Tokyo: The story begins with a confession.

Page 66

He hesitated for a long time before making his decision after learning that his opponent was the formidable Tokiwa High School.

Despite Tokiwa High School having added several promising first-year students this year, they are still too inexperienced and have virtually no chance of winning.

If he can't play in this match, then this summer's Koshien tournament will be over, and he'll have to wait until next year to play again.

It's worth noting that even some of the other promising first-year students didn't have the opportunity to participate, so the promise of participation was a huge temptation for him.

Moreover, Coach Xiangcheng promised him that as long as Uesugi Kenichi came, it would be fine, even if he just sat in the cowshed.

Chapter 129 Eriri with Her Fangs and Claws

Kobayashi Yoshihara hesitated for a moment but then walked over. "Uesugi, I'm really sorry, but I really wanted this opportunity to play."

He glanced at the imposing Coach Xiang Cheng and whispered, "The coach asked me to do this, but I don't know why he did it."

Kenichi Uesugi slapped him on the shoulder in an annoyed tone, "Next time, tell me in advance about things like this. If you had just said so earlier, I would have agreed sooner. It's such a hassle."

He had no objection to helping, it was just a small matter. If Xiaolin had asked him earlier and properly requested it, he definitely would have agreed to help.

"I was just afraid you'd refuse outright." Kobayashi Yoshihara scratched his head with a slightly surprised and embarrassed smile.

He was afraid that if he was rejected outright, he would never have another chance to speak. Moreover, in his eyes, Uesugi Kenichi was an extremely busy person, and he was unlikely to care about such a small matter.

"Alright, let's watch the game. Aren't you going to play?"

Kenichi Uesugi turned his head to look at the field, where the two sides were engaged in a fierce pitching and hitting duel.

He observed the situation. Although Tokiwa High School hadn't scored yet, there were runners on first and second base, and another hit would be dangerous.

Judging from the current situation, their own school's pitcher is no match for Tokiwa High School's batting lineup. There's already a player on second base on the third batter, and judging from the way he keeps wiping away sweat, he seems to be extremely nervous right now.

It's normal to be nervous; even in the realm of professional sports, not everyone has a strong mentality.

Under the watchful eyes of more than 3 people and the intense atmosphere, it is difficult to control one's nervousness. Once nervous, one's physical movements may become distorted, which in turn affects performance. A poor performance leads to even greater nervousness, creating a vicious cycle.

If things continue like this, it's only a matter of time before the pitchers collapse. If their own school doesn't have the ability to suppress the opposing pitchers, then losing the game is almost inevitable.

"The situation doesn't look good," Uesugi Kenichi sighed. Kobayashi Yoshihara had already stood up, his face full of tension. What Uesugi Kenichi, an outsider, could see, Kobayashi Yoshihara, though only a novice, could also see very clearly.

Not only him, but the two female managers were no longer around him at this moment, and all the substitutes also stood up and watched nervously. Only Coach Xiang Cheng and Uesugi Kenichi remained seated.

As expected, Yamato Private Academy's defense was finally broken after the sixth batter came on and got a hit, giving Tokiwa High School a run.

The cheering squad from the Daiwa Private Academy on the sidelines let out a huge sigh.

Although we already knew our school might not be able to win, it was still disheartening to see them start losing points so quickly.

Although somewhat disappointed, they still tried their best to cheer on their team.

In contrast, there was a huge cheer from the Tokiwa High School supporters. Tokiwa High School is a renowned baseball school and a team that has a chance to qualify for Koshien in the brutal Tokyo tournament.

As a result, the number of supporters on the other side was frighteningly large. Although it was only one battle, it looked like there were as many as three hundred people there!

At this moment, Uesugi Kenichi also learned the name of the pitcher at Yamato Private Academy—Hideki Hara.

Yu Liang's mentality was clearly somewhat unbalanced at this moment. His pitches were being hit one after another, and even his pitching posture began to distort.

Finally, the second half began. After conceding two points, Yamato Private Academy started their offensive, while Tokiwa High School defended.

The situation in the game is already very clear: if Yamato Private Academy's batting lineup cannot suppress the opposing pitcher, then defeat is inevitable.

In other words, if you can't attack, you can't defend; if you can't defend, you'll win with a hammer.

The first batter from Yamato Private Academy took two deep breaths and stepped onto the mat.

Masahiko Nakagawa, positioned on the pitcher's mound, gave a somewhat cruel smile as he looked at the batter opposite him, thinking how grateful his school had been for drawing such a favorable lot.

To face such a weak opponent in the first game is a good opportunity to find my pitching form.

Nakagawa Masahiko spoke with his catcher. Although he looked down on Yamato Private Academy, it was better to play it safe from the start.

The great Emperor Ying once said that one should despise the enemy strategically but take them seriously tactically—truly a golden rule.

After the exchange, Nakagawa Masahiko instantly threw the baseball, a white streak flashing through the air.

With a loud bang, before the batter from Yamato Academy could react, the baseball had already slipped into the catcher's glove.

· ·Requesting flowers· ········

"Good shot!" the referee immediately raised his hand and announced, and a "good shot" light lit up on the tall scoreboard in the outfield.

As the referee signaled, a gasp of surprise rang out in the stadium, and the ball speed display on the scoreboard showed 151!

Such a fastball speed should never have appeared in the first game. Even in Koshien, it is very rare to see a pitcher who can throw a fastball of 151. It is impossible not to be amazed by the audience. This pitch alone feels like it was worth the ticket price.

In contrast, the ace pitcher of Yamato Private Academy has a speed of only 135 km/h.

Hideki Hayao sat on the cowshed, staring blankly. This shot seemed to have completely shattered his confidence.

Don't underestimate this 15-point difference; the higher you go in any sport, the more difficult it becomes to improve.

