How rude, we are pure love!

Is he doing this for me?

Swoosh, a white ball flew over neatly, and Qingye swung the bat subconsciously -

"So fast!?"

To be honest, girls are obviously not suitable to be pitchers, because what pitchers need most is arm strength, and there is a natural difference between the bodies of men and women in this aspect. However, Lemon easily threw a baseball at a speed of nearly 120 kilometers per hour.

"I'm just warming up. Pitching isn't just about strength, it's also about control and technique." Lemon bent down to pick up a ball, looking very proud. Qingye felt that her athletic talent was much better than his.

There was a big bucket at her feet, filled with balls, and the girl's excitement was obvious - she had been looking forward to playing with Qingye like this, even if it meant playing all day.

"Hmph, that's all. If you don't continue to improve, you'll be easily defeated."

Qingye raised the bat. How should he put it? If he was facing someone else, he might not have felt much, but if it was this innocent and straightforward girl in front of him, he felt that his fighting spirit was also ignited.

Whoosh, clang.

Ah, that looks like fun.

Eriri sat aside, looking at the two people, and sighed softly. She had never been able to understand the charm of baseball before... In fact, even now, what really touched her was the atmosphere they exuded at this moment.

"Hey, blonde lady over there, hurry up and pick up the ball!" Qingye shouted.

"You actually asked me to pick up the ball!?"

"Why else do you think I brought you here?" the young man said as if it was a matter of course.

Wow, that’s too much.

*

"I'm going to die..."

When the sun went down, Eriri lay on the court with a look of despair, almost moaning, saying that she didn't care about her image as a young lady anymore. Lemon was not much better, lying peacefully on the other side.

Qingye went to the convenience store nearby and bought some hot food and drinks and handed them to her.

Although she was eager for these things now, she still thanked them gracefully before accepting the drinks and food.

She opened the bottle cap of soda, gulped down half of it in one breath, and burped because of the carbonation. Pink spread all over her pretty face, and she secretly glanced at Qingye.

Qingye didn't care about it at all. He drank a bottle of water and ate a hot dog bun. Yinglili wanted to complain, but when she saw the boy pick up the bat again, she suddenly swallowed her words and became stunned:

"Do you want to fight again?"

"Because I feel very happy." He smiled. "Besides, I haven't reached my limit yet. Don't worry, I will stop when the time is right."

"In that case——"

The athletic girl jumped up with a belligerent look on her face. "I can keep going too! I'm the best pitcher right now and I don't have to worry about the aftermath!"

Eriri's expression was extremely complicated. Why were these people working so hard? Were they trying to show her the theory of hard work? This was the only thing she was sure of.

She sighed deeply, and lay on her back on the grass, looking at the gradually emerging night sky and stars, and suddenly she had an inexplicable feeling in her heart.

I was so tired, as if my thighs didn't belong to me anymore, but I felt so relaxed, I didn't have to think about all those messy things anymore. When I looked up at the night sky, my emotions were so high that I couldn't help but want to say something.

Seeing them like this, how can I stay calm?

*

After saying goodbye to Eriri and Lemon, Qingye dragged his extremely sore body and arms and slowly opened the door.

"...Welcome back, Kiyono-kun."

At this moment, he seemed to see an angel.

Under the soft light, the black-haired girl tied a gorgeous waist-length black ponytail, wore a retro apron with a big bow around her waist, and stood in the kitchen with a natural look on her face. She waved to him with a slightly blushing face.

Because he often saw Sister Yang No, Qing Ye was not too shocked and said tentatively:

"Why are you here?"

Yukinoshita pursed her lips, turned around and continued cooking. After a while, the girl's slightly soft and awkward voice sounded along with the gurgling sound in the kitchen.

"Aren't you planning on playing in the baseball game next week? Given your personality, you'll definitely practice quietly until you collapse, right? I have an obligation to look after you and give you some nutrition."

After all, this is for her.

Is this... Yukinoshita's unique tsundere concern?

Qingye blinked and said with a smile, "Then please give me two more bowls of rice."

"……Um."

After eating Yukinoshita's special dinner, Qingye lay drowsily on the sofa. The sound of the TV program was rustling, and the sound of washing dishes in the kitchen was soothing.

At a certain moment, the sound of the TV suddenly stopped, footsteps sounded, and he felt someone sitting next to him, and felt a soft touch on his shoulder.

"You have to protect your shoulder blades and hands."

The soft voice blurred the boundary between reality and dreams, and he slowly fell into the gentle world.

*

Ying Lili slept particularly soundly today. Although her body was extremely tired, she did not have any disturbing or frustrating dreams. She slept soundly until morning, at the cost of waking up half an hour later than usual.

baseball.

