Tokyo Girlfriend Guide

"The one holding the stick is the attacker!"

— Hatagoro, the smart and wise fantasy baseball player
Coach Mihara took advantage of the home advantage and got the first attack right, and the referee was coach Kagamiya Takashi. It was not that Mihara did not want to be a referee, but he did not have the ability... so he had to reluctantly give up the opportunity to blow the whistle openly.

A simple score sheet was placed on the side of the field. The first line had 10 Chinese characters from one to ten followed by a total. If nothing unexpected happened, the game would only last nine innings. If the scores of both teams were the same, they would go into overtime for the tenth inning. The two lines 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 offensive and defensive sides. The offensive players use their bats to hit the balls thrown by the defensive players and run counterclockwise across the four bases set on the ground. After running through four bases, they get a point. A strikeout means that the defensive pitcher throws three good balls that are not hit, knocking out the offensive batter. After knocking out three batters in total, the offense and defense call for the start of the second half. The first and second halves are one inning, with a total of nine innings.

The final match list before the game had been submitted. When Gao Jianshu saw the four big characters of Hojo Kyosuke clearly written on the first batting position, he immediately asked the coach:

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

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

The coach was silent for a while, then said sadly:
"That idiot, can he really understand a baseball game?"

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

Didn’t you see that Hojo Kyosuke is already standing on the field, swinging the bat!
Can't you hear the whistling wind, you bastard! Don't forget that you are the referee, just stand behind that guy Hojo, he can smash your head with one stick.

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

Coach Lugong Gao said in a deep voice:
"Foavol!"

"Four balls?"

"That's right, since it is inevitable that Hojo Kyosuke will go to the plate, just walk him! Send him directly to base!" said the coach harshly.

"Then why do you want to throw four balls? Wouldn't it be faster to just throw the hit ball?"

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

Gao Jianshu angrily hit the person who spoke on the head. He knew what the coach meant.

Baseball has a designated pitching area. Otherwise, if the pitcher throws the ball anywhere in such a large space, the batter will never be able to hit the ball. That area is called the "strike zone". Only when the ball is thrown into this area and is not hit, it is considered a strike. If the ball is thrown somewhere else 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 out of the game, while four balls will walk the batter to first base.

Walking the ball is a relatively cowardly tactic, and it is also the highest compliment to a batter. Some teams will use this tactic when facing the opponent's ace batter in a game, because if the opponent hits a home run, it is not just a simple walk to first base, but a mistake will result in the loss of four runs.

Gao Jianshu squeezed the baseball in his hand hard. The solid and resilient touch gave him peace of mind.

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

The difficulty here is not to throw a bad ball, but to prevent Hojo Kyosuke from reacting, otherwise the bad ball will become a good ball, which is not good. What if the thug gets angry because he missed the ball?

At this moment, Takamiki felt both fear and contempt in his heart. He was afraid of Hojo Kyosuke's power and violence, and despised the opponent's baseball skills.

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

Number one?

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

Such a rookie actually uses the same number as me?! Number one is S! The absolute ace, the strongest man who carries the hopes of all his companions and leads the team to victory!
Gao Jianshu is a third-year student this year. At this time last year, after everyone in the baseball club voted, he took over the No. 1 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 baseball bat is not a lollipop. Who taught you to hold it like that? You should use the base of your fingers to touch the handle of the bat. How can you control the bat with such soft fingers? How can you hit a good ball like this? The grip is completely wrong and the posture does not seem to be conducive to exerting force at all.

The amateurism 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 his eyes were bloodshot with anger.

Shhhhhhhhh

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

Damn it! Why can I hear the sound of a bat swing from such a distance?! Did you think it was a sonic boom?
The fire in his heart was extinguished. In order to keep his body useful and lead his companions into Koshien, Takami Shu decided to humble himself and endure the humiliation.

Ugh……

From beginning to end, no one in the Shikamiya High School baseball club, whether it was the coach, the ace pitcher, or other players, thought that Hojo Kyosuke could hit the ball that Takamiki hit.

The referee gave a signal, indicating that the game was about to begin.

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

He stomped his feet hard on the ground to make sure that the position he was standing on could withstand his enormous strength. Strength comes from the ground, and no matter how strong his body is, he can't use it if he doesn't stand firmly.

Gripping the bat and raising it to his shoulder, he set his sights on the opposing pitcher.

He saw everything, including the indignation in Takamiki's eyes towards him. That was the anger from almost being driven crazy by Tetsuta Kisaki and the others, and the shame of being forced to play against the weak team Sobu High School. He also saw the disdain for himself in Takamiki's eyes, because the opponent thought that he could not hit his ball, that he would be crushed, and that Sobu High School could not win.

However, it must be admitted that as a pitcher, Gao Jianshu is qualified, and his hand holding the baseball is always hidden in the glove. Different gripping gestures correspond to different pitches, such as sliders, forkballs, high-speed balls... A skilled batsman can lock the target on several pitches based on the opponent's gripping movements, and can deal with them more calmly.

Hojo Kyosuke, who has a super brain, can do the same. Although he cannot do those varied pitches now, he has already 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 competition is about to begin.

