Chapter 6 chapter Five

"Hey, Zhongshan, over here." Someone in the store shouted loudly when he got into the blue background dyed with "Robatayaki" in white. The shop is packed with office workers after get off work, and the sound of draft beer mugs clinking is one after another.Zhongshan straightened his waist and looked around the store. "Hey, this way." Zhongshan saw Mitarai standing at the innermost side of the counter and waving. He also raised his hand and walked inside at the same time. "Sorry, I'm late." "It's because you are late that I can drink first!" Mitarai picked up the beer glass that he had just drunk and said.

Mitarai works in the Osaka branch of Toto Shimbun. He is a senior who joined the newspaper two years earlier than Nakayama. When he was a student, he won the All Japan Student Wrestling Championship. When Nakayama was on a business trip to Osaka, his boss introduced the two to each other. They hit it off very well, and every time one of them went to the other's territory on a business trip, they would meet for a drink or two. Mitarai used to be in charge of covering incidents of violent organizations vying for territory with each other for a long time, and as a reporter for the Osaka branch, he knew the situation of Koshien very well. The other party came out for a drink or two.

"You still look busy." Mitarai said. "People without brains have to run on two legs, as long as they have the spirit to run a few steps more than others, that's enough!" "How do you say that! Didn't you fight alone during the last meeting?" "Ha, ha, Fujisaki told you? His words are always exaggerated." "No, it's not easy to do this after three years in the newspaper office. Don't talk about it, let's have three drinks first! Boss, bring the beer, the colder the better." "Here we come." The boss replied loudly at the counter. "Long waiting!"

The cold beer was immediately delivered to the two of them.The action is fast, clean and neat, and it looks very comfortable. "Mr. Mitarai, your junior?" The boss asked while placing the towel in front of Zhongshan. "What? I look older than him? Looks like I'm old too!" "Originally! You look like a father of two children, but this gentleman looks like he just graduated from college." "Why is there such a difference?" Mitarai smiled boldly, a smile that would arouse vitality when others saw it. "He is a junior who joined the newspaper two years after me. His surname is Zhongshan. I will ask him to come here often in the future, but today you want a discount."

"Hey, hey! Mr. Nakayama, since Mitarai-san said so, you must come to join me on business trips here in the future. I dare not neglect Mr. Mitarai's juniors, and I will definitely try my best to serve you." "Boss, since you said that, you should serve me occasionally! You can't just take away all the salary bags every time the salary comes." "I am reasonable in everything and follow the rules. However, Mitarai-san, as I have often said, I am very happy that you come to support me, but you can't drink all your salary! You will not be able to marry a wife then."

"Wow, here we go again! No, I was so busy talking that I forgot to drink. Come, let's have a toast for the long time we haven't seen each other." Mitarai said, pouring wine for Zhongshan. Zhongshan smiled and listened to the two talking, and handed the wine glass. "Cheers! It's hard to get everyone healthy." "Thank you." Zhongshan drank it all in one breath, feeling a coolness permeating his whole body. "Looks like you're drinking better." "No, you are much worse than your predecessors!" Mitarai is the hero of wine.Although Zhongshan's drinking capacity is quite good, it cannot be compared with him.

"I'm probably not as good as you at work, but when it comes to drinking, I should still have the upper hand." Mitarai smiled, his expression turned serious, and asked: "By the way, you said on the phone that you have something to ask for me, what is it?" "It was to investigate the inside story of Narashino Nishi and Toride Gakuen for the special interview, but heard strange rumors." "A wonderful rumor?" "Do you know the guy named Kuniyoshi who used to be a baseball player at Shinko Park, and then quit the team because of the gang fight? This person seems to be a violent organizer in Osaka."

"No, I haven't heard of it. If it's someone who is important in a violent organization, I've probably heard of it." "yes?" ——So, Kuniyoshi is no longer a well-known and important person. "What's the matter with Guoji? Is it related to the matter you want to interview?" Maybe he knew that Zhongshan was interviewing college baseball, but he was suspicious of mentioning the name of a violent organization member!Mitarai put down his wine glass, faced Zhongshan, and asked. Nakayama explained that he was suspicious of Mukai and Sanada's mutual hostility and investigated the reason. It turned out that the reason was likely to be Mukai's dealings with the violent organizer Kuniyoshi.

