Chapter 7 Chapter Six

Rarely, it rained like fog in August.After ten o'clock at night, there were no people in the residential area, and the high-density rain quietly enveloped the area that was about to fall asleep. In the rain, Zhongshan walked quickly to Guoji's apartment. Since he didn't hold an umbrella, his whole body was soaked, but he felt very comfortable for his hot body. There was the sound of someone opening a door nearby. About ten meters ahead, there is a shop with a red lantern hanging at the door, which feels very out of harmony with this house.A man who looked like a store owner was wearing an apron. He poked his head out from the crack of the door and looked up at the sky. After shaking his head two or three times, he took off the curtain and retracted his head. He probably thought that there would be no customers in this weather. Let's go!

After a rattling sound of closing the door, the lights of the red lanterns suddenly went out.The darkness seemed to deepen. When passing by the front of the store, I found that there seemed to be a few customers inside, and there were drunken laughter. Soon, Kuniyoshi's apartment can be seen on the left. The apartment in this two-story building has lights in every room, which looks particularly vivid in the quiet residential area. ——The lights in Kuniyoshi's room are also on! Zhongshan stared nervously at the light pouring out of Guoji's room. He planned to see Guoji and directly inquire about the authenticity of the matter.Of course, he didn't think that Guoji would tell the truth, but he always felt that if he had direct contact, he might be able to grasp some clues from the conversation!

Zhongshan quickened his pace. At this time, something red suddenly fell to the ground in a parabola behind the utility pole on the right. —It’s a cigarette butt.Someone throws an unextinguished cigarette butt from behind a utility pole! ——Someone is watching Kuniyoshi.Zhongshan quickly leaned his body to the right side of the road. At this time, a taxi approached with red empty lights on.Zhongshan waved his hand to stop him, and got into the back seat. "Please proceed slowly." The driver was an old man with gray hair. "Where?" "Go straight." Zhongshan buried his body in the seat, turned his face forward, and squinted behind the electric pole.

There is a man hiding, his body retracted into the gap between the coffee shop and the wall of the adjacent house, he looks like a young man.This is enough. Proceed about 50 meters, turn right at the intersection, Zhongshan asks a taxi to stop. "What? Did you forget to bring something? Do you want to turn back?" "No." Zhongshan didn't bother to explain one by one, and got off after paying the fare. ——A member of the Qingfenghui?Or criminal? He tiptoed and cautiously walked back to the position where he could see the exit of the apartment where Kuniyoshi lived.From this position, the man hidden by the shadow of the coffee shop building cannot be seen!

Although the lights in Kuniyoshi's room were on, the curtains blocked his view and he couldn't see clearly what was inside. Zhongshan hid behind a telegraph pole nearby.The rain seems to be a little heavier, and the thin shirt sticks to the skin, which is very uncomfortable. It seems to be the sound of the TV!There was laughter and applause from nearby homes. About thirty minutes!Suddenly, the light in Kuniyoshi's room went out. Zhongshan squatted down and brought his body closer to the electric pole. Guoji ran down the stairs of the apartment, seemingly unaware of his surroundings, and briskly walked towards the direction opposite to Zhongshan's location.

Seeing that he is holding an umbrella in his right hand and holding the washbasin in his left hand, he is probably going to the bathroom! When Kuniyoshi was about twenty meters away from the apartment, the man emerged from the shadows of the coffee shop.It was a short man with curly hair. Due to the darkness and the distance, his face and clothing could not be seen clearly, but his movements were neither criminally calm nor frivolous like a hooligan. The man shrugged and began to follow Kuniyoshi.Zhongshan also stepped out from behind the telephone pole and followed the man behind. In the rain, the three men walked with a distance of about 20 meters each, which seemed very humorous.Zhongshan smiled wryly.

Kuniji, who is at the front, turns left. Probably building an apartment!On the left side of the sidewalk is a construction fence.The man sped up his pace slightly and walked to the corner, peeking ahead quietly.Immediately afterwards, the man disappeared around the corner, but screamed. It seems that Guoji found out that he was being followed, so he hid in the corner to ambush him! Zhongshan pressed his body against the fence about 15 meters away from the corner, held his breath, and heard the sound of two people fighting. Soon, the sound moved into the wall.Probably Guoji dragged the man into the construction site!

Zhongshan walked to the corner and looked over quietly—there was no one on the road. ——Sure enough, it was inside. Around the corner is probably the entrance and exit of construction vehicles!The fence was interrupted and only covered with thick plastic cloth railings.Disputing conversations emanated from the gaps in the plastic sheeting. Zhongshan pulled the plastic back with his left hand and looked inside through the gap.The steel placed on the ground was wet from the rain, reflecting dull silver light under the light of the street lamps. Kuniyoshi grabbed the young man's chest, as if cursing something!Zhongshan listened attentively.

"Are you the one who has been hovering in front of my apartment?" The man didn't answer, but just yelled: "Asshole! Let go." "Your role has disappeared, don't pester me anymore, or I will really be rude to you, understand?" ——What does "disappear..." mean? Before Zhongshan had time to think, Guoji had already punched the man in the face with his right hand.The man took a few steps back and fell to the ground, splashed with wet mud from the rain. "Don't let me see you again!" It may be because of the overwhelming physical strength over the other party to create a sense of superiority!With his left hand in his pocket, Kuniyoshi kicked the fallen man in the side.

In an instant, the man rolled over on the ground, but his leg tripped over Kuniyoshi's foot. It was jaw-droppingly quick. Kuniyoshi, with one hand in his pocket, tripped and had no ability to fight back, so he could barely tuck his chin in order to prevent his head from hitting the ground. The man straddled Kuniyoshi, twisted Kuniyoshi's right hand behind his back, and pressed the opponent's right side with his left hand to prevent a counterattack. — This person has learned judo! Perhaps it was because of the short body and cowardly attitude that the other party was negligent in the beginning!Also, looks used to fight scenes too.