...... 0 ...

Just like in a 100-meter race, many people can run it in under 11 seconds, but very few can run it in under 10 seconds.

"I didn't expect Nakagawa to have improved again this year. I remember last year he could only throw a ball at around 145 km/h, right?"

"Yes, this ball looks absolutely gorgeous."

"Especially the sound of the baseball hitting the sleet; it's so pleasant to hear no matter how many times I hear it."

"Tokiwa High School has a very good chance of making it to Koshien this year. I look forward to their performance."

"This is blatant bullying! How could Yamato Private Academy possibly win?"

A murmur arose from the audience, suggesting that Yamato Private Academy was now a fish on a chopping board and had no chance of winning.

"What nonsense are you spouting! It's so noisy! Yamato Private Academy will win!"

Hearing these comments, Eriri could no longer hold back and stood up, yelling wildly like a hedgehog covered in thorns.

Although she wasn't from Yamato Private Academy, Uesugi Kenichi was sitting right there in the cowshed, and she wouldn't allow anyone to say that.

Saeko Busujima quickly pulled her back and gave an apologetic smile to those who had been yelled at by Eriri.

"Eri, don't be like this, you have to believe in Kenichi." Saeko Busujima gave Eriri a gentle smile.

Eriri calmed down after seeing Saeko Busujima's smile, but she still felt extremely unwilling.

Why don't you let Qianyi play already? Honestly, what's going on?!

Chapter 130 was all pretty average.

Chapter 131 Because he's too handsome

He came to Yamato Private Academy at the request of his friend. Since he was here, he naturally wanted to make a name for himself. However, Yamato Academy had a very poor talent base, lacked depth, experienced personnel, and a complete training mechanism.

His initial plan was to use the first two years to lay the foundation and recruit a group of talented and promising junior high school students, so that the third year would be the time for them to shine.

However, no one expected that a dazzling diamond was hidden in a pile of garbage.

After learning more about Kenichi Uesugi, I realized that getting him into the baseball team was no easy task.

At least fame and fortune cannot tempt this young man at all. Others have already achieved success in two fields, and he can be described as a young prodigy.

After much deliberation, he finally focused his attention on Kobayashi Yoshihara, hoping to use him as a breakthrough point for Uesugi Kenichi to join the baseball team.

Judging from the current results, he has undoubtedly succeeded.

"Many of them may only have one chance to step onto this stage in their lifetime. Once they miss this opportunity, the third-year students will face graduation. Even if they can pursue a career in professional baseball in the future, the opportunity to play in Koshien is only available once in a lifetime."

I sighed to Cheng Da, not sure if I was speaking to Uesugi Kenichi or to myself.

Uesugi Kenichi gave him a disdainful look. If he were a teenager, he might have been completely fooled by him.

He promised Kobayashi that he would play, which lured him to the baseball team. All he wanted was for him to play, and he also wanted to give him some motivational speeches.

Uesugi Kenichi didn't respond to his words, his gaze fixed on the field, watching Kobayashi Yoshihara's repeated embarrassing defenses, and watching the Yamato Private Academy team members fighting hard on the field.

Their eyes revealed the purest love for baseball and the pursuit of victory.

Even though the difference in strength is huge, no one is dealing with it with a perfunctory attitude anymore.

Even Yoshiki Haneda, who had almost lost his composure just moments before, had now adjusted his mindset and his throws were finally starting to look decent.

"So, how about it? Want to go up and swing the bat? If you have the ability, could you help these young people go a little further, even just a little more, even just one more game?"

Seeing that Uesugi Kenichi didn't respond, I immediately realized that it wasn't appropriate to use the methods used on ordinary teenagers; it would be better to be more direct.

At this moment, the referee's voice came from inside the court, marking the end of the first half of the third set, with the score currently 6-1.

Uesugi Kenichi straightened his clothes and glanced at Xiang Chengda, who was standing with his arms crossed. "Let's see how it goes, but I can't guarantee how badly it will turn out."

After saying that, Kenichi Uesugi picked up his baseball bat and walked over.

"You can go up when it's your third leg."

Upon hearing this, Uesugi Kenichi paused slightly, walked out of the cowshed, and began to warm up.

As I watched Kenichi Uesugi walk onto the field with his bat, a smile finally appeared on the usually serious coach's face, like a fox that had successfully stolen a chicken.

The recorder slowly approached and whispered, "Coach, do you really think he can do it?"

"Could the outcome be any worse than it is now?" Xiang Chengda asked rhetorically.

The scorekeeper looked at the scoreboard hanging high on the field and smiled wryly. Well, how bad could it get?

But even if he's really good, so what? Baseball is ultimately a team sport.

During warm-up, Uesugi Kenichi was thinking about Coach Cheng's arrangement to have him hit the third batter. His intention was clear: to take advantage of the opponents' lack of understanding of his abilities and quickly score a run. It would be even better if the first and second batters could reach base.

This is also to prevent the first, second, and third batters from striking out all at once and losing their chance to throw. They have to wait until the next inning – after all three batters on the offensive side are out, the teams switch sides or the game enters the next inning.

As he began warming up, a burst of enthusiastic cheers erupted from the stands.

When Uesugi Kenichi appeared, the cheering squad from Yamato Private Academy went wild, cheering loudly and banging their drink bottles.

The commotion quickly caught the director's attention, and a shot was soon focused on Kenichi Uesugi.

A handsome young man in a sky-blue baseball uniform appeared on the large screen behind him.

A huge uproar erupted throughout the venue, followed by screams that mostly came from girls.

"Oh my god, Yamato Academy has such a handsome player. How come I didn't notice him at all?"

"Yes, yes, he's really handsome, but he looks kind of familiar, like I've seen him somewhere before."