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

"Kitahara never boasts, and he never disappoints anyone."

Sitting next to Yanagisaka Arisu, Ichinose Honami had an uncontrollable joy on her face. If she wasn't still wearing the highly refined school uniform, she would have wanted to applaud Kitahara Takashi.

"Who do you think is better, him or Ayanokouji Kiyotaka?"

Yanagisaka Arisu suddenly asked a question out of nowhere.

Ichinose Honoki was stunned for a moment, then after a moment's thought, she said, "He and Ayanokouji-kun are different people."

"Ayanokouji-kun is very powerful, but that is only for him personally, an individual strength."

"And Kitahara-kun's strength is a kind of personal charm or in other words: the will to power."

"You rarely feel too much negativity from Kitahara-kun. He's full of energy, always positive and motivated, always believes in his own initiative, and always feels that victory is his."

“Many extremely intelligent and talented people are weak-minded. They are prone to nihilism and are easily pessimistic about the world and life.”

"Kitahara Takashi may not be as smart as them, but he always manages to attract countless people who can receive his energy to serve him."

"Countless people will pin the meaning of their lives on him."

"Yanagisaka, you haven't noticed that as long as Kitahara-kun is around, Aoba's fighting spirit is always high."

Yanagisaka Arisu thought about the previous match against Chukyo University, the despair written on the faces of every Aoba player when they saw that Kitahara Takashi was injured and might have to leave the field, and the fearlessness on their faces now when facing the more powerful Kokusei.

"I see."

Yanagisaka Arisu nodded in sudden realization, then glanced at her and jokingly said, "Your observation of him is truly meticulous and detailed. I feel like you could write a paper on it."

'Because I've been watching him.'

Ichinose Honami stared at Kitahara Takashi, who was smiling freely on the field, and she answered silently in her heart.

*

"Ouch!!!"

"Win, win."

"I never thought he could do it."

There were constant cheers outside. In the private box, the head of the Kujo family, the Takashi family, and the beautiful woman Ichijo stood up at the same time, clapping their hands loudly to congratulate Aoba.

Several people's faces were flushed, which was due to excitement and the fact that they drank a lot of wine.

Ye Yingtong opened the glass sliding door, originally intending to get rid of the smell of alcohol.

But the moment the door was opened, the unique summer heat wave hit us in the face, making everyone who had been using the air conditioner feel strongly uncomfortable.

But then, they clearly felt the barrier disappear and the real atmosphere inside the field appeared.

"Kitahara Takashi!! Ahhh!!!"

A louder shout came from here.

Everyone heard a name being shouted wildly in the stadium.

Perhaps they were too excited, the fans didn't even have the energy to organize their words, and could only shout the name of the team's ace with hysterical roars.

The calls seemed to come from all directions.

Their voices rushed into the sky and gathered together, making people several kilometers around the stadium feel uneasy.

From their perspective, they saw countless people throwing the ribbons they had prepared long ago high into the sky.

boom! boom! boom!

The sound of firecrackers rang out one after another.

Golden ribbons floated down from the sky above the stadium, like a golden rain falling on the boy's head, reflecting a brilliant light under the setting sun.

Ye Yingtong looked at the high-spirited Beiyuan Zun and felt a surge of pride in her heart.

"he's mine."

She pointed at Kitahara Tsutomu and showed off to everyone.

She couldn't wait to tell the world that Kitahara Takashi was her man.

Shinomiya Kaguya subconsciously glanced at Hayasaka Ai.

As she expected, Hayasaka Ai looked gloomy.

'Does he like you? And give it back to you? How shameless.'

Shinomiya Kaguya murmured in her heart, but suddenly her mind recalled that Kitahara Tsutomu had confessed his love to her twice.

She suddenly felt that she had defeated Yozakura Hitomi, oh yes, and Hayasaka Ai, and felt a little proud in her heart.

'Now he's yours.'

Shinomiya Yanan glanced at Yozakura Hitomi, then looked back at Shinomiya Kaguya.

'That may not be the case in the future.'

Anything the Shinomiya family sets their eyes on will definitely belong to them, even if they have to cheat or rob.

Kitahara Takashi is no exception.

*

After throwing Kitahara Tsutomu for more than ten minutes, he was finally put down.

The feeling of being grounded gave him peace of mind.

“Zun!!!”

Hearing Kamikawa Nari's voice, Kitahara Takashi looked up at her.

Seeing her standing on the railing at the edge of the VIP seats, jumping and shouting his name loudly, Kitahara Tsutomu was a little worried that something might happen. His face changed and he ran to her area.

I was going to run over and ask her to go back.

Seeing Kitahara Takashi running towards them, the fans in that area cheered even louder.

If the fence hadn't stopped them, they would have wanted to break through it.

When Kitahara Takashi ran in front of her, Kamikawa Narii put her hands on her head and drew a big heart with a pen.