"Supervisor Ishii of S University and Mukai's younger sister Yoko told me that's all, but if you know that the gangster in Osaka is a person who is confident in the Koshien baseball team, and when Narashino Nishi won the right to play in Koshien, he started to get close to Mukai. , what would you think?" "Is it baseball gambling?" Zhongshan silently nodded. "As you said, this is not only your speculation, but in fact there is such a sign." Mitarai said with a sip of beer, frowning. "Really?" Zhongshan couldn't help but move his upper body forward.

"This year, due to the fateful confrontation between Nobumitsu, Narashino Nishi and Toride, the charm of Koshien is extremely high." Mitarai said, staring ahead. "And in direct proportion to this grand occasion, baseball gambling is also showing a fanatical atmosphere. It is said that the amount of money flowing is as high as 100 or even 20 billion, but among them, the amount of money flowing in games related to Xinguang and Nashino Nishi is even more than that." Unusually big." "What does this mean?" "These two schools are the most popular schools for the championship, and there are many fans supporting them, so they are particularly concerned. Of course, the number of people participating in gambling will also increase. However, the problem is that in addition to these, there seems to be a huge amount of money in the game. flow."

"A huge amount?" "Of course people who participate in gambling hope to win money, but there is also another kind of speculation and excitement. Therefore, unless you are very rich, it is rare to bet millions of dollars in a game." Of course.It is more difficult to predict the victory or defeat of college baseball than professional baseball, because the game on a big stage like Koshien has a great mental impact, and each game is accompanied by subtle betting points. It's just 50% each. With such a low probability, there are not many people who bet large sums of money expecting to get rich in one fell swoop. "However, in the games where Shinko and Narashino Nishi played, there were people who bet millions to 10 million." "Ten million? Really?" Zhongshan doubted that someone would be able to make an amount that would take years to earn in a game at Koshien. This was a world he couldn't understand. "That's the so-called black market part? Who exactly would bet such a big bet?" "A person who relies on the breath of the violent group." "Nose up?" "In other words, it is a person who is related to the violent organization that hosts the gambling and who can grasp the exact information of the victory or defeat of each game." "The so-called definite information is..." "There are many kinds, such as the condition of the pitchers, how many players in the first team have a cold, etc., and some even know which team will win. Otherwise, betting with an amount of 10 million yuan as the unit, no matter how rich you are impossible." "Of course, but it's impossible to correctly predict which team will win, right?" "It's usually like this, that's why there are fraudulent acts." Mitarai said while playing with the wine glass. "How is it possible?" Zhongshan was speechless. Unlike professional baseball, which automatically digests 130 games a year, the games at Koshien represent lifetime memories for the players.Nakayama is very aware of the long and arduous journey the players have gone through before being able to supervise at Koshien, so he cannot believe that there will be a supervisor hosting a fraudulent game at Koshien! Mitarai glanced at Zhongshan, poured wine for him, and said, "Drink! I can understand your mood, but, in fact, there have long been rumors that Nobumitsu's Director Shibata is such a character." "Really?" Although Zhongshan has come to a certain degree of awareness after listening to Ishii's words, he only thinks that it is providing information in exchange for rewards. It is really impossible to believe that Shibata will host a fraudulent competition! "Of course it's true. With Supervisor Shibata's position, he is already a leading figure in the college baseball world. It is difficult for anyone to dare to criticize on the surface, but there are many rumors circulating behind the scenes." "..." Zhongshan desperately tried to calm down. "Just now you said that in the match between Shinmitsu and Narashino Nishi, the amount of bets fluctuated greatly. Does this mean that Director Mukai is also suspected of presiding over the fraudulent match?" "It's hard to say. Mukai, including this time, is only playing in Koshien for the second time. I haven't heard any rumors about him yet, but after hearing what you just said, there should be some problems." Mitarai knew that Nakayama and Mukai had faced each other head-on in the Koshien championship match before, so she did not look at Nakayama, but lowered her head slightly and said, "This is my guess, I think Kuniyoshi must be one of Yajima's sources of information. .” "What kind of character is Yajima you're talking about?" "In Osaka, there is a violent organization called the Qingfenghui. It is the biggest behind-the-scenes host of baseball gambling. Yajima is the master in charge of determining the betting points in the Qingfenghui. He is quite skilled." "Why is Yajima related to Kuniyoshi?" "Yajima