39-Degree Heat

"So who are we facing in our first game?"

"Can't you read it yourself? We're a Seeded Team, so we have a bye in the first round. We have to wait for To Wata and To Koyasu Nishi to play first. Once they decide a winner, we'll play them."

"After we beat this To-whatever, do we have to play another To-whatever next?"

Su Qing looked at the cluster of schools starting with "To" on Inashiro's bracket and no longer had the energy to criticize Old Thief Terajima's naming sense.

"Yep."

"Are there any famous schools in there? You know, really strong ones. Or ones that might turn out to be dark horses?"

"Hmm, I remember To Akitsudai's ace, Yamato Shuichiro, being pretty good. He was a well-known pitcher back in Little League too. It's a shame he turned down invitations from a whole bunch of famous schools and went to this little-known To Akitsudai instead. I remember he and the captain were on the same Little League team back then."

Narumiya Mei raised his head as though asking Harada for confirmation.

"Yeah, Shuichiro and I used to be a battery. Like me, he received an invitation from Inashiro, but his family wanted him to focus more on academics. Shuichiro himself also felt that his talent for baseball had reached its limit. So he chose To Akitsudai, a prestigious school closest to home. But that guy probably still found it hard to give up baseball."

Even Harada, the captain who was usually so unromantic, smiled when Yamato Shuichiro was mentioned.

"I'm really glad you still remember him. To Akitsudai may be outstanding academically, but it isn't particularly well-known for baseball. I haven't run into him on the field once in all three years of high school. Usually, he was busy studying while I was busy training, so we never had time to get together. In the blink of an eye, it's already been three years since we last met. I wonder how he's doing now."

"Maybe you'll run into each other this time."

"I hope so."

Wasn't it sad for old friends to meet again on the field? Why did everyone look relieved instead?

Su Qing didn't dare say anything, afraid of ruining the mood.

"Enough about that. Starting tomorrow, summer will truly be here! Let's give it our all, everyone!"

"Yes!"

It was as if flames had ignited in Narumiya Mei's eyes. Summer was finally coming. He could hardly wait to return to that place and erase the humiliation of the past!

He was stronger this time! Absolutely, absolutely, he would not betray everyone's trust in him again!

Su Qing looked at Narumiya Mei with some concern. After thinking back over the plot, he remembered that Narumiya Mei had once suffered from Pitching Amnesia. But by the time Su Qing came to Inashiro, Narumiya Mei had already been able to pitch normally again. It couldn't have been easy. How much pressure must that have been...?

Su Qing had never suffered from Pitching Amnesia, but he had been shelled before too. That powerless feeling—like every pitch he threw would get hit—when in fact, that was exactly what happened. At the time, all he wanted was to be taken out as soon as possible. Even being a deserter seemed better than continuing to get hammered...

Because if he kept pitching, he was truly afraid that he would forget how to pitch.

Su Qing then thought of how Narumiya Mei, who had never particularly liked training over the past few months, had never once resisted Su Qing's extra practice sessions. Instead, he had worked hard to absorb every bit of knowledge Su Qing taught him, doing everything he could to grow stronger.

Heartache.jpg

A few days later, Su Qing, a chronic sufferer of difficulty getting out of bed, was once again shaken awake by his roommates.

"What is it? It's Saturday. Let me sleep a little longer."

Shirakawa roared helplessly.

"Today is the opening ceremony for the Summer Tournament! We only told you yesterday, and you even promised you wouldn't sleep in!"

The moment he heard that, Su Qing instantly sprang out of bed.

He shot down from the top bunk and immediately put on a live-changing-clothes performance.

"We only need to wear our uniforms today, right?"

Before Shirakawa could answer, Su Qing had already pulled on his compression undershirt. The tight shirt outlined every inch of Su Qing's muscles. But Shirakawa didn't let out a girlish shriek or anything, because it wasn't like he was any different.

"You go on ahead. I'll probably need a little longer. I'll meet you at the school gate soon!"

"Okay, I'll head out first."

The reason Su Qing sent Shirakawa away was that he needed to open his loot box. From his past experience, whenever a special day came around, the check-in system tended to give him something useful.

Ding

Obtained Anti-Dizziness Pill ×99!

Item Description: Still worried about the scorching summer heat? Take just one pill, and you'll stay refreshed and clear-headed all day! You definitely won't faint! The medicine is colorless, tasteless, and has no side effects. It will not cause any increase in bodily hormones~

Su Qing looked at the unlabeled little pill bottle that had appeared in his hand. What a divine item.

He hadn't forgotten that Furuya had suffered terribly under the sun and had nearly fainted during today's opening ceremony. Most of Inashiro's players were locals from Tokyo, though, so they had long grown used to the summer sun. Still, this was good stuff! He had especially hated summer when he used to play baseball.

The sweat on his hands could never be wiped away completely! If he wasn't careful, the ball would slip right out of his hand!

Good stuff, good stuff. It would be great if he could get more next time. There were only ninety-nine pills—nowhere near enough!

After changing clothes and applying the super Sunscreen gifted by the system, Su Qing finally headed out.

The others at Inashiro had manga buffs; no matter how much sun they got, they would never tan. But he was different. He had to take proper precautions.

"Su Qing, hurry up!"

"Coming, coming."

The moment he ran to the school gate, he saw the president of the Baseball Club standing by the bus door and constantly waving at him.

After getting on the bus, Su Qing first bowed to Coach Kunimoto, who sat in the very front row and still carried an icy aura despite the heat. Then Su Qing started heading toward the back, only for Narumiya Mei in the second row to grab him.

"Sit here, sit here. It's so hot today. I don't know if you'll be able to adapt to the environment here—what if you faint? So sit in the front with me. You're less likely to get carsick up front."

???

What a joke—him, carsick? Back when he played professionally, he traveled all over the country and had to take buses all the time. Him, carsick?! What a joke! Besides, he had the system's divine artifacts!

Still, it really was cooler beside Coach Kunimoto. The only downside was that he couldn't chat or complain freely.

They soon arrived at Meiji Jingu. A whole row of buses was already parked at Inashiro's designated stop, and players in uniforms stepped out of them from time to time.

He hadn't felt the heat much when boarding the bus, but the moment he got off, it became unbearably hot. Su Qing quickly swallowed an Anti-Dizziness Pill from the system. Combined with the Sunscreen's effect, he felt completely refreshed!

After entering the stadium, Coach Kunimoto stopped accompanying them. Harada held up a sign reading "Inashiro Industrial," and everyone lined up in a single file before entering the field.

Holy crap! Wasn't this way too crowded? After the guide led them to their assigned spot, Su Qing looked at the distance between them and the surrounding teams. There wasn't even twenty centimeters between them, was there?!

In this kind of heat, they were still packed together like sardines! Good thing he had taken the medicine, or he would definitely have been done for! He was starting to understand why Furuya had fainted.