"Osaka Tsubaki High School requests a player substitution."
After the bottom half of the fifth inning ended, Nishikawa Koji stood outside the Osaka Tsubaki player area and raised his hand towards the main umpire of the game.
"Number 2, Kawabata Akane, out."
"Number 12, Mori Yuuya, in."
Kawabata Akane, who was substituted out, showed no sign of displeasure on his face; on the contrary, he stood beside Mori Yuuya as usual, softly imparting the experiences he had gained from the previous at-bats.
"Anyway, don't carry any burdens onto the field; once you step into the batter's box, just be yourself—if you encounter a pitch you want to hit, swing with all your might in your signature style, just like how you hit Yuuya's pitch during the Red and White match."
Kawabata Akane patted Mori Yuuya firmly on the back, trying to ease the nerves of his junior in this way—after all, this was his first time facing a super high school-level pitcher like Lin Guanglai.