"Now it's my turn to ask questions. Hey, what is the magic trick that Shinamitsu and Narashino Nishi used?" Kuniyoshi tried to resist, but the man twisted his right arm violently.Kuniyoshi groaned. ——The magic of Shinmitsu and Narashino Nishi?How is this going? Who is the man?What are you talking about?Zhongshan was thinking in confusion. "What are you talking about?" Guoji was obviously shaken. "You guys still want to play tricks! I already knew that they were using some kind of despicable means, and you are also using this to threaten Shibata, right?" The man grabbed Kuniyoshi by the hair, pressed Kuniyoshi's face and bumped him two or three times in the mud. "I don't know!" Said, Kuniyoshi threw the mud grabbed by his left hand towards the man's face. "Ah!" The man couldn't help but let go of Kuniyoshi's right hand.Kuniyoshi moved his legs, stood up, and ran towards the exit at the other end. The man's eyes seemed to have gotten into the mud. After chasing Kuniyoshi for two or three steps, he stopped and kept rubbing his eyes. "Damn it!" Probably the mud was finally removed!The man slammed the mud grabbed by his right hand to the ground. Perhaps knowing that he would never be able to catch up, the man panted and began to walk towards the exit where Zhongshan was hiding. Zhongshan pressed his body against the wall. The man pushed away the thick plastic sheet, and when he was about to go out, Zhongshan slipped his body into the construction site, strangled the man's neck with his left hand, and then dragged the man into the construction site. Unexpectedly, the man has almost no resistance. Zhongshan strangled the man's neck with his left hand, and twisted the man's right arm behind his back with his right hand just like what the man did to Kuniyoshi just now. "Hey, what you said just now is very interesting, can you say it and listen to it?" "Who are you?" "Never mind who I am! Tell me what is the magic that Shinamitsu and Narashino Nishi use." At this time, a voice suddenly came from behind Zhongshan: "Hey, Zhongshan, forget it!" Zhongshan turned around in surprise.In the dense rain, with his back to the pale street lamp, stood a tall man.Due to the backlight, the opponent's face could not be seen clearly. "You know me?" Zhongshan still grabbed the man's arm and said to another man. "I don't want to be hostile to you, let him go! He hasn't been trained as hard as you, and it will hurt him if he does this again." There was leeway in the man's words, and it seemed that he would not fight back after letting go.So Zhongshan let go of the man's hand. "Yagi, I'm sorry." The man walked past Zhongshan, hiding behind the tall man, and said. "Look at you! Didn't I say that you don't do anything until I come?" "However, the other party came towards me, and I couldn't do it without my hands." At this time, the tall man called "Yagi" turned his head to face Zhongshan, and said, "I know that you graduated from Kanagawa No. 3 High School, and I also know that you are currently working in Dongdu Sports News. My name is Oyagi, and I am a report writer." .” "The young man is your partner?" "That's right." After Oyagi replied, he said to the man, "You're fine, go back to the hotel first!" The man reluctantly walked out of the construction site. After watching the other party leave, Oyagi said, "I have something to discuss with you, okay?" He said, putting his arm on Zhongshan's shoulder.Zhongshan shrugged. The two entered a late-night coffee shop in Takatsuki Station Front Street.Maybe they are all guests hiding from the rain!Although it was almost twelve o'clock, the spacious store was almost full. The two sat face to face in the innermost four-person box seat. "How long have you been there?" Zhongshan spoke first. Oyagi smiled. "I saw Guoji running out of the construction site covered in mud. With my two legs alone, I couldn't catch up with him; on the other hand, I also wanted to know what happened inside, so when I entered, I saw you were teaching my buddy." Zhongshan stared at each other, and reached out to pick up the coffee cup that the waiter brought to the table.It can't be regarded as mellow, but it can be regarded as a great delicacy for the body soaked in rain. "This guy Kuwahara seems to have let you know about Shinmitsu and Narashino Nishi." Oyagi carefully wiped his wet arm with a towel. "From what you asked Kuwahara just now, it can be seen that you don't know anything about the 'special tactics' of these two schools, so why did you monitor Kuniyoshi?" Zhongshan took another sip of his coffee.Before knowing the other party's true intentions, he thinks that he must first see the other party's reaction. "I know it even if you don't tell me. I probably noticed Koshien's baseball gambling! But now I can't catch Kuniyoshi. A man who is as cautious as he is, after today's experience, it is impossible to go back to the apartment, nor can he It will appear in the Qingfenghui. I know that you probably also hoped to do some exclusive insider reports before the finals, but it's gone now." "You just said that you have something to discuss with me, and this is it?" "You are so indifferent! Since you were in college, I have been your fan. Come to think of it, meeting you in that kind of place must be considered