Chen Yao nodded and replied to Coach Dagu Dagu.
"There's still a way to win this game; let's use Plan D."
Coach Yoshida Dagu said.
The players were all stunned, and Chen Yao was also a bit surprised. The so-called Plan D was a 'mutually assured destruction' strategy where they would play all out, without considering subsequent matches.
"Chen Yao, just pitch as you please. Relying on you all the time was unavoidable, but losing this game now is worse than losing the next one... The rest of you, coordinate with Classmate Chen Yao to score points. Baseball is a game played by nine people, after all; you all need to start taking on this responsibility."
Coach Dagu's voice became even more severe, making the basemen and other players feel ashamed.
It must be said that Goto Hitori's encouragement had driven the entire team. All the players set out once more to begin the final battle.
A gentle breeze blew as Chen Yao stood in the pitcher's mound, his entire body almost relaxed. He looked up again at Goto Hitori and the others. Those four girls were leading the Sobu High School students in the rain, shouting baseball slogans and desperately competing with the Seido High School cheering squad. His scarred palm spun the baseball a few times. He didn't want to lose; this had always been his firm belief. He was Goto Hitori's Master; he had to win.
Chen Yao's gaze sharpened. Opposite him was Miyuki Kazuya, the one who had hit his ball. Both sides were ready.
Under the lights, amidst the dim wind and rain, Chen Yao raised his hand high. His gesture looked like an overhand throw, but it was actually a submarine-style breaking ball. In an instant, a full-power pitch could explode at 140 KM/H. More importantly, this kind of breaking ball was very difficult to hit; it was Chen Yao's masterpiece.
With a whoosh, the rapidly spinning ball carried powerful wind force. Miyuki Kazuya tried to hit it, but he couldn't see through the ball's trajectory at all. With a zip, it landed in the catcher's glove, causing Miyuki Kazuya to break into a cold sweat.
"...What a free-spirited guy."
Miyuki Kazuya thought silently to himself.
Because it was the final inning, Seido High School was prepared to crush Chen Yao with everything they had. But now, standing before them was an injured man who was throwing high-difficulty balls even more terrifying than before his injury. This Ace actually had zero regard for his own pain, enjoying the pitching to his heart's content.
The nine batters of Seido High School gave it their all, but they were stunned as the increasingly injured Chen Yao struck them all out.
Just when everyone thought Sobu High School was going to sacrifice Chen Yao to force a draw or extra innings, the sides switched for the bottom half. As the second batter, Chen Yao stood in the batter's box again, but he kept shifting his body, using it to block the opposing catcher's receiving area as much as possible.
"Are you planning to get a Hit by Pitch?"
At this, Miyuki Kazuya was completely stunned.
A Hit by Pitch meant the batter intentionally let the pitcher hit his body to trade for a base. But this crazy style of play was just adding injury to injury. With Chen Yao's current condition, he clearly wasn't thinking about winning the quarter-finals; this was a 'take them down with me' style of play.
"Classmate Chen Yao, are you sure you want to sacrifice yourself like this? Even if you win now, you won't be able to play next week with your injuries. Sobu High School won't be able to win again..."
Miyuki Kazuya asked in shock.
"The coach agreed to let me play as I please. I'm playing very happily, Miyuki-kun. When you go back, tell your third-string players not to look down on me and my disciple."
Chen Yao finally informed Miyuki Kazuya coldly.
In the end, despite trying his best to avoid it, the pitcher Furuya Satoru helplessly hit Chen Yao, successfully walking him to first base. The Seido High School team knew Chen Yao was a fast baserunner and focused their defenses accordingly. However, what made the Seido High School Aces like Yuki Tetsuya, Miyuki Kazuya, and Sawamura Eijun uneasy was that all the subsequent Sobu High School batters used the 'Bunt' method—holding the bat in front of the catcher's glove to drop the pitch as much as possible to help Chen Yao run. In this final game, Sobu High School was finally playing as nine people together.
