Chapter 64: The Beginning of the Red and White Match

Three days later, Saturday morning.

Because the Red and White Match was to be held, the early morning training today was changed to self-directed training, with those participating in the match adjusting their conditions individually.

And Huangqian Yangyi and Miyuki Kazuya were, unsurprisingly, excluded by Manager Kataoka.

These two had to either both participate or both not participate; both were First Years, so one couldn't favor one over the other.

Besides, the purpose of the Red and White Match was to test the quality of the newcomers; if these two were really allowed to play together, the effect would be greatly diminished.

Carrying a pitch-black bat in his hand, Huangqian Yangyi swayed his way to the outside of the field.

"Whoa, so lively."

From far away, Huangqian Yangyi saw a circle of people standing on the path outside the field fence.

According to Seido's past customs, the Newcomer Match was always at the end of May, and since most people near Seido were fans of Seido, they would spontaneously come to watch the excitement whenever this time arrived, also wanting to see if their team had any incredible newcomers.

What's more, today was Saturday, so even more people came, among whom were some seniors who had already graduated from the Seido Baseball Club.

Especially the seniors who had graduated in recent years; in their hearts, Koshien had always been a dream that was impossible to complete yet hard to let go of. Perhaps they also blamed themselves, blaming their own lack of talent for being unable to lead the manager and help Seido enter Koshien.

It was precisely for this reason that they placed expectations on their juniors at Seido that surpassed those for anyone else.

"Huangqian! It's Huangqian!"

Someone saw Huangqian Yangyi walking over and shouted at the top of their lungs.

The passersby who had originally been watching the First Year newcomers' self-directed training were immediately drawn by this shout.

"Huangqian, will you be playing in the Red and White Match today?" someone asked, running over excitedly.

"No." Huangqian Yangyi smiled and shook his head. Although these people were enthusiastic, they didn't block his path, nor did they get handsy; they were all quite restrained.

"What about Miyuki? Is he not playing either?"

"No."

Hearing this, the passersby immediately felt that today's Red and White Match lacked some fun. If they could see Huangqian Yangyi and Miyuki Kazuya lead the First Years against the Second String, that would have been quite a show.

Just then, a short, stout man wearing a fisherman's hat walked up to Huangqian Yangyi, with a name tag hanging on his chest and a camera in his hand.

"Hello, student Huangqian, I am Fujio, a reporter for Baseball Kingdom. Is it convenient to chat for a moment?" Fujio asked.

As a reporter for Baseball Kingdom, ever since Huangqian Yangyi appeared in a match, he had submitted requests to interview Huangqian Yangyi at Seido more than once, but unfortunately, they had all been rejected.

"An interview?" Huangqian Yangyi frowned. Reporters wanting to interview players must go through official channels to submit an application; if they contact players privately, they will be blacklisted by the school.

Fujio shook his head, "Of course not. I'm a veteran reporter; I wouldn't make such a mistake. Let's just consider it making a friend."

Huangqian Yangyi smiled. He wouldn't break the rules, but he was looking for loopholes, huh.

"Let's go, let's head over there." Huangqian Yangyi pointed in a direction, then greeted the passersby and walked forward.

Fujio hurriedly followed. After just two sentences of conversation, he actually had the feeling of being led by the nose.

Arriving under a large tree outside the field, there was a bench there. Huangqian Yangyi bought two drinks from a vending machine, handed one to Fujio, and then asked, "This conversation won't be published, will it?"

Hearing this, Fujio first took the drink and said thank you, then gulped it down, "No, but if you request it yourself, it can be."

"Then you can ask. Let's get this straight: I won't answer a single question related to the team." Huangqian Yangyi gave the other party a heads-up in advance.

Fujio nodded. Having been in the industry for so many years, he knew perfectly well what should and shouldn't be asked when contacting players privately.

"How many years has student Huangqian been in contact with baseball?"

"More than ten years, I guess. It's a childhood skill."

"Oh? Then how did student Huangqian enter Seido? As far as I know, you are from Kyoto, right?" Fujio sat down beside Huangqian Yangyi and asked very casually.

"Well, because I had seen Seido's matches on TV before, and I especially liked Seido's slogan, as well as Senior Chris," Huangqian Yangyi said.

Fujio nodded. This was a very common reason; many people especially liked Seido's slogan, and joining a team because of worshipping a senior was also plausible.

For the next few minutes, Fujio asked questions about daily life, such as favorite food, favorite movies, and the like. His sense of propriety was quite on point, and he basically didn't ask any questions about baseball.

"Thank you, student Huangqian. Then I won't disturb your training." Just as Fujio finished speaking and prepared to stand up and leave, his gaze fell on Huangqian Yangyi's bat.

"Is this a custom-made bat?"

Speaking of this, Huangqian Yangyi immediately smiled happily: "Yes, yes."

"Does it have any special meaning? I see it seems to have a name engraved on it."

"Right, right, it's my younger sister's name. Let me tell you, my sister is super cute..."

Next, Fujio profoundly realized the terror of a sister-complex. Under Huangqian Yangyi's strong request, Fujio's camera ended up with over a dozen photos of the bat.

"Send them to me! Remember to edit the photos when you get back!"

Huangqian Yangyi shouted at Fujio's departing back.

At this time, on the A-side Field, dozens of First Years gathered together, either swinging bats or pitching, and some were huddled together in twos and threes discussing the tactics to use in the upcoming match.

Facing the seniors of the Second String, it was almost impossible for them to win. Their goal was very simple: just 1 point. Scoring one point would be a victory!

Whether it was their own strength, experience, or the gap between teammates, the First Years were far inferior to the seniors; this was a gap in pure numerical values.

What Manager Kataoka wanted to see was not the newcomers being able to win, but whether, under the crushing power of the Second String seniors, anyone could demonstrate their talent in some aspect and perform at the level they should have in their usual training. Only by showing something in such a situation could one be a player truly worth cultivating.

Huangqian Yangyi entered the B-side Field. Many First String seniors were swinging their bats while watching the situation on the A-side Field; clearly, everyone was very concerned about this Red and White Match.

"Huangqian, come over here," Yuki Tetsuya called out.

"Senior Yuki, are you resting?"

Huangqian Yangyi looked over. Yuki Tetsuya was sitting cross-legged on the ground, motionless like an old monk in meditation.

"Heh, I am meditating," Yuki Tetsuya said.

"Imagination Training? For batting?"

"No! I am reviewing a game of shogi!"

Yuki Tetsuya's eyes suddenly became sharp, "I lost to Miyuki last night; I must win it back next time!"