a kind of fate! How? We have no time for each other, why not Working together? I thought I could trust you to talk to you about it." "You said cooperation, so what should I do specifically?" As if inspired by Nakayama's opening, Oyagi moved his upper body forward. "I hope you can buy our information. Originally, I planned to find another newspaper or magazine with the highest bid to buy on the day of the finals, because that would be an exclusive report that would shock the society, but now I think it has reached the limit. We can't find it anyway The magic tricks Nashino Nishi and Shinmitsu used in Koshien; but, you are a baseball expert, maybe you can solve the mystery that we can't solve. So, I will tell you all we have investigated so far Information, I hope you can solve the puzzle." "This kind of condition is too good." "It's always going to be sold to others anyway, and it's the same to Dongdu Sports News." Oyagi frowned deliberately, and said self-deprecatingly. "Okay! Talk about it." Although Zhongshan was not relieved, he still agreed. On the one hand, he was also interested in what the other party said. "Okay, it's decided like this, but there is one condition." —Look!coming!Zhongshan waited for the other party to continue. "If you see through the inside story of Shinmitsu and Narashino Nishi's magic technique based on the information I provided, I hope you will resell it to me." "..." "This is the information we have worked hard to obtain. I don't want to sell it at a low price, and I don't want to give up halfway. You should be able to understand this in the news industry! I hope to complete the best report content in person, and then Sell ​​it to you at a high price." "You mean to ask me to help you?" "Simply put, that's it. Wouldn't it be great that we're working with each other and my story will soon be yours?" Oyagi smiled, the kind of smile that tried to make a good impression. Oyagi may want to use Zhongshan to solve the remaining puzzles, and then find someone who can buy the highest price to sell!Due to the problem of face, Dongdu Sports News had to buy its reports at the price he offered. But for Zhongshan, he really wanted to know the information about "the magic used by the two schools of Nobumitsu and Narashino Nishi" that Oyagi said. Regarding Oyagi's conditions, Zhongshan had only one answer: "Okay! I am also interested in the information you hold, so I will follow yours." "Okay, that's the decision." Oyagi patted his knee with his right hand. "Then tell me what Shinmitsu and Narashino Nishi's magic is." "Yes..." After speaking, Oyagi hurriedly continued: "I forgot another condition." "There are still conditions?" "Before the final sale, if the information is taken away, it will be troublesome, so Kuwahara will monitor you for the next two days, okay?" This time, it was Zhongshan's turn to smile wryly. "At this stage of the field, I can't back down anymore, okay." "It's still a good speech from an athlete's background, and it won't procrastinate." Oyagi said happily. "Let me explain it from the beginning! Regarding the match process between Shinomitsu and Narashino Nishi, since the regional preliminaries this summer, I found something suspicious..." Oyagi showed Nakayama the scoring process data of the two schools' big local trials, and began to enthusiastically explain that both schools started the same scoring pattern after the third game. Zhongshan gradually felt hot all over his body.Looking at the information presented by the other party, he was convinced that there was indeed "something" in it! "At first I thought it was the catcher's signal signal from the outfield stand, and then conveyed it to the hitter in some way, but I couldn't find such a person from the outfield stand, and Shinmitsu's hitter could also hit the opponent. A pitch in which the pitcher and catcher do not match the signal, so the possibility of spying on the catcher's signal is completely eliminated." "How can it be possible to hit the ball without a signal gesture?" "I think so too, but it's true." Zhongshan crossed his arms and stared at the ceiling: The catcher has no signal gesture, and the pitcher's pitch can still be seen? It's not entirely impossible! "The magic trick starts from the third round. In other words, the first and second rounds are the preparation period, and there must be a preparation period. I think this is the key." "I know it even if you don't tell me." "Even if you know, it's useless if you can't unravel what it means." Oyagi didn't speak any more, and rubbed out the cigarette in the ashtray annoyedly. "Basically, I have figured it out, and I will try to solve the riddle in tomorrow's competition." "You seem very confident?" "It's not a specific player, but the whole team knows the pitcher's signal gesture. You must use a simple method. As long as you can catch the inspiration, I think it will be surprisingly simple. I will try it." "I don't think it's pure magic." "No matter what kind of magic, as long as you understand the technique, it is very simple." Then they exchanged information with each other, and when the clock pointed to three o'clock in the morning, the two were ready to leave together. "The hotel you are staying at is..." "New Hankyu Hotel." After hearing