Bang!
The bat met the ball solidly, and the baseball shot through the infield, skimming past the defenders and landing near second base.
Kuramochi Yoichi casually tossed his bat aside.
Swoosh—
Like a cheetah released from its leash, he exploded toward first base.
"So fast!"
"A speedster!!"
"Lord Cheetah!"
Cheers instantly erupted from the stands.
"Yah-ha!"
Kuramochi stepped on first base and raised his right fist toward the audience, grinning confidently.
"Kuramochi's completely different from before," Kusunoki Fumiya muttered emotionally from the dugout. "With his current batting ability, if he were at any school other than a powerhouse, he'd be good enough to bat third—maybe even cleanup."
"Well~ if Kanzaki hadn't forced him to focus on left-handed batting," Miyuki chuckled, "he definitely wouldn't be where he is now."
The memory of Kanzaki Ryou patiently coaxing Kuramochi back then still felt vivid.
With Kuramochi on base, Kominato Ryosuke stepped into the batter's box.
Before he went up, Coach Kataoka had given him a simple instruction:
Choose a good pitch—and send Kuramochi to second.
Swoosh!
Nanpei Mamoru delivered the first pitch the moment Kominato was ready.
"Ball!"
"Foul!"
"Strike!"
"Ball!"
After three pitches, the count settled at two balls and one strike.
Catcher Mishima glanced sideways at Kominato Ryosuke after receiving an extremely low pitch.
This pink-haired shortstop's pitch selection was terrifyingly precise—he wouldn't swing if the ball dropped even a little too low.
Then we'll decide it in the strike zone.
The catcher gave the sign.
Nanpei Mamoru immediately understood.
An outside-low pitch—even if he makes contact, it won't go far.
Kominato Ryosuke smiled faintly.
No one knew what he was thinking.
The moment the ball left the pitcher's hand, his eyes sharpened.
Bang!
The white ball shot toward third base.
At the same time, Kuramochi Yoichi had already taken off, sprinting from first to second.
Thwack!
The ball bounced once and was scooped up by the third baseman.
"Second base!"
The throw came instantly—
"Safe!!"
The ball arrived a fraction too late.
A perfectly executed hit-and-run.
Unable to get Kuramochi out, the second baseman hurriedly fired the ball to first.
"Safe!"
"Heh. Throwing straight to first is fine," Kanzaki Ryou chuckled, "but that won't get Kominato-senpai out."
Miyuki nodded lightly.
"Runners on first and second. A good start, huh?"
Isashiki Jun stepped into the batter's box.
"Go, Jun-san!"
"Hit it!"
"Go, Foxy Dog!"
Hearing the teasing from the stands, Isashiki glared fiercely at the mound.
The pitch came in—
His full-power swing cut through empty air.
That was low…
His stance collapsed slightly. Knowing the pitch was low was one thing—feeling it in real time was another.
Interesting.
Isashiki grinned like a villain.
The next pitch flew in.
He swung decisively.
Bang!
The bat grazed the ball, sending it toward right field near first base.
Tch…
Isashiki cursed inwardly.
It would advance Kuramochi to third, but he wanted to reach base himself.
Then—
Something unexpected happened.
After catching the ball, Mishima's right fielder didn't throw to first.
Instead—
He fired the ball straight to third base.
"What?!"
"Are they crazy?!"
"That won't get him out!"
"They could've thrown to second!"
"Now it's bases loaded!"
The crowd was stunned.
No matter how you looked at it, Kuramochi couldn't be thrown out.
It was a clear misjudgment under pressure.
For a weaker team, such mistakes were understandable.
Seidou's opening pressure was simply too overwhelming.
One bad decision—
and the game tilted completely.
No outs. Bases loaded.
Isashiki Jun stood on first base, laughing wildly.
"Captain! Blast it!"
"Yuki, we're counting on you!"
"Home run!!"
Amid the deafening cheers, Yuki Tetsuya calmly stepped into the batter's box.
Boom—
A quiet yet terrifying pressure radiated from him.
"Captain's serious now."
"Three on base—if he sends this out…"
"Hehe, this is gonna be huge."
Teammates leaned excitedly against the dugout fence.
On the mound, Nanpei Mamoru glanced helplessly toward right field and sighed.
Why did it have to turn out like this…
With bases loaded, an intentional walk wasn't an option.
Next batter?
Kanzaki Ryou.
Another slugger with home-run power.
Giving up runs now would only make things worse.
Then… I'll fight.
He exchanged glances with the catcher and threw.
Swoosh!
"Strike!"
Yuki didn't move.
The catcher frowned.
I hate batters like this… I can't read him at all.
That outside pitch wasn't bad.
Is he waiting for something inside?
Fine.
Another outside pitch—different break.
The second pitch came in low again.
The catcher felt good about it—
Then Yuki's body rotated.
The bat flashed past the catcher's vision.
BOOM!!
The swing detonated like an explosion.
The baseball soared high into the sky.
Yuki Tetsuya smiled faintly.
Tricky pitches… but too slow.
Once he judged the pitch, his swing speed and power did the rest.
"Good!!"
"It's gone!!"
"Four-run shot!"
"Grand slam!!"
"Yuki, I love you!!!"
A grand slam.
No outs—
Seidou surged ahead by four runs.
As the runners crossed home plate one by one, Kanzaki Ryou stepped toward the batter's box, bat resting on his shoulder.
"Kanzaki! Add another one!"
Kuramochi shouted as he left the field.
"Heh."
Kanzaki's lips twitched.
Low pitches, huh…
He was confident he could hit them—
But whether it'd be a double or a home run?
That would depend on luck.