left to practice other pitch types? While the spectators were worried, they were also very expectant.

On the Pitcher's Mound, Huangqian Yangyi raised an eyebrow as he looked at Haneda Kazuki opposite him. Their eyes met, and both saw a flash of excitement in the other's gaze.

Haneda Kazuki wanted to crush this cocky newcomer, and Huangqian Yangyi also wanted to Strikeout this Inashiro Captain.

Four-seam, low and outside; Miyuki had already set his glove.

After observing for so many innings, Miyuki had discovered that every time Haneda Kazuki stepped into the Batter's Box, he would swing at the first pitch if it wasn't an obvious ball; he was a batter with an extremely strong desire to attack.

Huangqian Yangyi nodded slightly, took a deep breath, lifted his left leg high and stepped forward, throwing the ball in an instant.

"Strike!"

Haneda Kazuki's pupils shook; even after the baseball flew into the glove, he still hadn't reacted. It was too fast.

Clearly, a second ago he had lifted his leg in preparation to swing, but before his foot had even landed, the baseball had already drilled into the Catcher's glove.

Although he had long known that Huangqian Yangyi's pitching was formidable, only after standing in the Batter's Box and seeing it with his own eyes did he understand how difficult it was to hit such a pitch.

A moment late and he wouldn't be able to keep up; he had to increase his hitting rhythm!

Turning his head to glance at the speed gun, the number 151 appeared on the large display screen.

Truly a monster, Haneda Kazuki sighed inwardly. He was only a First Year; if he kept growing like this, a speed exceeding 155 kilometers per hour was almost guaranteed to happen. By that time, if Huangqian Yangyi could still maintain his control like he was now, how would their Inashiro lineup deal with him?

No, wait, Haneda Kazuki suddenly came to his senses; by that time, he wouldn't be at Inashiro anymore. Hmm, that was a problem for his juniors to worry about.

Before Haneda Kazuki could think too much, Huangqian Yangyi on the Pitcher's Mound had already received the return throw from Miyuki and was preparing to pitch.

The first pitch had a good effect; Huangqian Yangyi noticed Haneda Kazuki's expression, which looked like he had been stunned. Even so, he wouldn't underestimate his opponent. The second pitch was a high, inside Four-seam.

Whoosh—!

Like an arrow piercing the air, Huangqian Yangyi's pitching rhythm remained just as fast, and in the blink of an eye, he threw the baseball over.

This time, Haneda Kazuki swung early.

"Strike!"

Damn it! Haneda Kazuki swung and missed. This time, he still hadn't managed to hit the ball.

Miyuki, who caught the ball, glanced at Haneda Kazuki without a trace. The pitch path he had just hit was a high inside ball, and his swing speed was also very fast, but he still hadn't managed to time the rhythm correctly.

Miyuki curled his lips. Such a fast pitch speed, first seeing a low outside pitch, followed by a completely different high inside pitch, was enough to leave an extremely deep impression in the batter's mind.

Next, what will you choose?

Soon, the third pitch was also thrown. Haneda Kazuki saw the path clearly in just an instant—it was actually a Red Center pitch!

Yet, it was precisely this instant of surprise that caused Haneda Kazuki to miss the best timing to swing. Before the bat had even swung halfway, the baseball had already entered the glove.

Hehe, scared silly, aren't you?

Miyuki grinned secretly. A Red Center Fastball was the easiest pitch to hit. If it were any other pitcher without such high speed, perhaps Haneda Kazuki could have hit it, but with this ball exceeding 150 kilometers per hour, Haneda Kazuki couldn't keep up after just a moment of hesitation.

"Strike!"

"Strikeout!"

Haneda Kazuki lowered his bat in frustration and took a deep look at Miyuki Kazuya. This guy actually called for a Red Center pitch at a time like this; this was no longer a matter of pitch-calling technique—this guy was completely probing the batter's psychology.

Another formidable guy. No wonder that brat Mei keeps mentioning him from time to time.

Having secured his first Strikeout of the game, Huangqian Yangyi held his head high and looked toward Narumiya Mei in the First Base Dugout.

"Damn it, you bastard, eight of them!"

Facing Huangqian Yangyi's provocative gaze, Narumiya Mei exploded on the spot.

Seeing Narumiya Mei jumping with anger, Huangqian Yangyi smiled and raised his hand to catch Miyuki's return throw. Standing in the Batter's Box now was Inashiro's Fourth Batter, Third Year First Baseman Shinkawa Kenichi.

Being able to serve as the Fourth Batter in a powerhouse like Inashiro, his hitting ability was also quite strong. Previously, Nanjo Taishi had been hit for base hits by him more than once on the Pitcher's Mound, and almost all the runs lost were related to him.

One cannot be careless when dealing with this person, Miyuki thought for a moment and gave the signal.

Huangqian Yangyi saw the signal and nodded. It was still a high inside Fastball. Facing such a powerful batter, neither of them had the intention of throwing a ball to test him; they would go head-to-head on the inside.

Whoosh~

Huangqian Yangyi held his breath and focused his spirit, radiating a strong sense of oppression. The head-on confrontation between pitcher and batter was always so heart-pounding.

With a whoosh, a Four-seam Fastball flew out along Huangqian Yangyi's arm. Shinkawa Kenichi held his bat but did not swing, and the baseball just drilled into the glove.

"Strike!"

Hmm? Not swinging?

Miyuki looked up and glanced over; the opponent was still standing there steadily, as motionless as a sculpture.

Unaccountably, Miyuki felt a sense of pressure. Such batters were the hardest to deal with; it was completely impossible to tell anything from the opponent's movements or expressions.

However, the more it was like this, the less he could retreat. Come again!