is a master at determining betting points, especially the match between Shinomitsu and Narashino Nishi. The betting point data is said to be completely determined by him. Kuniyoshi used to be in the Xinguang baseball team, and he also knows Narashino Nishi's Mukai. The organization is connected again, of course it is very likely to be Yajima’s source of information.” For Zhongshan, this is the last guess! "Do you know where Yajima lives?" "Ah, it's in the newspaper." "What? Was he arrested for gambling?" Zhongshan asked in surprise. Mitarai took out the folded newspaper from under the counter and said, "It's in the social edition." Zhongshan spread out the social edition. "It's in the lower right corner." According to Zhongshan's words, the first thing he saw was the headline "Assassination of Violent Organizers". "This is..." Zhongshan lifted his horrified face. "That's the Yajima I just mentioned. Last night, he was killed in the apartment." "Really? Why..." Zhongshan couldn't continue, and read the report in its entirety. "The police believe that violent organizations committed the crime due to conflicts of interest. They are currently investigating, but what organization is opposing Qingfenghui?" "As long as a member of a violent organization is killed, the police must first determine that it is due to the conflict of interests between the violent organizations, especially now that it is the period when the competition for territory is the most intense. Qingfenghui is a medium-sized violent organization, and it can be regarded as a loner. So it's an antagonism to any other organization, but in fact, it's never been taken seriously by any organization." "If it wasn't a violent organization, who on earth and why did they kill Yajima?" "As I said just now, Yajima is a well-known expert in determining betting points in baseball gambling, so it is likely to be related to this aspect. According to what I have heard and heard, there seems to be one person seriously involved." "Who the hell?" Mitarai shook her head. "I don't know! It seems that the Qingfenghui has strictly prohibited leaks, so I have no way of knowing." "So, the suspect must be a very important person?" "maybe!" "It will never be Director Shibata or Mukai..." "Probably not!" Mitarai said almost laughing. "Don't be so nervous! It's impossible to kill people just for baseball!" He lit a cigarette and exhaled a big puff of smoke. "Okay! I tried to investigate the Yajima murder case and the relationship between Yajima and Kuniyoshi, but I'm not confident that I can know much about Kuniyoshi." "May I excuse you?" If Mitarai is willing to come forward, of course it is a great wish. "This is also a last resort. Isn't that why you came to me today?" "No, I don't mean that." "It's okay, it's up to me." Mitarai puffed out her chest deliberately. "Please help me a lot." Zhongshan also thanked with a smile. "Then, that's about it for work. Today we must fully replenish our energy and prepare for consumption starting tomorrow. Boss, can you bake something delicious?" "Oh? Is saury okay?" The boss seemed to be concerned that the two were talking about work, so he deliberately avoided it. While preparing food for the guests, he turned his head and asked. "Okay. By the way, we've finished talking about work, hurry up and get some food." Mitarai said, facing Zhongshan with a beer in hand. "Drink as much as you want! By the way, Zhongshan, when it comes to baseball, I have something I want to ask you from before." "What's the matter?" Zhongshan asked while moving the wine glass to his mouth. "What do you think of the current state of college baseball?" "Hey! Another annoying topic." After hearing about baseball gambling, he was depressed, and Zhongshan really didn't want to talk about baseball anymore. However, Mitarai continued on his own: "I don't like semi-professional teams like Shinko or Narashino Nishi at all. Look at them, they are full of confidence and look down on other colleges and universities. They are not as good as college students should be." His enthusiasm and innocence. With that kind of appearance, he thinks he is a professional player consciously, his mind is full of baseball, and he plays baseball with the consciousness that he cannot lose to ordinary high school students. It is not fair for a team like this to compete with ordinary high school students. Don't you find it difficult to let go?" "That's been criticized a long time ago." "What I want to ask is not that kind of general theory, but your opinion." Mitarai seemed slightly drunk. "I think college baseball is the epitome of Japan." Nakayama said with a slightly straight back. "The epitome of Japan?" As if shocked by Zhongshan's unexpected words, Mitarai turned to Zhongshan with a red face. “The so-called high school baseball originated when baseball-loving students got together after school to play baseball. However, the Japanese immediately became enthusiastic about it and tried to give it a meaning of seeking Tao, which resulted in competition. Of course. , Competition itself is not a bad thing, but in Japan, there are many people who are extremely obsessed with winning, forming a situation of doing whatever it takes to win." "There is indeed such a phenomenon." "What should we do if we