At the beginning of the professional baseball story, this book once asked: In baseball, what should be the jersey number of the number one ace?

If it is the number one ace in the Japanese professional baseball circle, this question can be easily answered.

It's either the 18th or the 19th.

Yuki Takami held an orange jersey in both hands, and showed off the back number on the jersey - No. 18 to the camera. The flash clicks, the camera squeaks.

Today's meeting with the new players of the Yomiuri Orange Rabbit in Tokyo has almost turned into a show for Yuki Takami alone, with the stars arching over the moon. In contrast, the rest of the team's newcomers have been almost unnoticed, and the attention has been reduced for last year's NPB triple crown winner, nicknamed "G God," who was recently poached from local rival Yakult Black Swallow.

The manager of the public relations department in charge of the media at the scene was keenly aware of this, and he quietly walked aside to talk to the general manager. The general manager turned around and explained to the host of the scene, and the host made good use of his professionalism to guide the focus of the scene to Guerrero.

This scene seems to be just an insignificant episode on the first day of the new season preparation, but ...... Who knows? Life is the same as baseball, it's because everyone doesn't know the ending that it's so interesting.

Back at home, in his room, Yuki Takami opened the bag he had prepared yesterday and checked it again. Although I have already confirmed that I have not missed anything several times, I am not at ease if I don't check it once. Especially the orange No. 18 jersey, it was difficult for Yuki Takami's gaze to take his eyes off it. This is the best proof of the accumulation of Yuki Takami's three-year high school baseball career.

The words that my father once said once again lingered in Yuki Takami's ears: "What can you do if you play baseball?" Yuki Takami took out a check from his pocket and unfolded it in front of his eyes, and the number written on the check was eight digits. Yuki Takami blew on the check, and the check rang out, "What can you do if you play baseball?" Yuki Takami seemed to be talking to himself. Yuki Takami held the check in his left hand, and flicked the back of the check with his right hand, and the snapping sound was very beautiful.

Takami took out a small photo frame, opened the frame, put the check into the frame neatly, and sealed the check with a glass mirror. Yuki Takami looked left and right for a moment, lowered his head and sighed on the glass mirror, then wiped the water vapor clean with a handkerchief, and put the picture frame in his bag—on the top layer.

After doing this, Yuki Takami locked his bags and stood up, and looked around his room, which was several times larger than ordinary people's rooms, so Yuki Takami felt very small in this place since he was a child. Even if he is such a small self, the bookcase in the room, the old-fashioned rocking chair in front of the bookcase, and the bed are all places where he feels safe, and Yuki Takami's eyes began to carry memories and affection. He walked over to a glass display case that his mother had bought for him and was now filled with awards he had won during his three-year high school baseball career.

Since getting this display case, Yuki Takami has begun to win one honor after another in high school baseball games, and his mother planned to put this display case in the main hall downstairs. As a result, there was a strong opposition, and the person who opposed it was, of course, the father: "What? Put these things in the hall, and then I won't be laughed to death by others? What's more, "Whoever dares to put these things in the hall, I'm going to throw them all out the door!" ”

As a result, from then until now, the display case has been standing quietly in Yuki Takami's room, and compared to the empty display case, the trophies, plates, prizes, and certificates placed on each floor of the display case have almost filled the cabinet.

In the best position in the cabinet, a white jade-colored porcelain medallion stood on a stand. The most striking on it is the Arabic numeral "98". On the left and right sides of this number, there are also many Chinese characters written densely. The most important passage reads as follows:

"In 2016, the 98th Koshien Tournament, the National High School Wild Ball Player Rights Tournament, the winner - Nishitokyo representative, Nisho Gakusha Daifu."

In the center of this line of text is the name of a man and the number 1 on the back of his jersey. From this name, the names of the 18 players and their corresponding jersey numbers are listed from right to left. From left to right, the names of the Wild Ball Minister, the Team Superintendent, Mr. Principal, Mr. Chairman of the Board of Directors, and the referee and referee on duty are written.

Yes, that's right! This is the commemorative trophy of the championship that the Koshien winner holds. Next to the trophy plate, a baseball looked a little dirty on a ball stock, the surface of the ball not only had black and gray sand stains but also obvious scratches, this ball was placed in a neatly maintained display case, compared to other items looked very out of place, and this ball actually occupied the second best position in the display case.

Needless to say, this was the winning ball of the year - the surface of the baseball was written with a signature pen on the date of the game and the opponent of the game.

Next to the Victory Ball was a silver-white trophy, which was polished to a shiny and spotless polish compared to the dirty, dull baseball, and the ribbon looked even more solemn and holy. The trophy is engraved with the words "MVP" and a player's name is attached.

This trophy is the 98th Koshien Most Valuable Player Award - the most important individual award.

After Yuki Takami opened the display case, he ignored the trophy and carefully twisted the victory ball with his thumb and forefinger. The baseball rotated flexibly on the tips of Takami's fingers for a few turns, and then stopped, and Takami carefully stuck his ring finger and thumb near the stitches of the baseball, and put his index and middle fingers together on the surface of the baseball—this is how a speedball is handled.

In the summer of the second grade, the scene where Yuki Takami threw a fastball at the end of the Koshien finals was played several times on TV:

Yuki Takami's baseball with a strong spin goes into the middle high base.

“Strike three！” Three good shots!

The batter's swing completely collapsed, and he almost fell into the hitting zone.

“Batter out！” The hitter is out!

The baseball in the catcher's glove was still spinning slowly.

“Game set！” The referee raised his hand to announce the end of the game!

The sound of bagpipes in the sky shook the whole Koshien ......!

A series of crackers sounded silently, streamers, colored paper, flying all over the sky.