this, Oyagi stood up, went to the counter to make a phone call, and returned within a minute. "Let's go!" Zhongshan also stood up. It was still raining outside the shop.After three o'clock in the morning, there were hardly any people outside. "Hail a taxi!" Oyagi looked up at the sky, as if measuring the rain, and said, "I'll take you back to the hotel." "You are very kind!" "Kuwahara is waiting at the restaurant." "I guess so." "This is one of the conditions. From today onwards, Kuwahara will monitor you closely." Zhongshan stood silently in the rain, staring at the traffic.The taxi never showed up.Two drunk men pass by, shoulder to shoulder. "It must be Narashino Nishi, it has the strongest impact!" "No, at this stage, tradition will start to exert its power. You see, won't Narashino Nishi lose this spring? So Shinmitsu will win the championship in the end." The top eight have already been listed, and Jiashien's frenzy has reached its peak. Some people are fighting in Jiashiyuan, some are watching the battle and enjoying happiness, and some are trying to take the opportunity to make money... ——What about myself? Zhongshan asked himself.I am also one of the people who rely on Jiashiyuan to make money in the form of "reporting", but I act completely according to my conscience. So what about Shibata?What about Mukai?What about Guoji? It was still raining.The water droplets on the hair flowed down the forehead and cheeks.The empty taxi still didn't come! The day of the quarter-finals is here.The rain last night had already stopped, and the sky above Jiashiyuan was also a summer blue sky. The wet infield ground shone black, a beautiful contrast to the rain-washed outfield grass. Before the first game, it was less than eight o'clock, and the stands were almost full of spectators. The eight advanced teams are about to start a fierce battle, and the whole stadium is filled with a sense of boiling anticipation. Nakayama and Kuwahara sat side by side in the outfield stands.Seven years ago, Zhongshan also played in the rematch, and the stands were also super full at that time. It is often said that the rematch is the most interesting, because the fierce confrontation between the eight advanced schools can be seen in one day.However, for the players, only in the rematch can they play in the best condition.With the experience of the first round and the second round, the team has gradually become accustomed to the atmosphere of Koshien, and the momentum has also been exuberant with consecutive victories, reaching its peak in the third round of the rematch. In the semifinals and finals, even if the fielder is still in top condition, the pitcher is almost exhausted.If you have shot three or four games in a row, no matter how you usually exercise, you are still far from your best condition, and the next step is a battle of attrition compared to endurance. If in the previous finals, there was sufficient rest time before the match, that is, after one or two days of rest, each played in the best condition, perhaps there would be many reversals of victory and defeat. The first match was between Toride Gakuen and Matsumae Commercial High School. For Zhongshan, it is a great pleasure to see Miyamoto pitching again, but Kuwahara on the side is very boring. "If you don't want to watch it, you can wait until the third game! It doesn't matter if you don't have to accompany me." Zhongshan said. Kuwahara silently threw the canvas bag onto his shoulder. At eight o'clock, the game begins.Toride Gakuen ace pitcher Miyamoto stood on the pitcher's pitcher. For the first ball and the second ball, he confronted his opponent head-on with a straight ball with a speed of more than 150 kilometers per hour. However, the batter did not swing at all, and even retreated. Miyamoto is obviously full of energy!The third pitch was another straight ball, and the batter missed the swing and struck out. Miyamoto, who has always been very calm, also cheered for himself in a low voice, and seemed to be throwing the ball quite hard. - Don't try too hard! Nakayama wanted to yell at Miyamoto, who was standing on the pitcher's board and wearing the No. 1 jersey back.Today's Matsumae Commercial is a relatively easy team to deal with. If you are concerned about the semi-finals and finals, you should try to preserve your strength. However, maybe this is what people who watch the game have such an idea! After advancing to the rematch, once he stands on the pitcher's plate, he will naturally give his best.What's more, the opponent is also a team that has entered the quarter-finals. Even if there is a difference in strength, the gap will not be too big. If you are a little negligent, it is very likely to turn victory into defeat! In the first half of the inning, Miyamoto struck out the opponent's three hitters with nine balls, all throwing straight balls. The audience in the stands applauded Miyamoto enthusiastically as he ran back from the pitcher's plate to the dugout. As far as Miyamoto is concerned, except for the first time when he pitched with all his strength, he kept some strength in his second and third appearances, so it has been a long time since he has seen his heroic posture of throwing with all his strength. And his team's offensive line seems