Hoshida and Miyakawa from Ichidai Third High School were probably being questioned by their Director right about now.
"You're way too wicked," Miyuki Kazuya said with a gloating grin. "Not only did you trick information out of them, you even screwed them over at the end."
"Wipe that ugly look off your face," Zhang Han snapped. "How is that selling them out? I was clearly helping them, alright?"
Miyuki looked completely bewildered.
"How exactly did you help them?"
"Those two kids are way too naïve. Don't they know I'm from Seido? Even if we have a past connection, they shouldn't be blurting things out so easily. If they don't fix this habit, one day they'll be sold out and still help count the money."
"So you're saying you did them a favor?"
"Of course."
Zhang Han looked utterly self-righteous.
Even Miyuki, who prided himself on being sly, couldn't help but give him a thumbs-up.
"I've seen shameless people before," Miyuki said sincerely, "but this is the first time I've seen someone as shameless as you."
"That just means you're still young and inexperienced."
The two had long grown used to bickering like this in private.
Neither of them was particularly eager to make friends, but they were the only two first-year players in the entire First-string. Spending so much time together as same-year teammates naturally brought them closer.
At first, Miyuki had thought Zhang Han was the cool, handsome type. Strong, good-looking, and seemingly aloof.
People like that usually came with an image filter.
But after getting to know him, Miyuki discovered that Zhang Han was nothing like that.
On the outside, he was reserved. On the inside, he was full of mischief and bad ideas. He loved giving people nicknames and never missed a chance to retort.
In private, Miyuki even gave Zhang Han a nickname: "Zhang the Retorter."
He really did argue too much.
Of course, Zhang Han didn't let that slide either. He gave Miyuki a nickname of his own.
"Cobra."
One sly, one outwardly calm.
Birds of a feather.
In just a few months with the First-string, the two had become almost inseparable.
Fifteen minutes before the game, the Seido High School Baseball Team opened the dugout door and walked onto the field.
The moment they appeared, the cheer squad sprang into action. Drums thundered, gongs clanged, horns blared, and the cheers surged forward like a wave.
Among the crowd, many fans were shouting players' names directly.
"Azuma, it's all on you!"
"Miyuki, show them!"
"Hidezawa, don't lose to them!"
"Zhang Han—wow! So handsome! I'm going to faint!"
Zhang Han's hearing was excellent. He heard that last shout very clearly.
Instantly, his scalp went numb.
He wished he could dig a hole and crawl into it.
Why were other players' fans so normal?
But when it came to his own fans, every single one of them seemed to be in the middle of a crush.
While Zhang Han was dying of embarrassment, several teammates were looking at him with pure envy.
Isashiki Jun was one of them.
More than once, he glanced at Zhang Han from the corner of his eye, a quiet fire of defiance burning in his chest. And it wasn't just him. Several other players wore the same expression. People really couldn't be compared.
A first-year newcomer like Zhang Han had already achieved such results and gathered so much popularity.
How far would he go in the future?
Right now, probably no one dared give a confident answer. What made it even more irritating was the sheer number of female fans.
On the other side, when Ichidai Third High School's players entered the field, they received the same grand welcome.
Both teams had their own bands and cheer squads, mostly composed of second-team and third-team players, along with students from their schools.
Hundreds of people stood in neat formations, waving identical cheering tools and shouting in unison.
"Seido! Seido!!"
Opposite them came the response.
"Ichidai San! Ichidai San!"
Zhang Han had seen a scene like this once before.
That was during the Spring Tournament, when Seido faced Inashiro. The two teams had clashed fiercely. In the end, Seido lost because their pitcher wasn't in top condition.
Back then, Zhang Han had watched from the stands, his blood boiling. At that time, he was just an ordinary second-team player.
He wasn't qualified to step onto the field. All he could do was sit quietly and admire his seniors' performances.
A few months had passed since then.
His identity had changed completely. He was no longer a bystander tucked away in the stands.
He was a participant.
The feeling was entirely different. What he felt now wasn't just excitement.
It was anticipation.
Ichidai Third High School.
From every angle, they were one of the strongest teams in the country. This was the first time Zhang Han would face such an opponent.
He was already itching to step onto the field.
And he wasn't alone.
At least half of Seido's players probably felt the same way.
Coach Kataoka understood this perfectly. Before the game, he gathered everyone together.
"We've already done all the preparation we can," Kataoka said calmly. "Now it's time to show your strength. I believe you can defeat today's opponent. But don't be careless. Give everything you have on every pitch."
"Yes!"
The team answered in unison.
Against Ichidai San, no extra motivation was needed. The moment they stepped onto the field, their fighting spirit naturally ignited.
"Tanaka," Kataoka said, "lead everyone in one."
At the word "one," Tanaka's eyes instantly turned moist.
This "one" referred to Seido High School Baseball Team's exclusive cheer.
It wasn't shouted every game.
Not every Seido team was qualified to use it.
Only when the Director and coaching staff believed the team had earned it would they allow this cheer.
Since Tanaka became captain, they had only used it once, during last year's Autumn Tournament.
This was the second time.
Not only Tanaka, but the other players were deeply moved as well.
They instinctively formed a circle.
Even the two newcomers, Zhang Han and Miyuki, joined without hesitation.
Though they had never participated before, as West Tokyo players, they had seen this cheer countless times on TV.
That image, paired with the thunderous background music, always ignited something primal in the heart.
And now, they were finally part of it.
Tanaka looked around at his teammates, then his gaze settled on Azuma Kiyokuni.
"Azuma," he asked, "do you want to do it?"
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