The moment the ball was touched, Miyuki Kazuya's eyes grew dim. That scarred Sobu High School Ace had started running again. He knew the time it took for the basemen to pick up the ball wouldn't beat that man's final full-power sprint. He finally took off his catcher's mask. Nine elites against one elite, and they still lost... The exhausted Chen Yao, amidst everyone's shouting, persisted in his run. Whether it was to save his teammates' lives, for his own amusement, or for the dignity of his silly disciple, he finally made a desperate slide to seize home plate.
"Safe! Sobu High School gets 1 point!"
Everyone from Seido High School suddenly fell silent. They were one of Tokyo's top three powerhouse schools, yet they had lost the first round of the top sixteen in this dark moment.
"We won! We won!"
The Sobu High School students burst into cheers. The three girls who had already led the students in ten mobilization songs at the front immediately shouted with excitement.
Kita Ikuyo looked at the seemingly burned-out Chen Yao with mixed emotions. This final way of playing was truly reckless, but she also began to understand why the three of them paid attention to him. He truly was a somewhat incredible senior...
Seido High School's advancement to Koshien was suddenly blocked, and they fell into a state of grief.
"Don't cry, there's still a chance to charge for Koshien."
Catcher Miyuki Kazuya patted the shoulder of the incessantly crying Sawamura Eijun and said with a smile.
Yuki Tetsuya remarked with emotion: "He's truly a monster."
"We can't keep playing, but Sobu High School has also exhausted themselves. Classmate Chen Yao is truly a free-spirited guy... If there's a chance, I'd really like to play another game against their school, at the next Koshien."
Miyuki Kazuya smiled and said, looking at Chen Yao, who was standing in the light rain holding his right shoulder.
"Congratulations, Master!"
The four girls came onto the field. Ijichi Nijika and the other two girls bowed slightly to him, while Goto Hitori's eyes were a bit red, but she still came before him with a smile.
"I'm really grateful to you all this time. Because of you, we had a proper cheering squad. Actually, I feel that your band's performance this time was more like a perfect first concert. It was a truly wonderful concert."
Chen Yao looked at the four of them and thanked them with a smile.
Soon, he looked at Goto Hitori, took off his helmet, and placed it on her head with both hands.
"?" Goto Hitori was slightly stunned; she felt a sense of heat from the helmet.
"Goto, you're already amazing. Sorry, I originally planned to give you a gift for your first performance, but it was destroyed in an accident. I've been thinking about what to give you... If you don't mind, I'll give you my helmet. If you ever feel afraid and want to back down again, Master only allows you to hide in this helmet. Only someone as strong as you is worthy of hiding in this helmet, do you understand?"
Chen Yao said, one hand touching Goto Hitori's helmet.
"...Yes!"
Goto Hitori pressed one hand on the helmet and the other on her guitar. It seemed to look quite good on her, giving her the appearance of truly being crowned as the 'guitar hero'. She looked at the unyielding figure in her heart with a shy yet somewhat brave smile.
Baseball and music seemed to be completely unrelated things, but in some corner of the world, they met just like this. Because brewing within these two things was an existence called 'courage' and 'tenacity'... Chapter 044: School Festival Operation
At the end of June, the temperature was 32 degrees. Chiba Prefecture is located on the eastern side of the Tokyo metropolitan area, consisting of the Kanto Plain and the south-central peninsula. Surrounded by the sea on three sides, Chiba Prefecture is warm in winter and cool in summer. As an early-developed administrative region of Japan, it has beautiful scenery. Tokyo Bay and Tokyo Disneyland are both in Chiba Prefecture.
On Saturday, Chiba Prefecture Sobu High School held its annual School Festival. Every class and every club participated in the school's most grand festival of the year. Banners were set up at the school gate, and eye-catching large purple flower pots were placed. Every classroom in the school was also redecorated, overflowing with a festive atmosphere.