to be inspired by Miyamoto's momentum. It is rare to explode an astonishing attacking power from the second half of the first inning. Take a five-point lead. For Miyamoto, five points is too much of a gap. From the top of the second inning, he changed the way he threw the ball, trying to throw the ball in a way that could be hit. But the opponent's hitters were anxious to swing their bats for fear of being struck out again. As a result, they all hit fly balls that were not strong enough, and were easily dismantled by the high-morale defensive lineup one by one. As the game progressed, Matsumae's offensive line began to feel anxious about trying to get five points back from the opponent's ace pitcher, and the swing became more urgent, and it happened to fall into Miyamoto's technique. Miyamoto only needs to throw the ball with six or seven points of strength.He is probably also fully aware of the semi-finals and finals! It's almost like a game between adults and children. As a result, Toride Gakuen defeated Matsumae Commercial 7-0. Miyamoto only showed a slight smile and shook hands with the catcher, as if he didn't take Matsumae business seriously. ——Is Shinmitsu and Narashino Nishi the only enemies he considers? As Miyamoto stepped off the pitcher's board, he looked back at the scoreboard in center field.It says that the third match is "Shin Koen" vs. "Shiroyama Industry", and the fourth match is "Narashino Nishi" vs. "Matsushiro Commercial".Perhaps, he had already thought of the two schools that might face off tomorrow. "Miyamoto is a great pitcher. Which team do you think will win, Nobumitsu, Narashino Nishi, and Torito?" Kuwahara asked beside him. "It's hard to say." Zhongshan looked at the nine players of Toride Academy who were raising the school flag, and Supervisor Sanada squatting in the rest area. "If it goes well, it should be Toride! Because Miyamoto is a super pitcher who can even occupy a place in a professional team, and the hitting level of Shinomitsu and Nashino Nishi, no matter how you say it, can't compare with the second army of a professional team. Toride should be able to win the battle." "That's right, if it's a proper battle... But Shinmitsu and Narashino Nishi have 'magic'." Kuwahara said while chewing popcorn. In the second match, Nanshan High School in Kyoto played against Meicheng Academy in Oita. Nanshan High School won 3-1. In the draw for the semi-finals after the first game, Toride Gakuen will play against Nanshan High School, and the other group will be the winning team of the third game playing against the winning team of the fourth game, that is, if all goes well In terms of development, there is a high possibility that Narashino Nishi and Shinko will meet in the semi-finals. In the third game, players from Shinko Park appeared on the court. "Shinmitsu is finally on the stage! It's up to you." Kuwahara, who had been watching the two matches since early in the morning, looked very impatient, and finally opened his eyes wide. At the start of the game, Shinko Park attacked from the back.In the first half of the inning, Shinko's ace pitcher Toyama stepped onto the pitcher's plate. After a full rest, Yuan Shan simply let the opponent hitters up and down three times. The ball speed is very fast, and the angle of the ball is also very sharp. It seems that the situation is good. It was Shinko's turn to attack.Zhongshan picked up the binoculars and took a peek.From this position the catcher's signal gesture can be clearly seen. On the first ball, the catcher asks the pitcher to look at the nails of the right hand, first make the thumb parallel to the ground, the tip of the thumb is facing the direction of the right hitter, and then raise the index finger to point to the ground. Kurita, the ace pitcher of Shiroyama Industry, nodded vigorously and threw the first pitch, which was an inside corner straight ball. ——At first, the vertical thumb is the inner corner signal, and the index finger is the straight ball. Zhongshan wrote it down in his notepad. second ball.This time, the little finger faces the outside of the striker, and the index and middle fingers overlap. Kurita's second pitch was an outside corner slider. ——The initial little finger is the outer corner signal, and the overlap is the slider. Kuwahara looked at what Nakayama wrote from the side. "So that's it. The first signal is the angle of the ball, and the second signal is the path of the ball. It's very simple!" "Well, at the level of college baseball, it should be like this, but when you enter a professional team, it will be a little more complicated. However, the problem is after the runner reaches second base." "Does the signal gesture change when there is a runner on second base?" "Because the second base runner can clearly see the catcher's signal gesture. Like me just now, two or three balls can see the signal gesture and send a signal to the hitter, so when there is a runner on second base, the signal gesture will be A little more complicated." After the two batters hit, Zhongshan could almost fully understand the catcher's signal gesture. "The index finger is a straight ball, two fingers are a slider, and five fingers are a curve ball. When the thumb or finger at a specified angle is stretched two or