Chapter 3 Chapter two

Zhongshan got off the taxi in front of the multi-sports lounge of Narashino West High School. He squinted his eyes facing the glare of the sun and looked around the well-equipped stadium. The sports complex is built on the entire gentle hill, and the lounge is located at the highest point, so all facilities can be seen at a glance. There is a main stadium that can accommodate 2,000 spectators, an auxiliary stadium for the two armies to practice, an indoor practice field, a track and field field, and tennis courts, etc., scattered on the bright green turf, even compared with the comprehensive sports fields of large companies. Not inferior.

- It's been eight years... Looking down at the dark blue main stadium wall that seems to dissolve into the surrounding green, Zhongshan recalled the scene at that time. In the spring of the second year of high school, shortly after the start of school, I was invited by Narashino Nishi High School to participate in a competition to celebrate the opening of this stadium. At that time, I single-mindedly dreamed of winning the championship in Koshien and then joining a professional team.No, it's not so much a dream, it's better to say that this is the only thought in my mind!However, now, as a journalist, he stepped on the court again for the purpose of interviewing... Zhongshan felt a bitterness in his heart.

During the spring training camp in the fourth year of college, he suddenly suffered severe pain in his right elbow. As a result, his life was completely changed.Even if it is impossible to join the professional team, he still hopes to continue playing baseball as a fielder for the amateur team.But on the other hand, he thought that if he could not play professional teams and be a pitcher, it would be better to withdraw from the baseball world, so he joined Dongdu Sports News. Although I have cut off my nostalgia for being a baseball player, but when I came to this stadium where I played in the past, for some reason, my dreams and enthusiasm at that time were revived.

Especially seeing that former competitors Sanada and Mukai are still active on the field as supervisors of high school baseball teams, I can't help but hope that I can still have that kind of lifestyle. Recently, I often indulge in blank contemplation, and the time of staring at myself has also increased. A stadium surrounded by nature, an editorial office filled with smoke and phone noise.Regardless of which is better, if I continue to walk on the road of baseball, I will definitely live in a world that is completely different from the one I live in now. Zhongshan walked down the gentle slope and stood at the front gate of the stadium.A large elm tree separates from the main entrance of the stadium to the left and right, surrounding the entire stadium.

—these trees are just as they were then! Zhongshan looked up at the stretched branches, which swayed in the wind, and the blue sky could be seen between the leaves. The audience in the front was closed with a gate, but, as the other party told him on the phone, he went around to the side and entered through a small iron gate. The moment he climbed up the dark stairs to the stands by the light from the window, Zhongshan couldn't help but exclaimed.Nearly a hundred players are scattered on the court as neat as an artificial turf court. Every player moves in the same way, practicing like flowing water. It can be seen at a glance that the team's level is extremely high.

The practice ended at 6:00, but now it was 5:50, and the batting practice was still going on on the field, echoing with the crisp sound of the metal bat hitting the ball and the shouts of the players. Zhongshan sat down in the front seat of the stands and watched the team's practice.The ones who are attacking are probably the players of the first army!Nearly every ball was hit deep between right and center field, or between left and center field.Moreover, each player's body shape is excellent-yes, the average height of Xi Zhiyexi's first-team players is more than 180 centimeters, especially the three outfielders are even more talented, and they have long been named players in the professional baseball draft .

Zhongshan carefully observed the movements of the players and took notes. It was almost seven o'clock when practice ended. "Narishino West High School...disbanded." Following the shouts of the crowd, the players who formed a circle on the court dispersed and left one after another. Zhongshan walked down from the stands and waited for Mukai in front of the bench.Mukai left the players and walked this way alone. The two haven't seen each other for seven years since they were both selected as the university's joint expedition to South Korea in the third year of high school.

After all, Mukai, who was born as a pitcher, is different. He is tall and thin, with long hands and long feet, and he resembles the supervisor Kaneda of professional baseball, so he was once called "Little Kaneda". Mukai also seemed to notice Zhongshan, and said with a slightly surprised expression: "Hi!" Seeing the opponent's face, Zhongshan was startled.His cheeks were thin, and only his eyes were shining with a strange light. Just because his figure had not changed, this change of appearance was even more unusual. "Long time no see, you seem to have lost weight." Zhongshan said.

Xiangjing didn't even look at Zhongshan, just sat down on the bench, took off his sneakers, and asked coldly, "What's the matter today?" "It can't be something, right? I'm here to interview you, and I have already obtained consent through the team manager." Mukai seemed very surprised for a moment, and said: "The so-called Dongdu Sports News reporter is you?" After pondering for a while, he continued: "Sorry, I have refused to accept any interviews from today. The day of going to Koshien is not far away. I want to concentrate on adjusting the player's condition, sorry."

"Hey, there's no such way of saying it! I've already been approved for an interview." "Today I have asked the manager to refuse all interviews, maybe he failed to contact you!" "Don't be so strict, I finally came here! At least we should talk about it a little bit?" Mukai changed into normal sneakers and stood up silently. "Okay! I won't bother you anymore. But, I'm going to see Sanada tomorrow, do you have anything to say?" Zhongshan asked behind Mukai. Instantly, Mukai stopped. "Tell him, I play my baseball, and he plays his." Xiang Jingtou finished without looking back, and then disappeared outside the gate of the stadium.