want to train a winning team and players in just three years? First of all, we must kill the individuality of the players, because it is easier to improve the effectiveness in a short period of time by exerting the power of the team, without allowing the players to develop their individuality Then, in order to achieve the goal of winning, everything that is not used must be discarded, including homework. And to successfully display the power of the group, you must obey the supervisor and senior students absolutely, that is, pay attention to spiritual power. This is a phenomenon unique to college baseball, rather it is the structure of Japanese society as a whole!" "That's right, so you say it's the epitome of Japan?" "Well, that's why it's so popular. But, on the other hand, in order to maintain its continued popularity, college baseball has semi-consciously become more Japanese, for example, through harsh training beyond the scope of common sense, to guide players and spectators. Sense of pathos and more." "That's how it is. While the Japanese values ​​are gradually collapsing in the real society, they are condensed and preserved in college baseball." "It's fair to say. That's part of the beauty of college baseball, anyway." "Thus inciting the media that fueled the flames?" Zhongshan nodded slightly. "So, what do you think? Is college baseball the way it is?" "I don't think it should. Therefore, I agree with Sanada's opinion and hope that he can achieve his wish in Koshien." "Sanada? Is he the one who led an unknown preparatory school into Koshien?" "He formed the current team to fight against semi-professional teams like Shinko and Narashino Nishi. His team's game situation in Koshien has attracted much attention. I think this is a reflection of the current high school baseball. A piece of drama medicine, but..." Zhongshan didn't know what to say.He thinks what Sanada wants to do is very meaningful, but it may still not be able to change the current situation of college baseball!However, knowing what kind of mood Sanada put in and how hard he worked to form the current team, he really couldn't bear to deny his efforts. "Just how?" Mitarai asked while holding up the wine glass. "As I just said, college baseball is the epitome of Japan, so it can't be changed that easily! The dramatic medicine Sanada cast is likely to be adopted by some college baseball teams. At most, it just proves that there is such a baseball in the past. " "Really? To change the status quo of college baseball, do you have to change the entire Japanese society?" "I think that should be the case. However, since it is so deeply concerned by the people, it is unknown whether the changes in Japanese society may be slightly changed due to changes in college baseball. I have always been looking forward to the emergence of different college baseball instructors. A person with a long-term perspective who is obsessed with winning and losing, maybe this is just my dream!" "Well, it's really difficult to achieve. However, the scope of this topic is too large, so let's forget it." The two looked at each other and smiled. "In the face of such a great ideal, this Koshien special may be just a small step, but it is still worth looking forward to." Mitarai raised his glass. "Thank you for your help." Zhongshan also reached out to pick up the wine glass. In the evening of the next day, Zhongshan went to the Osaka branch of Toto Shimbun to visit Mitarai.Although it was past seven o'clock, almost no one left the editorial department. "Zhongshan, I'm here. I'm sorry, I can't separate myself now, you wait for me at the table over there." Mitarai said, poking his head out from a gap in the desk full of documents. "Okay." Nakayama replied, looking at the desk in the corner of the office that Mitarai was pointing at with his chin. --but…… Zhongshan looked around the office.The main office is messy too, but it's even worse here! "I'm sorry!" The man holding a large pile of documents pushed Zhongshan away and rushed out of the room. "Let me borrow the phone." Nakayama greeted Mitarai, then sat down and picked up the phone. "Zhongshan? How's the situation on your side?" Fujisaki's thick voice reached the eardrum.He seems to be quite busy there too! "I've been looking for a few members of Shinmitsu's team today, but I didn't get much. By the way, do you have any news from Mito about Kuniyoshi's grandmother?" "Ah, just contacted, I was just about to call you!" Then there was a brief sound of searching for a notepad, and then a murmur, and after that, Fujisaki spoke. "It seems to be a simple accident. She fell in the room and hit her head on the corner of the column. She herself called 119 and called an ambulance. The time of calling 119...was after eight o'clock in the evening. There was nothing particularly suspicious However, according to the neighbors, Guoji’s grandmother took care of a cigarette stand and had some savings in private, but they couldn’t find them. She seems to have told close friends that if Guoji can do things properly, she will use the money she saved to help him Start a business. Of course, there is no way to know whether there is such a savings, and if there is, no one knows how much. Anyway, the police closed the case as an accidental death." "Really?" Zhongshan