three times, it represents the ball path at that angle." "this is all?" "No, Kurita's special skill is the crossball. Although he only throws about ten pitches in a game, he has not thrown so far, so he cannot know the signal gesture. Also, he does not know the signal gesture when there is a runner on the second base. .” "We'll have to wait for someone to hit base!" In the second half of the game, Shinko's offense was also up and down. In the second half of the second inning, Yoshizawa, who was the first to hit the fourth bat, hit a single in the center field. "Did he use 'magic' just now?" "Probably not. His timing of hitting the bat is not very accurate. It was originally aimed at hitting a straight ball, but he hit the slider smoothly on the way. It is not that he knew the opponent's way of hitting the ball from the beginning." Before Zhongshan finished speaking, the runner on first base had already stolen the base while the pitcher threw the first ball. "Finally there is a runner on the second base." Zhongshan watched through the binoculars again. The catcher's gesture is thumb, thumb, pinky, overlap, spread, overlap, and the pitcher's throw is a hook. "Ha, ha, ha, I made three signal gestures, but the one who directed the pitcher's pitch was the second time." Zhongshan murmured while writing it down. Kuwahara on the side also said, "I see." third ball.The catcher's signal is thumb, thumb, pinky, overlapping, one finger, spread. "It's a straight ball inside the corner." Zhongshan said without taking down the binoculars. "The pitcher throws a straight ball from the inside corner." "I guessed right, it's amazing." Kuwahara cried out like a child. Zhongshan smiled wryly. "The cipher gestures in college baseball are based on the premise that they will not be detected by the players of the opposing team participating in the competition, but in professional teams, the cipher gestures are complicated, and even if they are spotted, they cannot be deciphered." "No matter what, I can see through almost all the signal gestures before the second round. If I can send the signal to the striker after the third round, I can fight as hard as Shinko." "In theory, yes, but, there is no such person in the outfield stands?" "Yes, that's the problem." "Let's see what Xinguang will do in the third game." Shinko's offensive success in the second inning was weak, leaving only the third base and failing to score. In the first half of the third inning, Shiroyama scored a run with a home run. "Great, so Shinko has to adopt that mode." Kuwahara's eyes glowed with excitement. "It's better to use magic again today, there are experts present, it will definitely make you look good!" Xinguang's offense in the second half of the third round began, and Zhongshan used his fingers to hold the telescope. The first hitter was No. 8 Miki, who was undersized but had a high batting average. "The first ball is a straight ball from the inside corner." Zhongshan said to Kuwahara on the side. Kurita threw the first pitch, and Miki made a nice flat hit that landed in front of left field. "It's started." Kuwahara said excitedly. "Only one hitter, not sure yet." "But the timing of the swing was spot on." The ninth batter sent the runner up to second base with a sure hit.Zhongshan watched with a telescope again. "How will the first batter hit?" On his first at-bat, Fukumoto hit a corner hook after two strikes and one ball, before hitting second base and was blocked out. "Pitchers will probably get good balls from the outside corner straight ball first, and then use the curve ball to determine the victory, so they are either hitting the straight ball or aiming at the curve ball." Nakayama replied. "If this is the case, shouldn't you choose a curve ball that is more difficult to deal with? It is likely to hit a straight ball from the beginning." "Not really. It's usually easier to time your swing when you throw a curveball in a tiebreaker." "Really?" Kuwahara was dubious. The first ball is a fast outside corner straight ball. "Sure enough, it's a straight ball." Fukumoto was about to swing, but pulled back halfway through. "Hey, it's exactly as you said! It's not easy. It's much more interesting to watch baseball with you. You can basically know what the players think and how they will act. As long as there are people like you sitting on the players' rest You should be able to know what kind of pitch the opponent's pitcher is going to throw in the next pitch?" "There is a 70% probability. However, according to you, Shinmitsu and Narashino Nishi can predict the opponent's pitcher 100% of the time." "Exactly." "It's the second ball." The catcher's signal gesture is a hook, a bad ball. Fukumoto swung the bat again, and retracted the same again, but this time it was judged that the bat had been swung, and the ball was counted once.Two strikes. The third ball is an intentionally high ball in an attempt to wear down the batter's will to swing. "The next ball is a college question." "Is it a curveball?" "Probably!" Zhongshan replied without taking down the binoculars. The catcher quickly completes the signal gesture. "It's an inside corner." "You'll be wrong too?" Kuwahara said sarcastically. "That catcher is pretty good, it depends on how the batter handles