Chapter 9 chapter eight

At one o'clock, the final of the 70th National College Baseball Championship begins. Nakayama stayed at the hotel in Oyagi.Kuwahara was still on the bed, covering his head with a blanket.Oyagi sat on the chair next to Nakayama, looking at the TV. Before twelve noon that day, Mitarai called. Zhongshan called Mitarai to inform him of the incident, and asked him to go to the hospital. Mitarai went to the hospital to accompany Mukai, of course, without revealing his identity. "Mukai seems to be dead," Zhongshan said. Oyagi closed his eyes tightly, and Kuwabara held his head.After that, the three of them did not exchange a word.

Zhongshan looked at the TV in a daze, but he didn't see the image on the screen at all, but he still imagined the result of this game? The question is whether Miyamoto can pitch perfectly!If there is a ball speed of nearly 160 kilometers, even if the ball path is known, it is almost impossible for college students to hit the ball.However, if yesterday's fatigue persists and the speed of the ball slows down, and Narashino uses "magic" again, Miyamoto may not be able to hold his ground! Now that Mukai is gone, will Narashino use "magic"? The Jiaziyuan final is a lofty battlefield where players from all over the country seek to fight. Zhongshan does not want it to be polluted.

Toride Gakuen attacked in the first half of the inning, and Narashino Nishi's ace pitcher Horiuchi easily let the hitters up and down three times. ——Maybe it's a one-point pitching match! Watching Horiuchi throw the ball smoothly, Nakayama thought to himself. In the second half of the round, it was Nashino Nishi's turn to attack, and Bei Dao, who was the first batter, slowly walked into the strike zone. For the first time, the "VICTORY" subtitles lined up with a wall of people appeared on the cheerleaders of Toride Academy. It was the first time to play in Koshien. Toride Academy has never appeared with a more distinctive way of cheering. It is probably to welcome the finals. Prepare hastily!

Miyamoto, who was standing on the pitcher's board, looked up at the subtitles on the cheerleader's bench, seemed to smile, and then started to throw the first ball with a unique leisurely movement. It was a straight ball, as if to say: If you can hit it, you can let's hit! Kitajima swung his bat with all his might, a swing so bold that even his helmet flew off.The audience in the stands was completely excited. ——That's an attitude that intends to confront head-on! Zhongshan felt his eyes heat up. He thought that Bei Dao's swing had fully demonstrated the team's will, and his inner anxiety disappeared.

——Don't think about anything, just focus on fighting with all your strength! Zhongshan cheered for the two teams in his heart. Narashino West's hitters slammed hard into a fastball thrown by Miyamoto.As expected, the fatigue from yesterday still remained, and Miyamoto's power was slightly weakened. Although he still threw a ball with a speed of more than 150 kilometers, runners hit base every inning, but he never hit consecutive hits.Although Xi Zhiyexi had a runner on the second base, after all, he was still far away from home plate, but he obviously did not use "magic"!

On the other hand, Narashino Nishi's ace pitcher Horiuchi also blocked Toride Gakuen's offense with sharp fastballs and changeups. Even if there were occasional crises, they could be resolved one by one by the best defensive lineup in the country. After one advance and one retreat, the game progressed to the eighth inning, and the two sides were still tied at 0-0. In the first half of the ninth inning, Toride Gakuen relied on a single hit and a walkout to get a chance to be loaded with one out. The hitter was Miyamoto, the fourth batter. Narashino Nishi's catcher ran to the pitcher's pitch and said something to Horiuchi, and Horiuchi responded with two or three vigorous nods.If this inning is scored by the opponent, there is only the only chance to counterattack in the second half of the ninth inning. Facing Miyamoto's pitch, it is almost impossible to score in an offensive opportunity.

However, Horiuchi's face shown in the close-up shot on the TV screen has serious eyes full of fighting spirit, but his attitude is very free and easy. Maybe it can be said that he is enjoying the fun of the game!The catcher returns to his guarding position. Miyamoto slowly stepped into the strike zone. The first ball is a straight ball that does not enter the strike zone from the outer corner, and the second ball continues to be thrown.Miyamoto played smoothly. With a crisp sound of "clang", the ball flew flat to the left center field. Once the left fielder failed to catch it, it would definitely form a long hit in which all the runners on the base rushed back to the home plate.Both Nakayama and Oyagi couldn't help leaning forward, and all the audience in Koshien also stood up.

The left fielder scrambled back.The third base runner came back on base after going out, watching where the ball went. At the moment when everyone thought it was out of reach, the left fielder desperately jumped up to catch. ——Catched, the ball was caught, this is a wonderful ball game full of fighting spirit.However, the runner on third base took advantage of this opportunity to rush home, and Toride Gakuen finally scored a run in the top of the ninth inning. The announcer also shouted excitedly. The cheerleaders of Toride Academy cheered thunderously, as if they had secured the championship.On the other hand, Narashino Nishi's cheerleaders were silent, and their aura was overwhelmed by the monstrous Miyamoto!

