Didn’t you say you were just using me as a substitute?

"Kitahara, you're going too far."

After changing into a new pair of sports glasses, Horikita Manabu walked up to Kitahara Takashi with a grim expression.

He now understood why Kitahara Tsutomu had just invited his sister.

His target was never Horikita Suzune, he just wanted to provoke Sudo Ken and make him attack him.

"Who made him so stupid? He exploded at the slightest provocation."

Kitahara Tsutomu sneered, but did not deny that he had done it on purpose.

"Are these the only despicable and despicable methods you have?"

Kanzaki Ryuji looked grim.

"It's quite effective, isn't it?"

Kitahara Takashi shrugged his shoulders, spread his hands and smiled at the highly trained players who were glaring at him.

"I am fighting on behalf of Qingye. I will do whatever it takes to win."

Kitahara Takashi doesn't care what they think of him.

Anyway, as long as he is the winner in the end, it’s fine.

By then everyone will only praise his greatness.

"I'll stop you."

Horikita Manabu said in a firm tone.

"If you can do it, then give it a try."

Kitahara Takashi turned around and walked back to the bullpen.

He clapped his hands in place of the absent coach.

Everyone looked at him.

"I know everyone is tired after playing all this time, and so am I."

Kitahara Tsutomu said loudly as he looked at the people in front of him, who were covered in mud and dust.

"Although it's inhumane to say this, please stick with me for a while."

"The next step is for us to go head-to-head with Gaodu Yucheng, and this will determine who will win the championship."

"Success or failure will be decided in these five rounds."

"We don't have the final say on what the outcome will be. You have the final say."

After saying that, Kitahara Tsutomu stretched out his hand.

Everyone, even Shota Ohtani, immediately understood what he meant. They stretched out their hands and put them together.

“Let’s start with hard work and end with victory!”

Beiyuan Zun looked around at everyone and shouted, "What time is it now?"

“Game time!!!”

The students of Aoba High School roared in unison and pressed down hard with their folded hands.

Put on your helmet, lace up your gloves, pick up your bat, and both sides return to the field again.

The game continues.

Aoba attacked in the fourth round.

"I see, a steady and cautious approach to score a point?"

Ayanokouji Kiyotaka looked at Noda Yusei who came up with a baseball bat, and then looked at the next three batters. He suddenly understood why Coach Aoba made such an arrangement.

Noda Yusei, Katsuda Musashi, Kitahara Takashi and Ohtani Shouta are the four famous strong players of Aoba.

Especially Kitahara Takashi, who has the most home runs in this Koshien.

He once hit three home runs in a single game.

Put the four together and you can get one point no matter what.

'This is a bit difficult!'

Ayanokouji Kiyotaka was a little distressed at this time because he couldn't do anything about these four people.

He does know how to play baseball and does have talent, but his problem is the same as Kitahara Takashi's: he has only been playing baseball for a short time.

If you can’t endure the hardship of self-discipline, talent will just be talent.

Ayanokouji Kiyotaka put aside all distractions, raised his leg, and threw the ball.

'Bad ball.'

After Yusei Noda judged that it was a bad ball, he chose not to swing.

'It's not easy to cheat.'

Ayanokouji Kiyotaka caught the baseball thrown by Katsuragi Kōhei and adjusted the brim of his hat as he thought.

"It seems we can only rely on the defense line."

Kōhei Katsuragi made a gesture, indicating that a bad pitch with a tricky angle was being thrown to trick him into swinging, but.

Ayanokouji Kiyotaka shook his head and refused.

He took a deep breath, raised his legs, and swung his arms.

"Beep! 152 km/h."

boom!

"Hit!"

The commentator yelled.

The ball flew toward the right fielder's defensive zone.

The flight altitude was very low, and it bounced off the ground during the flight to ensure that it would not be killed immediately.

In order to fill the gap left by Rokusuke Takaharaji, Albert Yamada was moved forward. He had to run more distance than usual and also had to bend down to catch the ball.

For tall people, the simple action of bending over is more difficult for them than for ordinary people.

