Tokyo Girlfriend Illustrated Book

"The one holding the stick is the attacker!"

-- Hata Goro, a smart and wise fantasy baseball player

Coach Mihara took advantage of the home field advantage and got the first strike. The referee was the coach of Shikamiya High School. It was not that Mihara did not want to be the referee, but he did not have the ability... so he had to reluctantly give up this opportunity to blow the black whistle openly.

A simple score sheet was placed on the side of the field. The first line was written with 10 Chinese characters from one to ten, followed by a total. If nothing unexpected happened, there would only be nine innings. If the scores of both sides were the same, they would enter the tenth inning of overtime. The two rows below were Sobu High School, the first to attack, and Shikamiya High School, the second to attack.

The surface rules of baseball games are actually the same as those of football and basketball. Each team has nine people divided into the attacking side and the defending side. The attacking players use bats to hit the balls thrown by the defending players and run counterclockwise through the four bases set on the ground. One point is scored after running through four bases. A strikeout is when the defensive pitcher throws three strikes that are not hit, knocking out the offensive batter. When three strikeouts are accumulated, the offense and defense call for the second half. The first and second halves are one inning, with a total of nine innings.

The final matchup list before the game has been submitted. When Gao Jianshu saw the four big characters of Hojo Kyosuke in the first batting position, he immediately asked the coach:

"What should I do, coach? Hojo Kyosuke is the first batter."

"...I'm sorry, I overestimated Mihara. He is a complete idiot."

The coach was silent for a while and said sadly:

"That idiot, can he really understand baseball games?"

"Coach! Now is not the time to worry about those things. The focus is Hojo Kyosuke, Hojo Kyosuke!" Gao Jianshu shouted madly and shook the coach's shoulders hard.

Didn't you see that Hojo Kyosuke is already standing on the field and waving his bat non-stop!

Can't you hear the whirring wind, bastard! Don't forget that you are the referee, standing behind that guy Hojo, he can smash your head with one stick.

"Don't panic, calm down, Takami! You are our trump card, others can panic, but you can't!"

Coach Kagami said in a deep voice:

"Foarball!"

"Four balls?"

"That's right, since it is inevitable that Hojo Kyosuke will play, just walk him! Send him to base directly!" The coach said fiercely.

"Then why four balls, wouldn't it be faster to throw a hit ball directly?"

"Asshole, I'll let you pitch next time!"

Takami hit the speaker's head angrily, he knew what the coach meant.

Baseball has a specified pitching area, otherwise, with such a large space, the pitcher can throw to a very remote place at will, and the batter will never hit the ball in his life. That area is called the "strike zone". Only when the ball is thrown into this area and is not hit can it be considered a good ball, and if it is thrown to other places and the batter does not swing, it is considered a ball. It is easy to understand from the literal meaning. Three strikes can send the batter off the field, while four balls will walk the batter to first base.

Walking with four balls is a relatively cowardly tactic, and it is also the highest praise for the batter. In the game, if the opponent hits a home run, some teams will adopt this tactic, because if the opponent hits a home run, it is not just as simple as walking to first base, and one bad hit will lose four points.

Gao Jianshu squeezed the baseball in his hand hard, and the solid and resilient touch gave him a sense of security.

I can do it! I can throw a bad ball that Hojo Kyosuke can't react to! I can walk him!

The difficulty is not to throw a bad ball, but to make Hojo Kyosuke not react, otherwise the bad ball will become a good ball, which is not good. What if the thug fails to hit the ball and gets angry?

At this moment, Gao Jianshu's heart is both afraid and contemptuous. What he fears is Hojo Kyosuke's power and violence, and what he despises is the opponent's baseball strength.

Standing on the pitcher's mound, he raised his foot and began to dig the soil vigorously. The soft sand turned into plasticine under his spikes. In a short while, he had arranged the ground under his feet into a comfortable shape.

Number one...

He looked at Hojo Kyosuke who was also practicing swinging the bat. Seeing the same number on the back of his clothes, he suddenly felt indignant.

Such a rookie actually used the same number as himself? ! Number one is S! The absolute ace, the strongest man who carries the hopes of all his companions and leads the team to victory!

Takamiki is a third-year student this year. At this time last year, after everyone in the baseball club voted, he took over the number one uniform from his senior who was about to retire. After this summer, he will also hand over this number to the next strongest person.