Still facing two outs and a runner on first and third base, Horiuchi fought to strike out the next hitter to end the half-inning. In the second half of the ninth inning, it was the turn of Nashino Nishi to make the final attack.All the cheerleaders of Xi Zhiyexi stood up. They fought together with the ball until the final. Their throats became hoarse, and their drumming hands were bleeding. The female cheerleaders even cheered with tears in their eyes. In front of everyone's sight, stood Miyamoto.He worked his pitching practice slowly and indifferently.Narashino Nishi's first-team players stood in a circle in front of the first basemen's lounge, accepting the captain's instructions. After that, Horiuchi seemed to say something to everyone, and then everyone yelled and encouraged each other, and then dispersed.

The first-ever seventh-batter hits the strike zone. The first pitch was right angled into the strike zone and he ground a nice ground hit out of center field. The TV screen showed close-up shots of female students embracing each other and jumping up. Beside them, there was another female student with folded hands, bowed head and closed eyes. - The ball speed has been slightly slowed down. Zhongshan calmly watched Miyamoto on the TV screen.The fatigue from day-to-day pitching, coupled with nervousness, raised the upper body a little, and as a result, the ball was thrown only by arm strength, and the power was weakened.

Zhongshan has an ominous premonition! Until now, college teams with only one super pitcher have rarely won championships.If only one game decides the outcome, Toride Gakuen is likely to be the strongest high school team in Japan. However, to win the championship at Koshien, one must continuously defeat capable opponents.That is to say, just like the seasons that professional teams must last for a long period of time, they need to have "continuous winning for a certain period of time". team strength, and Toride Gakuen is still inferior to Nashino Nishi in this respect, so at the last moment maybe... The eighth bat sent the runner to second base with a strike, and it seemed that he was aiming to get back a score first. The ninth bat went into the strike zone.Although short in stature, he has a solid swing and is a difficult hitter for Miyamoto. Miyamoto also tried his best to throw the ball. With the powerful straight ball, it was rare to strike out the opponent with the hook ball at the end. "One left!" The cheerleaders of Toride Academy and even all the stands shouted "one left". It seems that the overwhelming majority of the audience supported Toride Academy. The first hitter walked slowly to the strike zone, and before entering the strike zone, he held the bat high to his forehead and bowed his head slightly in prayer.One second, two seconds... A close-up of his side face with eyes closed appeared on the TV screen, and the background of the screen was a scene of a female cheerleader crying and cheering. Miyamoto took off his hat with his right hand and wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve. From his body movements and expressions, it could be seen that he was obviously tired. "Come on! There is only one batter left." Zhongshan said for the first time. Oyagi looked at him in surprise. Miyamoto glanced at the runners on second base and began to prepare to throw the ball. After seeing the catcher's signal gesture, he nodded slightly. The first ball is a slightly high straight ball that goes in front of the batter's face and is called a ball. ——The upper body has already floated up. Due to fatigue, the lower body cannot be lowered, and the ball is thrown only by arm strength. As a result, the power of the ball will be weakened and the control will be unstable. The second ball is a low ball. ——Don't be anxious to throw a straight ball!Nakayama almost prayed.With the current strength, it is very dangerous to hit a straight ball! The third pitch was thrown, a straight ball in the middle of the base. --Oops!The moment Zhongshan thought this way, there was a clear "clang", and the batter stepped slightly on tiptoe to the outside and swung the bat back forcefully. The announcer's voice was drowned out by the cheers.All the players in Narashinoshi ran out of the lounge and looked in the direction of the ball.Kneeling on the pitcher's plate, Miyamoto looked over his shoulder at the bleachers in left field. The defenders of Toride Gakuen on the field were all in different postures, looking incredulously at the left field stand, standing still. Time passed slowly. Zhongshan recalled the scene of his final at Jiashien in the summer of long ago.At that time, when the fly ball I hit was flying in the air over the catcher, time also passed slowly.Hard practice, gratitude at the moment of winning the regional preliminaries... all kinds of things in the past three years come to mind bit by bit. Zhongshan stood up quietly and turned off the TV. Oyagi crossed his arms and stared at the ceiling.For him, such an ending must have made him extremely emotional! Zhongshan didn't understand that such a result was good?Suppression? There is a knock on the door. "Come