Nakayama stayed alone in front of the bench, staring at the gate where Mukai disappeared. Mukai must have planned to be interviewed by the "Reporter of Dongdu Sports News", but because the reporter was Zhongshan, he temporarily said that he would refuse to be interviewed from today.Why can't we talk to Zhongshan? ——Sure enough, there is something inside! Regardless of Mukai's attitude just now, or the abnormal change in appearance, it showed that there was some kind of secret hidden in Mukai's chest, and it was a secret that tormented him physically and mentally.Perhaps because of this feeling, Zhongshan seemed to see the strong and lonely shadow in Mukai's back! Because of that unfortunate accident, he had to give up entering professional baseball.In this sense, Mukai's fate is the same as that of Zhongshan, except that Zhongshan gave up baseball and chose to become an office worker, but Mukai became the supervisor of college baseball and continued to stay in the baseball world.In this sense, Zhongshan seems to have entrusted his unfulfilled dream to Mukai, and because of this, he will feel that Mukai's attitude fully shows his loneliness. —I hit my baseball! Mukai said so.But what is his baseball? Zhongshan really hopes to know what kind of thoughts Mukai currently holds to continue on the road of baseball? Narashino West High School gathers all outstanding players from all over the country, and uses luxurious equipment to conduct training that is not inferior to professional teams.There are many criticisms from all walks of life, such as: "spend too much money", "beyond the norm of college baseball", "in order to attract promising middle school players, put money on their parents' faces" and so on. However, Zhongshan didn't believe it. He hoped that this was just some kind of misunderstanding. He didn't want to think that the so-called Mukai's baseball was just to strengthen the team by any means, and everything was focused on competing for the championship in Koshien. During the championship finals at Koshien seven years ago, Nakayama personally experienced Mukai’s passion and fighting spirit for baseball. That was definitely not hypocrisy! Zhongshan just wanted to make sure today, what kind of thoughts did Mukai have?Or has he really changed? "Sorry, the stadium is closing." Came a timid voice. Only then did Zhongshan realize that the sky had completely darkened before he knew it, and the first-year team members with bulldozers in their hands looked at Zhongshan in confusion. "Ah, I'm sorry." Zhongshan said, turning and walking towards the gate. At the exit, he stopped and looked back at the field.On the court under the afterglow, about 20 first-year players are concentrating on tidying up the court.Under the backlight, the team members holding the bulldozing boards seemed to be completely silhouetted against the bright orange background, just as beautiful as Miller's paintings!However, every team member must have all kinds of dreams and worries in their hearts! "Come on!" Zhongshan murmured in a low voice, leaving the dark stadium with a melancholy mood. The day after meeting Mukai, Nakayama visited Supervisor Sanada of Toride Academy. The course of Toride Academy is located on a high platform about 15 minutes walk from Toride Station on the Joban Line.Because it is a school with a long tradition, the red brick front entrance shows a stable style. On both sides of the path leading from the main entrance to the classroom, the big zelkova trees form a cool shade, and the cicadas have begun to sing in the early morning. Zhongshan walked around the classroom to the court along the wall.The school is on summer vacation, but there are several students in sportswear running, probably students participating in club activities. Perhaps there is a preconceived notion that every student looks smart. Passing through the path separated by flower beds on both sides, you can see the stadium in front, which is about 80 meters square in size!In the corners of the field was a rusty, hole-ridden net that seemed to be the only baseball equipment.As far as ordinary colleges and universities are concerned, it should be regarded as pretty good equipment, but because I had only seen the luxurious equipment of Xi Zhiye the day before, I always felt that the stadium in front of me was too simple! At present, it seems to be divided into blue and white teams for practice matches.Nakayama walked around the side of the court as unobtrusively as possible and approached the bench where Supervisor Sanada was sitting. Sanada sat alone on a wooden bench with peeling paint.There are only 20 baseball players in Toride Academy, and once there is a practice match, there will be no one left on the defensive side. "Hi, long time no see." As soon as Zhongshan approached, Sanada stood up and held out his hand. "Long time no see! Congratulations on leading the team to Koshien." The two held each other's hands tightly.Sanada's sun-tanned face was smiling, and her teeth were so white!His muscular frame, which resembles a baseball comic book character, seems to have gained a lot of weight. There is always a gentle smile on his face, and when he is with him, I feel that my mood is also relaxed. Although the lower abdomen is a little protruding, the arm muscles are knotted and bulged