But the same number one over there, Hojo Kyosuke?

Is that funny? A bat is not a lollipop. Who taught you to hold the bat like that? You have to touch the handle of the bat with the base of your fingers. How can you control the bat with such soft fingertips? How can he hit a beautiful ball like this? His grip was wrong, and his posture didn't seem to be conducive to exerting force at all.

The amateurishness of his opponent made Gao Jianshu even more angry. Facing such a weak opponent, he actually gave the opponent four bad balls. This was an insult to himself!

I, I...

A blazing fire was burning Gao Jianshu's dignity, and he was so angry that his eyes were bloodshot.

Whoosh-whoosh--

Suddenly, the whirring sound of the bat cutting through the air reached his ears.

Bastard! Why can I hear the sound of the swing from such a distance? ! Do you think it's a sonic boom!

The fire in his heart was extinguished. In order to keep a useful body and lead his companions into Koshien, Gao Jianshu decided to humiliate himself and bear the burden.

well……

From the beginning to the end, no one in the Shikumiya High Baseball Club, whether it was the coach, the ace pitcher, or other players, thought that Hojo Kyosuke could hit Takamiki's ball.

The referee signals that the game is about to begin.

Hojo Kyosuke stood on the batting box and adjusted his ball cap. The batter's ball cap was not a baseball cap, but a hard helmet, which could effectively protect the head.

He stepped hard on the ground with the soles of his feet to make sure that his standing position could withstand his huge strength. The power is exerted on the ground, and no matter how strong his body is, he will not be able to exert it if he is not stable.

Holding the bat tightly over his shoulders, he set his sights on the opposite pitcher.

He saw everything, saw the indignation against him in Takamiki's eyes, which was the anger from Tetsuta Kisaki and the others who had almost gone berserk before, and the shame of being forced to compete with Sobu Taka, a weakling; he also saw the anger in Takamiki's eyes. Disdainful of himself, the opponent believed that he could not hit his ball, believed that he would be crushed, and believed that Sobu Gao could not win.

But it has to be admitted that as a pitcher, Takami is qualified. His hand holding the baseball is always hidden in his glove. Different ball grip gestures correspond to different pitches, sliders, fork balls, high-speed pitches... A skilled batter can use the opponent's ball grip to target several pitches and respond more calmly.

Hojo Kyosuke, who has a super brain, can also do it. Although he can't do those varied pitches now, he has entered a lot of data into his brain by watching a lot of videos and teaching.

This is baseball for science students.

Everything is ready and the game starts right away.

"Come on Hojo, kill them with a home run!"

Coach Mihara Shozo shouted loudly, Ryota Tsuchiya and other members of the baseball club on the sidelines also cheered loudly, and many clubs such as the kendo club and football club also shouted. The quiet sports ground seemed to come alive in an instant, filled with a hot atmosphere.

"Ah, Xiaomei, should we do something?"

Curly Himekawa Tokino shouted in a low voice at a loss.

"Of course, it's time to cheer for our ace."

Hyōdo Michiru said briskly and gestured to the drummer Moriqiu Aiko with his eyes.

The passionate sounds are none other than the drums and trumpets. They don't have trumpets but they have drums.

With two long and thick ponytails hanging on her chest, Moriqiu Aiko, who looked like a Yamato Nadeshiko, raised her drumstick and completed the change from quiet to crazy in an instant.

The sound of the drums was amplified through the speakers, and instantly controlled the heartbeats of everyone present.

Hyodo Michiru has never practiced a song that can be used to support, but she is a genius, a genius in every sense of the word. Holding the guitar, the girl suddenly raised her head, and two strands of long purple hair fluttered in front of her forehead, green and white. His fingers flicked across the strings, and a string of cool and bold sounds blended into the sound of the drums.

Oh oh oh!

That’s great!

Everyone on the field couldn't help but be attracted by the sound of the music. Ryota Tsuchiya burst into tears instantly. Is this what it feels like to be in a support group? ?

Thank you aunt for giving birth to such a wonderful cousin for Hojo-kun!

Um...wait, wait...

never mind……

Although he was the one who promoted it, Tsuchiya Ryota himself didn't expect that the band's support group would be so effective.

He clearly felt his violently beating heart, and the hot feeling on his face told him that his blood was on fire!