in, the door is unlocked," Zhongshan said. The door opened immediately, and two men with sharp eyes, who could tell they were criminals at a glance, entered.Zhongshan and Oyagi stood up and stood in front of the two criminals. "This is Deputy Inspector Hagino, and this is... probably Mr. Sato!" Before the criminal could speak, Oyagi introduced to Zhongshan. "Please give me your advice, I am Zhongshan from Eastern Sports News." Hagino looked at Zhongshan as if he weighed his weight. "I heard that you have something to tell us about the murders of Yajima and Mukai." Hagino's tone was clearly sarcasm.Perhaps it was dissatisfaction with Zhongshan for not informing Kuniyoshi of the murder and Mukai's murder before the final! Zhongshan said indifferently: "Yes. However, it should be me and Mr. Oyagi who want to inform the police of some things. Of course, not everything has been revealed." "Hey, is there something else for us to do?" Hagino did not change his sarcastic tone. "It's not convenient to talk standing up, so please sit down!" Oyagi said. The two criminals sat on chairs, while Nakayama and Oyagi sat by the bed.At this time, Kuwahara also got up and sat beside Oyagi. The young criminal looked sideways at Kuwahara.Hagino swayed his legs lightly and said, "Where do we start?" Zhongshan first sorted out what he should say in his mind, and then said: "Our company publishes a special edition of Koshien every year. This year's theme is the fierce battle between Shinko, Toride Gakuen, and Narashino Nishi. Koshien fought against Mukai and Sanada, so he was in charge of interviewing Narashino Nishi and Toride Gakuen, but after starting the interview, he discovered a strange thing." "A miracle?" "Hmm. Sanada and Mukai are hostile to each other!" Hagino snorted lightly. "Isn't everyone aware of this?" "You mean because of the accident that Mukai encountered in college? But, I don't think that's the reason for the two people's hatred for each other. In terms of their personalities, they shouldn't turn against each other for this kind of thing, so the reason is definitely elsewhere .” Hagino said, "So, you mean..." "In order to find out the real reason, I went to meet the supervisor Ishii of the two in the S era, and I also met Mukai's younger sister Ye Zi, and asked Mukai and Sanada directly." "The results of it?" "I found out that Mukai seems to have something to do with baseball gambling, and that's why he cut off contact with Sanada. Also, baseball gambling is also related to Shinmitsu's former player, Kuniyoshi, who in turn has a connection to Yajima of the Blue Wind Club. " Hagino didn't write down the important points, and tapped the notepad with the ballpoint pen as if he knew it already. "I ran into Mr. Oyagi when I was tracking Kuniyoshi." Zhongshan looked at Oyagi. Oyagi coughed lightly, and continued: "From the fact that Nashino Nishi and Shinmitsu's team's batting rate was abnormal in one inning, and both teams started to play hard after the third inning, I think these two teams must be secretly playing tricks. , so when I monitored the actions of the two teams in Koshien, I found that these two universities had connections with Kuniyoshi, Yajima and Qingfeng. Not long after, Yajima was killed, and I witnessed Shibata and Mukai leaving the scene. Therefore , I think so: It is likely that Kuniyoshi holds the secret of 'magic' - as we call the secret of the unusually high team batting average - and uses it to threaten Mukai and Shibata." "I also thought that if the two cheated the match, it would be a scandal that caused a sensation in society, so trying to seize some evidence, as long as there is one piece of conclusive evidence, the others can be rendered with proper imagination, it will be an exclusive The best opportunity for a special report, but it has been unable to obtain conclusive evidence. The Qingfenghui is heavily guarded and there is no way to start, so I have to try my best to solve the mystery of the 'magic'." "Have you solved the mystery yet?" Hagino asked with squinted eyes, as if interested. "Not at all. Considering that the catcher's signal signal might be detected from the field, I radioed the striker, and tried various methods to investigate, but found nothing." "Couldn't it be to see the pitcher's pitching posture or understand the pitcher's ball path?" Hagino raised doubts. "I thought about it too. I thought about all the possibilities, but I couldn't find the answer. In the end, I saw with my own eyes that even if the pitcher pitched without a signal, the pitch was known to the opponent... I finally gave up and thought to myself I had to use a slightly rough method to ask it from Guoji, but I didn't expect to meet Zhongshan because of it." "That's why you teamed up? So, you have seen through the mystery of 'magic'?" Hagino shifted his legs and looked at Zhongshan. "Not bad." Oyagi swallowed a mouthful of saliva instantly. "According to the results of Mr. Oyagi's investigation, I know that it is not the catcher's signal gesture, so I start here. After careful analysis, I judge that it is not the habit of spying on the pitcher's pitching posture, nor does I know