「out！ gaset！」

It's finally over, and as a member of Akashi Chaofu, I'm finally back in Koshien with the team.

9 to 2, 7 points difference, judging from the result, it is definitely a big victory, if it is not the final, there is no need to play 9 rounds. But why, until now, I still have palpitations? Of course, they played two days and 18 games with Mofeng and played against us again without resting, and we waited for work, and the game was unfair from the start, but that wasn't the main reason.

Yes, it must be because of Xiao Yi. I hit a home run cleanly at the start, a ghostly pitch after the board, and the fearless sprint at the end, and I was completely blown away and I felt the fear in it. If he had pitched at the beginning of the final, I even thought he could beat all nine of us alone.

What did I think of him all along? It's a friend, a former teammate, but at the moment we notice that we are missing a very important identity - an opponent. He's undoubtedly a formidable opponent, why did I realize it today?

At the moment he was lying in the infirmary of the field, and when he finally stopped him from rushing to home plate, I thought he had hit his head, and I was a little scared, and then their team doctor said that it was just hyperventilation syndrome, which was simply an uncontrollable breathing caused by emotional excitement, and it was good to adjust the breathing rhythm. I guess he must have been like this because of the gadgets.

Speaking of which, these days are a real disaster. A few days ago, my father, who had been supporting me in baseball, suddenly fell ill and is still unconscious. When the coach learned the news that day, he put the matter under his breath and didn't tell me right away, but chose to tell me about it after today's game. I can understand the coach and he did it because he didn't want me to play with emotions. It's just that this thing that should have been a bolt from the blue for me has become a little numb at the moment.

Yesterday, my best friend Dong Guoqi passed away suddenly.

***

"Ladies and gentlemen, I have suddenly summoned you here to convey an urgent notice, according to the news from the competition party, the student of Chengfeng High School suddenly suffered respiratory failure after today's competition, and after all efforts to rescue him, he had swallowed his last breath in the evening......

"Really, fake!"

"This is terrible, what is he guilty of?"

I can't make out what my teammates are saying, and I can't hear how the coach calms everyone down. I only felt that after listening to the announcement conveyed by the coach, my soul had been drained, and I was left with an empty shell. Maybe I'm the dead.

"Although this sad news came very suddenly, the schedule of this tournament has been adjusted due to today's rematch, so there will be no changes to the schedule for tomorrow's final. It's not appropriate to gloat, but I hope that when you start tomorrow, you won't be merciful about it, and don't forget that our goal is to return to Koshien and reclaim the national championship!"

Gradually, something from the past came to mind. I met him when I had just quit the school's softball club, and we became teammates in the youth baseball, and then at his suggestion, I became a catcher and formed a catcher with him. It's an honor to be his partner, and even though we go our separate ways in high school, I firmly believe that one day, we can partner again and be the best partner in the world!

But there is no such future......

No, I don't believe it! What if he had cancer? Hasn't he already beaten cancer once? He is so powerful, always in an unattainable position ahead of me, how can he be so strong that he can lose to his former subordinates? Something must be wrong!

"Nikaido, it's so late, where are you going?" Just as I was about to go to the hospital to take a look, the coach stopped me.

"I want to go out for a walk......

"Something...... Forget it, you can go, but you have to promise me to give it my all tomorrow."

"I got it......" At that time, the coach seemed to be deliberately hiding something, but I didn't pay much attention to it at the time.

***

I've been senior from Nakano for a long time

In the third year of junior high school, as the captain of the team, I also accompanied him to the hospital from time to time to check his health, so I knew that he was in that general hospital. But in which room was his hospital room?

Just when I hesitated, I saw a familiar person, when I used to accompany Xiaoqi to see a doctor, I would meet her from time to time - she was Xiaoqi's mother.

"Uncle...... Auntie, it's been a long time."

"Are you...... Ah, I remember you, you are the Nikaido-kun who used to play with Koki, and Koki often mentions you. I think you seem to have gone to Akashi Chaofeng, and there will be a game tomorrow, right? It's so late, why are you here?"

The impression of my aunt is very cheerful, but at this time she speaks weakly and weakly, and there are clearly visible tears on her face.

"I...... I want to ......" I choked up as I spoke.

I hoped that my aunt would refute the rumors, but after seeing my aunt's appearance, I felt that my current self was funny and ridiculous. Everything is true, it's just that I'm not willing to accept that fact yet.

"You want to see the last side of the gadget, right? However, we are busy with the aftermath now, and it may not be convenient...... And don't you have a game tomorrow? Go back and rest, and don't affect your state. If...... If you really want to send him off, we'll have a simple memorial service tomorrow......

***

At the end of the day, I didn't attend the memorial service. Most of the people who came to participate in that ceremony were members of Chengfeng High School, and I was a member of Akashi Chaofeng, which was inconvenient; Second, after the finals, I learned even worse news from my coach that my father was sick.

My father often worked overtime to investigate Congressman Li Yuan, and there were already many abnormal indicators during the previous physical examination. After Congressman Li Yuan was brought to justice, his father should have had a good rest, but when the tight strings suddenly relaxed, he fell ill. I heard Brother Dadi say that his father had a sudden cerebral hemorrhage when he was at work, so he was rescued in time and his life was saved temporarily, but he was unconscious. Mother said that in the worst-case scenario, he could become a vegetative state.

My mind went blank again. Brother Dadi's disability has brought a huge blow to the family, it has been the hard work of our parents who have pulled us up, and now my father is sick, and my mother can only rely on my mother to find a way to raise medical expenses, what should I do in the future?

"Daisuke, don't think about it so much!" Brother Daichi suddenly pressed my shoulder and said, "Don't you still have Koshien games to play? You just have to concentrate on the game, and here we are! The better your results are, the happier your father will be, and if you win a national victory, maybe your father will wake up immediately!"

(To be continued)