Diamond Ace's Passionate Swing

"The starting pitcher for the semifinals the day after tomorrow."

Coach Kataoka's gaze fell on Koichiro Tanba, with a mixture of inquiry and trust.

"I plan to appoint Tanba as the new head."

"Are you alright?"

Tanbo straightened his back, his eyes resolute.

"no problem!"

Ryosuke Kominato's lips curled into a smile, a hint of mockery in his expression.

"Not bad, they're back in the starting lineup."

Izashiki crossed his arms, his tone somewhat combative.

"A duel between curveball pitchers."

"There's no comparison in height, so don't lose on a curveball, Tanbo!"

Yuki added, expressionless.

"If it's a head shape contest, I'd probably win."

The teammate next to him couldn't help but chuckle.

"What's the point of comparing head shapes!"

Lin Xiao spoke at the opportune moment, with a smile on his face.

"Senior Zhe is right."

Danbo's cheek twitched slightly, and he subconsciously touched the top of his smooth head.

"Head...head shape..."

He muttered to himself, as if trying to encourage himself.

"A sure win... Look, this touch is amazing..."

"I told you not to touch me!"

Izashiki slapped his hand away impatiently.

Coach Kataoka turned to Kenji Kawakami.

"Kawakami."

"Although it may be a bit tough, we still need to be ready to go on stage at any time, just like always."

Kawakami immediately responded.

"yes!"

"Please, Kawakami."

"I'll do my best!"

The coach's gaze then shifted to Akira Furuya.

"Then, Furuya."

"Depending on the game, you might get to the pitcher's mound."

"You need to prepare in advance."

Furuya Akira paused for a moment, then pointed to himself.

"Are you... talking about me?"

Coach Kataoka explained.

"I plan to give Lin Xiao, who has pitched in every game so far, a rest."

"I've already pitched four games, and my stamina is great."

"Because he may have unintentionally accumulated a lot of fatigue."

"This is for the long term."

Upon hearing this, Lin Xiao raised an eyebrow, as if he wanted to say something.

"What? Take a break?"

Coach Kataoka's tone left no room for argument.

"Tamba, Kawakami, Furuya."

"The match the day after tomorrow will be in the hands of these three, do you understand?"

"yes!"

"The starting lineup can now be disbanded."

"Get some rest and recover from your fatigue."

"yes!"

The team members left one after another, but Lin Xiao stayed behind and looked at the coach.

"coach…"

Chris walked over and patted Lin Xiao on the shoulder.

"Rest is also one of the pitcher's responsibilities."

"The coach hopes that this summer, we can go all the way to the end with a full lineup of four pitchers."

His voice was gentle yet firm.

"Seriously, you guys have been an important part of the team for a long time."

Let's go to Koshien Stadium together.

Lin Xiao looked at Chris's serious eyes, nodded, and said no more.

"Even though they don't know, I have to pretend, otherwise it wouldn't be good if I were taken to be dissected."

the next day.

Coach Kataoka's voice rang out again, breaking the brief silence.

"All starting players, assemble at Court B!"

"From now on, practice hitting balls at angles!"

Everyone responded immediately.

"yes!"

At Field B, the pitcher's mound seemed a little off.

Kuramochi stared at the mound, which had clearly grown taller, his face full of confusion.

"Why pile dirt on the pitcher's mound?"

Lin Xiao stood to the side, looking at the mound of earth that represented his hard work.

"Are they trying to replicate Maki's height advantage by increasing the height of the pitcher's mound?"

Several non-regular players walked over, their faces showing a hint of fatigue, yet also a sense of satisfaction.

"They made this suggestion last night."

One of the team members explained, pointing to his companion next to him.

"We spent the whole night adding height to the pitcher's mound."

The other team member scratched his head, looking somewhat embarrassed.

"We also want to contribute to the team."

Lin Xiao looked at them, a hint of warmth flashing in his eyes.

"Okay, who wants to go first?"

He stretched his wrists and walked toward the specially made pitcher's mound.

Kuramochi stared at him in astonishment.

"What?! You're here?"

Lin Xiao asked back, as if it were perfectly reasonable.

"We can't let Tanba-senpai pitch, can we? He's going to start tomorrow."

"Really?!"

Jun Isashiki was already excited and clenched his fists.

"Interesting! These kinds of opportunities don't come often!"

Tetsuya Yuki has already silently moved towards the batter's box.

"Hey, Zhe! Let's do it in order!"

"Isashiki called out."