into lumps. "It seems that you have exercised well!" Zhongshan said while grabbing Sanada's arm. "Where is it? It's just that there are only twenty of our players, and I have to mix with the players to practice together." "It's not easy for you to practice with college students at your age." "Hey, don't make me sound like an old man, you are the same age as me." "Really?" The two looked at each other and laughed. Suddenly thought: How long has it been since you laughed under such a blue sky? "How's the team doing?" "Probably complete 80% of the preparations! Anyway, I have experience in high school, and I know exactly what kind of situation I should adjust to before the competition. I believe it will go well." After chatting casually for a while, Zhongshan entered the topic. "By the way, both Shinko Garden and Nashino Nishi, led by Mukai, have won the right to represent the district this time, and you seem to have a particularly strong sense of competition between these two schools?" "It's not special to these two schools." Sanada replied with a wry smile. "At first, I had doubts about the trend of college baseball where some semi-professional schools represent each region to participate in the Koshien Tournament almost every year. That's why I formed the current team. Fortunately, Toride Gakuen's team can Achieving more than I expected, and frankly, no matter how many years I play baseball, I probably won't be able to coach a better team. "So, no matter what, I hope that this team will blow a whirlwind in Koshien, knock down the semi-professional school team, and prove to the whole country that even training a team in a very ordinary form of club activities can bring out a lot of people. Make a good team. Since Shinomitsu and Narashino Nishi happen to be representatives of semi-professional baseball schools, they are used as examples, and in fact they have nothing to do with Shibata and Mukai.” Sanadakou may have been asked about this point many times, but Nakayama did not ignore the strong hostility towards famous baseball schools hidden behind these words, and the strong confrontation on his expression when he mentioned "Mukai" psychology. I am also from a famous super baseball school like Ziguang Park, why do I have such hostility towards this kind of school?Moreover, why do you reject Mukai, your former friend, so much?Zhongshan became more and more confused. "That's right! Mukai seems to have quite a sense of competition with you!" Sanada's expression was momentarily gloomy, and he lowered his head to play with the ball in his hand. Soon, he slowly raised his face and said, "Because he thinks that as long as the team is strong enough, strong means everything; Let him firmly believe in this, and he completely denies the idea that college students should focus on their studies and regard baseball as a club activity. From this point of view, he can be regarded as a model student of Shinko Park." ——Is that really the case? Zhongshan couldn't believe that just because of their different views on college baseball, this pair of good friends who were still shooting partners in college could be so mutually exclusive! "I'm sorry to remind you of disgusting memories." Zhongshan carefully chose words and asked the core question. "Some people say that Mukai has a grudge against you because of that accident in the S era, what do you think? In my opinion, Mukai is not a man who will continue to hold grudges because of that kind of thing, but..." Sanada quietly closed her eyes. He must still be scarred from that incident in the depths of his heart!But Zhongshan had to reach out to uncover the other party's injuries, because this is work.However, the heart is also suffering from this! That accident happened when Sanada and Mukai Nian S were in their sophomore year. It was an unfortunate accident! Moreover, it was triggered under the overlapping of several adverse conditions. Before the autumn college league match, the S baseball team was training in Sugahira, and the accident happened at this time! During the training camp that lasts for a long time, accidents due to lack of concentration occur once or twice a year. That day was the seventh day of the training camp. The initial sense of tension had been relaxed, and the body had accumulated fatigue for many days. It happened to be the period when the concentration of will was most likely to disappear. In the blue-white match in the afternoon, Sanada and Mukai were partners in shooting and arresting. In the first half of the fifth inning, there were two outs and one was on first base. Mukai, who was standing on the pitcher's board, had to hand over the pitcher's baton to the second pitcher as long as he let one more out.In other words, his appearance has almost come to an end today... Perhaps, Mukai is relaxed because of this! When the first pitch is thrown, the first base runner rushes to second base.After receiving the ball, Sanada made a move to pass the ball to the second base, but, for some reason, the second baseman and the shortstop did not cooperate well, and neither of them reached the second base to make up for it, and they stood in the defensive position.Sanada hurriedly stopped passing the ball, but at this time, most of the ball had left his fingers. After the out-of-control ball hit the