Seeing this, Beiyuan Zun, who was originally planning to scold her, looked helpless and put his hands on his chest and made a heart shape.

"Ahhh, brother!"

The female fans in that area thought that Kitahara Tsuyoshi was making a heart shape for them, so they screamed even louder.

At the same time, Eriri and Kasumigaoka Utaha appeared on both sides of Kamikawa Nari.

The two of them looked at Kitahara Tsutomu calmly, without a trace of fluctuation in their eyes, like emotionless robots.

When Kitahara Tsutomu saw this, his smile turned awkward.

At this moment, he felt embarrassed as if his girlfriend was expressing her love to him but was caught by two ex-girlfriends.

"Zun, why are you here? Let's go, the award ceremony is about to begin."

Fortunately, at this time, Shota Otani ran over and pulled him excitedly to the podium.

"Good brother, a quilt!"

Shota Otani: "?"

Bro, there's something wrong with you.

*

The staff tidied up the field briefly and built a temporary podium at home plate.

The Kansai High School Wind Band Union came on stage again, lined up in an orderly manner and began to play the school song of Private Aoba as the background music.

Then the two teams, Aoba Private Academy and Kodoku Ikusei, regrouped and took the field.

Having just finished a fierce game, both teams were covered in mud.

Kitahara Takashi's coat was draped over his body, and his right arm was wrapped with ice packs and hung around his neck again.

If nothing unexpected happens, this arm will probably not be able to undergo high-intensity exercise in the next few months.

Looking at the miserable appearance of Kitahara Takashi, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka felt like laughing.

He didn't really care about losing the game.

I just came here to make up the numbers.

However, no one in the audience laughed. Instead, they gave a warm round of applause.

After the two teams lined up on the field, President Araki of the Summer High School Baseball Players' Championship made his first appearance.

Standing on the home plate podium, he delivered a passionate speech, praising the courage and perseverance of all the players in the tournament, especially Takashi Kitahara.

Thanks to him, the number of people watching Koshien online this year reached a new high.

Countless people praised this as a Koshien that you would definitely regret not watching.

Shouts, enthusiasm, tears, emotion, youth, dreams, reversal, and wishes, this game satisfies their beautiful ideals of Koshien.

After a long speech, it was time for the award ceremony.

The first award was the red and blue flag, which represents the highest honor in Koshien.

The captain should have been the one to receive it, but Musashi Katsuda didn't move and instead looked at Kitahara Takashi.

Not only him, everyone looked at Beiyuan Zun at the same time, hoping that he could go up and receive the award.

Kitahara Takashi tilted his head slightly, elbowed Ohtani Shota, and raised his arm to indicate that he was unable to take the flag with both hands in his current condition.

Otani Shouta pointed at himself: "Me?"

He didn't expect that Kitahara Tsutomu would actually give him this opportunity to show off.

"Yes, just you!"

"Hurry up and don't drag your feet."

Musashi Katsuda and Yusei Noda urged him on, and Kaname Momotani kicked Shota Otani in the butt.

With Takashi Kitahara injured, only Shota Ohtani is qualified to take over the flag.

Because if he hadn't been injured, Kitahara Takashi would never have been able to join the baseball team.

How can they win the championship if Kitahara Takashi doesn’t come?

"Oh, how can this be so embarrassing."

Shota Otani said this as he quickly came to the old and overweight President Araki.

President Araki congratulated: "Congratulations, young men."

This year's ratings and online viewing numbers are all supported by Takashi Kitahara.

Xia Jia's influence has declined slightly in recent years, but with Kitahara Tsuyoshi this year, he has achieved the dream that Jinzhong Nong failed to achieve, so the attention he has received is particularly high, setting a historical high, and he is personally very satisfied.

Kitahara Takashi is more talented.

In your second and third year of high school, you can still get two years of free benefits.

This means that the ratings are guaranteed for two more years.

At the thought of it, President Araki bared his teeth with joy.

Shota Ohtani bowed his head slightly to express his humility, and happily returned to the team holding the Akaguro flag.

Beiyuan Zun examined the large banner. The main body was red, with a golden spearhead, though it was probably gilded. The overall workmanship was a bit crude, and the main part was almost completely obscured by long, colorful strips of cloth. These strips were decorated with the names of the winning schools in the past.

Now there is one more green leaf.

'That's it? ’

Kitahara no Takashi was greatly disappointed.

Evaluation, it is not as good as the Human Emperor Banner emitting black smoke.

He took over the Akazuki Banner, and then the Victory Shield.

The red and blue flag is given to the school, and the shield of victory is a reward for the club.

A golden badge is inlaid on a rectangular piece of solid wood, depicting a young boy preparing to hit the ball.

This time, it was Musashi Katsuda who went to receive the award.