Chapter 83: Qingshan Li: Unsuitable for Baseball, but Likes Beautiful Girls

Mikami Ai smiled faintly. "Saying 'like' isn't accurate; it should be 'appreciation.'"

"I said before, my liking for you is simply a liking for beautiful girls."

"I didn't expect you to have such a frivolous side."

"I admit I'm frivolous, but don't you think I'm honest?"

"Not only frivolous, but shameless." Mikami Ai laughed as if she had discovered something interesting.

"Where exactly is the line between honesty and shamelessness?" Qingshan Li said while thinking.

"The purpose of departure depends on whether there are motives such as shirking responsibility, making excuses, or sophistry."

"That's strange; I don't have these motives, so why am I judged as shameless?"

"Not only frivolous and shameless, but lacking common sense—in real life, telling a beautiful girl that you like all beautiful girls, do you think such a person is more honest?"

"I concede." Qingshan Li didn't want more charges added.

"Then join the Athens Philosophy Research Club." Mikami Ai extended the invitation once again.

"I refuse. You saw it; I'm busy now."

"Didn't you see? I've always been with you, which means joining the Athens Philosophy Research Club won't make you busier." Mikami Ai said.

"Still the same question: why should I join the Athens Philosophy Research Club? Do I look like a Greek philosopher?"

Historical records say Socrates was slovenly.

Although he was poor, he was reasonably clean, changing his underwear every day.

"Just now I mentioned Rino's lyrics—that's exactly why I invited you to join—life only happens once, and I won't leave regrets."

"What does whether I join a club have to do with regrets?" Qingshan Li asked, puzzled.

Arriving at the first floor, the two girls held badminton rackets and chatted idly under the arcade, both subconsciously staying silent.

Arriving outside the club building, Mikami Ai continued: "I don't want to keep an F relationship with you."

". What does that mean?"

"I want to become friends with you."

"Sorry, I don't share the same thought." Qingshan Li refused.

"If you feel this answer won't make you regret it years later, I'll give up—will you regret it?" Mikami Ai confirmed.

"No." Qingshan Li confirmed.

Mikami Ai nodded.

The two arrived at the baseball field; a nine-inning training match had already reached the seventh inning.

They watched silently for a while; three up, three down, no one scored, entering the top of the eighth inning.

Kaimei High School called a timeout.

Just then, the baseball club's female manager Nagami Na ran out of the rest area and came to the stands.

"Classmate Aoyama!" she panted, hands on her knees, "Coach, he wants you to come over!"

". Me?"

"Yes!"

Qingshan Li felt it was inexplicable, but he stood up and followed the female manager to Kaimei High School's rest area.

The coach was the female manager's grandfather, unexpectedly short in stature; even standing on a self-balancing scooter, he wasn't as tall as Qingshan Li.

Speaking of which, why was he standing on a self-balancing scooter?

The self-balancing scooter approached Qingshan Li, circled once, and finally stopped in front of him.

"Qingshan Li?" the coach asked.

"Yes."

"1500 meters, broke the campus record?"

"That was just an accident."

"Facing a 140 ball speed, easily hit a home run?"

"Going straight to the infirmary right after hitting it shouldn't count as easy."

"Give him a helmet and a baseball bat." The coach turned to the female manager, "Eighth inning, let him bat first."

According to Qingshan Li's shallow understanding of baseball, the characteristics of the first batter are fast legs and good pitch selection.

He knew fast legs meant running fast;

As for pitch selection, he didn't understand, and because of exams, he had no time to continue learning.

They picked the wrong person entirely.

His running relied on the system, and so did the home run.

This is the chicken rib nature of the system; as long as in 'Guidance State,' everything must be perfect, easily drawing others' attention.

"Classmate Aoyama, don't feel pressured; even the strongest fourth batter striking out is normal, just hit according to feeling!" Nagami Na handed over the equipment while encouraging.

"Mm, understood."

Compared to watching from the side, going up to bat—even if struck out without hitting a single ball—should greatly increase material collection.

Most importantly, this is a training match; losing won't bring any negative impact to Kaimei High School.

"I'm up." Qingshan Li put on his helmet and gloves, took the black baseball bat.

"Go for it!" The female manager pressed her lips together tightly, fists clenched with both arms.

Qingshan Li waved the baseball bat while walking up to the batter's box.

The umpire behind the catcher looked at him, but unexpectedly didn't greet him, so don't blame him for slightly favoring the other side within the rules.

The pitcher rubbed anti-slip powder.

"How did the system hold the bat back then?" Qingshan Li recalled the feeling at that time.

The pitcher and catcher exchanged signals, deciding to throw a bad ball to lure this batter still wearing his school uniform.

"Like this? Or like this?" Qingshan Li adjusted his posture.

The pitcher assumed his pitching stance.

"Should be like this?" Qingshan Li gripped his baseball bat tightly.

One second later, the pitcher threw the white ball.

The ball tore through the wind, crossing the 18.44-meter distance in an instant, arriving before Qingshan Li's eyes.

"Hah!" Qingshan Li swung with all his might.

He missed.

"Insufficient strength, insufficient speed, can't pick pitches." The coach on the self-balancing scooter evaluated.

Although the pitcher threw a ball outside the strike zone, because Qingshan Li swung, it counted as a strike.

After three strikes, Qingshan Li would be out.

"What pitch? It actually dropped suddenly?" Qingshan Li loosened his hands, which he had just gripped tightly.

