"Smack!"
"Ball four! Walk!"
The umpire's voice rang out.
Taichi Hiromi froze.
"…He didn't swing?"
Masuko snorted at him.
"Why would I?"
There was no need to force a swing.
Ushijima was already standing on third base.
That alone was pressure.
With a runner on third and two outs, most batters would panic.
They'd try to make contact at all costs.
Even a weak grounder would be enough to bring the runner home.
That was the "normal" choice.
But Masuko wasn't normal.
He stayed calm.
He only waited for one thing—
A good pitch.
If it was a breaking ball?
He wouldn't swing.
If it was outside?
He wouldn't swing.
And if Taichi threw a fastball down the middle?
Then Masuko would crush it.
Because of that threat—
Taichi didn't dare challenge him.
So the only option left…
Was to throw balls.
And just like that—
Walk.
"This is bad… two outs, but there's still a runner on third."
"Yeah… and the next batter is Seido's catcher… Miyuki."
"I heard he's pretty good too."
Sure enough—
Three pitches later.
Strikeout.
"…."
Silence.
From third base, Ushijima narrowed his eyes at Miyuki, who walked back like nothing happened.
"Oi."
"Go die."
"You had runner-on-third buffs and STILL struck out. What use are you?!"
Miyuki scratched his head shamelessly.
"Haha~ don't worry about it, don't worry about it."
"Shameless bastard!" Ushijima snapped. "Next up is THEIR fourth batter. Their ace!"
"If we don't shut him down, I'm the one suffering next inning!"
"Haha~"
Miyuki just kept laughing.
No guilt.
Zero remorse.
If anything—
He looked pleased.
Because…
He did it on purpose.
Kuramochi grinned.
"Man… Ushijima, you're gonna have it rough this inning."
"You struck out their lineup three-up-three-down earlier."
"Then we scored two right away."
"Your hate meter is maxed out now."
Ushijima glared.
"That's exactly why I told that idiot to die!"
But Miyuki only smiled wider.
This situation?
Completely intentional.
He wanted pressure.
He wanted to see—
How would Ushijima react when the momentum flipped?
How would he pitch when the opponent's strongest batter stood at the plate with revenge burning in his eyes?
An ace wasn't just about skill.
It was about handling stress.
So Miyuki created some.
On purpose.
Cunning bastard.
On the mound, Ushijima picked up the rosin bag and squeezed it.
White powder dusted his fingers.
Across from him—
Taichi Hiromi stepped into the batter's box.
Kiryu's fourth batter.
Their ace.
No weakling.
Ushijima glanced at Miyuki.
Four-seam… two-seam… already shown…
Cutter will probably be exposed too…
Miyuki tapped the center of his glove.
Right down the middle.
"Give me something big."
Ushijima smirked.
"…Fine. Let's go."
He turned.
His arm whipped forward like a lash.
The ball exploded out of his fingers.
"So fast—!"
Taichi's eyes widened.
This is faster than before—!
He swung immediately.
WHOOSH—
Missed.
"Smack!"
"Strike!"
"What?!"
"The speed just jumped!"
"Didn't his fastballs stay around 145 earlier?"
"That one was way faster!"
Even Taichi felt the pressure rise.
Meanwhile—
Behind the plate—
Miyuki was grinning.
Beautiful.
That one definitely wasn't 145.
148… maybe 149.
Almost 150.
Ushijima's four-seam had a top speed of 155+.
But at that speed?
Control was trash.
Maybe one strike out of ten.
So normally—
He suppressed his speed to maintain accuracy.
145 or below.
Full control of the nine-square grid.
But—
Between 145 and 150?
Control got shaky.
The ball might drift.
Miss the center.
Barely scrape the edges.
A gamble.
Still—
Sometimes…
That instability made the pitch even harder to hit.
And with the good impression Ushijima had already left on the umpire—
Even borderline pitches were getting called strikes.
For pitchers…
Even the umpire could become a weapon.
From the Seido bench—
Takashima Rei checked the speed gun.
"…149."
"Almost 150."
She nodded.
"Two months ago, anything over 145 was wild."
"But now…"
"He can still throw strikes near 150."
"His control has improved a lot."
"And that sudden jump in speed…"
"…is more than enough to shock a hitter."