ground, it flew towards Mukai of the pitcher's plate. In normal times, the pitcher would not take his eyes off the ball, so if Mukai had been watching the ball at that time, nothing would happen.However, whether he was possessed or not, Mukai squatted on the pitcher's pitcher and looked at the second base bag, as if he believed that the runner would be assassinated and out. "Danger!" Someone yelled. The moment Mukai looked back at the catcher in surprise, the ball hit his face with a muffled sound, and Mukai fell on the spot. The ball hit Mukai's right eye. As a result... Although he was saved from blindness, Mukai's vision in his right eye was greatly weakened.Fortunately, there were no sequelae, but the extremely uneven eyesight of the left and right eyes had a subtle impact on his pitching posture - the ability to control the ball was reduced, and the speed of the ball also slowed down. He was eager to change his pitching posture, but it only made his posture even more wrong, forming a vicious circle... …finally lost confidence and couldn’t even throw the ball. Mukai temporarily left the baseball team to carry out a transformation different from that of ordinary players. Sanada, regardless of the opposition of the people around him, accompanied Mukai and assisted him in transforming his pitching posture. But... a year later, Mukai officially left the baseball team-his old pitching posture could not be restored at last. At the same time, Sanada disappeared from the baseball team. The golden shooting and arresting partner who was once famous in Jiashiyuan disappeared without a trace in the blink of an eye! "Mukai has been single-mindedly trying to enter the professional team since his high school days. Shinmitsu's training is already very strict, but he always increases the training weight on his own. He often said: This is not good, this kind of ball will not work in professional teams... All he wants to face in his mind is hitters in the pros. And I took that dream away from him, of course he would hate me," Sanada said self-deprecatingly. — This is a lie!Zhongshan shouted in his heart. If Mukai hated Sanada for this kind of thing, after the accident, the two would not be able to continue reforming their pitching posture together for nearly a whole year, so there must be another reason for the two to break up! Nakayama looked at Sanada's profile.Although Sanada's eyes were on the contestants, his heart seemed to be drifting away. Zhongshan didn't ask any more questions.Both Sanada and Mukai were tormented by something deep in their hearts——after meeting the two, Zhongshan was even more convinced, but he couldn't delve deeper. ——It’s too romantic, maybe it’s good to be an ordinary human being, but being a reporter will bring negative effects. Zhongshan remembered what Ono said to himself. "What do you think after watching the practice game?" Sanada asked. "Miyamoto is a good pitcher," Nakayama said. Sanada showed a surprised expression, and replied: "I barely won the regional trials, but it always made me break out in a cold sweat. Fortunately, it was not bad. No matter what, the training is still insufficient." "It's true for the team, but Miyamoto is different. My eyes can't be fooled! All this has nothing to do with the ERA in the trials. He is definitely an outstanding pitcher." Zhongshan looked at the shoulders on the bench. Miyamoto, who was doing warm-up exercises, said. "Have you seen the game?" "I watched the 13-2 win in the semi-final." "Really? Then what kind of impression do you have?" Sanada asked with interest. There must not be many people who know Miyamoto's true strength, so Sanada is very concerned about how Zhongshan evaluates him, right? "When he pitches in a game, he has absolutely no fear of losing, which is to say, he has the confidence to knock out a hitter whenever he wants to." "You think highly of him. In fact, he scored two points in that game." "Really? That's because your team scored three points!" Sanada shrank his neck, probably because he realized that he had been exposed! "The defense of Toride Academy is weak, especially the lack of actual combat experience. Of course, this must rely on many practice games to accumulate experience, and you don't have that much time and funds. Therefore, Miyamoto let his defensive lineup practice in the official game Fielding, deliberately letting opposing hitters hit the ball in all directions, right? "The evidence is that it's no accident that Miyamoto is easy to hit when there is no runner on the base, but when he has a runner on the base, he completely suppresses the hitter." Sanada chuckled. "I met Miyamoto for the first time two years ago, when I just came to this school. Since I was trying to recruit good players, I observed around the nearby middle schools, so I often got all kinds of information. . When I heard there was a good pitcher at a nearby middle school, I went to see it, and it happened to be a practice game that day, and I saw the same thing you saw in the semifinals." "Have you deliberately let the opponent's striker hit you since you were in middle school?" Zhongshan asked back in surprise. Getting opposing hitters to hit the ball is easy to say, but extremely difficult to put into practice on the pitcher's plate.In his heyday, Jiang Xia often said, "The