made another brief report before hanging up the phone. Guoji's grandmother died on the night of Nashino's competition on the fourth day of the competition. If the police determined that the death was accidental, there may be no need to investigate further. However, Zhongshan always felt that this kind of thing would happen during the competition.He sat down on the sofa in the corner of the room—a tattered sofa that looked like it had been picked up from a garbage dump. Maybe it was Mitarai's confession!A female worker brings coffee from a vending machine. Jomo drank half a cup of coffee before Mitarai walked over quickly, sat down on the sofa opposite, and said, "It's been a long time!" The sofa rattled. "Is it okay? Don't crush the chair." Zhongshan said with a smile. Mitarai said with a serious face: "Yes! The one that broke last time was just replaced, how could this be?" He looked worriedly at the sofa he was sitting on. —Where did you pick it up?Zhongshan wanted to ask, but swallowed again.I'm not here to talk about chairs and sofas. Mitarai rolled up the sleeves of her light blue long-sleeved shirt to her elbows and loosened her tie.The air conditioner was already turned off. "There is good news. I already know about Kuniyoshi." Mitarai took out a cigarette from the box and said, "As I expected, Kuniyoshi is related to Yajima." "real?" "I also said yesterday that Yajima is a well-known expert in determining betting points, and Kuniyoshi is one of his sources. After Yajima's death, Kuniyoshi is currently taking over his job." "The so-called succession work is..." "It is to directly contact and deal with Qingfenghui." "What? Could it be that Guoji failed to contact Qingfenghui before?" "This is where Yajima is smart. He has several informants, but he does not allow them to contact the Qingfenghui, which means that he must intervene between the Qingfenghui and the informants, including information and money. Hands off so the informant can't act on his own." "It's almost the same as a pelican." "That's right!" Mitarai exhaled a puff of smoke with a slightly tired expression. "Now that Yajima is dead, Kuniyoshi will take his place?" "It's happening. Of course, Kuniyoshi can't completely take over Yajima's position immediately, because Yajima is also very careful not to let the informants contact each other. However, Kuniyoshi has the most important information about Nashino Nishi and Nobumitsu. Of course, from the standpoint of the Qingfenghui, Kuniyoshi had to be wooed first. At present, he not only directly enters and exits the Qingfenghui, but also draws Fukasawa, who is also one of Yajima's informants, to his side. It seems that the two are Resist Yajima's so-called dissatisfied elements! Therefore, after Yajima's death, they began to join forces and deal directly with Qingfenghui." "So that's how it is." As he said that, a flash of light flashed in Zhongshan's mind. "Wait a minute! So, with Yajima dead, Kunikichi is the one who benefits the most?" "You think he is the murderer of the Yajima murder?" Zhongshan nodded. "Your speculation is valid, but the murderer seems to be someone else." "Is there... any evidence for this?" "Well, did I say that? Someone is seriously involved in Yajima's murder." "You said that you are a very important person." "That's right. I spent a lot of time trying to get this information. I went to the Osaka Prefectural Police Station early this morning. I have a criminal friend who is the most knowledgeable about violent organizations. I originally planned to ask him for clues, but the superior seemed to be No matter how I asked, he only said that someone was seriously involved, and he denied everything else." Mitarai shook off the ash in the ashtray, and then said: "I immediately realized that the suspect is not a violent organization. It is a leader who would cause a strong social impact just by saying his name, that is, the name of this person should not be leaked arbitrarily.” "What is that..." Two names appeared in Zhongshan's mind. "It's him!" Mitarai took out a photo from his shirt pocket and threw it on the table. "How is it possible?" In an instant, Zhongshan knew that his face had turned pale. "When I first found out, I was just like you." "Why did Supervisor Shibata have to kill Yajima? Why was he suspected? Is there any evidence? Impossible, he couldn't do such a thing, no matter what, he is the most famous supervisor in college baseball." "Calm down! There are so many questions, I can't answer them all at once." As if to calm Nakayama's emotions, Mitarai slowly pulled out a second cigarette and tapped on the cigarette case. "Why is Supervisor Shibata..." Nakayama stared at Mitarai's fingertips and said blankly. "I don't know either, but the contact between the two may be baseball gambling, and the cause of the murder is the conflict caused by it." Zhongshan couldn't help shaking his head slightly.Yes, he knew very well that this might be the case, but he didn't want to believe it. When he heard that Shibata was involved in baseball gambling, Zhongshan didn't want to believe it. However, when the suspicion became more serious and he was suspected of murder, he could no longer escape. He remembered the memories of Shibata during his expedition to Korea! Shibata