Chapter 54: Champion!

A crisp metallic sound rang out, and the small white ball flew high into the sky, shooting off in the direction of center field.

"What!"

Narumiya Mei turned around, staring blankly at the baseball speeding through the sky.

"Get out!!"

"Fly out!"

"Home run!"

In the Seido dugout, everyone lunged at the railing and roared.

Just one run, if they could just get one run, they believed that for Huangqian Yangyi, this one run would be enough.

Dong Qingguo ran quickly toward the bases, and just as he passed first base, the baseball flew over the wall!

"Whoa!!"

"Home run!"

"Bottom of the seventh, Seido's fourth batter, the monster hitter Dong Qingguo has blasted a home run off Inashiro's First Year pitcher Narumiya Mei, changing the score to 4-3, Seido leads!"

A tsunami-like roar erupted in the stadium; the Seido supporters in the stands were holding up banners and shouting wildly as if they had gone mad, and the Seido dugout was also boiling with excitement because of this home run by Dong Qingguo.

"Haha, Senior Dong must have really rattled that kid with that hit." Isashiki Jun laughed, pointing at Narumiya Mei, who was standing on the pitcher's mound with a vacant look in his eyes.

"It seems so. To give up a home run when the game is entering its final stages, the impact must be quite significant," Yuki Tetsuya said.

As several seniors discussed it nearby, Huangqian Yangyi turned his head to look at Miyuki; if there was anyone on the field who understood Narumiya Mei best, it was undoubtedly Miyuki Kazuya.

"That won't happen. Although Mei's personality is a bit flighty, even a little childish, he would never be crushed by a single home run. Besides, he pitched that ball well; it's just that Senior Dong's hitting was stronger. It's not his fault."

"I think so too," Huangqian Yangyi said.

Narumiya Mei, this guy who could be called the strongest pitcher of his generation in the original story, was very strong. It was just one home run, not a big deal; his heart wasn't that fragile.

However, Huangqian Yangyi still looked at Narumiya Mei with some sympathy. Come to think of it, it was because of his own appearance that Narumiya Mei had entered the Inashiro First String early and faced Dong Qingguo a few months ahead of schedule.

You see, according to the original trajectory, Narumiya Mei wouldn't have faced Dong Qingguo until the semi-finals of the summer qualifiers, and at that time, Dong Qingguo had only managed to get one hit off Narumiya Mei, and Seido had ultimately lost to Inashiro.

An early showdown was undoubtedly disadvantageous for Narumiya Mei, so it was no surprise that the current situation had occurred.

The cheering gradually subsided, and Narumiya Mei on the field came back to his senses. As soon as he turned his head, he glared at the Seido dugout, grinding his teeth in anger.

"Heh, this little blondie is angry." Huangqian Yangyi smiled. Narumiya Mei, who was only a First Year, had obvious flaws in his personality; once he gave up a hit or let the opponent score, the kid would lose control of his emotions, leading to inaccurate pitching.

In the original story, it took Narumiya Mei a long time to slowly break this bad habit.

Unlike the joyful atmosphere on the Seido side, the Inashiro dugout was deathly silent.

The appearance of that home run had put them one run behind Seido, and in a game like the final against Seido, one run could often decide the outcome.

More importantly, they were worried about whether their Inashiro super rookie could handle it mentally; what would they do if he became dejected and never recovered?

Manager Kunitomo felt some regret at this moment. If he had known, he wouldn't have let Narumiya Mei play so early. The Spring Metropolitan Tournament wasn't an important tournament anyway, and they had already secured their qualification for the Kanto Tournament and a seeded spot for the summer qualifiers.

Letting Narumiya Mei play was mainly because Huangqian Yangyi's appearance had given Manager Kunitomo the idea to temper Narumiya Mei.

Winning or losing the game wasn't that important to him, but if something happened to Narumiya Mei because of this, he would regret it for the rest of his life.

Fortunately, at this moment, Narumiya Mei, who had calmed himself down, looked toward the Inashiro dugout and nodded at Manager Kunitomo to indicate that he was still okay.

The proud Narumiya Mei would never allow himself to be pulled from the mound at this time. Afterward, although Narumiya Mei's performance had some ups and downs, he managed to get two outs and end the inning.

Then, in the eighth and ninth innings, Huangqian Yangyi went all out and didn't let Inashiro score a single run off him, while Narumiya Mei also fought tenaciously until the end, with the final score locked at 4-3.

"Spring Tokyo Tournament, Final."

"Seido High School vs. Inashiro Industrial High School, score 4-3. The final champion is Seido High School!"

The entire game came to an end, and the whole stadium erupted in warm applause and cheers.

Huangqian Yangyi and his teammates came to the center of the field and lined up. Looking at Narumiya Mei, who was standing opposite him with a face full of unwillingness, Huangqian Yangyi extended his right hand.

"Come on, little blondie, don't be angry. It's just one game."

"You jerk, chestnut-haired monster!"

Narumiya Mei's eyes were red, and his tone wasn't very good, but he still reached out and shook hands with Huangqian Yangyi.

"Next time, I will win!" Narumiya Mei said fiercely.

"I won't lose," Huangqian Yangyi said.

After the teams finished facing each other, it was time for the awards ceremony. Although it was only a Dudahui, the Seido team was still very happy to be able to win the championship. It was said that the principal had already ordered the cafeteria to prepare a large amount of delicious food for their return.

Afterward, before leaving the field, Narumiya Mei ran back to the dugout under everyone's puzzled gazes, and then rushed out again, heading straight for the Seido side.

"Wait, chestnut-haired monster!" Narumiya Mei shouted.

Huangqian Yangyi, who had just taken off his jersey and was holding an ice pack to apply to his arm, turned his head. "What is it? Little blondie?"

"Exchange contact information!" Narumiya Mei said.

"Oh?" Huangqian Yangyi curled his lips into a mischievous smile. "Were you conquered by my heroic posture? It's a real pity; although you look quite cute, you're a boy."

Listening to Huangqian Yangyi's nonsense, Narumiya Mei instantly turned red with anger, panting and glaring like a little puppy, with white gas even puffing out of his nostrils.

"Jerk! Forget it if you don't want to exchange!"

Narumiya Mei roared and turned to leave, but a hand reached out and grabbed his collar.

"Don't be angry, just a little joke." Huangqian Yangyi pulled Narumiya Mei back.

"Hmph, let go of me!" Narumiya Mei shook off Huangqian Yangyi's hand, but although he was still angry, he didn't leave.

He took out his phone and waved it in front of Narumiya Mei. "Come on, let's exchange."

Narumiya Mei didn't speak, just remained stubbornly angry.

Soon, after exchanging contact information, Narumiya Mei didn't say a word, glared at Huangqian Yangyi and Miyuki Kazuya behind him, and then left.

Watching Narumiya Mei's retreating back, Huangqian Yangyi suddenly felt that after this defeat, Narumiya Mei might become even stronger and more terrifying than he was in the original story.

This would be a great enemy for their Seido for the next two and a half years!