the pitching between the catchers. Matching mode." "So, aren't Nashino Nishi and Shinmitsu's players all superpowers who can read what's going on in the pitcher's mind?" Oyagi said angrily. "The players of the two teams are certainly not superpowers." "So, what kind of method is there? Do you really know?" Oyagi said excitedly. Hagino also stared at Nakayama in disbelief. "I'm going to watch the semifinals on the premise of what I just said, and see how the hitters of Nobumitsu and Nashino Nishi tend to use 'magic'." "Did you find anything?" "Each hitter hits the straight ball with the same stance and timing as he hits the straight ball." The four people listening at the side shook their heads, probably not understanding the meaning of this sentence! Zhongshan in detail. "This means that the batter does not know the pitcher's pitch when he starts to swing. Usually, when the batter is in a double-good situation, for the next strike, he must hit regardless of the pitch. At this time, the batter The posture and timing of hitting the straight ball. This is because if the pitcher throws a curve ball or other changing balls, he can still react accordingly. However, if he hits with the posture and timing of hitting the changing ball, once the pitcher throws a straight ball, it is too late to react. .” "I see." Kuwahara, who had some experience in baseball, nodded. "That is to say, the hitters of Narashino Nishi and Shinmitsu hit the straight ball with the posture and timing, which means that they did not know at the time that the pitcher would throw a straight ball or a change ball. However, when the ball was hit with the bat, The path of the ball is indeed known. That is, the batter already knows the path of the ball within a very short period of time after hitting the ball. "In this case, there are two possibilities that can be thought of. One is that before the pitcher releases the ball, someone outside somehow snoops on the signal signal and communicates it to the batter, but it takes time to communicate, and the batter The bat was almost in contact with the ball when the signal was received. Regarding this point, Mr. Oyagi’s investigation can be denied.” "What about another possibility?" Oyagi asked anxiously. "The hitter doesn't know the path of the ball when he hits the bat, but he knows the path of the ball before the moment he hits the ball. However, this must be the correct answer." "There will be such a thing?" Oyagi asked dubiously. "Absolutely. However, if you think this way, there is another big problem. That is, there is about 0.5 seconds between when the batter hits the ball and when the batter hits the ball. It is impossible to convey the way to the assailant by ordinary methods.” "Of course." Hagino murmured. "Another point is that the hitters of Narashino Nishi and Shinmitsu are not good at hitting fast sliders, that is to say, it is difficult to tell the path of fast sliders using 'magic'. Considering this, I know for sure 'Magic' mystery." "Really? I still don't understand." Oyagi said. "There is only one possibility. The time between when the batter strikes the ball and when it hits the ball is equal to the time between when the ball leaves the hand of the pitcher and when the ball hits home plate, that is, the time the ball is in the air." "It should be like this!" Oyagi said word by word. "However, can you know the path of the ball when it is in the air?" "Yes! More accurately, it should be to measure the difference in the speed of the ball!" "A speed gun?" Kuwahara asked loudly. Zhongshan nodded slightly. "That's right. Another thing is the personal computer. Narashino Nishi and Shinmitsu send scouting troops with personal computers and speed guns to sit in the infield stands every game. This is the secret of the 'magic' they use." "A speed gun and a personal computer..." Oyagi murmured.It seems that the tangled thoughts in his mind have also been untied, and he has begun to see the truth of the situation. Zhongshan continued: "As you all know, if you use a speed gun, you can know the initial velocity and the underspeed of the pitched ball. Usually, the speed gun will measure the initial velocity 0.5 seconds after the ball leaves the pitcher's hand, and it will be measured 0.2 seconds later. terminal speed." "I know that, but is it possible to convey the speed of each pitch to the batter?" Hagino asked. "It's probably impossible with the current technology, and it doesn't make sense to assume it can be done." "Huh? How do you say that?" "It is useless for the batter to know the speed of the ball he wants to hit at the moment if it is 0.1 second after the ball leaves the pitcher's hand. In fact, it should only be conveyed to the batter whether the pitcher is throwing a straight ball or Change the ball, otherwise, the hitter will not be able to react in a very short time after receiving the message and hitting the ball, because there is no time to think about the speed of the ball at 120 kilometers, which is a curve ball. After all, after receiving the signal, there is still A reflexive response is required." "How much time do you need?" "Based on the straight ball