After that pitch, Miyuki's eyes lit up.
"Not bad," he muttered. "The velocity dropped, and the control came back."
Now the question was—
Was that a coincidence?
Or did Furuya do it on purpose?
If Furuya could consciously lower his velocity in exchange for control, then this kid had truly taken a step forward.
Miyuki needed to confirm it.
On the sidelines, Coach Kataoka, Kanzaki Ryou, and the other Seido players all held their breath, watching the mound.
Furuya himself was also excited.
He knew it the moment the ball left his hand.
It was in.
Unlike before—when full-power pitches sometimes worked and sometimes completely betrayed him—this pitch felt… stable.
Phew.
Although he felt a little unwilling about not throwing with maximum power, the sensation of guiding the ball smoothly into Miyuki's glove was strangely addictive.
It felt good.
Very good.
Miyuki tossed the ball back.
Furuya stared at the baseball in his hand for a moment, then gave a small nod.
He understood now.
Lower the speed.
Aim for control.
And—
Trust the fielders behind him.
Seeing that expression, Miyuki smiled faintly.
He dropped into a squat and finally began calling pitches.
"Throw it in."
Miyuki held his glove out with anticipation.
Now things were getting interesting.
Furuya exhaled slowly and lifted his arm.
Whoosh!
A fastball shot toward the outside low corner.
Thwack!
"Strike!"
It wasn't pinpoint perfect, but given Furuya's fatigue and earlier collapse, this was more than good enough.
"Strike!"
Miyuki straightened, clearly satisfied.
On the sidelines, Kanzaki Ryou chuckled.
"So he finally realized it. Boss's 'get-hit-until-you-understand' therapy really works."
"Hehehe… now this becomes fun."
"Next depends on how Miyuki plays him."
Coach Kataoka watched quietly, a faint curl forming at the corner of his mouth.
Wins and losses didn't matter today.
Growth did.
Bang!
A pitch at chest height was swung on and popped into the air.
"Center field!"
Isashiki Jun sprinted back, tracked the ball, and settled under it.
"Out!"
"Ohhh!!"
"Well done!"
Furuya looked toward center field.
Isashiki clenched his fist and thrust it toward him.
That simple gesture hit harder than any words.
So this is what it means…
To be supported.
With that, something inside Furuya loosened.
He stopped trying to overpower everyone.
He focused on location.
Although he still occasionally missed and gave up a hit, he held Osaka Kiryu scoreless for the rest of the fourth inning.
Bottom of the fourth—
Seido scored two more runs.
Score:
Osaka Kiryu — 8
Seido — 7
Top of the fifth inning.
Before heading out, Miyuki patted Furuya's back with his mitt.
"Next inning, throw that pitch."
Furuya blinked.
"Didn't you say we should save it?"
Miyuki grinned.
"Relax. This is a practice game."
"In an official match, if we're already relying on your secret weapon to survive, we're probably in big trouble anyway."
Furuya glared.
That was way too honest.
"Watch my sign," Miyuki said, walking away.
Osaka Kiryu's cleanup hitter, Hiromi Tachi, stepped into the box.
After several pitches—
Two strikes.
Two balls.
Miyuki studied Furuya's face.
Good expression.
Alright.
He gave the sign.
Inside the glove, Furuya quietly shifted his grip.
This was a pitch Kanzaki Ryou had taught him.
He hadn't practiced it long.
But for one inning?
It would be enough.
Whoosh!!
The ball flew toward the middle of the zone.
Hiromi Tachi's eyes gleamed.
Fastball.
Right down the middle!
He swung.
Swish—
At the last moment, the ball suddenly dropped.
Thump!
Straight into Miyuki's mitt.
"What?!"
"Forkball?!"
The Osaka Kiryu bench erupted.
"If you had this, why were you getting destroyed earlier?!"
On the mound, goosebumps ran up Furuya's arms.
So this is what it feels like…
To trick a batter.
Ota gasped.
"Miyuki actually let him throw a breaking ball in a game? Isn't that dangerous?"
Coach Kataoka and Ochiai said nothing.
Kanzaki Ryou smiled.
"It's a practice game. That's exactly why you try things."
"Kazuya understands that better than anyone."
"…I see," Ota muttered.
The Forkball immediately made Osaka Kiryu cautious.
The next two batters could only manage weak contact.
Bottom of the fifth inning—
Batting ninth, Furuya himself stepped in.
Bang!!
A towering shot flew over the fence.
Home run.
The dugout exploded.
Score: 8–8.
"That bastard… he even homered," Sawamura muttered.
"Well, your bunt is still the best on the team," Haruichi said.
"Yeah, seriously. Best bunt I've ever seen," Arima added.
"Huh? Really?"
Sawamura puffed up proudly.
"Hahahahaha!"
By the end of the fifth inning—
Seido — 9
Osaka Kiryu — 9
Coach Kataoka turned.
"Sawamura. Ready to take the mound?"
Sawamura snapped to attention.
"Always ready, General!"