works as a Mandarin teacher at Xinguang. Compared with the usual devil-like supervisors in many schools that often get the right to play in Koshien, he belongs to the moderate school. He has trained a strong team through his down-to-earth efforts and established his current status. , no matter how you look at it, it doesn't look like someone who can kill... "The police ordered not to leak, how do you know?" If Supervisor Shibata is really involved, the police will have to be more cautious in their actions. "Because I listened to your explanation! I gave up asking the police and instead investigated Mukai and Shibata. I took their photos to the apartment where Yajima lived." "Find the witnesses of the incident? You are really amazing. You have gained so much in just one day." "How is that possible? It's not that easy to find witnesses to the incident. I'm just trying to figure out who the police are after." "So it is." Zhongshan sighed. "You take a photo of the two of you and ask if the police have come to question them." "Exactly." Mitarai smiled. "I first went to the convenience store in front of the apartment where Ueyajima lived, and it hit me right away. The criminal took Shibata's photo to ask if he had seen him on the day of the murder." "So, the police have quite strong information about Supervisor Shibata's involvement in the incident?" "Probably! Either there were witnesses, or the police were investigating baseball gambling, and Shibata was identified from this line." Zhongshan closed his eyes involuntarily, his heart ached, as if he had seen too much of this ugly world. In the editorial office, which was still brimming with vigor after eight o'clock, the corner of the sofa where only two people sat was surrounded by a wonderfully depressing silence. Koshien will enter the third cycle tomorrow, and the climax is gradually approaching. However, behind this gorgeous stage with brilliant projection lights, dirty events happened.Zhongshan felt very sad inside!For the players who are fighting with all their strength, on the one hand, he hopes that nothing will happen before the final, but at the same time, he feels that filthy people should not be allowed to fulfill their Koshien wish safely. Zhongshan held his head: What should we do? "However, why did Director Shibata have to kill Yajima? He has such a status in society... I can't associate him with killing." "The so-called social status is a kind of cage. Many people can do anything in order to keep their status. You think, Xinguang has always advertised that it is upright, it looks like the headquarters of college baseball, and it was established by a religious group that promotes integrity and asceticism. For a high school, once the school’s supervision is involved in baseball gambling, it will cause a scandal that will shock the society. Therefore, for the sake of the reputation of high school baseball and the Shinko Church, it doesn’t matter if you kill a few people.” "Is that possible? I don't understand." "You're still a little naive!" Mitarai chuckled, but immediately regained her solemn expression. "What is puzzling is why Shibata got involved in baseball gambling. I have met Shibata once or twice for interview work, but he doesn't look like a bad guy, and his family has been running a hotel for many years, so money is impossible. There is trouble, so it seems that there must be some reason to be caught, and to participate in baseball gambling under duress. This is just my imagination." "Maybe that's the case. Anyway, I'll try to find out from Kuniyoshi. Anyway, now that I know about this, I definitely want to reveal the reality of baseball gambling before the Koshien finals." "Really? Then I will be in charge of investigating Yajima's murder!" "Can I trouble you?" "I'm just doing my best. So, I'm sorry, I still have a little work to do, excuse me." Saying that, Mitarai stood up. "I'm sorry to interrupt you during your busy schedule." Zhongshan said, standing up. Eleventh day of the contest.Koshien entered the third round of competition, and Toride Gakuen broke into the top eight yesterday. In the second and third games today, Shinko and Narashino Nishi will fight for one of the last four places. Oyagi and Kuwahara are near the center of the outfield stands, on the left field.Shinko is doing pre-match practice on the court. "Yagi, can this kind of thing really solve the mystery of 'magic'?" Kuwahara asked suspiciously.He held a high-sensitivity transistor radio in his hand. "I guess so!" "Probably... what are you using this thing for?" Kuwahara asked, patting the transistor radio with his right hand. In order to prevent the sun, both of them wore wide-brimmed golf hats on their heads and wet towels around their necks, which can be said to be fully armed.Even so, the face and the arms exposed from the T-shirt are dark and swarthy, which is not inferior to the players on the field. "Intercept their transmissions to the strikers." "The airwaves to the hitter? But didn't you say last time that the hitter knows what the pitcher is going to throw even if the catcher doesn't make the signal signal? Doesn't that mean there's no one snooping on what the pitcher is going to throw? The ball then informs the batter, but the batter decides for himself?" "I originally