The pitcher and catcher exchanged signals, planning to throw an inside pitch.

"Like table tennis, it can spin, drop, and jump?" Qingshan Li gripped his baseball bat again.

The pitcher assumed his pitching stance.

One second later, the white ball charged straight at Qingshan Li.

Qingshan Li was startled.

In that instant, two opposing choices appeared in his mind: "hit-by-pitch, walk to first base," and "hit in the head, sent to hospital, skull surgery, death."

After calmly judging, he chose to dodge.

"Strike!" the umpire said.

The ball changed its trajectory at the last moment, avoiding Qingshan Li and entering the strike zone.

Two strikes.

"Still no guts." The coach said, "It seems the home run was pure luck."

Even though both failed to hit the ball, there was a difference between them.

【Koshien: 16%】

"Only went up two points, what a loss."

Qingshan Li stretched, shook off the feeling of almost being hit by the ball just now, took a few practice swings, then walked back to the batter's box.

The pitcher and catcher exchanged signals.

"Why write Koshien? Hard work with no reward." Qingshan Li thought.

Catcher: "The batter is a rookie, use a curveball, cleanly shut him down."

Pitcher: "Understood."

Just then, the pitcher suddenly glanced toward the stands.

The catcher noticed his teammate's movement; last time he zoned out was when the elegant absolute beauty appeared.

The catcher immediately looked toward the stands, where a girl of the same level as the elegant beauty appeared.

Her forehead had hime-cut bangs, her black hair flowed behind her like a waterfall, possessing a witch-like fatal allure.

A commotion arose on the field, drawing the attention of the fully focused Qingshan Li.

"Why is she here?" he secretly worried, "I really hope my performance doesn't affect the Student Council's evaluation of the Baseball Club."

Use the system?

Forget it.

Surely it wouldn't come to this: a newcomer's performance in one training match would determine Miyase Yaeko's judgment of the Baseball Club's worth.

The field regained its tension.

The pitcher assumed his pitching stance.

"Hah!"

The ball left his hand.

Qingshan Li swung his bat.

The ball actually moved horizontally?

Qingshan Li did not give up, forcibly changing his swing trajectory.

"I can hit it!"

"Hah!" Only the sound of wind, a swing and a miss, he didn't hit it.

Strikeout.

Qingshan Li left the field, returning the cap, glove, and baseball to the female manager.

"Sorry." He said.

"It's fine!" The female manager shook her head vigorously, smiling at Qingshan Li.

"Kid." The self-balancing scooter approached, "Struck out, are you unwilling to accept it? Do you want to keep playing until you hit back the ball the pitcher throws?"

Qingshan Li turned back, glancing at the opposing team's pitcher.

"Seems not." He said.

He really didn't want to actually play baseball, getting his clothes dirty every day, which would make Ono Mizuki, who does the laundry, work very hard.

"You're not suited for baseball." The coach no longer looked at him, turning his gaze to the match on the field.

"Classmate Aoyama." The female manager looked at Qingshan Li worriedly.

Qingshan Li laughed and shook his head, indicating it was fine.

"I've let down your expectations, I'm sorry." He said.

"It's fine, it's fine!"

Qingshan Li smiled and nodded, leaving the field and heading toward the stands.

He didn't go to Mikami Ai's side, simply finding a spot to sit down, rubbing his arms which were sore from swinging the bat with all his might.

"Oh!" At this moment, the entire venue let out a cheer.

The batter replacing Qingshan Li hit the white ball, and the ball flew high and far.

"Home run! Home run!" The Kaimei High School students watching the game let out expectant cheers.

The ball went out.

"Home run! It's a home run!!"

The Cheerleading Club danced.

Although there were few people in the entire ballpark, the cheers that erupted were very loud.

The batter who had the whole venue's attention slowly ran past first base, second base, third base, and returned to home plate.

Then, while waving to the audience, he ran back to the rest area.

Before he could run back to the rest area, the female manager had already excitedly gone up to meet him, handing over a towel.

【Koshien: 19%】

"Clap clap clap!" Qingshan Li smiled and applauded.

Not bad, not bad, it actually rose by three whole points!

The batter who hit the home run didn't return to the rest area for a long time; whether it was to boost morale or to show off, he kept waving to the audience stands.

Qingshan Li looked along the batter's gaze — it was Mikami Ai and Miyase Yaeko.

Miyase Yaeko was smiling and saying something to Mikami Ai, and the two of them simultaneously looked toward the batter.

"Clap. Clap. Clap." Qingshan Li applauded.

That kind of ball, even without the system, if he trained for three days, he could hit it a hundred times out of a hundred.

In the distance.

"Do you understand baseball?" Miyase Yaeko asked.

"I don't." Mikami Ai's tone was cold; she was still thinking about Qingshan Li's refusal, "And I have no interest."

Truly no interest in her?

Or was it because she had misunderstood him before, and although she said she didn't mind, she was actually angry in her heart?

"Then what are you doing here?"

Mikami Ai sighed: "It's not that I wanted to come, it's that Classmate Aoyama said he was coming."

"He looks like he understands baseball even less." Miyase Yaeko had also been observing him, "Then what did he come for?"

"Probably to get close to the Baseball Club's female manager." Mikami Ai could only think of this possibility.

"Oh?" Miyase Yaeko smiled.

The two of them simultaneously looked toward the female manager beside the batter.

(Chapter End)