"So this is Chiba Prefecture Sobu High School... Incredible, it looks like a school for people with very good grades."
At the school gate, the four girls of 'Kessoku Band,' who had specifically taken a bus from Tokyo, looked up at this school with a long history and students who all appeared to be elites. For a moment, they hesitated.
A week had passed since that baseball game ended. Having heard that Classmate Chen Yao's school was holding a School Festival, the four girls came to this school together out of curiosity and to visit him.
"Hitori, it's time to go in..."
Ijichi Nijika looked at this school, which likely had a high deviation value. Even though her own grades were average, she unexpectedly felt a sense of pressure. She wasn't sure why, but there was a certain heaviness to the atmosphere.
"Maybe... we could just send a text to Master..."
Goto Hitori was already planning to give up and asked in a small voice.
Kita Ikuyo looked helplessly at these two unpromising friends and said, "It's just a School Festival. Is there any need to feel so inferior and helpless? Also, why did you wear the helmet your Master gave you? You're getting a lot of stares."
She saw that Goto Hitori had left the house wearing a baseball helmet. She guessed that for her to come all the way to Chiba Prefecture, it must have taken a lot of courage to make it this far.
Just as they were about to enter, they heard a boy behind them say, "Oh, aren't these the guitar girls from Sobu High School?"
The four girls turned around in confusion and saw five boys in casual clothes walking from the roadside to the school gate. They immediately recognized several of them as baseball players from Seido High School: Sawamura Eijun, Captain Yuki Tetsuya, Miyuki Kazuya, and the pitcher Furuya Satoru, as well as a girl they didn't know. Sawamura Eijun took the initiative to talk to them; they had actually come to Chiba Prefecture Sobu High School as well.
"We're not called guitar girls. Our band is called [Kessoku Band]..."
Kita Ikuyo, hearing such a lame nickname, corrected him somewhat speechlessly.
"But you guys are really amazing, playing guitar and shouting slogans. Our school has even started researching whether we can create cheer songs like yours."
Miyuki Kazuya also expressed his praise for their performance.
"What are you guys doing here? Are you here to pick a fight?"
Yamada Ryo, who had been snacking the whole time, asked curiously.
Everyone from Seido High School looked embarrassed. Captain Yuki Tetsuya said, "No, we came specifically to visit Sobu High School. After all, that game was very moving. We heard Classmate Chen Yao was injured and recuperating, so we came specifically to visit him. We also want to establish a relationship with your school to facilitate baseball exchanges in the future..."
As the four girls listened, it seemed like a strange friendship had been born because of the game.
While the two groups were talking, several cars drove into the nearby parking area. A few young men got out. Goto Hitori took a curious glance and saw several familiar faces.
The Takahashi brothers, whom they had met at the Test of Courage, Fujiwara Takumi, and Takeuchi Itsuki had all arrived. However, those two uncle-faced figures did not appear.
"Goto, you're here too."
Fujiwara Takumi greeted her upon seeing Goto Hitori.
"You're Classmate Fujiwara... and Mr. Takahashi... Hello, you... came here too?"
Goto Hitori blinked and asked in confusion.
"Because we heard Chen Yao was injured, we came specifically to see him."
Takahashi Ryosuke explained with a smile.
Takahashi Keisuke sighed and said, "What an idiot. If his arm is injured, he won't even be able to drive. What was he thinking, insisting on playing baseball?"
"Sir, I don't like what you just said." The group from Seido High School nearby began to show dissatisfaction. Sawamura Eijun said with a stern face, "Driving is trivial, isn't it? Classmate Chen Yao's pitching technique and batting ability are both moving. He is a baseball ace no matter what. Even if he's injured, he still wants to win. You probably can't understand that kind of spirit at all, can you?"
Takahashi Ryosuke and Takahashi Keisuke realized these people weren't ordinary. From their words, they seemed to be players from the prestigious baseball high school, Seido. After a moment of hesitation, Takahashi Keisuke became interested and said sarcastically, "Oh, so you're the Seido players. Personally, I think baseball is pretty boring. I used a bat when I was in high school too, but it was for beating up people who didn't know any better..."
