Date a Live:This is not the date I wanted! Chapter 417 417: Shido Juniors (Part 6)

—Smack!

A crisp sound rang out from the bat, sending the soft baseball flying. After rolling a few tis on the turf, it lost its montum and stopped.

(Foul ball?)

Tsukimichi Kousuke calculated the distance and direction in his mind while calmly adjusting his batting stance.

This was a batting cage not far from Tengu Station, the first stop for his date with Ryougi-senpai today.

Kousuke loved sports, especially baseball. His parents were die-hard Koshien fans and would go watch the gas or watch the live broadcasts every year. Influenced by them, he felt that boys who played baseball were very masculine.

He had even thought about shaving his head and joining the baseball team to sweat blood and tears of youth. But his small stature and easily anemic constitution ant he couldn't participate in sports that required long hours of training.

And because of that, this batting cage, which cost 400 yen for twenty pitches, beca his frequent haunt.

"Hmph—"

Predicting the pitching machine's timing, Kousuke held his breath and swung the bat. Soon, the sensation of hitting the ball transmitted through the bat.

"A bit too high... But it counts as a hit."

Kousuke muttered in a low voice. Although the batting cage didn't categorize and judge the ball's landing point—as long as you hit it, it counted—he still evaluated his own batting. Consider it a small obsession born from his inability to join a baseball team.

After the twenty pitches were over, Kousuke left the batting box.

"That's amazing, Kousuke!"

Clapping her hands softly, Yutsuki praised him.

"It is nothing, practice makes perfect."

Seeing Yutsuki look at him with new respect, Kousuke couldn't help but feel a bit proud.

——Kousuke, if you were to choose, where would you go on a date with a girl?

——Um? Let see... the cinema?

——Ah... Too naive! Too naive, Kousuke!

——Is, is there a problem? Itsuka-senpai.

——True, when talking about a date, a cinema is definitely one of the first popular spots that cos to mind. But that place is not suitable for a beginner's date.

——Why is that?

——First, in a cinema, both people are facing the big screen. Even sitting next to each other, there is basically no interaction. To experience that nervous, heart-pounding feeling of secretly holding hands in a dim space, both sides must have a certain foundation of affection. If you touch a girl you're not close to, it will very likely be treated as a harassnt!

——I-I see!

——Furthermore, the next step after watching the movie is usually exchanging thoughts about it. If you just watched a boring B-movie, or your interests don't align, the conversation will easily hit a dead end. Do you know what that ans? It ans the almost three hours you spent on the date were wasted! Completely aningless!

——How terrifying. To think there was such a trap hidden there. Dating really is a profound subject.

——Right? This is a pit beginners easily step into.

——Then, Itsuka-senpai, do you have any recomndations?

——Mhm... There are many recomndations. Like aquariums, amusent parks, places where there are more chances for interaction. But we need to analyze based on your specific situation. Kousuke, where do you usually go to play?

——Eh? ? After school, I often make a detour to the batting cage.

——A batting cage, huh... That's not bad. A familiar place can ease your nervousness. Plus, if you are confident in your skills, you can take the opportunity to show off your masculinity. Maybe sothing good will happen.

(Itsuka-senpai...)

Recalling Itsuka Shido's teachings, Kousuke felt every word was golden and deeply admired him.

"Are you okay? You're sweating a lot."

"I am fine! This level is just right for a warm-up. Another hundred pitches is no problem!"

"I'm telling you not to push yourself. If you're tired, just say so." Seeing the junior seemingly trying to act tough, Yutsuki smiled bitterly and advised, "Here, a towel and a sports drink. Rest for a bit. If you go all out right from the start, you won't have any energy left for the afternoon."

"Thank you very much..."

Taking the towel and drink handed by Yutsuki, Kousuke's cheeks flushed slightly, and he bowed respectfully to thank her.

(Earlier, Senpai used this towel and drank from this drink...)

Gulp. Kousuke secretly swallowed.

"By the way, the drink and towel are provided by this place."

Seemingly seeing through Kousuke's thoughts, Yutsuki explained speechlessly.

