"Mr. Dubian!" the voice of the female baseball manager overpowered Kunii Shuichi.

She ran up with a folder in her arms, "Mr. Dubian, why are you here? Please, have a seat!"

"Thanks, Kobayashi, but I'm looking for Kunii." Dubian Che did not take the front row seat she offered but sat next to Kunii Shuichi in the second row.

"Kunii, could I play later?" he asked quietly.

"Play?" Kunii Shuichi looked at him in surprise, "I thought you didn't like baseball?"

"I don't like wind music either. Stop the nonsense, can I play? Any position will do."

"You'll have to ask the coach. In high school baseball, the coach's word is the command, it's absolute!"

"Go and ask for me, tell them I'm versatile, I may lose some points at first, but after an inning or two, I'll be world-class."

"You sure can talk big. At best, I'll tell him you run fast so you can guard a base."

"Whatever works."

Kunii Shuichi stood up and walked to a front row seat, whispering to the coach who was focused on the field:

"Coach, Dubian says he wants to play. That guy runs even faster than me, maybe we could try him in center field."

"Idiot!" the coach cursed to begin with, "This is the Koshien preliminaries! Lose one game, and we're completely out!"

"Our opponent is Qingshan High School, their baseball club was just established this year, and in the first inning, they already trail 4:0..."

"You think we should underestimate them?!"

"Dad," Kobayashi Yuuzuki hugged the coach's arm, "just let Mr. Dubian play one game, please, just one game, either left or right field will do, okay~"

"No! Koshien does not allow for any slacking! Even Osaka Tsubaki lost in the preliminaries once, how can we..."

"Hmph!" Kobayashi Yuuzuki let go of his arm, turning away.

The coach glanced at his daughter, then back at the field:

"Hmm, well, that's the Osaka division, this is the East Tokyo division, and our opponent is Qingshan High School. Beating such an opponent isn't meaningful. Putting in some reserves might put pressure on the main players, keep them tense from the start, and prevent arrogance. Only by carrying that pressure and continuously winning can they go further in Koshien."

"Didn't you just say no slacking at all?" Kunii Shuichi said.

"Idiot! This is strategy. Do you think baseball is just pitching, batting, and catching?"

"I'll go get Dubian changed!" Kunii Shuichi hurried off.

"Wait," the coach called him back, "let him pitch."

"Pitcher?!"

"Letting Qingshan score is okay, our batting line-up is strong enough. Kunii."

"Sir!"

"The runs he gives up, you're going to get them all back for me, heard?!"

"Yes, sir!"

Kunii Shuichi walked to the second row and told Dubian Che, "Relying on your status as Goda's first batter, I persuaded the coach to let you play. Go get changed, you're the pitcher."

Dubian Che, looking at the roughly one-meter distance between rows, gained a new respect for Kunii Shuichi's ruthlessness.

"I don't have a uniform."

"No uniform?" Kunii Shuichi jumped, "You're here for a match and didn't bring your team uniform! Oh right, you don't have one."

"I do I do I do!" Kobayashi Yuuzuki pulled out a bag, "Mr. Dubian, your team uniform is here, and also your baseball glove, hat, helmet!"

"Thank you very much!" Dubian Che was very polite.

After changing, during the bottom of the inning, Dubian Che and the team from Goda walked onto the field.

"Kunii." Dubian Che grabbed Kunii Shuichi, lowering his voice.

"What is it?" Kunii Shuichi was about to head to first base.

"Does the pitcher just need to throw the ball and let the catcher catch it?"

Kunii Shuichi looked at Dubian Che.

"What now? Hurry up and answer me!"

"Where is this?" Kunii Shuichi pointed down.

"Shengong Stadium."

"Which part of Shengong Stadium?"

"The baseball field?"

"Which part of the baseball field?"

"..." Dubian Che looked at Kunii Shuichi.

"..." Kunii Shuichi looked back at Dubian Che.

After a long silence.

"You don't understand baseball?" Kunii Shuichi asked.

"I do," Dubian Che replied, "just double-checking, first time in a match."

"This area, what's it called?"

"..."

"You really don't know! You don't know baseball at all! Listen well, this is the infield, that side is the boundary line, you must..."

"Never mind that, just tell me what a pitcher should do!" Their discussion was already drawing the attention of others.

"... just throw the ball and let the catcher catch it." Kunii Shuichi gave up.

"A simple thing, why make it so long? I'm just a pitcher, I don't need to know where this is."

Dubian Che walked up to the pitcher mound.

◇

In the stands.

"He's really playing," Jiutiao Meijie, with her legs crossed, grudgingly showed interest.

"He's even discussing strategy with Kunii!" Xiaoquan Aonai was full of anticipation.

Kiyono Lin was nonchalantly watching the field, while Mayi Asuka's gaze stayed on Dubian Che.

"Mr. Dubian! Go for it! Mr. Dubian! Go for it!" Mrs. Jiutiao, holding an inflatable baseball bat, joined Goda's cheerleading squad in chanting.

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