Curly hair? Su Qing? Why did Su Qing know Sawamura? Miyuki found it strange. He had assumed Chen Xin had told Su Qing, but judging by Chen Xin's expression today, it seemed as though he had only just learned that Su Qing had come to Japan too. He probably did not know him, so how did Su Qing know Sawamura?
Sawamura clearly had never officially appeared in a game. His fame was nowhere near Furuya's. If Su Qing knew anyone, it should have been Furuya. It was really strange. Forget it, he would ask Chen Xin later whether he had been the one to tell him.
"Those three just now: the blond one was Inashiro's ace pitcher, Narumiya Mei. He's also Kanto's Number One Left-Handed Pitcher, our greatest rival. The big guy is Inashiro's main catcher, Harada Masaru. And that curly-haired one, like you, is a first-year pitcher newly recruited by Inashiro. He's a Fastball pitcher whose velocity is in no way inferior to Furuya's. He's going to be a troublesome opponent too."
"Kanto's Number One Left-Handed Pitcher?! Him?!"
Sawamura did not believe it at all. As a fellow left-handed pitcher, his pride as a pitcher made him unwilling to acknowledge it. As for Su Qing, he ignored him completely. What was so great about Furuya? His pitches were just a little faster, that was all.
Miyuki patted Sawamura on the shoulder and said:
"When your control reaches even half of Narumiya's, I'll be laughing in my dreams."
Little Angel exploded at once.
"What's wrong with my control? At least I can throw into the strike zone!"
A subtle jab at Furuya, who could not even throw into the strike zone.
"Narumiya is a pitcher who can throw the Nine-Panel Grid. Half of his skill would probably be the Four-Panel Grid. You're still far from that."
"The Nine-Panel Grid!"
Sawamura's eyes widened. Sawamura was still struggling just to barely hit the spots Chris wanted, so he truly found it hard to imagine what Nine-Panel Grid control was like. But he quickly put aside his shock, clenched his fists, and shouted:
"I'll work hard! One day, my control will reach the same level as that blond guy's! No! I'll be even stronger! By then, I'll be Kanto's Number One Left-Handed Pitcher, right? Hahahahahaha!"
Miyuki smiled as he watched Sawamura howl at the sky. The gloom brought on by learning of Su Qing's strength vanished completely. Su Qing was strong, but they had hope too! And there was only one Su Qing, while they had two! Who would win or lose was still uncertain!
"Then you'd better work hard."
"Yeah! Miyuki-senpai, can you practice pitching with me today?"
Though he already had Chris-senpai, the greedy Little Angel also wanted Miyuki all to himself.
"No. I haven't had a proper rest in days. I'm going to sleep early tonight. I'm not doing basic drills with you."
"Ah! I won't practice much either, just fifty pitches!"
"No!"
"Thirty pitches!"
"No!"
"Ten pitches! Just practice with me!"
In the end, Miyuki could not withstand Sawamura's pitiful little eyes. Then he remembered that he was Seido's main catcher, and Sawamura was quite likely to play this summer. Letting him always practice pitching with Chris would not be good for building their rapport.
"Idiot, aren't you tired carrying two bags that heavy?"
"A little."
Only then did Little Angel belatedly notice the weight on his body.
"Did you agree?!"
Sawamura asked in surprise.
"Put down the bags you're carrying first! If you hurt your shoulder, forget about practicing. You probably won't be able to pitch for a long time!"
"Yes!"
--
By the time Su Qing and the others reached Field B, Inashiro's players were already preparing for the next game.
Coach Kunimoto stood in front of the Rest Area with an icy expression, while the other players cautiously prepared the things they would need for the game. Only Shirakawa and Carlos were not packing very attentively.
They kept looking around, searching for something.
Carlos was the first to spot Su Qing's group of three. The moment he saw them, he frantically gestured for them to find a way to sneak in without alerting the coach.
But they were so far apart that, even though all three had good eyesight, they could not see his gestures clearly. So they spent quite a while talking past one another.
Coach Kunimoto noticed the commotion and turned to look.
The instant they noticed Coach Kunimoto turning around, the two reacted with the reflexes of batters and immediately buried their heads in their equipment bags. Su Qing's group also hid behind a large tree.
Seido's Field B was really small. If Su Qing and the others had been at the entrance instead of behind the wire fence just now, Coach Kunimoto would probably have spotted them long ago.
How were they supposed to sneak in?
Su Qing thought for a moment before deciding to make a heroic sacrifice!
"Su Qing! What are you doing?!"
Narumiya Mei and Harada were both dumbfounded when Su Qing charged straight into the field without saying a word.
After entering the field, Su Qing naturally headed toward the Rest Area, leaving Narumiya Mei and Carlos staring in disbelief. What kind of move was this?
Su Qing simply pretended not to see Coach Kunimoto's stare and continued walking toward the Rest Area.
Coach Kunimoto finally could not take it anymore. He had never seen a student with such thick skin!
"Where do you think you're going?"
Just when Su Qing thought he was about to get away with it, Coach Kunimoto spoke. Those completely emotionless words froze Su Qing on the spot.
"I... I... I'm rejoining the team."
Answer whatever was asked. Very good!
"You spent over an hour in the restroom?"
"Sorry, Coach. I got lost and couldn't find the restroom no matter what I did. After I finally found it, I got lost again on the way back. By the time I felt my way to the field, the game had already ended and everyone had left. I asked around for a long time before I found this place."
Su Qing scratched his head and spoke with an embarrassed expression, as though trying to hide the fact that he had gotten lost.
Shirakawa and the others stared wide-eyed. He could do that? Was having thick skin really invincible?
With Su Qing putting it that way, Coach Kunimoto really had nothing to say. Though the excuse was far-fetched, it was still an excuse.
"Go run ten laps, then rejoin the team."
"Yes!"
It was only ten laps. Easy. He was young now, so he had no reason to fear stamina issues at all!
Narumiya Mei stared wide-eyed at Su Qing, who had safely entered the Rest Area. He turned around and pointed at Su Qing, speaking to Harada, who remained calm as though nothing could affect his mood.
"How could he betray us just like that?"
Harada crossed his arms and said irritably to Narumiya Mei:
"Let's go back too. The game is about to start. If we go back now, we'll only be punished. If we wait until the game starts, it won't just be a matter of punishment."
Narumiya Mei immediately wilted. He followed Harada back to the Rest Area.
"Our undisciplined behavior has caused you concern!"
With Harada taking the lead, the two bowed respectfully before Coach Kunimoto. They kept their heads lowered, clearly intending not to raise them unless Coach Kunimoto permitted it.
"Where did you go?"
Coach Kunimoto crossed his arms over his chest and asked coldly.
Naturally, Harada was the one to speak. Narumiya Mei did not dare say anything. He only dared complain about the coach behind his back.
"We wanted to scout Seido for information, but we forgot to report it to you. We didn't expect to return so late and make you worry!"
As he spoke, he bowed again.
Before you continue