The prelude to the music sounds. Cheerleaders and mascots poured into the field www.biquge.info pen "Fun".

Instead of flower balls, the cheerleaders were holding small transparent plastic umbrellas with the team's logo printed on them.

Li Yuanrang turned his head to look at Yabe. The other party has already opened the umbrella in his hand. Many of the surrounding spectators had already begun to sing the prelude while waving their umbrellas while singing the slogan "Yomiuri to death".

"What song is this? Do you still have to make a CALL? Is it 'Tiger, Fire, Man-Made, Fiber' or 'Hi, Hi, Hi, Hi'? ”

Li Yuan opened the plastic umbrella as the locals did and said to Yabe Akio next to him.

"It's not that troublesome, just wait for the lyrics to go to the place where "Yo He, Yo He" and sing two sentences. ”

Unlike the other eleven teams in the NPB League, the song that Yakult sings before attacking in seven innings per game is not the team's true anthem. It's an old ballad called "Tokyo Ototo".

The lyrics are mainly about the beauty and prosperity of Tokyo. The use of this song as the team's main cheering song shows the determination of Yakult fans to stand up to their city-rival Yomiuri Giants.

"What do you think?"

After the music ended, Yabe put away the plastic umbrella. Ask Li Yuanrang beside him.

"Can we have such a lively time when we come to the game?"

"Probably, but the outfield stands are not necessarily open during amateur matches. Unless the audience is particularly large. ”

"Our game is the opening game, won't it attract more spectators."

"The opening game is the first round, and the level is generally not very good. In previous years, it was common to end the game after less than seven innings. If only the final semi-finals and finals were about the same. ”

If the difference in points exceeds 10 points after the fifth inning of a college baseball game, or after the seventh inning, the leader can be declared the winner and the game can be ended early.

Although there are many teams participating in the qualifiers in the Nishitokyo area, the strength of the teams is uneven. It's not uncommon for teams in the first round to play big scores.

The semi-finals and finals, which are also held at Jingu Stadium, tend to attract more spectators because of the higher level of the opening match.

……

On the court, the game has unconsciously entered the first half of the ninth inning. Visitors Yokohama are still four points behind.

After two good shots, the four-stick Tsutsui slashes a low straight ball to the ground. The baseball bounced high, and by the time the third baseman received the ball and passed it to first base, the hitter, who weighed more than 100 kilograms, had already rushed to the first base.

For a while, the away team fans saw the hope of a counterattack again, and the cheers began to get louder.

"Did you find anything special about this ball?"

Li Yuanrang shook his head at Yabe.

"The inner field of Jingu is an artificial lawn. The ball will bounce higher than the ground or natural grass. That's why Tsutsui deliberately fought like this just now......"

Yabe explained.

Although in the field of professional baseball, artificial turf is the mainstream. However, the courts of colleges and universities are still dominated by land or natural grass.

The baseball field at the Peace School is covered with artificial grass in the outfield, but the infield is made of black soil similar to that of Koshien.

For infielders, there are some differences in the details of defense when playing on these types of courts.

on the pitch.

The fifth batter after Tsutsui hit the infield rolling earth in the middle of the three tours. The ball rolls much faster on artificial turf than on the ground, and the third baseman takes a step sideways to block the incoming ball. The runner was still halfway to second base. In the end, it became a double-kill.

After two outs, Yabe began to pack his belongings and prepare to leave.

"It's almost time to go, or you won't be able to grab a seat on the tram when it ends."

When the two walked out of the field, there was a crisp sound of "pop" behind them. It was the sound of a wooden bat hitting the ball. This was followed by cheers and cheers from the visiting fans.

Yabe's phone vibrated slightly, and a message was pushed. That's news from a professional baseball game alert app.

"Ah, it looks like a spring cannon."

The so-called Yangchun cannon refers to a home run that scores only one point.

"But it's three points away."

Li Yuanrang said.

After the two sat in the train car, Yabe took out his mobile phone again to confirm the score.

"Oh? The opponent equalised. ”

After two outs, Yokohama scored four points in a row, and Yakult failed to score another point in the bottom half of the ninth inning. The race went into a play-off.

"This is baseball......"

Li Yuanrang remembered a statement he had read when he first came into contact with baseball comics. The game is not over until the last number of outs. That's the beauty of baseball.

……

The day after the competition is also the last day of the exam week. After finishing the last subject, Li Yuanrang packed his schoolbag and prepared to go to the court for practice.

As soon as he walked out of the door of the school building, he saw a Dongdu TV interview car parked in the school's parking space.

"I heard that Kazuya Takeda's show is here again today. Interview with the team for the opening match. ”

Yabe was in the same class as Li Yuanrang, so he walked out of the school building at about the same time.

"Takeda is here?"

Li Yuanrang asked.

"He's not available, and the Yamanashi Conference is almost about to start. It should be a reporter or anchor from a TV station who comes to do the interview. ”

Takeda's TV program "Kazuya Takeda's Road to Glory" has a semi-fixed location reporter position, which changes quarterly, and it is not held by Tototo's own anchors, but by freelance female anchors from outside the company.

In recent months, the reporter has been a 23-year-old newcomer, Ayaka Takeuchi.

Li Yuanrang noticed the reporter the last time he watched the video of the program, and he made a good first impression at that time. Judging by the image on the TV screen, she is an intellectual woman who speaks well.

"I wonder if she came for today's interview?"

Li Yuanrang thought so in his heart.

……

"I have a package to pick up at the convenience store and come back to the stadium later......"

After saying this, Yabe ran out of the school gate first.

Li Yuanrang had no choice but to walk towards the court by himself.

Change into your jersey before practice. Li Yuanrang came to the dressing room on the second floor of the department. After changing into the jersey, two familiar voices came from outside the window.

"Fortunately, this guy from Fukushima has good luck and won the opening game, and this is the opportunity for such a half-baked baseball team to be on TV."

The person who spoke was Minami Asakura, the nominal manager of the baseball club. Needless to say, she got the news of the media interview and rushed over on purpose.

"Asakura-senpai, please rest assured, I'm here this time, and I guarantee that your footage won't be cut out again."

The person who spoke was reporter Ayaka Takeuchi.

Li Yuanrang gently pushed open the window with frosted glass. Downstairs is the side of the baseball club, and beyond is a tree wall of shrubs. The open space between the two walls is rarely walked around. Takeuchi and Asakura were chatting here.

In Li Yuanrang's cognition, Takeuchi is a twenty-three-year-old college graduate. Asakura, on the other hand, is a sophomore in a high school that has stayed in the first level.

Why did two people know each other. And why did the older Takeuchi call the young Asakura a senior.

Curious about these questions, he decided to keep listening.