of a Koshien-level pitcher, the time from when the ball leaves the pitcher's hand to when it touches the bat is about 0.5 seconds, and the average hitter judges whether the pitcher's pitch is a good ball or a bad ball, or what the ball path is, Then decide whether to hit the ball, the time should be about 0.25 seconds after the pitcher leaves the hand. Therefore, if you receive the signal from the speed gun after 0.1 seconds, you will theoretically know the ball path 0.15 seconds earlier than relying on your own eyes.” "I see! Although there is only a very short time difference, it is indeed conducive to the swing reaction." "This very short time difference makes a lot of difference, so I would say 'in theory' it's good for the hitter. But, importantly, it gives a good idea of ​​why the 'magic' can't be effectively used until after three innings reason." Zhongshan wrote down the numbers on the memo paper on the table while looking at the notepad, which were "138, 117, 136, 140, 120, 134, 119, 137, 137, 140, 119". "This is the initial speed data of the ball thrown by the opposing team's pitcher measured by the speed gun of a certain newspaper in the second round of Narashino West. This pitcher uses the fastball as the main weapon. The pitching form Very simple, there are only two kinds of ball paths, straight ball and curve ball, which can be seen from the data, that is, the speed of the straight ball is between 134 and 140 kilometers, and the speed of the curve ball is between 117 and 1 Between twenty kilometers." The four looked at the numbers written by Zhongshan and nodded. "Taking this as an example, if the speed of the ball exceeds 130 kilometers, it is a straight ball, and if the speed of the ball is less than 130 kilometers, it is a curve ball. There should be no error. That is to say, if the number measured with a speed gun is entered into the personal computer, if the Within 130 kilometers, the personal computer transmitted a signal to the assailant. There was probably a small transmitter attached to the personal computer, which transmitted the signal to the receiver on the assailant's helmet. "If the ball speed exceeds 130 kilometers, no signal will be sent. In this way, the batter can know whether it is a straight ball or a change ball 0.1 seconds after the pitcher's ball is released. "And I actually intercepted the very weak signal sent to the batter in the infield stands, only when the change ball was thrown. When using this method, depending on the pitcher's adjustment status on the day, it will take at least three innings before it can be used. After the pitcher throws the various pitches he owns, how many kilometers is the ball speed to judge the boundary between the straight ball and the change ball." "Damn it, it turned out to be this way! However, I also detected the radio waves, but I couldn't intercept them at all." Oyagi asked suspiciously. "The reconnaissance unit is usually near the front row of the infield stands, from there it is less than 20 meters away from the striker, and, in order to prevent being detected by others, they must use extremely weak but very directional radio waves, so you guys It cannot be stopped." "That's right, we're only next to the players' lounge." "Using this method, we can also fully understand the mystery of why the hitters of Shinomitsu and Narashino Nishi did not slip the ball. In the physical proof, if a certain hypothesis can give a clear answer to all the puzzles, it can be regarded as the hypothesis. It is correct. The situation is the same this time, the mystery of the 'Magic' starting after the third inning can also perfectly explain the mystery of the non-slip ball, and even another more important mystery..." "What more important mystery?" Hagino asked with narrowed eyes. Yes, they still don't understand the real horror of this "magic", and don't understand the other 50% horror that Mukai said! "Let me explain in order!" Zhongshan said sadly, and wrote another set of numbers. 132, 129, 130, 118, 126, 132, 127, 120, 128, 117, 131, 132, 123. "This is the speed of the ball pitched by Shiroyama Kogyo's pitcher Kurita when Shinko's hitters went up and down three times. As you all know, in this game, Kurita suppressed Shinko's batting group, and it was still at the end of the eighth inning. Couldn't score." "This set of numbers is weird!" Oyagi said in a daze. "Kurita's condition in that game was not very good. From the data, it can be seen that the fastest pitch he threw was only one to two to three kilometers. Therefore, he knew that he could not suppress Nobumitsu's attack with a straight ball, so he slid a lot. The ball, unexpectedly, is very effective, the angle is sharp, and the speed of the ball is similar to that of a straight ball. For example, 126 and 127 kilometers are probably sliders. "But because his straight ball speed is only about 130 kilometers, it is difficult to tell whether it is a straight ball or a slider based on the number measured by the speed gun. In that game, I found that Shinko used 'magic' in the sixth game, Maybe 128 kilometers is the limit! However, Kurita threw a slider with a speed of more