Chapter 44: The Baseball Game (Part One)

"I understand, but Shiina, could you please come down first?" Yecheng nodded awkwardly, addressing Shiina. Ruichen never mentioned to me that stepping out of the subordinate star system would bring us so close together. The moment we emerged, Shiina was hanging around my neck. Yecheng felt somewhat uncomfortable with this.

Shiina released her grip and bounced lightly onto the ground, then suddenly accelerated, moving swiftly. In every aspect, she was much stronger than before. If Shiina's combat power had been 102 earlier, it was now at least 135. It might not seem like much, but for someone without a special power system like Shiina, it was a significant leap. Among the few members of the Front, aside from Shiina, the strongest combat power was only 15.

"Ahem, since you're now my subordinate, I suppose I should give you a gift!" Now that Shiina was one of his own, it was only right to offer a welcome present. Yecheng opened the system panel and used his not-so-abundant points to exchange for two short blades, which suited Shiina perfectly.

"These two short blades are yours now. I hope you'll make good use of them." He handed the blades, cold to the touch, to Shiina. Under the sunlight, the blades didn't reflect any light. In Shiina's hands, they twirled skillfully, and she held them fondly, unexpectedly thanked Yecheng, "Thank you! I really like them!"

"Hey! Shiina!" Having rounded up a few unofficial members, Hinata dragged Otonashi around the entire academy, finally finding Yecheng and Shiina by a flowerbed.

As Hinata ran toward them, his vision blurred, the world spun, and with a thud, he landed heavily on his back. Both of Shiina's blades were already at his throat. Feeling the cold metal and murderous intent, Hinata dared not move, shrinking his neck and asking, "Shiina, I didn't provoke you, did I? Why did you attack me as soon as I showed up?"

"What is it?" Still struggling to control herself, Shiina's body reacted before her mind when she saw Hinata approaching, nearly killing him on instinct. She released Hinata and looked at him calmly.

"I've been looking for you! Aren't you athletic? Come play baseball, you'll do great!" Climbing up from the ground, Hinata immediately forgot his near-death experience and grinned, inviting Shiina.

Shiina didn't answer, instead glancing at Yecheng as if seeking his approval. Yecheng nodded, "If you want to go, just go. No need to ask me."

"Such shallowness," Shiina said, nodding after receiving Yecheng's answer.

"Honestly, I've never watched a baseball game. Bai, shall we go see what it's like together?" Yecheng and Bai, whose lives had previously been nothing but busy and vengeful, never enjoyed ordinary moments, barely knowing what baseball was. Now seemed as good a time as any to experience it.

"If you go, then I'll go too!" Bai replied simply, wishing to stay by his side.

...

At the tournament venue, in the baseball stadium, Yecheng and Bai watched the game from the stands, full of enthusiasm. After understanding the rules, they found baseball to be a simple game, but that didn't diminish their interest.

Most members of the Afterlife Battlefront had joined the competition. Yecheng and Bai were somewhat puzzled by Yuri's strategy. If victory was the goal, wouldn't it be better to gather all the strong players together? Why split them into separate teams? With these thoughts, they observed the matches.

Yecheng's gaze swept over each team. None seemed to have a particular advantage, but one lineup appeared particularly odd—Noda, Hinata, Matsushita, Otonashi, and Shiina, all with decent athletic skills, which Yecheng could understand. But then there was Yui and three other frail girls, who seemed like a definite disadvantage.

Their team stood at the center of the field, drawing everyone's attention. No one believed they were real contenders; they looked more like fillers.

"Star, do you think your subordinate's team can win?" Bai squinted, the corners of her eyes smiling as she asked about Shiina's team.

"I don't know. Doesn't look too promising, though."

"Is that so? I actually have confidence they'll become champions!" Bai winked at Yecheng, contemplating whether to secretly help them.

"No cheating—what's the fun in that?" Sensing Bai's scheming, Yecheng immediately refused. He had no particular notion of fairness, but seeing Bai's interest, he smiled, "Fine, do as you please!"

Afterward, with neither Yecheng nor Bai intervening, every Battlefront team smoothly qualified, surprising them both. It seemed the Front's athletic prowess was not bad after all. Patiently waiting, Hinata's team eventually joined mid-competition.

Hinata was currently negotiating with the NPC students. Because so many teams were joining late, the NPCs were annoyed and planned to reject Hinata's request.

"But we're students here too, right?" Hinata, ever sociable, tried to get friendly with the NPCs, nudging Yui with his elbow, "Hey, say something!"

"Bring it on, you punks!" Yui rushed forward, swinging her fists, just short of starting a fight, threatening the others.

"Is threatening people really the way?" Seeing Yui's antics, Hinata immediately locked her in a hold, his elbow pressing hard as he shouted angrily.

"My joints are breaking—I won't be able to hit a home run!" From within Yui came a crackling sound, as her tail and ahoge twitched in agony.

"I never expected you to hit one anyway!" Unable to stand it, Hinata applied even more force.

After Hinata's relentless pestering, the NPCs finally agreed to let them play. Surrounded by his teammates, Hinata made a rousing speech, energizing everyone and arranging the batting order, raising his fist and shouting, "Alright, let's go! Fight on!"

"Uh... oh..." Unfortunately, the others barely responded, only mumbling after a while.

"Their lack of teamwork is astonishing!" Bai commented on Hinata's team below. Yet, this only piqued her interest further, and she resolved to help them during the game.

"If a team like this wins, it'll be quite entertaining!" Yecheng, amused by their antics, eagerly awaited the match ahead.