Hojo Kyosuke's hand held the bat a little harder. He did not turn around to look for the source of the music, but the sound of a girl waving drumsticks and strumming strings could already be heard in his head.

There are so many people cheering me on, and some people are looking forward to my victory...

Such thoughts appeared in his mind, and he understood in an instant why Tsuchiya Ryota was so obsessed with the support team.

In his line of sight, he could clearly see that the moment the music sounded, the catcher Shikumiya Takashi who was squatting on the ground next to him, and the tree Takami in front of him all frowned subconsciously, and the first baseman and second baseman next to him frowned subconsciously. The expressions of Shou and others also changed. Even if it didn't affect their mentality, it at least distracted them.

Really good~

Hojo Kyosuke was happy in his heart. He liked this reasonable method of weakening his opponents the most.

When the game started, he twisted his neck slightly. Looking down slightly, he saw Lu Gonggao's catcher making seals on his crotch crazily, and he was still making seals with one hand. If asked what kind of ninjutsu it was, Hojo Kyosuke guessed it was the mind-body switching technique, because as the catcher frantically formed seals, the opposite pitcher Takami Shu kept blinking and nodding or shaking his head.

Well, this is actually a code word.

The catcher closest to the batter acts as the pitcher's brain. He observes the batter's habits, analyzes what pitch to strike out the opponent, and then informs the pitcher.

This is why the catcher is just squatting on the ground to catch the ball, but he can make the pitcher willingly share his salary. A good catcher is a huge improvement for a pitcher. A weak catcher can't even let the pitcher use his full strength, and a good ball will turn into a bad ball if you are not careful.

Shikamiya Takashi's coach stood hunched over behind Hojo Kyosuke. The reason why he hunched over was that from this height, he was right in the "strike zone". The coach watched the secret exchange between his ace pitcher and catcher, and remembered it in his heart, wishing he could translate it to Hojo Kyosuke in a low voice.

Catcher: Hand gesture, hand gesture, "Straight ball?"

Takamiki: Shakes his head, "No, my pitch is too fast, Hojo Kyosuke can't catch it."

Hand gesture, "Slow straight ball?"

Shakes his head, "Hojo Kyosuke's swing is too amateurish, I suspect he will hit the straight ball out of bounds."

Hand gesture, "Curve ball?"

Nods as if changing, "Curve ball with a large angle falling down."

After the exchange, Takamiki pawed his head twice like a donkey to stand firm.

Hu——Hu——

You must throw the most perfect bad ball!

"Huyo——"

A strumming sound like booing sounded, and Takamiki almost lost his temper.

Hojo Kyosuke still stared at Takamiki, but a smile appeared on his lips.

"Xiaomei, is this also possible?"

Himekawa Tokino asked.

Hyodo Michiru, who had just done something bad, was full of excitement. A guitarist would naturally be familiar with the technique of using music to provoke and ridicule others, especially since she was a genius, and she could show off her skills with just a simple boo.

"I don't know either, who cares, there's no referee anyway."

The girl said casually.

"Then I'll also beat the drum to scare him!" Morioka Aiko laughed wickedly.

"Hahaha, let's not do it, it will affect Hojo-san later."

The curly-haired Himekawa Tokino hurriedly stopped him.

However, the members of the Kendo Club's Rampage Angels on the sidelines didn't know what restraint was. After seeing Hyodo Michiru's actions, they immediately followed suit, making all kinds of weird noises and faces, childish and ridiculous.

"Devil's home court"

Takamiki had this word in his mind, which made him feel incredible.

How could those rubbish in the Sobu High School baseball club have such a support group?

But he had the answer in his mind in an instant, Hojo Kyosuke.

How could he be so good! I really want to strike him out!

Takamiki thought unwillingly in his heart, thinking... evil came to his heart.

With Hojo's heart, he shouldn't be angry because of losing the game, right?

He made a hidden expression to the catcher.

"The plan has changed, I'm going to throw a high-speed ball"

The expressions of the catcher and coach of Shikamiya High School suddenly became extremely terrified.

The catcher made a crazy seal: "Asshole, don't drag us down if you want to die!"

Takamiki turned a blind eye, took a deep breath, and slowly raised his right leg.

This ball must let you know that baseball is not that simple! (End of this chapter)