than 128 kilometers, and a straight ball with a speed of less than 127 kilometers. No wonder Shinko’s batting group was confused. Because I thought it was a straight ball, but I went in with a slider, there was no way to hit." So far, the previous 50% of the mystery has been revealed. Zhongshan suddenly felt his throat was very dry, stood up, opened the refrigerator, and took out a cold Coke.He asked the four of them what they wanted, but all of them shook their heads silently. Oyagi crossed his thick arms, closed his eyes, and frowned.Zhongshan took a big gulp of Coke and reached out to wipe off the foam from the corner of his mouth. "What has just been said is only half of the 'magic' mystery." "Half? What's going on?" Oyagi asked, letting go of his hands. "Isn't it fully explained?" "Theoretically yes." "Theoretically?" "Yes, maybe in theory doesn't mean it can be done in practice." The eyes of the four were all focused on Zhongshan's face. "As I said just now, the batter judges the pitch and angle of the ball thrown by the pitcher, and when he starts to bat, it is about 0.25 seconds after the pitcher's ball leaves his hand; on the other hand, the batter receives the information from the personal computer The signal is 0.1 seconds later." "That's a lot of time to spare." "No, almost meaningless." "What! What's going on here?" "It takes a while for the brain to receive signals from the eyes and ears, and then give instructions to the hands and feet to perform actions. For example, in the car coaching field, it is often heard that the coach explains that the time between human beings detecting danger with the eyes and then stepping on the brakes, There is a reaction time, about 0.4 seconds." "0.4 seconds. Doesn't the pitcher get the ball into the catcher's mitt?" "Yes. To shorten this 0.4 seconds, you must rely on willpower and practice. The example just refers to the danger that is completely unexpected, but if the driver can predict the danger, such as the car waiting for the red light to turn green. For the instant start of the green light, due to the change of the attention signal, the time will be shortened to 0.2 seconds. The most notable example is that the runners who run the 100 meters can make an appointment after the starting gun by focusing on concentration and training. Out in 0.1 seconds." Zhongshan stopped and looked at the four people, making sure that they were all listening intently before continuing. "In terms of baseball, it usually takes about 0.25 seconds after the pitcher to judge whether to swing the bat. If you want to hit, you will start to swing the bat. However, when using 'magic', the ear will receive the signal after 0.1 seconds. It is 0.15 earlier. After receiving the signal in seconds, and delaying 0.15 seconds to transmit the signal to the brain through the eyes, the movement of starting to swing is almost unchanged. "Why? Because if they can play in Koshien, the players must have played baseball since they were young, and accumulated countless trainings that transmit signals from the eyes to the brain and then control the swing. However, the training of swinging by receiving signals from the ears is When you start after entering college, the difference is huge. So, even if the ear receives the signal 0.15 seconds earlier, it is almost meaningless." "Indeed." Oyagi said. "Here comes the most important question. I am sure that the mystery of the 'magic' has been solved, but in fact this trick is of no use to the batters, but in fact the strikers of Shinmitsu and Narashino Nishi can. How can we explain such a contradiction when we play a strong attack?" The four of them nodded involuntarily. "The most important thing is that the batters of Nobumitsu and Narashino Nishi have all received rigorous training to be able to respond quickly after the ears receive the signal. In other words, in order to be able to use 'magic' in a short period of time, training beyond the limit is required." "If it's so painful, why not practice in the right direction, wouldn't it be more effective?" Oyagi said sarcastically. "It can be said that, but the problem is that once you learn how to react as quickly as your eyes can transmit signals after receiving signals with your ears, the benefits will be hard to estimate. At the level of college students, because they cannot distinguish whether it is a straight ball or a curve ball, many Batters can't hit a curveball. But if you use 'magic', you can recognize it correctly, and it will be recognized 0.1 seconds after the ball is thrown, which has a lot to do with the quality of your bat swing. "You can judge the course of the ball in a second. It should have the hitting level of Wang Zhenzhi or Nagashima, or even surpass it. In addition, the most important thing that cannot be ignored is the psychological factor! "Hitters are often confused and don't know whether the next ball is a straight ball, a curve ball or other change balls. Once they can identify the ball path, they will confidently wait for the hit. This psychological factor has a great influence on high school students. Former Hiroshima team Koji Yamamoto is known as a