most brilliant pitch is not to strike out the hitter with three balls, but to exchange one ball for two outs. That is, let the hitter hit the infield ground ball according to his own will to cause a double play." , In other words, the highest state of professional pitching is like this. Miyamoto has practiced this since he was a middle school student. "It's not easy for a middle school pitcher to throw a good ball with all his might, but he managed to let his opponent hit an infield grounder or an outfield fly. I was really surprised! Of course, he didn't pay attention at the beginning. So, at first, I was amazed by his good size, perfect form, and unexpectedly slow speed. Soon, I noticed that the two teams scored against each other, but Miyamoto's team always led by one point. , that's when I thought it might be... "At the end of the game, I was even more horrified when I heard what the supervisor said. In other words, in order to train his team's defensive ability, Miyamoto allowed the opponent to score within the unbeaten range! And it was not the supervisor's instruction, but Miyamoto's initiative. Hope to be able to do so. "It's great to be able to make opposing hitters hit the ball how they want, but it's even more unbelievable that a middle school student has this concept. I think he must have a good brain! "No matter how good you are at baseball, if your homework is bad, you won't be able to get into our school, but I believe Miyamoto will be absolutely fine. He should be the main pitcher of Toride Gakuen!" Maybe talking about Miyamoto made Sanada very happy!His face was flushed, and he talked incessantly, his eyes seemed to be dreaming. "Not only that, but after practice I saw him and was shocked again." "What happened?" This time, Zhongshan was aroused and asked. "I expressed to the team supervisor that I hope to catch Miyamoto's ball, because as long as I catch his ball, I can know his real pitching ability immediately. The supervisor understands my heart, introduces Miyamoto to me, and brags I am the catcher who won the championship in Jiashiyuan, and I am also a famous catcher of S University." "It's true! He didn't brag." "Let's not talk about it." Sanada smiled bitterly. "At this time, Miyamoto's eyes lit up and his face was full of joy. Can you guess what he said to me?" "What?" Zhongshan asked back. "'So, can I throw the ball at full strength?'" Zhongshan didn't understand what he meant and shook his head. "That said, no one on his team, including the supervisor, could catch his full-throw, so, up to that point, he'd never been full-throw." Zhongshan was dumbfounded and speechless. "His joyful expression at that time, I can still clearly remember, of course, including the ball he threw." "What kind of pitch did he throw when he was in middle school?" "The pitch was pretty dark. He was standing on the pitcher, I was squatting behind home plate, and the supervisor was standing diagonally behind me, with arms crossed, looking worriedly at Miyamoto on the pitcher. We were the only ones on the pitch. Three of them, after he warmed up by throwing about 20 pitches, he said, 'It's time to start', and then he threw with all his strength." Having said this, Sanada stopped and took a deep breath. “That was the first fastball I saw in my long baseball career. I still remember the numbness I felt in my palms. At the same time, I thought to myself, let’s go to Koshien with this pitcher!” Sanada picked up the small stone at his feet and threw it into the distance. While chasing the place where the stone fell, Zhongshan let out a deep breath, and the strength in his shoulders relaxed. "Sure enough, as I expected, I have always believed that, including professional team pitchers, Miyamoto is currently the best pitcher in Japan." "This is troublesome. Talking and talking, you actually revealed all the company's secrets. But your eyesight is really not simple!" The two laughed in unison.The nearby players turned to look at the two in surprise. "I can't waste too much of your practice time. I'm leaving today." Zhongshan stood up after speaking. "Come on in Jiashiyuan." "Thank you." Sanada held out her hand and stood up.Clenched hands tightly. "By the way, I met Mukai yesterday, and he has something to pass on to me." Sanada fell silent suddenly, staring at Zhongshan. "'I play my baseball and he plays his,'" Nakayama said. "He actually said that." Sanada lowered his head for a moment, but raised it immediately. "If you see him again, tell him 'Of course I play my baseball,' and then add, 'You wake up early.'" "Wake up early? What's going on? Is he doing something?" Sanada looked at the court as if deliberately avoiding Nakayama's sight, which clearly indicated that it was impossible to explain further. "This is simply Zen language! Forget it, if I see Mukai, I will send a message to him." Sanada silently nodded. Zhongshan turned around and walked towards the road he had come from. ——Sanada's baseball, Mukai's baseball... what are these two thinking? When the strong wind blows, the zelkova trees sway and whirl, and a leaf falls, flying over the red brick classroom in the strong wind, and disappearing into the clear blue sky. At this time, there was a "clang" sound from the direction of the sky where the fallen leaves disappeared. It was the