34 Ignites

Su Qing watched Narumiya Mei bow mechanically, like some kind of bowing machine, without a trace of emotion, and wanted to laugh. But afraid Narumiya Mei, despite keeping his head lowered, would still spot him looking around, he forcibly held back his laughter. Even so, the delight in his eyes and brows was impossible to conceal.

"Hmph. When we get back, run twenty laps and sweep the field!"

Narumiya Mei had known this would be the outcome, yet he still refused to give up and asked:

"Do I only have to sweep the main field?"

"Sweep both fields!"

Narumiya Mei instantly looked like his parents had died.

Harada had to hold him down and make him bow once more.

"Yes!"

The moment they returned to the Rest Area, Narumiya Mei began complaining.

"I still have to pitch today. Tonight, I might have to sweep the field and run twenty laps too. What if I get injured?"

To avoid Coach Kunimoto hearing him, Narumiya Mei spoke extremely quietly. But Seido's Rest Area was truly tiny, and Coach Kunimoto heard him immediately.

"You don't have to play today."

"I'm fine! I can do it!" Narumiya Mei became even more aggrieved and vented all his frustration on Su Qing.

"You actually betrayed us! You shameless bastard!"

Su Qing smugly lifted his chin. This was called sacrificing a fellow disciple to save oneself. Besides, before leaving, he had reported to Coach Kunimoto and only gone out after receiving permission. Unlike Narumiya Mei and Harada, who had simply run off without a word.

Harada was the one who stopped their bickering.

"It's time to play. Come warm up with me."

Su Qing pushed away Narumiya Mei, who looked unwilling and still wanted to argue with him. Pre-game warmups were extremely important. Throwing hard without warming up made injuries very likely.

Unlike the previous game, a crowd of spectators had gathered around the field now. Aside from Seido and Inashiro's diehard fans, almost no one had watched the last game. Everyone knew neither side would use its main lineup, so there had been little to see.

But this game was different! Inashiro would field its full starting lineup! Naturally, Seido's people would not miss this match. Miyuki had already arrived at the field with Sawamura.

Sawamura was quickly grabbed by Furuya for another round, while Miyuki laughed awkwardly and moved to stand beside Furuya...

Furuya's intentions were obvious to everyone! Sawamura wanted to squeeze past Jiang Gu and get to Miyuki's side, but no matter how hard he tried, he could not get through. Soon, Chen Xin and Chris arrived as well.

The moment he saw Chris, Sawamura immediately settled down.

"Watch this game carefully. Inashiro's ace is also a left-hander like you, and he's a highly polished pitcher. Watching more of his pitching will benefit you."

"Yes!"

Su Qing spotted Chen Xin at a glance as well. Chen Xin took a glove and a baseball from the equipment bag Shirakawa had helped carry over, then said to Shirakawa:

"Shall we go warm up too?"

Infielders needed to throw as well, especially at third base. If you did not throw with force, the ball might not even beat the batter to first.

Shirakawa nodded and went with Su Qing to practice catches and throws nearby. Hirai Tsubasa sadly went off to find other players. He had always practiced throwing with Shirakawa before; after all, they were double-play partners.

Narumiya Mei, practicing his pitching by the side of the field, drew nearly everyone's attention. After all, he was Inashiro's ace.

The other Inashiro players and Shu Bei players practicing catches, throws, and swings nearby received no attention at all.

Before the Tokyo Prince had even stepped onto his throne, he had already drawn every gaze—as well as cheers and shouts of support.

"Go, Narumiya! Strike them all out!"

That was just one example. There were plenty more fanatical Inashiro supporters, including quite a few Seido girls. Their own team certainly had good players, but Narumiya Mei was stronger! Everyone admired the strong!

Narumiya Mei let out a hearty laugh from the bullpen.

"What are you laughing at? Warm up properly, bastard! You still have to go back and sweep the field tonight!"

The mention of sweeping the field made Narumiya Mei wilt completely. Even his pitches lost power, until he heard a distinctly different cheer:

"First-year Su Qing, good luck too! I'm looking forward to seeing you on the mound!"

Su Qing was too far away, so it was impossible to know whether he had heard it. But Narumiya Mei had heard it loud and clear.

The mound is mine! I'm not giving it to that guy!

Harada looked at the pitch that had drifted off to who knew where and did not even want to save it. He simply watched the ball smash into the wire fence beside him.

"What are you doing, idiot?! Coach is watching from the side!"

Narumiya Mei hurriedly looked toward the Rest Area. Sure enough, Coach Kunimoto was watching him. He instantly cowered, went to retrieve the wild ball himself, and obediently continued warming up.

Su Qing saw that too and immediately laughed. He nearly got hit in the face by a ball Shirakawa threw, but fortunately, he reacted quickly enough to block it with his glove.

"That's about enough. Let's head back too."

"Yeah."

By then, most of the players had returned to the Rest Area. Without question, the game was about to begin.

It had to be said that this round-robin tournament was run rather formally. Before the game began, the players from both sides exchanged greetings. Only after they had saluted one another did the game officially start.

Shu Bei batted first, while Inashiro took the field. Narumiya Mei went straight to the mound, and Su Qing ran to third base.

The moment Sawamura saw that from the sidelines, he began shouting:

"Didn't you say he was an Inashiro rookie pitcher like me? Why is he standing at third base now?"

Miyuki thought for a moment before answering:

"Coach Kunimoto probably doesn't want to give up his bat. I remember he started at third base during the Kanto Tournament too. His hitting seemed pretty good."

Of course, Miyuki was not saying that to Sawamura. He was asking Chris, who stood beside him.

"Yeah. In eight games at the Kanto Tournament, he had four plate appearances: two Home Runs, while his other two plate appearances were both extra-base hits. His batting is no weaker than Chen Xin's. If I were Coach Kunimoto, I wouldn't keep such a powerful hitter on the bench either."

Chen Xin stood to one side without saying anything. Su Qing had certainly bragged to him about how impressive his bat used to be, but they had never faced each other, and Chen Xin had barely seen him play, so he did not quite believe it.

Still, Su Qing had not become the First Pick because of his pitching back then. That meant his hitting ability was somewhat believable. At the very least, it was definitely enough to beat up on kids.

After hearing that, Sawamura stood quietly to the side. What was there for him to say? He was hopeless at batting, and he had enough self-awareness to know it. Furuya Satoru, on the other hand, immediately ignited. He had naturally heard Su Qing's name before. When reporters had interviewed him, they had mentioned Su Qing and deliberately compared the two of them.

He could no longer compete with Su Qing in the pitch velocity he was proudest of. But when it came to the bat, he did not want to lose!

Miyuki, standing beside him, noticed Furuya's changed state as well, and a faint curve appeared on his lips. That's it. Burn, kid. Only then can you go farther this summer!