The first thing that came to her mind was this idea, or rather, someone's face.

She seemed to be reconnected with the world. The girl was full of energy and habitually opened the curtains.

She rubbed her eyes.

Is it an illusion?

Downstairs, the boy waved to her with a sunny smile on his face.

So dazzling.

Eriri showed an embarrassed expression, feeling that if she continued like this, she would soon write out the summer shadow.

*

It is still a hot summer day today. Eriri can clearly feel that Qingye and Lemon's strength and vitality are not as sufficient as yesterday. This is understandable, after all, they have experienced high-intensity training right from the start.

Even so, their enthusiasm has not diminished in the slightest.

"Ah Qing, your swing has slowed down. If you keep performing like this on the field, you won't be able to impress the audience."

Lemon seems to be in much better condition. She has been exercising since she was a child and knows very well how to eliminate physical fatigue.

"I'm charging up my ultimate move."

Exercise is not something that can be mastered overnight. He even feels that his condition is worse than yesterday. However, he does not care. He just keeps practicing, at least to do everything he can first.

Swing, swing, swing.

All I could see were white balls flying towards me.

Lemon's ball skills are constantly improving. Various tricky ball routes are used to attack, which keeps him highly focused. The two of them stare at each other with eyes that are between belligerence and tenderness.

Whoosh, clang.

Just as Lemon was about to throw a soft ball, suddenly, Qingye's baseball fell to the ground.

"what happened?"

The two girls felt their hearts tighten at the same time and ran over quickly.

Their eyes focused on the boy's arm and found that it was shaking uncontrollably. There was also a faint trace of blood on the handle of the metal baseball bat on the ground.

"It's okay, just rest for a while."

Although his condition was not very good, he was inexplicably excited. He had a feeling that he had reached his limit and broke through. He simply sat down on the grass.

Lemon, who was standing by, held his hand and helped him take off his batting gloves. Sure enough, he saw that the skin was broken and bleeding.

The athletic girl pursed her lips and showed a helpless expression. If a normal girl faced this situation, she would definitely comfort him and stop him from continuing to fight, but she was already used to such things. Although she felt pity, her approach was very simple.

"Remember to take good care of it later. You'll be fine after these few days."

"Don't worry, I have my own coach."

Why... do you have to go to this extent.

Ying Lili was extremely shocked, and there was a moist light flashing in her eyes.

It was the first time she saw Qingye practicing so hard. No, he must have been doing his best in places where she couldn't see him.

Lemon also lay down beside him, looking at the clouds slowly floating in the sky. Beside her was the man to whom she could pour all her passion, and her mood was extremely high.

She turned her head.

"Qing, will you become a baseball player and compete in Koshien? Even if it's not baseball, no matter what sport you want to compete in, I will be with you--"

"No, I don't make much money." Qingye's voice was full of the smell of money of a businessman.

"So utilitarian!?"

Lemon stretched out his fist and hit him.

"Then, come and accompany me while I compete in the tournament."

"If only occasionally." He still said stubbornly.

Eriri just looked at the two of them silently. There was an atmosphere between them that she couldn't join. That was supposed to be her place. For a moment, emotion, regret, and a thin flame emerged in her heart.

?

ps: I have written more than a thousand words, but I will not finish this chapter. I will continue writing and post a final chapter today.

102. Personal route has been cleared

"Come on, continue." About ten minutes later, Qingye stood up, pulled the brim of his hat, and raised his bat.

"—I'll accompany you."

Lemon just smiled brightly.

She knew that Qingye was already very tired, and that it would be normal for a normal person to call it a day - but as an athlete, she knew very well that some things could only be mastered through such training. Qingye's moment was approaching, and his enthusiasm touched her deeply.

"If you can't catch my next ten balls, I won't practice with you today." She said deliberately.

"Come on, I've already entered the second stage." Qingye said.

call out.

He moved about three centimeters by feeling, but his movements were a little slow, and the ball flew straight out from the left.

In this case, relax your right wrist a little and hit with a more relaxed posture.

——Swoosh, whoosh.

As expected, the first few balls all missed, and Lemon thought the next ones would be the same, because he could no longer control his body at will. She could understand this feeling.

But, huh?

During the ninth pitch, Kiyono raised the bat with an incredibly smooth and effortless motion.

Then--

Clang.

The crispest beating sounds of the past two days linger in my ears.

It was a beautiful shot, as beautiful as a passing rainbow.

--ah.

"Was that... a home run?"

Ying Lili stared at the white ball in a daze. Clearly, clearly he had reached his limit...

Her eyes felt sore and she almost shed tears.