"Huh!? What did you say!?"
Sawamura Eijun exploded. This blond guy actually insulted baseball like that.
"You can't understand the thrill of racing on the open road. That kind of competition of speed, the roar of the engine—it's much more meaningful than your boring game of hitting a ball for dozens of hours."
"You guys are just street racers, aren't you? You, who disturb the peace and violate traffic rules, have no right to say our baseball is meaningless."
"Alright, alright, don't fight."
A Classmate nearby pulled Sawamura back, while on the other side, Ryosuke said, "Don't argue, Keisuke."
"Fine, (Brother)."
The two arguing people finally shut up and quieted down.
Both sides finally settled down. Kita Ikuyo and the other girls watched as these two groups started arguing as soon as they met, seemingly for reasons related to Chen Yao.
However, a moment later, six motorcycles drove into the parking area. Fujiwara Takumi and Takeuchi Itsuki were slightly stunned. They saw Suzunoki Rin, the girl they had learned to ride with, as well as Raimu-senpai and the others. They had actually come all the way to attend Sobu High School's School Festival too.
"You guys came too."
Takeuchi Itsuki looked at them and said.
"Aren't these Senior Fujiwara and Senior Takeuchi? Are you two also here for Senior Chen Yao's School Festival?"
Suzunoki Rin, a blonde with twin tails wearing riding gear, bowed and said happily.
"I remember you. You're Mr. Takahashi Ryosuke. We went to see the race at Mount Akina. Your technique is super amazing."
As the president of the Girls' Motorcycle Club, Amano Ensa, who had slightly curly hair, said happily.
"We're not the only ones here. See for yourselves..."
Takeuchi Itsuki and Fujiwara Takumi pointed behind them with low spirits. As a result, the Seido High School group and the Takahashi brothers were sulking at each other, with four strange girls carrying guitars caught awkwardly in the middle.
Adding them all up, there were a full twenty people. They were all "acquaintances" of Chen Yao who had come primarily to inquire about his injury and secondarily to attend the School Festival. They were almost blocking the school gate.
"...It seems like there are quite a lot of people."
Suzunoki Rin looked at the dense crowd with a cold sweat and said.
"For some reason, I feel like there are even more than this..."
Takeuchi Itsuki had a hunch that the connections Chen Yao had shown here were only a part of it. They still remembered that a certain young lady in a red school uniform hadn't appeared... Just as he thought of the red school uniform, a black business car pulled up at the gate. But the one who stepped out wasn't Sakayanagi Arisu, but a handsome man wearing glasses. He wore a red school uniform and had a cold, arrogant expression.
"...Horikita, what are you doing here?"
Takahashi Ryosuke's expression turned serious as he asked.
"Senior Ryosuke, don't misunderstand. I'm only here today in my capacity as a representative of a sister school to visit Sobu High School's Student Council. By the way, why are there so many people here?"
Horikita Manabu and his secretary, Tachibana Akane, stepped out of the car and saw a large group of people in various styles, some harmonious and some antagonistic, at the school gate. He asked in confusion.
"Humph, for the same purpose as you."
Takahashi Ryosuke chuckled and said enigmatically.
The members of Sobu High School's Student Council were still patiently helping the visiting citizens and students from other schools by giving directions and introducing the performances. The Student Council President, Shiromawari Meguru, was just beaming as she gave an elderly woman directions to the gymnasium when a cool male voice asked, "It's been a long time, President Shiromawari. May I trouble you with a question?"
"Ah, you can ask anytime. May I ask..."
Shiromawari Meguru looked over with a cheerful expression, only to see Horikita Manabu, the president of Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School, looking down at her as if from a height, along with more than twenty people behind him all staring at her.
"...What is it?"
Shiromawari Meguru swallowed and asked in a small voice.