it." The fourth ball was thrown, and it turned out to be a straight ball from the inside corner of the catcher. In the next moment, there was a crisp "clang", and the ball flew to the left field, but the direction was directly opposite the left fielder.The high-pitched cheers of the Xinguang cheerleaders turned into helpless sighs in an instant. "What a pity! It seems that the god of luck has not favored Shinmitsu." Zhongshan put the telescope back on his lap and closed his eyes. Fukumoto's swing!In the four balls just now, there is the key to solve the mystery - it is indeed a bit strange! With just four balls, Fukumoto stepped his left foot towards the pitcher when he hit the straight ball, which means that he didn't know the pitcher's path from the beginning... There was another round of cheers. Zhongshan opened his eyes and saw that the second baseman was lying on the ground close to the first base, and seemed to be flying to catch a flat fly ball between the first and second bases.The dirt-covered second baseman walked back to the dugout to the applause of the other players. "It seems that Xinguang is really unlucky!" "I guess so!" The general trend of the game is obviously leaning towards Shiroyama Industry.In the 4th, 5th, and 6th innings, Shinko had runners on base, but failed to score; and Shiroyama added another run in the 5th inning. In the seventh inning, Shinko hit three singles and got a chance to get two outs and a full base, and it was Yoshizawa's turn to hit the fourth bat. The Xinguang cheerleaders all stood up and shouted: "Jize, knock down the opponent." There seemed to be a prayer-like echo in the voice.Because, if this inning fails to score, there will only be the last two innings left, and it will be the turn of the weak bat, and it will be difficult to reverse the situation. Yoshizawa, standing in the strike zone, seemed uneasy. "He looks a little disturbed!" "That's right, it's completely different from his usual confident attitude." Kuwahara said, looking through a telescope. The first pitch was missed, the second pitch was fouled, and after two strikes and no balls, on the third pitch, Kurita made a foul ball from the outside corner, and Yoshizawa missed the swing. The cheerleaders from Shiroyama Industry cheered loudly, but Shinko's cheerleaders sat down with a sigh.The confidence of Shinko's cheerleaders seems to have been shaken, and they seem to think: Shinko of the ever-victorious army is finally about to lose... "Did you see Yoshizawa's swing just now? There was no strength at all." "That's the outside corner slider." "Evidently using magic, why do you have such a weak swing? You didn't catch the right timing for your swing at all!" "You have been watching with binoculars since just now, do you really think that Shinko has failed to score so far because of poor ball handling?" "What's the meaning?" Kuwahara had been drinking beer since the second match, and when he turned to Zhongshan to speak, the smell of alcohol came to his nostrils. "Since just now, Shinmitsu has been unable to grasp the timing of Kurita's slider swing. Even if he tried to hit hard, he was suppressed." "Really? I didn't notice at all." Zhongshan chuckled. "No wonder the two of you can't solve the mystery no matter how many games you watch." Kuwabara drank the beer in one gulp and threw the empty paper cup at his feet. "So you've solved the mystery?" "I guess so!" "real?" Kuwahara seemed intimidated by Zhongshan's relaxed tone, looked up at Zhongshan, and said, "Tell me what the trick is." "Wait a minute!" Zhongshan was very confident. Each hitter hits a variety of pitches with a straight swing, not a slider. Kurita's slider is characterized by throwing the ball at the same speed as a straight ball, and it suddenly slips in front of the hitter, which is much faster than the speed of a slider thrown by an ordinary pitcher.Shinmitsu's hitters were able to seize the timing of Kurita's straight and curve balls, but they just didn't take the position to hit the slider. From the analysis of these two points, a flash of inspiration came to Zhongshan's mind.As the game progressed, he became more confident. "You have tickets to the infield stands?" "Well, there are two. Where are you going?" "I want to intercept radio waves with a solid-state radio." "Electric wave? Yagi and I tried it, but it didn't work." Zhongshan ignored Kuwahara and stood up. When the two were sitting near the front row of the infield stands, Tomioka, Shiroyama Kogyo's fourth hitter, hit a home run, giving Shiroyama Kogyo a 3-0 lead. Shinko only has the eighth and ninth innings to attack. There was a strange noise from the stands.Thinking that Nobumitsu, the ever-victorious army who is trying to win the second consecutive championship in Koshien, may be defeated, the whispers of the audience gradually turned into loud noises. The general guess is: the team that may beat Shinomitsu should be Narashino Nishi or Toride Gakuen. If Shiroyama Kogyo, who is playing in Koshien for the first time, beats Shinmitsu, it will fall through the glasses of many experts! "This is even more dangerous. Kuniyoshi finally took over Yajima's position. If Shinmitsu is defeated this time, things will be serious. But... Could it be that he instructed Shibata to deliberately lose?" Kuwahara shook his head. “这不可能！