good ball picker, but if you use 'magic', you can not only describe it as a master, but also know the pitcher's pitch 100%, and of course you can swing with all your strength under full preparation." "I see. In high school baseball, if there are hitters with the batting skills of Sadaharu Sadaharu, Nagashima, or Koji Yamamoto, of course the offensive power will be very strong. Shinomitsu and Nashino Nishi are trying to make the players hit as high as Sadaharu Sadaharu and Koji Yamamoto in a short period of time. At the level of Long Island, the players are strictly trained to use 'magic'." Hagino said. "But what's the secret about its training? Could it be what you call the remaining 50% secret?" Zhongshan nodded vigorously. "So, what kind of training did they take?" "When I went to see Mukai, he asked me to 'investigate the incident eight years ago'." "The incident eight years ago?" "Yes, eight years ago, a Shinko player named Yanagisawa committed suicide by electrocuting himself with an electric blanket." Hagino's face was distorted in confusion, he probably couldn't imagine the relationship between this incident and this incident! "Mukai only wanted me to investigate the incident eight years ago, but I didn't know anything, so I had to search the newspapers from eight years ago from the beginning. When I found the report of the electrocution suicide incident, I had solved all the mysteries." "I still don't understand! What is the relationship between this incident and the suicide incident?" "That's not suicide!" "what?" "It was an accident." "An accident?" "It was reported that Yanagisawa committed suicide because he was selected as a first-team player, but he was troubled by the lack of success. Yes, he was really troubled, and he had special training alone early in the morning, but he had a strong personality, He will only work hard with one heart and one mind, so many people doubted why he committed suicide at the time. "Mukai will ask me to investigate this incident. There should be other inside information. After making such a judgment, I found that this is not a suicide, but the possibility of accidental death! Yanagizawa practiced swinging alone early in the morning, desperately as if obsessed Practicing, but accidentally electrocuted...I believe this has something to do with the special training for performing 'magic'!" "How is it possible?" Hagino said loudly, his face flushed. "It's not wrong! In order to improve the reaction speed of the players' ears when receiving signals, Shinko requires the players to undergo electric shock exercises." "This is basically what Bablov (Annotation: Ivan Petrovich Pavlov, 1849~1936, Soviet Russian physiologist, established the theory of conditioned reflex, a pioneer in the study of brain physiology, won the Nobel Prize in Medicine and Physiology in 1904) Dog." Oyagi frowned. "That's right, it's almost the same as Bablov's experiment with dogs. In order to increase the reflection speed in a short period of time, Shinko gave electric shocks to the players' bodies while the signal sounded in the helmet. After repeated practice like this , Finally, when the player hears the signal, the body will produce a violent reflex movement as if receiving an electric shock, and as a result, in a short period of time, the gap in the reflection speed between the eyes transmitting the signal to the brain and the ear receiving the signal is filled." "Is it actually possible?" "I think it's possible. A few days ago, a certain TV station aired a special episode exploring the secrets of why East German athletes are so strong." "Oh? The so-called secret is..." "According to Dongde's coach, players who have already reached the world level have exercised their skills and physical strength to the limit. If they want to improve their strength, they have to try to increase the reflex speed of nerves, which is an unknown field. In fact, they have already done so. If the instructions of the brain are quickly transmitted to the various studies and training of the strengthening nervous system of the muscles." "I know that, but Shinmitsu is your imagination, or is there any proof?" Hagino moved forward and asked. "There was evidence." "How to say?" "Yesterday I sneaked into Shinko's indoor practice field and found the equipment that gave the players electric shocks, but it may have been disposed of now. However, even if there is no physical evidence, by now, Sanada and Shinko's former players should be frank. !" Hagino nodded slightly. "How did the so-called electric shock accident happen?" "Depending on the physique, some people can withstand electric shocks better, while others can't bear it. Liu Ze probably has a constitution that is extremely sensitive to electricity! He was selected as a first-year player in the first grade, but he was anxious about not being able to withstand it. Too good at adapting to electric shock swing training. So he often conducts special training alone early in the morning, but he still can’t adapt. In the end, he increases the voltage. That is, in order to motivate himself, he slowly increases the voltage bit by bit. Turn it up, and the