"…Hm?"
As Ushijima Wakatoshi stepped out of the stadium, he noticed three familiar figures acting suspiciously nearby.
Curious, he walked closer.
It was Sawamura, Furuya, and Kominato Haruichi.
Ushijima had gone to the restroom earlier, so he hadn't come out with the rest of the team.
"Ah—Ushijima?!" Kominato flinched in surprise. "What are you doing here?"
Ushijima frowned slightly. "I should be asking you that."
Sawamura quickly leaned in and whispered,
"Look over there… isn't that Raichi Todoroki from Yakushi?"
Ushijima had already noticed.
Before he could respond—
A loud voice rang out.
"I want to crush every pitcher in the country!! I'll smash them all!!!"
Raichi's shout echoed through the area, filled with raw excitement and madness.
Then—
"Hahaha!!"
He burst into laughter.
Beside him, his father casually dug his ear.
"You said you wanted to go pro, didn't you, Raichi?"
"Then you'll face pitchers every day anyway."
Ushijima's lips curled slightly.
But beside him—
Sawamura was already trembling with anger.
Furuya, on the other hand, looked calm—
But the intensity in his eyes burned just as fiercely.
Raichi's father continued arrogantly,
"The ace of Ichidai—Manaka—was already beaten by you."
"In West Tokyo… the only one worth your time now is Narumiya Mei."
"Eh?" Raichi tilted his head. "What about that Seidou first-year?"
"You know… that foreign student—Ushijima Wakatoshi?"
"…Him?"
His father paused, then shrugged.
"He's got some skill."
"But he's still too green."
"He's not your match."
Ushijima chuckled softly.
So that's how it is.
Then—
Under the stunned gazes of Sawamura and the others—
He stepped forward.
"Excuse me," Ushijima said calmly, interrupting them.
"Mind if I say something?"
Raichi's father froze.
Seidou uniform.
Ace presence.
This was—
Ushijima Wakatoshi.
Ushijima smiled faintly at Raichi.
"Since I'm 'not your match'…"
He shifted his gaze to the father.
"…you'd better be careful."
"The son you're so proud of—"
"—might lose to me so badly you won't recover from it."
Silence.
Then—
"Hey, brat—who are you calling out?" the father snapped angrily.
Ushijima met his glare without flinching.
"I'm talking about you."
"So what if I am?"
The air instantly tensed.
Even Sawamura was stunned.
He actually said it…
"Hahaha!!"
Instead—
Raichi laughed even louder.
"I like you!" he grinned. "I'm looking forward to our match!"
Ushijima tilted his head slightly.
"Oh? That's funny."
"Wasn't your old man just saying I'm not worth your time?"
"Now you're contradicting him already?"
Raichi only grinned wider.
The father's face darkened.
But Ushijima had already lost interest in arguing.
He spoke calmly—
Yet every word carried weight.
"If you think I'm not your son's level…"
"Then let me give you some advice."
"Make Raichi your leadoff batter."
"He'll get more at-bats that way."
"And one more thing—"
His eyes sharpened.
"You'd better start Sanada Shunpei from the first inning."
"If you delay and send him out later…"
"…Seidou will put up at least five runs in the first."
"If the score gap hits ten early—"
"Don't blame us for ending it quickly."
After saying that—
Ushijima turned and walked away.
No hesitation.
No fear.
Only dominance.
"…What the hell…" the father muttered, shaken.
He hadn't expected this.
This first-year—
Wasn't just talented.
He was overwhelming.
Raichi, however, stared at Ushijima's back—
Eyes shining.
Excited.
Focused.
This guy…
He's strong.
Stronger than anyone he had faced today.
That presence—
That pressure—
Made his entire body tremble.
"Ushijima Wakatoshi!!"
Raichi shouted.
"I'm going to crush you during the match!!"
Without turning around—
Ushijima simply raised a hand and waved.
"Yeah."
"Try it."
"Tch."
The father clicked his tongue, still displeased.
In his mind—
Only Narumiya Mei was worthy of his son.
But Ushijima—
Didn't care.
As he walked away, his expression turned thoughtful.
Raichi Todoroki…
He's dangerous.
Even with everything—
His chances in a one-on-one duel—
Weren't absolute.
His fastball, limited by control, hovered around 145 km/h.
Against someone like Raichi—
That wasn't overwhelming.
But—
Ushijima's eyes narrowed slightly.
I have something he doesn't.
Variety.
Control of rhythm.
Pitch selection.
And most importantly—
Confidence.
Yakushi High School will lose.
That's certain.
But against Raichi…
A faint smile appeared.
That's where the real battle begins.