好不容易照自己的意志挥军打进准决赛，柴田不可能故意落败，而且，你看柴田的狼狈相，那未免过于异常。” 桑原望向信光的球员休息区。“真的哩！平常即使比赛失败，他也是稳若泰山的坐在休息区内，但是，今天却显得坐立不安。” “可能是害怕如果败了，将会遭受青风会相当的报复吧！”中山说。 柴田从休息区探身出来，以严厉的语气不停对准备上场打击的打击者指示。 但是，没有用。第八局后半的进球，只有一人获四坏球保送上垒，未能得分。 九局上半，城山工业未再得分，轮到九局后半信光最后进攻的机会。 “紧张时刻终于来临了。”桑原似很紧张，频频用牛仔裤膝盖擦拭手心的汗。 在看台上，观众很明显地分成两派：一派是支持城山工业者，另一派则是喜爱强队信光学园的球迷。 这半局，最先上场打击的是第九棒的稻盛。进入打击区之前，他将球棒捧在面前，闭上眼，大概是在向神祷告吧！信光拉拉队席上的高校女生们也同样双手在胸前合十。 城山工业的拉拉队也全部起立，不停替栗田加油：“加油，栗田，加油！” 在如海啸般的交错加油声中，响起“锵”的一声，稻盛把栗田投出的第一球击成中外野前的平飞安打。 信光的拉拉队席上爆出如雷欢呼。 “是内角直球。听到声音吗？” 如果是小型发讯机，不把收音机喇叭贴近耳朵，很容易被欢呼声盖过。 “不行，听不见。”中山摇头。 第一棒的福本踏入打击区。第一球和第二球都是坏球，福本没挥棒。第三球，福本正确抓住外角曲球的挥棒时机打成飞越右外野手上空的三垒安打，球撞到外野围墙，弹回。看台上的观众全部站起来了。 一垒跑者到三垒垒包后，再冲向本垒板，打击者福本在二垒停住。这时，球好不容易才传回二垒。福本站在二垒垒包上，高举右手。 “刚刚呢？” “还是没用。杂音本来就多，加上欢呼声，根本没办法看得见。”中山大声回答。 “也许你的听力不好，让我来。”桑原伸手向收音机。 中山阻止了。“你不行，交给我好了。” 桑原一副不高兴的样子，但是，可能自己也没有自信吧！并未反驳。 中山逐渐解明“魔术”的手法了。 刚刚投出曲球时，他听到“哔”的讯号声，但是，他并不打算告诉桑原实话。 ——再确实一点！如果又是曲球，而且，又能确认讯号声…… 信光抢回一分，比数成为3比1，无人出局，二垒上有跑者，又轮到信光的打击强棒。 第二棒的速水踏进打击区。速水是信光在这场比赛唯一击出两支安打之人，站在打击区内的表情也很悠闲。 栗田第一球投出外角直球，速水准备出手，却又将球棒缩回。第二球是大幅度的角度出手的球，“哔”的一声讯号响了，是曲球。 速水等球充分进入打击区后才全力挥棒。强劲的平飞球穿越右中外野，落地。 整座球场仿佛浮起来一般，观众们全部站起。 二垒跑者边欢呼边冲进本垒，打击者也利用中外野手处理弹回的球之间隙，滑上三垒，双膝跪在三垒垒包上，高举双手。 看台上彩带和欢呼声齐飞。 --found it.中山忍不住在心中大叫。 信光的打击者对于栗田所投出的各种球路完全采用直球的挥棒姿势。讯号只在曲球时响起。投手球出手后，电波立刻出现。信光的球员未采用打击滑球的姿势。这一切资料皆指向一种可能性！ “感觉上似乎专选曲球出手。”桑原说。 以他的立场，当然希望报道对象的信光能闯进决赛。 城山工业叫暂停，内野手在投手板四周集合。 ——不要投曲球，用直球和滑球决胜负！ 中山很希望站在投手板上拭汗的栗田获胜。 从全国各地挖来的优秀选手、在良好的环境里磨练成长的信光球员，现在却利用不正当的诡计手段攻击投手板上的栗田。在这种压倒性的力量之前，栗田看起来很渺小。何况，栗田已经很疲倦了。 ——但是，他还有滑球武器。只要再让三人出局就行，只要巧妙运用滑球…… 教练回休息区去了。 暂停时，走回休息区接受柴田指示的下一棒打击者杉村，缓缓走向打击区。 捕手由投手板走回守备位置时，用手套当麦克风大声对投手说了两、三句话。栗田用力颔首。从内野看台能清楚见到他的下巴有汗珠滴落。 虽然球场上动作频繁，但是拉拉队仍持续不断狂热加油着。 比赛继续，栗田第一球投出滑球，但是，可能是太累了，球速不足。 中山手上的收音机传出“哔”的讯号声。 --Oops. 紧接的瞬间，一声清脆的“锵”声响起，城山工业的拉拉队席上有人尖叫。球飞得很高，越过左外野看台，掉下。 “好！”大八木双手用力拍拍膝盖，站起身。电视荧幕映出高举右手，满面笑容跑过二垒垒包的杉村。 大八木觉得口干舌燥。真是坚苦的胜利！如果信光现在败了，事情将很困扰。 从冰箱拿出可乐，坐回椅子。电视荧幕上出现信光球员在本垒板上相拥祝贺的画面。 桑原马上会有联络吧！中山是否真的能够解开谜底？ 大八木拿起桌上的记事本。上面写着他上午在饭店咖啡店和萩野副探长谈话时的资料。 在咖啡店面对面坐下，萩野立刻说：“柴田否认和矢岛打交道、也否认当天曾去过矢岛的公寓住处。在公寓附近查访的结果，也找不到目击柴田之人。你真的见到柴田自公寓走出吗？” “以柴田现今的立场，当然会全盘否认了。至于找不到目击者，在那种时刻，也是不得已之事。不过，公寓大门上应该能检测出柴田的指纹，不是吗？” 萩野苦笑。“看来是骗不了你了。” “警方的看法如何？柴田是凶手吗？” “根据门把上的指纹状况，柴田确实在推定行凶时刻的前后时间带去过那栋公寓。” “这么说是重要涉嫌者了？不能够将他逮捕或是强制调查吗？” “时机不对，不得不力求慎重行事。一旦逮捕，对社会造成的影响太大了，而且……” 萩野踌躇一下，似在估计应该说明至何种程度。“对了，你手上的王牌也该公开了吧！你一定还握有什么情报，对不对？” “要再次交换情报吗？也好。上次是我先说，今天轮到你了吧？” 萩野啜一口咖啡，轻轻颔首。“你的要求不算过分。警方未能采行强制调查的理由之一是找不到动机。” “动机？”大八木停止手的动作，凝视萩野。 “不错。从以前就有谣传说青风会和高校棒球赌博有关联，但是可能手法巧妙，一直未能查明实态，所以，怎么也无法把矢岛和柴田连接在一起。” “那就奇怪喽！矢岛不是决定赌赔点数的高手吗？” “没错，他似乎握有许多情报来源，然后将搜集到的情报转交青风会。” 听到萩野说出“情报来源”几个字，大八木想到会不会是指国吉，自己也知道脸色有变化。但是，萩野并非注意到。 “但是，矢岛是做事极端慎重的男人，对于和情报来源的接触非常小心，很少直接见面，也未留下任何文字物证，所以至今无法掌握其真正样态。至于柴田这边，以矢岛的行事手法来推测，其中有人介入的可能性极大，所以柴田为何会直接去矢岛的公寓，反而令人很不可思议。” “这我知道，但是，你那边不可能只是得到调查碰到障壁的情报吧？” “有人谣传说与信光和习志野西有关的比赛，赌博方面流动的金额相当大。” 大八木失望了，如果是这种事，自己早已知道。 似乎发觉大八木表情的失望，萩野接着说：“也就是说，习志野西的向井监督和信光的柴田监督同样可能和矢岛有关联。” “不错。”大八木淡淡地说。 “而且，事件翌日，有人目击他在矢岛的公寓附近徘徊。” “向井吗？” 这可是第一次知道的事——为何要有这样的行动？ 向井当然从报纸上知道矢岛被杀之事，那么，去矢岛的公寓根本毫无意义，只是徒然招来警方的怀疑罢了，但是，他为何还这么做？ “你没握有和向井有关的事实吗？”萩野凝视大八木。 大八木故意慢慢地拿出香烟，点着，借以拖延时间。同时，他判断警方似也已掌握向井相当的资料，那么，除了国吉之事，最好是全盘说出。 “提到向井，我倒是想起一件事。”大八木边吐出一口烟雾，边说。 "Oh? What is it?" “命案当天，约摸十点左右吧！我好像也见到向井从公寓走出。” 萩野双眼圆睁，讽刺似地说：“你总算想起来了。但是，不会看错人吗？” “向井的身材和别人不同，应该不会错。” “十点左右的话，那就是柴田出现在公寓的大约三十分钟前了？” "I guess so!" "Where are the clothes?" “上身是绿色宽松夏季套头衫，下半身是深蓝色高尔夫长裤吧！” 萩野低头，用原子笔在记事本上轻敲，似在思索着什么。 “你是否有什么难题？” “不，我是想到刺入矢岛体内的凶器……手术刀不仅刀刃部分，连刀柄都嵌入被害者体内，似是被用相当强的力量刺中。” “需要有像向井那样的臂力吗？但是，柴田还未到老得不中用的年纪，只凭这点不可能决定什么吧！” “那当然。”萩野微笑，合上记事本。“我该失陪了，因为再继续待下去，可能把什么话都说出来。对了，如果再想到什么，请和我联络。” “不会在大赛期间遂行逮捕吧？”大八木问。 萩野站起身，回答：“依目前的状况是不可能。还有一件事，矢岛房间的电话线被切断，而从切断的部分检测出向井的指纹。” 萩野头也不回地走出店门。 “八木，我是桑原。嗯，比赛结束后发生一点小事，所以拖了不少时间。我现在人在车站月台，是的……已经解开了，现在要去见向井，好像是想确定什么。待会儿我再给你电话……嗯，没问题，交给我好了，不会出错。再说中山那家伙不像会耍心机……我当然知道，一定会小心。” 桑原讲完电话时，电车正好进站。 依在电车车门，中山茫然眺望玻璃窗外的影物。在今天的比赛中，他大致已解开“魔术”的秘密，只剩下和向井见面予以确定而已。此外，他也打算说服向井和柴田，希望他们不要再使出这种不正当的赢球手段。 中山满心希望甲子园不再继续污秽下去，不是为了甲子园的权威，而是，在甲子园球场上奋战的球员们太可怜了。对他们来说，这是一生中唯有一次的舞台，很盼望他们能各尽全力、自由自在地奋战！ 今天的第四场比赛，习志野西顺利获胜晋级后，中山等向井回旅馆后，打电话给他，表示有事想和他见面谈。向井可能从中山的语气里察觉一切吧！犹豫片刻才回答说好，不过因为旅馆内到处都是媒体记者，他指定在附近的咖啡店碰面。 中山和桑原在指定的咖啡店等了约摸五分钟，向井出现了。宽阔的店内除了中山他们，只有一群像是学生的客人，不必担心谈话内容被听到。 “恭喜你闯入前四强。明天终于要和信光决战啦！”中山伸出右手。 “你是为了说这句话特别来见我？”向井冷冷说着，勉强挤出一丝笑容。 “坦白说，我来找你是想谈谈信光和习志野西的强打猛攻之秘密。我不允许甲子园和球员们再继续遭受污秽，希望从明天的比赛开始完全停止采用不正当手段，也希望你能说服柴田监督。” 向井静静凝视中山。“我不明白你在说什么？” “向井！” "..." “你现在开进口车，手上戴劳士力表，是从哪里拿到这么多钱？” “棒球还算是很赚钱的一门行业。”向井边抚着劳力士表，吃吃笑了。“你真的掌握我们和信光的秘密？” “当然！所以我现在能够走的只有两条路，一是在报纸上公开；一是在你的协助之下，中止习志野西和信光的不正当行为。以我个人的立场，我是希望能走第二条路，但愿你能明白。” “如果我和柴田监督中止不正当行为，你就不在报纸上报道？” “我是不打算报道。” “喂，等一下！你不能这样。”桑原慌忙打岔。但是，中山看也不看他一眼。 “你真的掌握真相？” “真的。你们是利用内野看台的秘密武器吧？” 向井略微低头，但是表情毫无变化。 “喂，是什么秘密武器？”桑原轮流看着默默相瞪视的两人，低声问。 “你所说的秘密武器只是信光的秘密之一半答案。”向井移开视线，淡然地说。 “一半？这话怎说？” “你应该能了解才对，就算使用秘密武器让打击者接收讯号，也不见得立刻能发挥强打，毋宁是更会让打击者的挥棒节奏混乱。” 中山在脑海中试着分析：球来了，讯号接收到……没错，挥棒节奏很可能会混乱！ “所以需要另外百分之五十的秘密？” “没错，而那才是真正可怕之事。” “那是让柴田监督疯狂的元凶？” 向井忽然避开视线，凝视窗外。中山无法知道对方究竟在想些什么！ “无论如何，向井，别再让球员继续这种不正当行为了。”中山眼中不自禁浮现泪珠。 “已经太迟了，都这样做过好几年，甲子园早就被污秽了。” “但是，总不能继续这样下去吧？到这里为止，无论如何，准决赛和决赛都要堂堂正正地决战。”中山忍不住上身前挪。 向井双臂交抱，紧闭上眼，似乎也被中山的话打动了。 两人之间只有店内播放的音乐流动。 向井的嘴像是吃到苦涩之物般张开。“我办不到！不管你怎么说，这是我的棒球，我一定要成为全日本第一？” “你的棒球是借不正当行为而获胜？” 向井没回答。两人再次相互瞪眼。 “你要报道也无所谓，但是，甲子园的形象将完全毁灭。这点，你能做到？” 中山痛苦地移开视线。“看起来真如真田所说，你已连根腐烂了。” "..." “我明白你的想法，但是，我会以我的方法解决。”中山愤然站起身。 “干么！等一下呀！要走了吗？如果不能在今、明两天内解开秘密，价码会差很多的。”桑原慌忙按住中山手臂。 “啰嗦！住嘴。”中山怒叫。 正在想及单纯的高校棒球时，中山实在无法忍受这种毫无顾虑、企图践踏棒球园地之人物！ 店内其他客人的谈话都被中