crisp sound of a metal bat hitting the ball. It must have been a home run in a test match!The cheers of the players can also be vaguely heard. ——The baseball here is not strictly managed baseball like Narashi Nonishi, but a more natural baseball that really exists for baseball! In the wind, Zhongshan suddenly had such an idea. "Yagi, it's time to buy a bottle of beer! It's too hot." Kuwahara put the large binoculars he was peeping into his lap and said. "Don't mess around! At least be patient until the end of the game." "Hmph! After a few days of monitoring in such a hot place, it's really not worth it without some special subsidies." "Stop nagging, pay attention, the game has started again." Unhappily, Kuwabara threw the last ice cube in the plastic bag into his mouth, and picked up the binoculars again. Kuwahara is a photographer and secretary who has worked with Oyagi several times. He is still very young, at most 23 or 24 years old.He wears white cotton shorts, a red T-shirt, and has short curly hair. He usually makes a living by handling various applications for others. If you want to interview on a stage as big as Koshien, you absolutely need to find someone to help, and the first person Oyagi thought of was this person. The first day of the Summer Koshien Competition.After the opening ceremony, Shinko Park played in the third game, so more than 50,000 spectators flooded into the stadium. The outfield stands are all white. On the cheerleaders seats in the infield stands, the audience lined up the words "VICTORY" in blue and yellow. Oyagi and Kuwahara sat in the middle of the infield stands near first base. Oyagi is convinced that the secret of Koshien and Narashino Nishi's fierce attack must be the catcher's signal gesture from the outfield stand, so he intends to seize the evidence on the spot at Koshien, so he brought a telescope. The pre-match warm-up exercises of the two teams have ended, and the stadium is currently being prepared, and the audience who left the seats during the break also returned to their seats. Amid the hustle and bustle, the tense atmosphere before the game became more intense. "You have to know that the monitoring area is centered on the center field and then extended to the fielding positions in the left and right field, because this is the area where the catcher's signal signal can be seen from the outfield stands." "I know, it's a young man with a telescope or a camera with a telescopic lens! And it's someone who the catcher will pay attention to when he makes a signal." "Well. It's unlikely to ask outsiders for help in this kind of thing. It must be using the school's second or third army players." The game begins.While wiping his sweat with a handkerchief, Oyagi kept an eye on the outfield stands with a large binoculars. Monitoring the outfield stands is easier said than done.Concentrate on everyone on the viewing platform, all dressed in white, and your eyes will get tired within ten minutes. You have to put the binoculars back on your lap, rest for a while, and continue searching for about ten minutes.After repeating such actions countless times and still failing to get the slightest clue, it was Shinko-en's turn to attack for the second time. When Oyagi pointed the telescope at the rest area of ​​Shinko Garden, he was startled.The appearance in the rest area was a bit strange, four or five players lowered their heads as if they were looking for something.Among them, Yoshizawa, a particularly tall fourth batter, was not wearing a hat, and said something impatiently to the players next to him. It seemed that Yoshizawa's helmet was missing. Generally speaking, in college baseball, each player rarely has his own dedicated helmet, but several people share a helmet.However, for Yoshizawa, who is more than 185 cm tall, the size of ordinary household helmets is too small, so he must use a custom-made size, and his helmet seems to have been forgotten in the dormitory. Soon, Yoshizawa probably gave up looking, and walked out of the rest area wearing other helmets. On his big head was a black helmet with the Yushin Koen school badge, which looked like a chimpanzee wearing a toy hat. Yoshizawa seemed rather arrogant and unhappy. ——If you don't hit a hit today, the lower grades will suffer. Oyagi smiled wryly, and moved his vision back to the outfield seats. No suspicious person has been found.Of course, the other party must also be extremely careful, and it is impossible to be easily discovered.Although Oyagi had awakened a long time ago, his expression became more and more gloomy as the game progressed. "How is it? Haven't found it yet?" Oyagi was a little impatient, and asked Kuwahara, who was watching with a telescope. "So many people, and, lately, a lot of people with full gear, cameras with telescopic lenses..." 