"Yuki, it's up to you."
Isashiki Jun spoke with a displeased expression as he looked at Yuki Tetsuya.
Yuki grunted, his face calm and unreadable. Horikoshi High School's pitcher didn't have much speed, but his combination of sliders and sinkers was tricky to deal with.
Horikoshi High School:If he's so hard to hit, then how did Seidou already score seven runs in three innings?
Stepping into the batter's box, Yuki exuded a quiet yet overwhelming aura. The moment the ball came flying toward him, he swung decisively.
Bang!
The ball sliced through the infield and rolled deep into the outfield, allowing Yuki to safely reach first base.
Next up was Seidou's cleanup hitter—the powerful fourth batter, Azuma Kiyokuni.
Azuma's towering presence and intimidating aura alone made most opponents shudder. The Horikoshi pitcher had already given up two hits to him earlier, and now, facing him again, his nerves were clearly fraying.
Four straight balls.
Azuma walked.
"Tch, what a coward," Azuma muttered with a sneer, though everyone knew it was the smart move to avoid pitching to him.
With runners on first and second, Kominato Ryosuke stepped into the box.
For the first time, he was batting in the heart of Seidou's lineup—and the pressure he exerted on pitchers was immense. His stubborn fouls and keen eyes had already frustrated Horikoshi's pitcher earlier.
Seeing him walk up again made the pitcher instinctively want to avoid him.
But with runners on first and second, walking him would load the bases. There was no retreat left. He had to fight.
Ryosuke squinted, that ever-present faint smile on his face. From the opponent's point of view, it wasn't a smile at all—it was the grin of a devil.
The pitcher threw a slider.
"Ball!"
Kanzaki Ryou, sitting in the dugout, chuckled. "That pitcher's expression is too stiff."
The tension was building. Horikoshi's pitcher was mentally breaking down under the pressure.
The next pitch came—slightly high, but within reach.
Ryosuke didn't hesitate. His small frame twisted, and—crack!—the ball rocketed toward right field!
Yuki dashed from second base, rounding third and crossing home plate as the crowd erupted.
Azuma stopped at second, and Ryosuke reached first safely.
Unfortunately, Seidou's sixth batter, Yoshikawa Junpei, hit into a grounder that turned into a double play, erasing both Azuma and Ryosuke. Junpei made it safely to first, but the momentum faltered.
The next batter, Araki Keita, couldn't keep the rally going and was tagged out.
At the end of the fourth inning, Seidou led 8–1.
"With that score, if we can shut them out next inning and score three more runs, we can end this early," Kanzaki Ryou remarked.
He turned to glance at the next two batters—Miyuki, hitting eighth, and Tanba, ninth.
With no runners on base, Miyuki's at-bats were unpredictable.
Tanba, meanwhile, wasn't exactly known for his hitting power—he could manage, but it'd take some luck.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Miyuki frowned. "You look like you're disgusted or something."
Kanzaki smiled and patted his shoulder. "Good luck out there. Try not to embarrass yourself."
Miyuki grinned cockily. "Just watch. I'll hit a home run for you."
He strutted out of the dugout with Tanba following behind.
In the top of the fifth inning, thanks to solid pitching and defense from Tanba and the team, Horikoshi failed to score again.
Now, Seidou just needed three more runs to finish it.
"Ryou," Coach Kataoka suddenly said, turning his head. "When Tanba's spot comes up—get ready to pinch-hit."
"Oh?" Kanzaki blinked in surprise, then quickly stood up. "Yes, sir!"
He grabbed a bat and started swinging to warm up.
He hadn't expected to get another shot this game—but opportunity had arrived.
Miyuki was unreliable. Tanba wasn't much better.
It was up to him.
Watching Kanzaki's smug grin, Miyuki snorted. But his confidence didn't last long—he was struck out within a minute.
"See? No expectations, no disappointment," Kanzaki teased when Miyuki trudged back.
"Haha, yeah, that one was tough," Miyuki admitted, scratching the back of his head.
"Watch closely," Kanzaki said, shouldering his bat. "Big brother will show you how it's done."
He walked to the batter's box, bowed politely, and took his stance—closer to the plate than usual.
Horikoshi's catcher frowned.
He's crowding the plate? Trying to force an outside pitch?
That was the exact tactic Seidou's pitchers used against others.
Was Kanzaki turning it on them now?
"Please go easy on me, senpai," Kanzaki said lightly.
The catcher narrowed his eyes. He knew about Kanzaki Ryou—Seidou's first-year prodigy pitcher. On the mound, he was terrifying. But with a bat? Surely he wasn't that good.
Just like Miyuki Kazuya—famous in middle school, but he got struck out easily too.
Bluffing.
The catcher smirked and gave the signal: outside low, sinker.
Even if Kanzaki hit it, it wouldn't travel far.
The pitcher wound up and threw. Kanzaki's eyes flashed—his grip tightened at the end of the bat. The moment the ball crossed the plate, he stepped forward and swung with all his strength.
Bang!
The sharp crack echoed through the stadium.
Kanzaki dropped his bat and began to sprint—but his eyes stayed locked on the ball soaring through the sky.
The crowd held its breath as the white sphere arced high and—
cleared the right-field wall!
For a moment, silence.
Then—an explosion of cheers.
"HOME RUN!"
"Kanzaki!!!"
"SEIDOU!!!"
Amidst the roaring crowd, Kanzaki jogged around the bases, waving casually as if he'd done it a thousand times before.
"Damn it, he's showing off again," Miyuki groaned, imagining the smug grin waiting for him.
"Haha! Not bad, kid." Azuma laughed, slapping his stomach. Even he hadn't hit one today.
"Impressive," Yuki Tetsuya said, eyes gleaming with approval.
"I wanna show off too," Kominato Ryosuke muttered enviously.
On the bench, Takashima Rei's glasses glinted as she smiled faintly.
President Ota clapped with excitement.
Coach Kataoka watched silently, his eyes sharp.
None of them had expected that.
They had only sent Kanzaki to test him. If he performed well, great—if not, no big deal.
But Kanzaki Ryou wasn't just a pitcher.
He was proving to be something far more terrifying.
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