Chapter 12 The final chapter

The announcement that the plane has landed echoed in the customs hall. People with large travel bags and flight attendants in crisp uniforms shuttled non-stop.This is the lively departure hall of Narita Airport. Zhongshan had been sitting silently on a chair in the corner of the hall for nearly thirty minutes, with Sanada sitting beside him.There was a large duffel bag at Sanada's feet. The two didn't talk or look at each other, they just sat silently, but both of them were full of hot thoughts, and they could fully understand each other.In his loneliness, Nakayama stared at the brief moment of parting with Sanada with an incredible sense of fulfillment.

Soon... the time to break up has come. "I'm leaving." Sanada said, reaching for the luggage bag. Zhongshan stood up silently.The two walked side by side to the stairs leading to the exit inspection. At the entrance of the stairs, Sanada stopped and faced Zhongshan. "Thank you!" Sanada held the luggage bag in his left hand and extended his right hand. "That's all I can say to you." Seeing the tears in Sanada's eyes, Zhongshan couldn't help but close his eyes.Otherwise, I will cry too. "Take care!" Zhongshan firmly grasped Sanada's thick hand.

This is the hand that has been holding the ball to this day, and it is also the hand that has walked the baseball road with Mukai and Nakayama. Sanada nodded, let go, turned and walked down the stairs, but, as if suddenly thinking of it, stopped again. "What's wrong?" Sanada didn't answer, but silently reached out to unzip the luggage bag and said, "I'll leave this to you." What he took out was a ball! "This is..." Zhongshan took the ball and took a look. "Isn't this the victory ball between you and Mukai?" It was the victory ball that the two shot their partners when they won the championship at Koshien. Mukai entrusted Nakayama to hand the ball to Sanada before he died.The white ball has the words "Koshien Champion" on it, as well as the finger marks left by Mukai when he handed it to Nakayama with bloody hands.

"I wish to entrust this ball to you for safekeeping." Nakayama wanted to ask why, but Sanada stopped him. "This ball is condensed with Mukai's will, and he also has his desire to restore high school baseball to its true colors, and now you are the only one who can make it happen for him. You know Mukai better than I do, and you have inherited his will, yes. For this, I am really grateful, and I hope you can still keep your original intention in the future, and don't let his death become a sacrifice in vain." "I understand." After a brief silence, Zhongshan said. "Until you return home, I will take care of this ball."

"Please. I'm going to South America to face baseball again, and I'll definitely be back." Zhongshan nodded slowly.The eyes of the two stared at each other. "I just want to ask one thing." Zhongshan said suddenly, and Sanada looked at him strangely. "Did we use 'magic' in the final match we played against?" This is a question that has been troubling Zhongshan since the investigation of the incident. "Hey!" Sanada smiled. "Before that game, for some reason, the connection between the speed gun and the PC was broken, and the supervisor was very anxious, but I was not worried, because I thought that even without some 'magic', we would not lose to you. "

Zhongshan laughed out loud. "Anyway, the reckless Mukai must have stepped on it with his sneakers on purpose, right?" "When it comes to recklessness, I won't lose to him!" The eyes of the two met again. "I'm leaving!" Sanada shifted his gaze to the ball in Nakayama's hand, then shook his head vigorously, turned around, and went down the stairs. "Goodbye!" Zhongshan whispered. After Sanada's back disappeared, Zhongshan still stood still.For some reason, he suddenly felt that his youth was over, and he felt like his whole body was exhausted.

After finally turning around, Ye Zi stood in front of her. "Long time no see." Ye Zi said with a shy smile. "when did you come?" "It's been a long time." Ye Zi lowered her head in embarrassment for a moment, and then said, "I've been looking at you and Mr. Sanada." As she spoke, she stared straight at Zhongshan. Zhongshan couldn't help turning his face away.For some reason, Ye Zi's eyes are so dazzling. "Why didn't you call us? Did you say hello to Sanada?" Leaf shook her head silently. "Seeing you, I dare not make a sound, because it seems to be a world that I can't enter. I really envy you!"

Zhongshan didn't know how to answer, so he slowly started to walk forward.Ye Zi clasped her hands behind her back, bowed her head and followed. In front of the two of them was a bright coffee shop, and the runway could be clearly seen from the floor-to-ceiling windows. "How about a cup of coffee? Before Sanada's flight takes off," Nakayama said. Ye Zi still lowered her head and said, "Just before the flight took off?" As she spoke, she raised her face and stared at Zhongshan. Zhongshan no longer evaded, he smiled slightly facing Ye Zi's sight.Ye Zi tilted her face as if she was about to cry, but she smiled, a smile she hadn't seen for a long time.

"I'm sorry to Brother Ling." After the chat, Zhongshan said the words that had been stuck in his chest for an unknown amount of time. "Stop talking." Ye Zi put the iced coffee that was brought to her mouth back on the table, and said forcefully. "It's not your responsibility, it's me. However, it's useless to say these things now. My brother loves baseball, and he walked on the road of baseball wholeheartedly until his death. In this sense, I think he should be satisfied. Regardless I respect him no matter what the world says, even now. Moreover, because of your help, my brother did not die in vain, I am really grateful."

Ye Zi seemed to hold back her tears and looked out the window. Suddenly, she cheerfully pointed out the window and said, "Look, that's Mr. Sanada's flight, right?" Sure enough, a bright white JAL jet airliner slowly took off. Looking at the watch, it happened to be the time when Sanada's JAL flight was scheduled to take off. "It must be!" Zhongshan stared at the huge fuselage that flew gracefully into the sky.The aircraft gradually increased its speed and the elevation angle increased. Another friend left... Zhongshan had mixed feelings, staring at the white fuselage that was gradually going away, and tightly grasping the ball that Mukai and Sanada gave to him in his hand.

In the summer of Showa 56, in the scorching heat of Koshien, the pitcher, catcher, and hitter fought each other with all their strength at a distance of 18.44 meters from the pitcher's plate to the back of the home plate... Mukai showed strong fighting spirit, Sanada Calmly waving his hands to direct the defense, the earthy fragrance of Jiashiyuan and the tsunami-like shouts of the audience all emerged as clearly as if it happened yesterday. The three people at that time... Mukai was no longer alive, Sanada had just flown to a distant foreign country, and himself... Why, become like this?Whose responsibility is it?Zhongshan didn't understand. Zhongshan raised the ball in his hand and waved it towards the plane that gradually disappeared into the sky. ——I will inherit your will and do my best with this pen! Zhongshan believes that this is his mission to abandon baseball and embark on the road of journalists.He stared at the plane, which had become a small white dot. "do not!" While he was muttering, the slightly tilted fuselage reflected the sunlight. For a moment, the white light spot was dazzling, and then it seemed to melt into the blue sky and disappeared, leaving only the afterimage of the white light spot in Zhongshan's eyelids.