thought so, but it is impossible for all the players of Shinmitsu and Narashino Nishi to be superpowers who can see through the pitcher's head. They must be able to see the catcher's signal gestures, or the pitcher's pitching habits. Anyway, absolutely It's someone who somehow knows what kind of pitch a pitcher is going to throw, and that person relays the signal to the batter." "Is there such a character?" "Then, the rest is the transmission method. Judging from the loss of Yoshizawa's helmet and the fact that the striker's line of sight didn't move unnaturally, it must be a small receiver installed in the helmet to receive the radio waves." "So that's how it is." Kuwahara said while thinking as if he was regurgitating Oyagi's words. "We have tried to find the person who can detect the signal signal of the catcher before this, but this time we need to intercept the radio waves sent to the attacker, and try to find the person who sent the radio waves? Yes, this is indeed a good method." Kuwahara eyes As soon as it lit up, however, the expression of uneasiness returned immediately. "But, can this kind of radio be used to detect the person who sent the radio waves to the attacker?" "Maybe!" said Oyagi, smoking a cigarette. "If they're using high-performance transmitters like the ones used by CIA personnel, there's nothing they can do about it. But, it's not like that! If you only use transmitters and receivers that can be bought in electronic stores, then the It is extremely possible that the radio waves it uses are within the frequency range of this highly sensitive radio, there should be a 90% probability!" "Then I'm relieved. But how?" Oyagi took out the interview notes from his backpack, opened the blank page, and drew a large circle with a ballpoint pen. "This is the entire field, here is the home plate, and this is the center field wall." As he spoke, Oyagi wrote down the home plate, the outlines of first and third base, the wall surrounding the field, etc. in the circle. "A total of six priorities are set, and we are responsible for three of them." Oyagi drew six points on the note, one is the left center field stand, one is near the cheerleading bench next to third base, and one is above the third base lounge, and the right center field and first base are also in the same symmetrical position. "At these important points, intercepting the radio waves transmitted to the attackers with the feeling of looking from the bottom of the stands to the stands can roughly cover the entire stadium. There are three places for one person. At one point, the radio waves cannot be intercepted. About three Change another focus in ten minutes." "Understood, the rest is to wait for the opportunity to transmit the radio wave." "That's right... When you look at the catcher's signal gesture, it should be after the catcher completes the signal gesture, and if you look at the pitcher's pitching habit, it should be before the pitcher's ball leaves the hand." "I see it looks like it might work this time. Well, let's break up and get going! I'll go to first base." "It's up to you!" Kuwahara quickly ran down the stairs. ——We must try to solve it today! Oyagi spat out the butt of his cigarette, stamped it out with the sole of his shoe, and slowly looked back at the stands surrounding the stadium.The two favorite teams are playing and the stands are super packed. ——Definitely catch the fox tail today. Oyagi unknowingly develops a strong sense of resistance against the "Magic Master" who always fails to see his head! "Yagi, how are you doing?" "Looking at your expression, it's probably a mess again." Looking at Kuwahara's tired face, Oyagi said with a sigh. In the battle between Shinko and his opponent in the second game, he failed to grasp any clues.I had no choice but to put my expectations on the battle between Xi Zhiye and his opponent, but still nothing. "Are you working in vain?" Kuwahara looked up to the sky and closed his eyes. "I can't find it anyway." "It's definitely using radio waves, absolutely!" Oyagi said bitterly.He sat next to Kuwahara who was slumped in the aisle. Shinomitsu and Narashino Nishi obviously used "magic". Relying on the consecutive scoring after the third inning, Shinomitsu won 8-2, and Narashino Nishi led 12-1 after eight innings. "But we are still in vain despite our desperate efforts. There must be something wrong. Could it be because of the use of special frequency radio waves?" "It should be impossible!" Oyagi's voice was also weak. There is no one to read the catcher's signal, and there is no interception of the radio waves sent to the batter, but the batter does know what pitch the opposing pitcher is going to throw. - I don't understand!At this moment, I have a deeper understanding of the heat of Jiashien. "Give up! This is no ordinary 'magic'. It is still possible if someone who specializes in baseball, but there is nothing we can do. Why don't we start with Kuniyoshi and force him to speak out." From the day after Yajima was killed, Kuniyoshi returned to the apartment. --good! Oyagi nodded secretly.He didn't want to resort to rough methods, but there was no time, and besides, he couldn't think of any other way. "Must we do this?" Oyagi asked.Kuwahara seemed a little surprised, but nodded vigorously.