"You aren't thinking about sothing dirty, are you?"

"N-No, no, I am not! I-I wasn't thinking about slling Senpai's scent or an indirect kiss or anything—"

Being exposed by Yutsuki, Kousuke hurriedly shook his head and explained in a panic.

"You just said it all out loud... Well, seeing as you're still quite cute, I'll forgive you this ti."

Yutsuki chuckled and blinked.

"Haha... I am very sorry."

Kousuke forced a smile. For the first ti, he felt that looking feminine wasn't entirely a bad thing.

"Right, Ryougi-senpai, do you want to try it too?"

"Sure."

Yutsuki nodded. It was her first ti at a place like this. After watching Kousuke play a round, she was sowhat interested.

Picking a bat from the rack, Yutsuki started strolling along the front of the batting boxes.

"Mhm... Which batting box would be better?"

"The batting boxes are basically the sa. Senpai, just pick the one you like."

"Mhm, but that batting box is clearly different, right?"

Yutsuki pointed at the batting box on the far right and asked.

To increase the sense of presence, next to each pitching machine was an LED screen displaying an animation of a professional player pitching in sync with the machine.

However, the art style on the screen of the batting box Yutsuki pointed at was completely out of place with the other machines. It showed a girl with long, straight black hair wearing a white sailor uniform, holding a baseball and a baseball glove.

"Ah, that's Shiratama-chan. It seems to be a new pitching machine the store manager recently bought."

Kousuke explained.

"I heard the store manager say that the head office collaborated with an animation company to release a product to keep up with trendy elents. I played it once. I heard it can play different voice lines based on the batting results."

"Oh—"

Hearing this, Yutsuki raised an eyebrow, feeling a bit interested.

"Then I'll choose this one."

"Eh? Wait, Ryougi-senpai—"

Before Kousuke could dissuade her, Yutsuki opened the door and walked into the batting box.

[Two hundred yen per ga, please insert coins or swipe your card.]

(Hm? It's cheaper than the normal ones. Then why is there no one at this batting box?)

Although she felt a bit puzzled, Yutsuki still inserted two coins according to the prompt.

[Ara ara— To dare challenge , what a foolish commoner!]

Then, Shiratama-chan on the screen reacted, letting out a disdainful laugh at Yutsuki.

"An ojou-sama with a sharp tongue, huh... The voice actress sounds like Ka*beep* Hana*beep*. Pretty fitting."(TL:my goat Kana Hanazawa)

While sighing at the voice actress's dedication, Yutsuki gripped the bat and readied her stance in the batting box.

[Now then— take this!]

In sync with Shiratama-chan's movent, the pitching machine started running.

————Bang!!

A crisp, decisive sound rang out. Like a cannonball fired from a barrel, in just an instant, the pitched baseball magnified right before Yutsuki's eyes.

The next instant, wind pressure brushed past her cheek. Yutsuki looked back; the baseball had already landed on the cushioning net behind her.

"Phew... I see."

After freezing for half a second, Yutsuki let out a long breath, then curled her lips in excitent.

"Interesting woman... No, baseball."

"Ah... I knew it would turn out like this."

Seeing this scene, Kousuke sighed as expected.

Who knows whether it was the store manager's or the designer's terrible taste, but unlike the other pitching machines, Shiratama-chan pitching machine threw every pitch at around 150 km/h. Basically, the mont a person realized the machine had pitched, it was already over.

If one let their guard down because of the cute animation on the screen, it would definitely leave a sizable psychological shadow.

(Ryougi-senpai, are you okay?)

Kousuke watched the box worriedly. He saw Shiratama-chan throw two more fastballs in a row. Although Yutsuki swung the bat vigorously both tis, she unfortunately missed.

[Tch... More useless than I thought. Get lost, trash— Don't waste my ti.]

After Shiratama-chan mocked her with a face full of contempt, the pitching machine stopped running.