Tetsuya Yuki turned around, his expression still calm, but his eyes gleamed with fighting spirit.

"Aren't you incredibly motivated?"

Discussing arose from the sidelines.

"Lin Xiao personally fed the balls..."

"It's hard to get him to pitch when there aren't any games!"

"This practice will be very helpful in actual combat."

Yuki stood in the batter's box, gripped his bat tightly, and looked at Lin Xiao on the pitcher's mound.

"Can I get serious now?"

Lin Xiao curled his lips into a smile, his eyes gleaming with confidence.

"If you can hit it."

"Ah Zhe!"

"Fight them!"

"Don't hold back! Hit it with all your might!"

The shouts of his teammates rose and fell.

Lin Xiao took a deep breath, swung his arm, and the baseball roared down from the raised pitcher's mound with amazing momentum!

"call out!"

Yuki's pupils suddenly contracted.

The ball is so fast! The angle is so tricky!

"Bang!"

The crisp sound of the ball being struck did not ring out; instead, the baseball slammed heavily into the catcher's glove.

Wow!

"Oh no, this is so funny!"

"No way..."

"Hey, the pitcher's already intimidating the batter!"

Sawamura watched in stunned silence, gesturing wildly.

"Rong...Rong Chun-kun!"

The next morning, the Seido High School team members looked visibly tired.

Izashiki yawned and rubbed his sore shoulders.

"So sleepy..."

"Was Lin Xiao's pitch yesterday at around 155 km/h?"

Shirasu Ken's tone was certain.

"No, it feels even faster than that."

Izashiki recalled the blow she had suffered yesterday and was still shaken.

"He threw nearly 200 balls by himself... but..."

Lin Xiao walked over, looking refreshed and chuckled as he saw their dejected appearance.

"What's wrong? Can't you guys do it this way?"

Izashiki glared at him, annoyed.

"You still say that..."

"That person really is a monster."

"Although, it was indeed a good practical exercise."

Yuki's voice rang out calmly.

"If you want to express your gratitude, then do so through your performance on the field."

He looked at Lin Xiao.

"Is Lin Xiao trying to say this with his pitch?"

Izashiki snorted.

"What are you saying? You were in full serious mode yesterday and had a great time."

The canteen was filled with the aroma of breakfast.

Lin Xiao carried the tray and greeted them.

"Let's go have breakfast."

Chris walked over to Danbo.

"Tamba."

"How are you feeling today?"

Tanbo stretched his shoulders, a relaxed expression on his face.

"I think...it's pretty good."

"It seems the fatigue has subsided."

Chris nodded with satisfaction.

Suddenly, Sawamura Eijun pointed in a certain direction and stammered.

"Increase...increase...increase..."

Coach Kataoka walked in and began making arrangements.

"After breakfast, we'll have a brief meeting."

Rei Takashima replied.

"OK."

"We'll depart from here promptly at seven o'clock."

"understood."

Coach Kataoka continued speaking.

"And also, regarding buses..."

He noticed Sawamura's odd behavior and the suppressed laughter of the team members around him, and looked in the direction he was looking.

"Masuko... what do you want to accuse me of?"

Lin Xiao also looked over, and then burst out laughing.

"That's too much, Coach!"

All eyes were on Masuko.

Coach Kataoka frowned.

"Hey, what's wrong with your head, Masuko?"

"Could it be that she's trying to change her image?"

Masuko wanted to cry but had no tears, touching her head which felt like it had been filled with a ball.

"I forgot... I forgot to put the razor accessories on..."

Lin Xiao suppressed a laugh, patted Zengzi on the shoulder, and said in a serious tone.

"This hairstyle suits you really well, Masuko-senpai! It's so trendy!"

Yoichi Kuramochi was laughing so hard he couldn't stand up straight.

"A 200% head-turning rate!"

"My stomach... my stomach hurts from laughing so much..."

Ryosuke Kominato pushed up his glasses, a mischievous smile playing on his lips.

"Congratulations! You have a new friend, Tanba-senpai."

(Referring to hairstyle)

Sawamura Eijun laughed so hard he almost fell over, tears streaming down his face.

"I'm laughing... I'm dying of laughter..."

Kuramochi punched him.

"You're laughing too hard, Ozawamura!"

Coach Kataoka sighed after looking at Masuko's disastrous hairstyle.

"There's nothing we can do about it now that things have come to this."

His tone turned serious.

"But! Don't make such a basic mistake during the game!"