Yusei Noda ignored everything and rushed towards first base.

"Yamada caught the ball and started to pass it. Is it too late for Noda?"

Albert Yamada threw the ball over, and Yusei Noda slid directly to first base.

"what!!!"

By the time Nanyun Masa caught the ball, Noda Yusei had already shoveled to first base.

"Safe!"

"Successfully reached base!"

"Oh!!!"

Cheers were heard again from the Aoba audience.

"hateful!"

Nan Yunya became increasingly irritated.

Yusei Noda got up from the ground and immediately got into position, his eyes fixed on second base.

The second person to come on stage was Musashi Katsuda, who immediately assumed a short fighting stance.

'Bun?'

Ayanokouji Kiyotaka thought that when he was about to pitch, he suddenly noticed out of the corner of his eye that Noda Yusei had sneaked away from first base, ready to steal a base at any time.

When Ayanokouji Kiyotaka took up his pitching stance, Noda Yusei had already left the base with one foot and leaned forward, ready to charge at any time.

But the next second, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka suddenly turned around and quickly threw the ball to first base.

As long as Yusei Noda didn't have time to return to first base, he could eliminate him.

However, Noda Yusei was very experienced and leaped directly to first base, but returned to first base before Nanyun Masa caught the ball.

When Nanyun Masa threw the ball back to Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, Noda Yusei took another big step outside with one foot, as if he was ready to steal a base at any time and interfere with Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's pitching.

'Targeted.'

Ayanokouji Kiyotaka immediately understood that this must be what Coach Aoba deliberately prepared for him.

"It's just as the coach thought."

Kitahara Takashi saw it best from the cowshed.

He suddenly thought of Kensuke Amaya's plan last night: "Highly developed players are all talented, but they don't understand tactics, they don't know how to contain players, and they use fixed pitches with very high speed. It's difficult to steal bases against them, but it's not impossible."

“Don’t be afraid of risks, be bold while being cautious.”

With an excellent coach, a united team and a strong me, what can you use to win?

Kitahara Tsutomu stood with his arms folded, looking at everyone at Gaoda Education with a smile.

"I can't let him bother me anymore."

Ayanokouji Kiyotaka realized that Noda Yusei was a distraction, and he began to focus all his attention on Katsuda Musashi.

As he swung his arm to throw the ball, Yusei Noda started running towards second base without hesitation.

"Steal a base!"

Suzuki Ichiro said loudly.

"Oh my god, I didn't expect Noda to steal a base on his first pitch."

"It's a huge gamble."

This time it was a strike, but Musashi Katsuda did not swing, but let the ball fall into Kōhei Katsuragi's glove.

"Sudou!"

Katsuragi Kōhei shouted and threw to second base.

But after shouting, he suddenly remembered that Sudo Ken had been carried away and the second baseman was a substitute player.

'broken! '

In an instant, Katsuragi Kohei felt his whole body go cold and he fell into an ice cave.

The height of his shot is suitable for Ken Sudo, not a substitute player.

Just because Sudo Ken can catch the ball doesn't mean the substitute player can also catch it.

In any case, Ken Sudo was included in the main roster of the basketball team in his first year, and his athletic ability is impeccable.

As for the substitute players...

Under Kōhei Katsuragi's somewhat desperate gaze, the substitute player jumped high and tried to pick up the baseball, but his jumping speed was too slow.

The ball flew past.

"empty!!!"

After running to second base, Yusei Noda did not stop and continued to rush towards third base.

If the shortstop was Takahara Rokusuke, he would definitely stop at second base.

But Gaoyuanji Rokusuke went down.

Yusei Noda didn't believe that the backup shortstop could have such fast reaction and motor nerves.

The ball flew over second base, and the shortstop seemed to be unexpectedly thrown. He was stunned for a moment before reacting.

When he threw the ball, Noda Yusei had one foot on third base.

"Go, go, go!"

The Aoba students raised their arms excitedly.

After three rounds of frustration, it is finally their turn to fight back.

'Damn, was this part of your plan?'