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

Coach Akizo Mihara cheered loudly, and Ryota Tsuchiya and other members of the baseball team on the sidelines also cheered loudly. Many clubs such as the kendo club and the soccer club also shouted. The quiet stadium seemed to come alive in an instant, filled with a hot atmosphere.

"Ah, Xiaomei, should we do something?"

The curly-haired Himekawa Tokino shouted in a low voice, at a loss.

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

Michiru Hyodo spoke cheerfully and signaled the drummer Aiko Morioka with her eyes.

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

With two thick and long ponytails hanging in front of her chest, Morioka Aiko, who looked like a Yamato Nadeshiko, raised the drumsticks and changed from quiet to crazy in an instant.

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

Michiru Hyodo had never practiced a song that could be used for cheering, but she was a genius, a genius in every sense of the word. Holding the guitar, the girl tilted her head back suddenly, two strands of long purple hair fluttered in front of her forehead, and her white fingers swished across the strings, and a string of cool and flamboyant sounds mixed into the sound of the drums.

Oh oh oh!
That’s great!

Everyone on the field was attracted by the sound of the music, and Tsuchiya Ryota's eyes instantly filled with tears. Is this what it feels like to have a cheering group! ?
Thank you, aunt, for giving birth to such a good cousin for Hojo-kun!

Um...wait, wait...

Forget it...

Although he was the one who made it happen, Ryota Tsuchiya himself did not expect that the effect of this band support group would be so good.

He could clearly feel his violently beating heart, and the hot feeling on his face told him that his blood was burning!

Hojo Kyosuke gripped the baseball bat a little tighter. He didn't turn around to look for the source of the music, but the sounds of the girl swinging drumsticks and plucking strings appeared in his head.

There are so many people cheering for me, and some are expecting me to win...

This thought came to his mind, and he immediately understood why Ryota Tsuchiya was so obsessed with the support team.

In his sight, he clearly saw that the moment the music sounded, the catcher Kaku Shikamiya, who was squatting on the ground next to him, and Takamiki in front of him, both subconsciously frowned, and the first baseman, second baseman and others beside them also changed their expressions. Even if it didn't affect their mentality, it at least distracted their attention.

Really good~
Hojo Kyosuke was happy in his heart. He liked this reasonable method of weakening the opponent the most.

When the game started, he gently twisted his neck. His eyes moved slightly downwards, and he saw the catcher, Takamiya Takashi, frantically making hand seals between his hips, and he was making hand seals with one hand. If you ask what kind of ninjutsu it was, Hojo Kyosuke guessed it was probably a mind-body conversion technique, because as the catcher made hand seals frantically, the pitcher on the opposite side, Takamiki, was also blinking, nodding, or shaking his head.

Well, this is actually a secret code.

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

This is why the catcher can make the pitcher willingly give up a portion of his salary even though he is just squatting on the ground to catch the ball. A good catcher is a huge improvement for a pitcher. A weak catcher cannot even make the pitcher play at full strength, and a good ball can turn into a bad ball if he is not careful.

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

Catcher: Hand gesture "Straight ball?"

Takamiki: Shaking his head "No, my ball is too fast, Hojo Kyousuke can't catch it"

Hand gesture "Slow straight ball?"

Shaking his head, "Hojo Kyousuke's swing is too amateurish. I doubt he'll hit even a straight ball out of bounds."

Hand gesture "Curveball?"

Nodding like a change "A curveball falling at a large angle"

After the communication, Gao Jianshu dug his head twice like a donkey to stand firm.

huh-huh-

You must throw the most perfect bad ball!

“Huyo——”

A sound of strumming strings that sounded like a booing was heard, and Gao Jianshu almost lost the breath in his heart.

Hojo Kyosuke still kept his eyes on Takamiki, but a slight smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

"Xiao Mei, is this also possible?"

Himekawa Tokino asked.

Michiru Hyodo, who had just done something bad, had an excited look on her face. As a guitar player, she was no stranger to the technique of using music to provoke and ridicule others. Especially since she was a genius, she could show off her skills even with a simple booing.

"I don't know. Who cares? There's no referee anyway."

The girl said casually.

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

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

Curly-haired Himekawa Tokino hurriedly stopped him.

However, the members of the Kendo Club's Runaway Angels on the sidelines had no idea what restraint was. After seeing Michiru Hyodo's actions, they immediately started to act like a demon, making all kinds of weird noises and faces, which were childish and ridiculous.

"Devil's Home"

This word popped up in Gao Jianshu's mind, which made him feel incredible.

How could those rubbish members of the Sobu High School baseball club deserve to have such a cheering group?

But in a moment he had the answer in his mind, Hojo Kyosuke.

How can I fix this! I really want to strike him out!

Gao Jianshu thought unwillingly in his heart, and as he thought... evil began to arise in his heart.

With Hojo-kun's broad mind, he shouldn't get angry just because he lost the game, right?

He gave the catcher a cryptic look.

"Change of plan, I'm going to throw a high-speed shot"

The expressions of catcher Kagamiya Takashi and coach suddenly became filled with horror.

The catcher made hand seals frantically: "Asshole, if you want to die, don't drag us down with you!"

Gao Jianshu ignored it, took a deep breath, and slowly raised his right leg.

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