9 "Don't make excuses! It's the third round soon, something will happen." In the offense up to the second inning, Shinko-en was overwhelmed by the opposing pitcher Endo who was good at throwing the fastball. But, sure enough, the third inning began. The seventh batter who came on first hit a flat fly in front of left field and hit base. The eighth batter sent a sacrifice hit to second base. Bat and the second batted for three hits and scored two runs. "That pattern has begun." Oyagi said, squinting at Kuwahara. "Someone must have spotted the catcher's signal in the outfield. Either way, we've got to find it." "I know, leave it to me." Kuwahara was also inspired to pick up the binoculars again. Up to this point, the two were calm and unhurried, but as the game progressed to the fourth and fifth innings, the two began to get restless. "Strange! No similar characters have been found at all!" "Impossible! There must be such a character, and we must definitely find it." In the seventh inning with Shinko-en leading 6-1, Yagi said with a smile: "I found it, near the front seat slightly left of center field." "Really?" Kuwahara hurriedly looked in the direction Oyagi said. "You go to the middle field immediately." Oyagi instructed excitedly. "When you get there, I will use the radio to tell you the location. You know, this person is not just spying on the signal signal, but also conveys the attacker in some way, and our focus is to find out his method. When the opponent finds out...you stay where you are after you find out, and follow the opponent after the game is over to find out their identity." "Why not leave it to the college baseball folks to try to seize evidence or exhibits." "That won't work! It would be bad if the other party finds out." "Why?" Kuwahara asked dissatisfied as if he had been splashed with cold water. "If this kind of espionage cannot successfully capture the evidence on the spot, it will usually be left behind afterwards." "So I can catch the other party on the spot!" "Listen to me." Oyagi looked annoyed. "After fully understanding the opponent's tactics, I lure into the trap and give the fatal blow, and take the dramatic performance into account as much as possible. If possible, it is best to choose the morning of the championship match. Think about it, once in the championship match The whole country will fall apart if it is exposed that the team that won the championship finals has repeatedly defeated the enemy through improper behavior." "I see. In that case, the final might be suspended!" "Probably! If people who don't know anything come to Koshien, but find out that the game is suspended, they will definitely make a fuss! The suspension of the finals is an unheard of unfortunate event for Koshien, and our names will always be with us. The history of Jiaziyuan has been passed down from generation to generation.” "That's great!" "So, we only need to find out his cheating methods within today. Once the other party finds out, stop this kind of behavior, and it will be a dead end." "You have thought so much! It's not easy, I admire, I admire." Kuwahara said, grabbed the bag with the radio, and ran away. Although he was a little rash, he acted quickly, which is what Oyagi valued him. Soon, Kuwahara appeared at the entrance of the center field stand.Both wear T-shirts that are easily recognizable from each other.In the all-white stands, Kuwahara's red T-shirt is particularly eye-catching. Oh Yagi picked up the radio. "Can you hear me?" "very clear." "Okay, your position is confirmed. You go about ten meters toward left field." "understood." Oyagi watched Kuwahara's actions with the binoculars held in his left hand. "Okay, that's over there. Now go down, yes, about twenty steps down." "What kind of character?" "A young man who looks like a college student, wearing a white short-sleeved shirt, holding a large telescope." "Where is it from my side?" "Right." "Understood." Kuwahara walked down the stairs slowly. "Almost there! Three or four rows down, about tenth from the aisle." Kuwahara stopped and counted one by one. "I found it, is it the guy using the telescope?" "That's right. You act according to my instructions. There are likely to be his accomplices around. It's best to observe carefully for a while and be cautious." "I know." Oyagi watched Kuwahara's actions through binoculars. Kuwahara smoothly sat in the seat diagonally behind the man in question, pretending to pay attention to his surroundings as if nothing had happened. It seems that there is no accomplice, and the next thing is to find out how the other party communicated the code to the assailant. "It's all up to you!" Oyagi whispered to Kuwahara who was 120 meters away. Since he was directly opposite the other man, Oyagi couldn't use the radio, so he had to rely on Kuwahara. Shinko Park's attack in the seventh inning ended, and the game entered the eighth inning.Kuwahara did nothing. At the end of the eighth round, it was Shinko Park's final attack in the ninth round.This is the last chance. --what happened? 大八木焦躁地注意着桑原的行动，这时最难过的就是不能使用无线电通话机了。 第九局的进攻很轻松就两人出局。桑原仍未行动！ 桑原一定也很着急吧！不停地挺直腰杆，企图从侧面往前窥看，但似仍未掌握线索，并未想站起。 最后一棒击出很短的中外野高飞球被接杀出局。 ——还是查不出来？大八木轻轻咋舌。 这时，桑原站起身，走出走道，爬上阶梯。五、六步后，他站住，从提袋里拿出无线电通话机。 “八木，没有用！那家伙只是以望远镜窥看，然后偶尔做笔记，并未传什么暗号给打击者。” 大八木勃然大怒，为何在如此酷暑下用望远镜盯看两个钟头呢？ 所有的汗似乎一时全部冒出。 “你仔细看了吗？他手上没有小型发报机？” “我看过了，他手上只有原子笔和记事本，绝对没有其他物件。” “原子笔也许就是发报机！” “是那种透明的塑胶原子笔，便宜货，不可能改装成发报机，何况他也非007。”桑原说。“再说他也不是一直看着捕手的暗号手势，有时把望远镜放在身旁，在记事本上写着，有时则用望远镜观看所有看台，一定是在看哪边有漂亮女人。像这样，根本没办法每一球都传暗号给打击者吧！” “人家不像你，怎可能看女人。算了，反正信光的进攻已结束，现在也无可奈何了。等他离席后，你跟踪他，无论如何要设法查出他是何方人物。” “我知道。你这人真糟，只会对别人颐指气使的。” 这时，男人站起来了。比赛仍在继续，不过胜负大致已定，为了避开比赛结束后的拥挤，有相当多人开始站起来。 桑原将无线电通话机收进提袋，紧跟在男人身后。 大八木利用望远镜看着两人。在走向出口的人群中，穿白衬衫的男人和穿红T恤的桑原一前一后走着。 ——就看你了。大八木喃喃对消失于出口的桑原说。 ——这是今天能掌握到的唯一线索了。 比赛结果6比1，信光学园初战获胜。 大会第一天的所有赛程结束，观众们全都站起，开始朝出口走去。