Chapter 58: Kawakami's Request

"Hehehe, how nice."

Huangqian Yangyi held his bat in his hands and giggled foolishly for a while.

After putting another bat into a box and sliding it under his bed, Huangqian Yangyi was just about to head out with his bat for some swing practice when a knock came at the door.

"Who is it?" Huangqian Yangyi stood at the doorway, bat in hand.

As soon as the door opened, Kawakami outside was startled; man, was he really this fierce?

"Eh? Kawakami? Is something the matter?" Huangqian Yangyi asked.

He didn't usually interact much with Kawakami, so it was surprising that the other would come to the dormitory to find him.

"Huangqian-san..."

"Stop, stop, stop. Just call me Huangqian or Huangqian-kun; we're in the same year," Huangqian Yangyi said.

"Understood, Huangqian-san." Kawakami nodded, but he didn't change how he addressed him.

Huangqian Yangyi was speechless. "Fine, what do you need from me?"

Hearing this, Kawakami immediately said, "I want to ask you to teach me!"

Ever since the match against Inashiro ended, Kawakami had clearly realized the gap between himself and Huangqian Yangyi; he had spent the entire day off in the dormitory thinking about how he could improve.

Otherwise, at Seido, there might no longer be a place for him in the position of Pitcher.

Whether it was the Second Year senior Tanba, or Huangqian Yangyi who was in the same year as him, with these two around, if he remained as he was now, he might eventually be reduced to an expendable, marginal figure.

Thinking of this, a strong sense of urgency arose in Kawakami's heart; after pondering for a whole day, he weighed his options and decided that coming to find Huangqian Yangyi was the most appropriate choice.

As a fellow First Year newcomer who possessed strength far beyond his peers, Kawakami felt that besides having immense talent, Huangqian Yangyi must surely have a unique training method.

Upon seeing Huangqian Yangyi return from outside, Kawakami couldn't wait to come and seek advice, even using honorifics with Huangqian Yangyi.

"Hm? Teach you? Teach you what?" Huangqian Yangyi didn't quite understand; this guy was getting straight to the point—was there no preamble at all?

Kawakami's gaze was firm as he looked into Huangqian Yangyi's eyes and said, "Pitching. I want to become stronger."

"Pitching? You want me to teach you?" Huangqian Yangyi was somewhat surprised.

This seemed a bit strange no matter how he thought about it; if one wanted to learn how to throw a good Strike, wouldn't it be better to go to the Coach?

"Yes, I hope you can teach me, even if it's just sharing some insights on pitching. Please." The thirst for knowledge on Kawakami's face was practically overflowing, and he followed up with a 90-degree bow.

"No, I'm a First Year just like you. Why don't you go to the Coach?" Huangqian Yangyi asked.

Hearing this, Kawakami lowered his head in embarrassment. "The Coach and the coaching staff have given us newcomers the task of focusing on physical strength for now, and as for pitching..."

Kawakami didn't finish his sentence, but Huangqian Yangyi already understood.

Among the current First Years, except for him and Miyuki, everyone else was doing the most basic training; although there was pitching practice, Kawakami hadn't even stepped into the Bullpen once so far.

Every time, he was put under the Assistant Coach with the other First Year pitchers for simple pitching drills, and he could only practice pitching with friends he was closer to during self-directed training.

Seeing Kawakami's voice grow quieter as he spoke, Huangqian Yangyi more or less understood the other's intent; Kawakami wanted to improve, but he was timid and didn't dare to approach the Coach, so he had no choice but to come to him for advice.

"I understand," Huangqian Yangyi said.

Kawakami was overjoyed at these words and asked with a happy smile, "Then, is now okay?"

Huangqian Yangyi gave a hum of agreement and lightly pressed the bat in his hand against Kawakami's chest. "You pitch, I'll hit."

"You still want to hit? It's already night," Kawakami said in surprise.

Huangqian Yangyi nodded. "Yeah, let's go to the Indoor Training Ground."

"Indoors? But I..." Kawakami felt uneasy; during self-directed training, the Indoor Training Ground was almost entirely occupied by First String seniors. He was a newcomer who hadn't even made the Second String—how could he dare to go to such a place?

"It's fine, just follow me. The seniors are actually quite easy to talk to," Huangqian Yangyi said with a smile.

Hearing this, Kawakami gave a bitter smile; after all this time, he really hadn't found the seniors easy to get along with, especially Dong Qingguo, who was not only as massive as a gorilla but also had a temper that terrified them, the First Years.

"Well, alright then."

Although Kawakami was somewhat afraid of being around the seniors, he had no way out now; he was the one who came to find Huangqian Yangyi, and now that Huangqian Yangyi was going to the Indoor Training Ground, he couldn't very well say he was scared and didn't dare to go.

Huangqian Yangyi nodded and walked toward the Indoor Training Ground with his bat; he had to practice swinging anyway, so having someone to pitch to him would be even better.

Following behind Huangqian Yangyi, the closer they got to the training ground, the more Kawakami felt his heart about to jump out of his chest.

"Yo, there are quite a few people here." Standing at the entrance, Huangqian Yangyi poked his head inside. Dong Qingguo, Nanjo Taishi, Tanaka Wataru, Yuki Tetsuya, Kominato Ryosuke, Isashiki... a total of nine people were all currently engaged in their own training.

"Huangqian, hurry over here!" Isashiki shouted toward the entrance.

Huangqian Yangyi smiled and nodded, then turned to Kawakami and said, "Let's go, we're going in. It's a perfect chance for you to experience the seniors' batting."

"Huh? You want the seniors to hit my pitches?" Kawakami froze at the door. He had just come to exchange ideas and learn about pitching from Huangqian Yangyi; how did it suddenly turn into having the seniors hit his pitches? He wasn't prepared for this at all.

"Yeah, are you scared?" Huangqian Yangyi smirked. Kawakami was actually pretty good at pitching, it was just that, like Tanba, he had issues with his personality. If he could be a bit more aggressive, more confident, and bolder, his performance on the Pitcher's Mound would be much better.

However, even the current Kawakami had enough strength to compete for the ace position at many other schools; it was just a pity that this was Seido. For Kawakami to stand out and secure a stable opportunity to play was just too difficult.

"No, I'm not scared." Kawakami's lips were trembling.

Huangqian Yangyi smiled and walked in front. The two soon arrived at the side of the field. Isashiki was swinging his bat vigorously, and Kominato Ryosuke nearby was doing the same, though his rhythm was relatively slower, and he seemed to be thinking about something before every swing.

Completely different from the others, Yuki Tetsuya stood motionless with his bat on his shoulder, eyes closed, with strange expressions appearing on his face from time to time, as if he were in great discomfort.

"What a tense feeling," Kawakami said as he watched Yuki Tetsuya.

Just then, Yuki Tetsuya moved, and the bat swung out as if it had stirred up a hurricane.

"Hiss! Senior Yuki's batting is full of intensity no matter when you watch it. It feels like no matter how well you pitch, there's a chance he'll hit it out," Huangqian Yangyi said.

Kawakami, standing to the side, nodded repeatedly in agreement. "I have that same feeling!"