This was another setting of Shiratama-chan—early ga termination. Although the rule was the sa as other pitching machines—twenty pitches for five minutes per ga—if there were three misses, it would be counted as a strikeout and forcefully ended. This was also why the price was half of the other batting boxes.

"Well... Don't mind it, Ryougi-senpai. I also struck out directly like this last ti. This pitching machine's settings are a bit twisted. The other machines won't be this difficult."

A bit worried that Yutsuki would have unpleasant mories, Kousuke hurriedly comforted her.

However, to Kousuke, Yutsuki seed to turn a deaf ear. Not only did she not leave the batting box, but she inserted two more 100-yen coins into the coin slot.

"Senpai?!"

Kousuke widened his eyes in surprise.

At batting cages, there was an unwritten rule: one person plays one ga. Regardless of whether they were acquaintances or not, if soone was waiting outside, they had to yield to the next person after finishing their ga.

Of course, aside from so challengers and hardcore fans, most custors wouldn't choose Shiratama-chan. But Kousuke still noticed a few scattered custors walking toward them.

(Well... Maybe Ryougi-senpai is just montarily heated up. She'll probably co out after venting her anger in this ga.)

[A piece of cake. You want to beat ? Go train for another hundred years.]

However, after five pitches, Yutsuki didn't leave as Kousuke imagined, but started another ga.

[Haha! A commoner's limit is only this much.]

...

[You actually have so skill, making take this seriously. You can feel proud.]

...

[Ah... Ah... To actually push this far. But it is a pity, the final winner is still .]

Kousuke stared blankly, his jaw dropped, his eyes full of shock.

Just now, Yutsuki, who had finished the fifth ga, didn't stop and initiated a sixth challenge against Shiratama-chan.

Over these six gas, Yutsuki wasn't unilaterally crushed by Shiratama-chan like at the beginning. Kousuke noticed that with every pitch, Yutsuki would make slight adjustnts to her grip on the bat, her batting stance, and her swing timing to better deal with Shiratama-chan's pitches.

Ga after ga, from being struck out directly at the beginning, to five pitches, six pitches, eleven pitches, sixteen pitches. The ti Yutsuki lasted against Shiratama-chan grew longer and longer, gradually reaching a stalemate.

What astonishing learning ability. Kousuke couldn't help but feel terrified. It was no exaggeration to say that in terms of pure batting ability, Ryougi Yutsuki had far surpassed him, even rivaling baseball players entering Koshien.

"Hoh... Already hit seventeen pitches? This young lady is really amazing."

"Damn it! My record was surpassed!"

"Ah, Shiratama-chan's level four voice line. This is my first ti hearing it!"

"The eighteenth pitch! Is this young lady aiming for a Grand Slam?"

"More than that, I think she is aiming for a ho run!"

Hearing this, Kousuke felt a wave of heat wash over him.

At so point, a crowd of onlookers had gathered outside the batting box. But facing the noisy chatter, Yutsuki didn't even frown, focusing entirely as if blocking out the noise.

(What incredible concentration.)

Kousuke held his breath. He had long given up the thought of dissuading her, quietly watching everything unfold.

Approachable and kind, yet acting entirely on her own will. Unafraid of any idle gossip, shining brightly like the sun as a matter of course, shattering the darkness head-on.

It was precisely because of this that Tsukimichi Kousuke was deeply attracted to her the first ti he saw her.

The nineteenth pitch was an incredibly fast straight ball exceeding 155 km/h, but Yutsuki, whose eyes had grown accustod to the speed, still firmly hit it into the corner of the wall.

[Hmph— Hahaha! Very well, I acknowledge you as my rival! Let's decide the winner with this final pitch!]

The twentieth pitch. After hearing Shiratama-chan's declaration of war, Kousuke felt the aura surrounding Yutsuki suddenly change, becoming incredibly sharp like a drawn sword.

Kousuke was now certain. Ryougi Yutsuki's goal was indeed a ho run.

(Do your best, Ryougi-senpai.)

Kousuke prayed nervously in his heart.

————Bang!!!!

Accompanied by a loud noise, a white afterimage shot out of the pitching machine, flying straight toward Yutsuki.