或许是深获人缘的信光学园顺利晋级吧！人群的气氛祥和，丝毫扰攘皆无。 大八木边朝出口走，边望向正进行整备的球场，此时，他的视线扫描到一位爬着阶梯往这边上来的高大男人。 “那不是国吉吗？”大八木情不自禁停住脚步，“这家伙为何在这儿？” 国吉本是信光学园的棒球队员，应该是和向井、真田同届，是天分极高的球员，但是在他二年级的春季选拔赛之前，和其他学校学生发生群殴事件，被迫离开棒球队。 这是该年获得参加选拔权的信光学园在比赛之前的不幸事件，各传播媒体也大幅报道，但是由于对方只受轻伤，而且国吉在事件发生的两天前已退出棒球队，亦即并非现役的棒球队员。高校棒球联盟也同意信光学园方面的解释，结果信光获准出赛。 当时，这种处置招来各种议论，尤其最多见的批判是“信光学园因为人缘和实力兼具，所以高校棒球联盟特别礼遇”、“这只是像蜥蜴断尾一样，把责任全推到发生问题的学生身上”等等。 但是各种批判在比赛开始后，由于拥有向井和真田的投捕超强搭档的信光节节获胜，不知觉间已被遗忘。 大八木那时很想写此一事件，一方面是对信光学园表示肇事者已在事件前两日自动退出球队的辩白不满；另一方面则是气愤接受此种解释的高校棒球联盟之态度。 何况，在这次群殴事件中，据传还有好几位信光学园的棒球队员参加，结果只有逃得较慢的国吉成为牺牲者，信光学园方面虽略知真相，却把全部责任推给国吉。 ——太过分了！ 大八木很不愉快。表面上做得漂亮，背地里却毫不在乎地甩掉包袱，若真是这样，无论如何要查明真相，彻底给信光一击…… 当时刚出道的报道作家大八木正气凛然地来到大阪。 ——我那时也太年轻了。 大八木略带苦涩的回想起当时的情景——气轩昂地来到大阪，结果却一无所获。 国吉蛰居于学生宿舍，即使打电话，宿舍管理员也不接给他。大八木想向棒球队队员及国吉的朋友询问，可是校方似乎颁布不得谈及此事的禁令，没有人愿意开口。 ——可恶，这明明是掩耳盗铃！ 嘴里虽这么说，大八木仍不得不离开大阪。 他本来轻松地认为若能从一位高校生问出事概，以此为线索，将能逐渐揭明真相，但结果只让他领悟到：高校棒球的巨大组织外围城墙有多厚！ 在宿舍前监视时，大八木曾在窗缝瞥见国吉的侧脸，国吉脸上那遭痛苦打击的神情留给他无比强烈的印象。可以说，大八木从这时候开始讨厌高校棒球。 之后，国吉也退学了，听说回故乡。他一定是怀抱着满腔美梦进入信光学园，而在二年级好不容易成为一军队员时，却发生这样的事件，心中会是何种感受呢？应该是失意、绝望，而且对信光学园的处置很怀恨吧！ 现在，国吉到甲子园来看信光的比赛。自高校退学后，他究竟抱着何种心思、过着何等生活呢？今天又为何为了看信光的比赛，而刻意购买内野入场券呢？对此，大八木被勾起兴趣。 ——跟踪他看看吧！ 反正今天也无事可干。大八木如此下定决心，跟踪在国吉身后。 国吉很高大，应该将近一百九十公分吧！即使在涌向出口的人潮中，蓄留长发的头也如鹤立鸡群般，跟踪起来很方便。他肩膀背着一个大棒球袋，低着头，好像在思索着什么，时而点点头，又像想到什么般地摇摇头。 大八木愈被勾起兴趣了，再怎么看，都不似单纯来观赏球赛。 ——其中一定有什么内情。 大八木如此确信。但是，当时的大八木也无法想像得到，这次的邂逅居然会发展成从根基撼动高校棒球运动的重大事件。 国吉在难波下电车。 从地下铁出口上到地面，他直接进入一家叫“罗瓦尔”的咖啡店。 “罗瓦尔”是家相当大的店，跟进去应该不会太引人注目才对。大八木边想，边站在深蓝色玻璃自动门前。在熟悉盛夏艳阳的眼睛看起来，室内异样昏暗，充斥着噪音般的音乐。 国吉在内侧一处空座靠墙坐下。 大八木找个能够观察到国吉的座位坐下，摊开带来的报纸在面前，边喝着服务生端上桌的冰开水，边从报纸后观察国吉。 国吉并未特别注意四周。他站起身，走去拿来店内的杂志，悠闲地开始翻阅。 约摸过了二十分钟吧！ ——难道我判断错误？ 他想着，口中含着冰咖啡的吸管时，却见到国吉面向店门口招手。 大八木斜眼望向门口。一位年轻男人进门来，轻轻向这边招手后，走近国吉。年纪约摸二十七、八岁，剪平头、戴墨镜、身穿蓝色运动上衣、系黄色领带，典型的流氓式打扮。 男人粗鲁地在国吉对面坐下，耸肩斜坐。他本人大概自认为姿势潇洒，却予人轻浮的印象，看来即使是流氓，也绝非大哥级人物。不过，穿着的衣物却是高级品！ 等服务生离去，国吉面对男人开始说话。 男人靠着椅背，一手扶在椅背上，双脚前伸听着，一副仿佛流氓大哥面对手下的姿态。 这两人到底在谈些什么呢？尤其国吉刚观看过信光的比赛，更显得意义不同。 店内很吵，加上国吉压低嗓门，几乎无法听情谈话内容，只在音乐停歇的空当听到片断的“信光”、“和预定相同”之类的字眼。 大八木感到一股近乎透不过气来的兴奋。 国吉说过“信光”后，马上说“和预定相同”，这岂非可认为和信光学园今天的比赛有关联？很可能是信光今天的比赛中，某件事照他们的预定进行，如果是这样，这“某件事”究竟是什么呢？ 这时，国吉将放在身旁椅上的大型棒球袋放到桌上，拉开拉链。打扮似流氓的男人撑起上身望向袋内。 从大八木的位置无法看见袋内，不过从鼓起的模样可猜出是相当大的东西。 国吉伸手入袋内，热切地说明着什么。男人虽一脸无趣状，仍不停点头。 ——到底里面是什么呢？ 虽明知危险，但大八木下定决心，站起身，假装在找洗手间般接近两人的座位，望向袋内。 他见到某样反射黑光之物的上端。 ——是护盔！ 大八木生生吞咽下一口气。从颜色上看来，是信光之物不会错。 大八木脑海中浮现在休息区里找寻护盔的吉泽身影。 虽然中途退出，但是国吉曾是信光学园的棒球队员，对内部情事知道得很清楚，也许在比赛前的混乱情况下，窃出户盔并非很困难，问题是：为何有偷出吉泽的护盔之必要？ 大八木回座时，两人不知为何事开始争执。国吉拉上袋子拉链，口气强硬地说了一、两句，站起。男人也反唇相讥，但在见到国吉毫不理会地走向店门后，也慌忙地站起来紧追于后。 两人分别付过账，走出店外。 大八木见状立刻站起，边付账边问柜台的男人：“刚刚离去的貌似流氓之男人是何等人物？好像自以为很了不起的样子。” 柜台内的中年男人含混地回答：“不常见到他……”脸上浮现警戒之色。 “麻烦你想一想，不必太勉强，我绝不会替贵店带来困扰。”大八木塞一张五千圆的大钞在男人手里。 “是青风会的矢岛。”男人笑也不笑地进入里面去了。 ——哼！我会不会热过头了？ 大八木轻轻咋舌。已不能再犹疑了，必须决定要跟踪两人中之一！不过，已知道状似流氓的男人身份，看来只要跟踪国吉就行了。 走出店门，正好是两人站着讲完话要分手之时。大八木毫不踌躇地跟踪国吉，再度走下通往地下铁的阶梯。 对于这偶然抓到的意外收获，大八木感到久已平静的冲动热血又涌现了。几乎是本能的，他认为这件事和自己目前正追查之事有某种关联！ “紧咬住不放！”他喃喃说着，走近地下铁剪票口。 “喂，是我，开门。” “八木吗？” “除了我，这种时间难道会有女人上门？” 门开了，穿浴衣的桑原探头出来。“就是知道也该问一声吧！你怎么会搞到这样晚才回到这里？难道后来你又有什么收获？” “还好！”大八木把帆布袋随手丢在椅子上，翻身躺到床上。 离开“罗瓦尔”后就跟踪国吉的大八木，自难波搭电车约三十分钟，查出国吉在高槻的公寓住处，等确认黑暗的窗户亮起灯光后，才回饭店。 为了顺便在大阪采访，大八木和桑原以大阪车站附近的一家商务饭店为据点。两位男人住双人房说出来很没面子，但对不太出名的报道作家来说，也不可能为了采访花太多钱，只好互相忍耐彼此的鼾声和磨牙声了。 “你到哪里去了？”桑原边咬着柿饼边问。他手上拿着灌装啤酒。 大八木一把抢过啤酒，喝了一口后，才说明离开球场后的经过。 “真厉害！”桑原本来为啤酒被抢而生气，但听完大八木的说明后，眼睛一亮。“是青风会？” 听到国吉在咖啡店见面之人是青风会的份子，桑原惊讶得跳起来。 “怎么，你认识？” “认识？难道你不认识？” “啊，没听过。” “青风会虽是规模不大的组织，但因为和棒球扯上关系，相当有名。” “和棒球扯上关系？” “就是利用棒球赌博，尤其是高校棒球，好像靠此大捞不少。” “棒球赌博？”这次轮到大八木跳起来了。 “嘿、嘿、嘿！事情愈来愈有意思了。国吉铁定是把信光的情报卖给青风会，而且依他所说的'预定进行'之语来推测，不单只是表面上的情报，应该还包括内幕。” “你所谓的内幕是……” 桑原眼中迸射出光辉。“诈欺比赛！” “怎么可能？”大八木说。“信光会这样做？” 大八木实在难以置信。 高校棒球和职业棒球不同，球员进出频繁，因此若要安排诈欺比赛，找的一定不是球员，而是监督。信光学园的柴田监督被称为高校棒球界的最高指导者，名气已够响亮，实在很难认定会和暴力组织攀上关系，而且还负责主持诈欺比赛。 “柴田监督主持诈欺比赛有什么利益呢？他失去的会比获得的更多。” “但是，是你说信光暗中做着可疑之事吧？国吉曾经是信光的球员，一定握有什么证据，当然也有借此威胁柴田的可能性存在了。不管如何，没有人会讨厌钱，只要有绝对安全的方法，柴田也可能见钱开眼，主动参加。” “威胁利诱吗……”大八木边将余下的啤酒倒入喉咙，边想起在“罗瓦尔”见到的情景。 ——也并非完全无可能！掌握有母校把柄的退队小混混和靠棒球赌博赚取暴利的暴力组织流氓携手合作…… 自己目前正追查的信光学园突然发挥强攻猛打的秘密难道和此有关？但是，国吉也可能利用造成自己退出棒球队的暴力事件之秘密向柴田威胁！ ——假定是那样…… 自己在八年前追查的事件就再次具有重要意义了，这实在是不可思议的因缘。 “第一天就有这种收获实在是好预兆，干一杯吧！”桑原从冰箱又拿出两罐啤酒，丢一罐给大八木。 “干杯可以，但是，还没听你的结果呢！你跟踪对方的收获如何？查出其身份了吗？”边打开啤酒，大八木问。 大八木有一种不祥的预感！ “那是跟错对象了。” “果然不出所料。”大八木叹息。“怎么不对？” 桑原苦着脸，连喝几口啤酒，好不容易开口了。“我顺利跟踪，也查出对方所住的宿舍。” “是何等人物？” “他进去的旅馆是藤岛高校棒球队投宿的地方。” “什么？这么说他是藤岛高校派出的球探？” “看来是如此。”桑原耸耸肩。 藤岛高校是代表长崎地区的强队，被视为夺冠热门球队之一，看来是为了侦察同是夺冠热门球队的信光学园之实力，才派出球探。这是参加甲子园大赛中企图夺冠的强队惯用的手段！ “可恶！偏偏在我们这么忙的时候来搅局，白费一番工夫。” “不过你也找到更佳猎物，不是吗？两相扣除还是有赚头的。一旦顺利查明内幕，将造成棒球界重大丑闻！” “可以算是独家内幕报道，别用丑闻来形容。” “知道啦！”桑原说着，翻身躺下。“对了，接下来要怎么办？” “这个嘛……”大八木啜一口啤酒，沉吟不语。在第四天的习志野西出赛之前，没必要在甲子园监视，那么，还是应该先追查国吉和矢岛这条线索吧！ “你循青风会的矢岛这条线追查，我则跟踪国吉，设法查明两人和信光学园以及棒球赌博有何关联。” “何不清查柴田监督周遭的状况呢？先了解他为何被国吉所威胁。” “也不见得就是被胁迫！而且，像他那样出名的人，若有什么可疑一定马上就谣言满天飞，但是目前却毫无动静，看来若非空穴来风，就是掩饰得很隐秘。不管如何，单凭你我两人追查并不容易有收获，倒不如查明国吉和矢岛有何企图来得容易。” “你的意思我明白，但我的对象是暴力组织份子，这种工作负担未免太重些。”说着，桑原以含有深意的眼神望着大八木。 “我明白。如果一切顺利，会分你足够的红利。”大八木阻止对方发言，继续说：“国吉和信光学园、国吉和矢岛，查明这之间的关系是重点。亦即，国吉是关键人物，所以不是只有你工作负担重，别再发牢骚了。” “好吧！嘿、嘿、嘿……我都开始觉得兴奋不已了，毕竟，这条鱼太大了。” 商议妥明天开始的行动概要后，大八木冲过澡，换上浴衣，悠闲地躺在床上，伸手打开枕畔电视机的开关，正好是开始播报体育新闻的时间。 职棒新闻之后是高校棒球的报道。 “今天的比赛也是第三局以后开始。”桑原躺在床上，无聊地看着荧幕，说。 画面正好是信光学园在第三局连续安打的镜头。 “不错！一定是以某种方法窥出捕手的暗号手势，再传达给打击者。” “但是，我们那样仔细搜寻过，却只发现那样一位目的外人物，看来并非在外野用望远镜观察的单纯方法了。” “没办法，今天是客满，很可能我们疏忽了。等下次比赛再试试看，如果还不行，就得考虑其他可能性了。” “又要在那种酷热下用望远镜监视吗？真糟！”桑原夸张地叹息。 大八木瞥了他一眼，边苦笑边拿起采访笔记。“习志野西出赛的第四天没有其他热门球队出赛，外野看台应该只有三、四成观众，放心吧！不会再像今天这样出错了。” “最好是这样，希望下一场比赛后就不必再那样受苦。” 大八木默默闭上眼。“事实上，我大概已经知道是用何种方法把捕手的暗号手势传达给打击者了。” “真的吗？”桑原情不自禁撑起上半身。“到底是什么方法？” 大八木缓缓地睁开眼。他脑海中清楚浮现在“罗瓦尔”里见到的国吉和矢岛身影。 “是利用电波。” <