result will unknowingly exceed the limit that your body can bear." "So that's the case. However, the electric shock device can't be specially ordered, and the voltage should be about 100 volts for household use! Can this kind of thing be so easy to cause people to be electrocuted?" O Yagi seemed incomprehensible ask. "The death of a person by electric shock depends on the strength of the current, and has no direct relationship with the voltage. The current enters from one part of the body and flows out from other parts. That is, when the current flows through the body, it will cause electric shock accidents, especially the electric current. Even an unexpectedly small current, as low as ten micrometer amperes, flowing directly through the heart can result in electrocution." "Ten micron ampere? Doesn't that mean that as long as the general electrical appliances in the house are enough? People will die so easily?" Oyagi asked suspiciously.He looked at Hagino, as if asking for his consent. "Mr. Zhongshan is right. As long as there is an effective electric current, people are likely to die in the blink of an eye." Hagino said. After Zhongshan nodded lightly, he continued: "As I said just now, the so-called electricity, even if it hits a certain point on the body with a high voltage, can endure unexpectedly, but if the current flows through the body, it will be very painful. It’s dangerous. For example, Shinko performs response training in which the ears receive signals. The electric shock is located close to the ear, and it is very likely that the electrode will touch the temple area and apply a momentary voltage. This situation is very dangerous!” "The so-called danger is..." Hagino stopped recording and asked. “因为棒球球员身上通常有很多金属制品。从头上讲，先是护盔，然后是腰带扣环、球鞋扣环，手上又拿着金属球棒。常有人说打棒球时，落雷在护盔顶上，会经球鞋流出，因此，打棒球时对于电的使用必须特别注意。但是，柴田监督可能没有这方面的知识，才采用电击训练吧！所以，柳泽的意外触电也可说应该会发生。” “我懂了。这么说，他是在室内练习场独自训练时触电死亡，但又如何能被布置成在自己房中触电自杀呢？” “信光的二军通常都从正午开始练习，而柳泽于每天清晨六点便开始特别训练，但是，发现他的人可能是在二军开始练习前来整理球场的工友吧！他见到柳泽倒地死亡，从现场状况了解真相，但他毕竟是狂热的信光教派信徒，当场认为事实绝对不能公开，所以他很可能和柴田监督联络。柴田监督就住在球场旁，赶抵后，大概已想到该如何处理了吧！因为，柴田监督对球员日常生活的安排应该都了解得情清楚楚。” “所以趁宿舍都无人时，把尸体运入房间，布置成触电自杀的模样？以信光的声誉，怎会做出如此愚蠢之事？”萩野说出自己的感想。 “正是为了顾及信光的声誉，才会这么做吧！一旦触电意外死亡的真相公开，棒球队的非法行为也将无所遁形，再加上被知道一向揭橥自由的信光学园对球员施以动物实验般的训练，不仅对学校本身，甚至对信光教派都可能产生难以估计的影响，身为狂热信徒的柴田监督当然绝对不能这么做了。” “他简直疯了。”萩野恨恨状地说。 “我倒是能够理解。” 萩野很意外似地看着中山。 “因为我也曾希望在甲子园夺冠……为了拿冠军，竭尽所能地努力，一年三百六十五天，每天都只想着这件事，于是不分昼夜地练习。如此一来，对周遭的事物早已视若无睹，除了棒球、除了在甲子园夺冠，其他都无所谓了，所以很容易陷入外人看来很滑稽、自己却拼命去做的状态中。” “确实没错，也有学校为了培养精神力量，采取赤足在雪地上跑步、或在黑暗中接球以开启心眼的练习。”曾数度采访高校棒球的大八木说。 “在雪地上跑步的练习，我们学校也采用过。当时，青森的青森北高实力非常坚强，我们监督分析青森北高为何会如此强的原因，结果发现他们长期间在冰雪封闭之中苦练，养成不屈不挠的个性，实力才会如此强。因此，在下雪的日子，我们也赤足在雪地上跑，目的是体验他们忍受的部分痛苦。” “你们真的这么做了？真可笑。”萩野说。 大八木和桑原也失笑。 “说出来是很可笑之事，但是，超过一百人的球员拼了命般地赤足奔跑在雪地上的情景，确实很具震撼力！” “不错，听起来都觉得心寒。到了这种程度，等于是棒球的狂热信徒一般，但是，甲子园的冠军真的那样让打棒球的高校学生疯狂？” “问题是，不管哪一种运动，若能攀登全国将近四千所高校的顶峰，皆非容易之事。何况，甲子园和其他运动还有些不同：其他运动若拿到全国冠军，只是彼此相互拥抱、喜极而泣，然后大伙去面馆大吃一顿，一切就告结束。但是，甲子园若拿到冠军，却会成为家乡的英雄、传播媒体的宠儿，球员和监督能获得各种荣誉和诱惑。在不知游戏途中会发生什么变数的意义下，甲子园确实能令人着迷，当然在那种情况下，人也会完全改变了。” “柴田和向井都是在着迷之下走火入魔？” Zhongshan silently nodded. “着迷的人不只是他们，但是，这次事件可以提醒所有的人不要走火入魔。 四人都用力点头。 “对了，和柳泽同房的国吉知道触电意外死亡的真相吗？”大八木问。 “应该知道吧！他是借此要挟柴田的。”桑原理所当然似地说。 “我想大概不知道。如果他知道真相，应该也知道'魔术'之事，那么万一他把真相泄漏于外界，事情就会闹大，信光方面不可能让如此危险的人物退出球队，又让他辍学，至少会设法安慰，给他一军球员的守备位置加以笼络吧！信光没有这么做，可认为他不知实情，只是……” “只是怎样？” “同房的室友意外死亡，国吉心中抱持怀疑的可能性很大，他一定希望知道真相……因此，对信光而言，他等于是非常危险地存在！” “正好当时国吉被卷入群殴事件，就趁机把他赶出棒球队？” “可能就是这样吧！在此种意义下，我认为国吉也是事件的被害者。如果没有柳泽意外死亡之事发生，柴田不会设法隐瞒真相，国吉很可能成为一军球员活跃于甲子园，目前说不定仍是一流的棒球员，过着平顺的人生。但是，那次事件改变了他的一生。” “国吉退出球队后，也中途辍学，后来遇见向井，又碰上矢岛，终于走上堕落之路……”萩野说。 “以前我就知道国吉和向井同乡，彼此会有接点，但是，是谁提议要借'魔术'的不正当行为要挟柴田，又用来进行诈欺比赛呢？” “这我就不知道了。不过，要采用'魔术'而进行特别训练的只限于少部分的一军球员，他们一定被严格要求不准外泄，所以，知道'魔术'秘密的人是向井，并非国吉。另外，向井同期的！军球员，也可能隐约察觉柳泽的死因是由于进行电击的特别训练。 “国吉应该是从向井口中获知'魔术'的秘密，大概两人不是想一起利用它要挟柴田进行诈欺比赛，就是向井在酒后偶然说出，结果却被国吉予以利用。但以我的立场，我相信向井是半被国吉所威胁，于是不得不安排诈欺比赛。” “但是，向井在习志野西采用'魔术'是在国吉和青风会打交道之前，可见至少他这样做是出于自己的意念。” “确实是那样，但……” “我并非不能理解你想庇护向井的心情，但……算了。反正，柴田不是自己主持诈欺比赛，而是被国吉和向井所要挟，不得不这样做？”萩野问。 “大概是这样吧！最近五年，柴田一直未采用'魔术'，但是今年却忽然又再采用，这不可能是为了急于对抗习志野西，应该认为他是受迫不得不这么做。虽然是他自己播的种，他仍是被害人之一。柴田、国吉和向井都是将满腔热情灌注于棒球上，如果他们不是偏了方向，将都是在棒球场上能各自充分活跃的重要角色。” “但是，始作俑者的柴田该负责。”大八木恨恨状地说。 “柴田也可能只是一心一意地想让球队增强实力，才会想出那样的方法吧！最初，他可能只利用来调整打击节奏，却没想到会因而有人死亡。” “你这么说未免太庇护他了。柴田在柳泽出事死亡后仍毫无顾忌地继续使用'魔术'，以正常人而论，根本不太可能，可见他是为了求胜而不择手段的人物。”大八木似碰到污秽之物般，蹙眉地说。 “但是，若发生意外后立刻中止使用'魔术'，等于让球员们知道意外是因特别训练而发生，所以柴田就算想停止也无能为力。事实上，在当时的球员全部毕业后，信光就不再采用'魔术'了。” "That's right..." “他并非真正的恶徒，只是因甲子园而走火入魔。” A long silence continued.只有年轻刑事用来录音的小型录音机的运转声在室内回响。 不久，大八木似甩掉一切杂乱念头，边轻轻摇头，边开口问：“刚刚的话足以说明棒球赌博的内幕，但是，矢岛命案呢？向井果真是凶手？” “依留在现场的指纹状况来判断，应该不会错，另外，从被切断的电话线和门内侧的把手上，也检测出向井的指纹，而柴田的指纹只有在门外侧的把手上发现。柴田方面，他虽承认去过矢岛的房间，但可能进不去吧！因为当时的矢岛已被向井所杀。”萩野说。 所有人都默默点头。 “对了，向井是怎样从矢岛的房间脱身呢？世人常说有所谓的密室之谜，对此，警方是否查出什么线索？” “没有……”萩野难为情似地用原子笔搔头皮。“反正既已知道事件的全貌，相信不久的将来会解开谜题吧！也许以后还需要各位帮忙，届时请多多指教。”说着，萩野收起记事本，站起身。 但是，走到门口，他又停下来，回头。“谢谢各位。” 在他内心深处，也许已对中山的做法产生共鸣了吧！ 中山轻轻颔首？萩野好像想说什么，微张开嘴唇，却又似吞咽下去，再次点头后，径自走出房门。 门关上的瞬间，房里的气氛似乎霎时松弛了。 中山站起身，走向窗畔，眺望外头的景色。车辆的鲜红尾灯化为一道光带，沉入淡蓝色的夕暮中。 他慢慢反刍着自己刚刚所说的话。 ——事实已经解明了。 高校棒球界可能会受到强烈震撼吧！但是，如以前石井所说，恶脓终必流出才行！中山很希望相信借此一来，高校棒球能恢复本来的面目。 他不懂的是向井的心——向井为何要将灵魂出卖给恶魔呢？ 那遥远的夏日，面向自己全力投出快速球的向井，在中山的感觉里仿佛像是昨日，他仍能清楚忆起。但是，那样的向井，昨夜却在自己怀中，浑身血污、无力地笑着…… 中山甩甩头，拉过提袋，从里面拿出向井交给自己的那颗球——球上有荣耀的字迹和向井沾血的指痕。 ——向井！中山持球之手用力紧握，面向黑暗的天空喊叫。