(No problem!)

Kousuke secretly clenched his fists in his heart. This ball was slightly slower than the last one. With Yutsuki's reaction speed and power, she could definitely hit a ho run.

However, just the instant the ball neared the batter's box, the afterimage suddenly changed its trajectory, dropping sharply downward.

"A vertical slider!?"

The audience couldn't help but exclaim. No one expected that Shiratama-chan's final winning pitch would be a breaking ball.

This kind of high-speed breaking ball was extrely difficult to hit to begin with. Coupled with the impact left by the nineteen super-fast straight balls before it, no one could possibly react in ti.

Everyone, including Kousuke, thought Yutsuki would swing and miss.

However, as if having anticipated it long ago, Yutsuki took a step forward and lowered her waist—

...

Ryougi Yutsuki had a bad habit. When she was too focused on sothing, her attention to her surroundings would drop drastically. Even if she reacted, it would only be a subconscious reply.

(Shiratama-chan's defeat voice lines have a total of five stages, categorized based on the number of pitches faced: direct strikeout, four to five pitches, six to ten pitches, eleven to fifteen pitches, and sixteen to twenty pitches. Although the data for judgnt is a bit insufficient, the current conclusion should be correct.)

Staring at the 2D beautiful girl on the screen, Yutsuki thought in her heart.

(And then, there are corresponding voice lines for ground balls, foul balls, and hits. But none of them sound like victory voice lines. Then the victory condition must be either a Grand Slam or a ho run...?!)

Suddenly, a super-fast straight ball ca flying at her. Yutsuki subconsciously swung the bat, but reacted 0.1 seconds later and held back her strength.

(That was close...)

Yutsuki secretly breathed a sigh of relief, adjusted her stance, and prepared to face the final pitch.

Because a Spirit's physical constitution far exceeded a normal person's, hitting a ball like this wasn't difficult. Even Tohka, who knew absolutely nothing about baseball, could probably use brute force to hit a ho run.

But since she lived in human society, Yutsuki still tried her best to avoid using Spirit power.

Of course, in so unavoidable situations, she would use her power. But for a self-challenge ga like this, she still wanted to win head on without tricks.

After all, humans grow continuously in the process of tempering their wisdom and skills. If one always relied on brute force, there would be no difference from a wild beast.

[Hmph— Hahaha! Very well, I acknowledge you as my rival! Let's decide the winner with this final pitch!]

The final pitch. Yutsuki pushed her concentration to the limit, watching Shiratama-chan's movents fra by fra.

At this point, aside from the victory voice line which hadn't appeared yet, Shiratama-chan's other voice lines had all been excavated. But if Yutsuki guessed right, there should still be an undiscovered Easter egg on Shiratama-chan herself.

(She is clearly a girl, but uses a baseball pitching form instead of softball. Furthermore, she isn't wearing gym clothes, but a sailor uniform with a skirt. In that case—)

Thinking of this, Yutsuki gripped the bat tightly, her whole body igniting with blazing fighting spirit.

The animation up until now had Shiratama-chan lifting her leg to a very subtle height. One could appreciate her healthy, fair long legs, but couldn't catch a glimpse of the absolute territory under her skirt, leaving an itch that couldn't be scratched.

However, judging from the detail put into this character, if she were the developer, and if the developer were an otaku, this final pitch would definitely satisfy the player's expectations.

The twentieth pitch began. Shiratama-chan's pitching animation changed, lifting her left leg high enough to be parallel with her chest.

(I saw it!)

Yutsuki hurriedly took a step forward and lowered her waist. Even though this action was aningless for a 2D animation, she still did it subconsciously.

Then she saw, under that blue skirt swaying in the wind, a glimpse of white—

—Safety shorts.

(Are you kidding eeeeee!)

Yutsuki instantly couldn't hold it in, losing control and swinging the bat wildly.

—Clang!

Accompanied by a satisfying sound of hitting the ball dead center. The baseball soared high like a shooting star, crossing the spacious field and smashing into the ceiling.