"Sansong was only ahead by three runs in the first eight innings, maybe the pitcher is suffering from heat stroke too?" Mrs. Jiutiao replied with a smile.

"Remember to bark like a dog." Mrs. Kiyono pointed jokingly at Mrs. Jiutiao with her left index finger, saying happily.

"Hmph." Mrs. Jiutiao snatched the fan from Dubian Che's hands and fanned herself vigorously.

Of the five people present, only Kiyono Lin remained aloof.

She wanted a cup of ice cream with fruit on top, and cookies, eating slowly, spoonful by spoonful.

The game continued under the scorching sun.

On the Pitcher Mound, Goda's relief pitcher stood there, looking bewildered.

In a stadium of thirty thousand, everyone except Goda's own cheerleading team was chanting for Sansong.

Everyone was yearning for a comeback! Longing for an exciting game!

No one paid attention to this relief pitcher, no one cared if Goda's starting pitcher was suffering from heat exhaustion, no one cared about the result for Goda.

Except for Goda's baseball club, and the entirety of Goda's faculty and students.

On the electronic screen, Ishiyama from the Wind Instrument Club, a sensitive girl playing the flute, wiped her tears with her sleeve.

Beside her, a boy from the percussion section pounded on his drum, shouting encouragement to the Goda baseball club on the field.

The cheerleading team, drenched in sweat, still lifted their legs and waved their pom-poms in the aisles.

The PE teacher, with a bullhorn in hand, was organizing all the teachers and students to raise their cards and form the giant characters for 'victory' once more.

But then.

"Ah! Another hit!"

"Sansong scores another run! A total of 6 points!"

"Is the comeback happening?! Is Goda's summer, coming to an end?!"

In the stands, the entire Sansong faculty and student body erupted in cheers, hugging each other and giving high-fives!

"Sansong! Sansong!" The supporting cries shook the earth.

◇

Goda's coach's bench

The benched players stared blankly at the field, their mouths agape, like wanderers in a desert, gazing hopelessly at an empty water bottle, longing for the last drop of water.

"Yuuzuki."

"Dad?" Kobayashi Yuuzuki opened her eyes, her hands clasped in prayer.

"...Take this with you? Dubian's uniform?"

"Dad?!"

"He's in the VIP seats, go!"

The surprised expression in Kobayashi Yuuzuki's eyes gradually turned resolute.

She let go of her praying hands and picked up the bag with Dubian Che's uniform in it.

"Yes, Coach!"

She dashed off, leaving the stadium to find a miracle for Goda.

'Be quick, Yuuzuki,' the coach gripped his trembling hands.

◇

VIP seats

"Woof?"

"Woof!"

Mrs. Kiyono barked cutely in Mrs. Jiutiao's face, "Woof, woof?"

Mrs. Jiutiao snapped the fan shut and smacked it over her forehead.

"Ha ha ha." Mrs. Kiyono continued to imitate a dog's bark and got hit, but her mood was very cheerful.

In contrast, Mrs. Jiutiao, even after hearing the dog bark and hitting someone, wore a displeased expression on her face.

"It looks like a loss," said Dubian Che.

"A waste of my time," Jiutiao Meijie was also somewhat displeased.

Dubian Che looked towards the baseball field as Sansong scored again.

Sansong: 7

Goda: 5

On the screen, Goda's relief pitcher was gasping desperately like a fish stranded on land.

If he took the field, he could end Sansong's scoring, taking the game into the next inning, and Goda would still have a chance to turn it around.

But...

Among the dozens, over a hundred players in the baseball club, to become the starter; to stand in the final at Shengong Stadium; to dream of Koshien;

Whether it's Goda or Sansong, how much sweat have they shed since they were young, how many hardships have they overcome to reach this point.

Win or lose, it's their youth.

Should he step in for his own slight comfort, making their sweat and efforts meaningless?

"Dubian."

Dubian Che turned his head, looking past Jiutiao Meijie and the two ladies to make eye contact with Kiyono Lin.

What is it?—Dubian Che was about to ask when someone approached him and whispered:

"Mr. Dubian, someone is looking for you outside."

"Looking for me?"

"Yes, she claims to be the manager of the Goda baseball team."

Dubian Che fell silent.

He wanted to refuse, but Kobayashi Yuuzuki had helped him out a few times, so he couldn't refuse to even see her face.

He stood up and headed towards the entrance of the VIP seating.

But even if he saw her, what difference would it make.

The entrance to the VIP seats was not touched by the sun.

Kobayashi Yuuzuki had run over, evident from her heaving chest, her flushed face, her sweaty temples, and her clothes glued to her back.

"Mr. Dubian!" Her eyes were filled with surprise, calling out in hope for the last time.

"Sorry," Dubian Che looked at her, "I have no intention of playing."

"But..."

"Sorry." Dubian Che interrupted her.

"..." Kobayashi Yuuzuki's eyes lost their sparkle, staring blankly at him.

At the sunless entrance of the VIP seats, her body felt cold, and her mind went blank.

"Come in and rest for a bit? There's air conditioning inside and you can watch the final part of the game. Believe in Kunimi and the others," Dubian Che said.

Kobayashi Yuuzuki came back to her senses and looked at Dubian Che before her.

His face was pale and handsome, with no trace of suntan.

His lips were rosy, without the marks of frustrated biting.

A brand-new T-shirt slightly revealed his collarbone, not a drop of sweat on it.

His voice was clear and pleasant, calm and collected, not prone to loud shouts.

His neck was clean and slender, with no unsightly veins.

At that moment, Kobayashi Yuuzuki remembered, remembered Uchida's darkened face, remembered Yoshikawa's always bitten lips, remembered Maki's uniform soaked with sweat, remembered Kunimi's shrill and noisy shouting.

"I'm going back," Kobayashi Yuuzuki said, "I need to return."

"Okay," Dubian Che nodded, "Regardless of the outcome, do your utmost effort, leave no regrets—please relay this to Kunimi and the rest of the baseball club."

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