Seeing the way Sawamura and Miyuki bickered, Azuma Kiyokuni turned to Kanzaki Ryou.
"Is this first-year always this disrespectful to his seniors?"
"Yeah," Kanzaki replied with a grin. "That's why I'm asking you, Senior Azuma, to help discipline him a bit. A young tree won't grow straight without pruning."
"No problem at all!"
Azuma cracked his knuckles and strode toward Sawamura.
"Kid, you've got quite the nerve mocking the most charming part of me."
Kanzaki froze for a second. Here it comes…
Pressed up against Azuma's large belly, Sawamura showed no fear. Instead, he looked up blankly.
"Who are you?"
Azuma stiffened.
"Hmph! Listen carefully! I am Seido's former captain and cleanup hitter—your senior, Azuma Kiyokuni!"
"Too long. I don't get it."
"You—!"
Speechless, Azuma turned to Kanzaki for help.
Cough.
"Sawamura, apologize. Call him Senior Azuma."
Hearing that, Sawamura immediately stepped back and bowed deeply.
"I'm sorry, Senior Azuma! I shouldn't have said your belly was big!"
Azuma's eye twitched.
If you're apologizing, don't repeat it!
Still, he took a deep breath. Arguing with this airhead would only drag him down.
Placing a heavy hand on Sawamura's shoulder, he said, "Alright. Show me what you've got. Throw a few pitches."
Sawamura's eyes lit up instantly.
A hot-blooded idiot like him would never refuse a challenge.
Soon, the bullpen was packed.
Miyuki put on his gear and crouched behind the plate.
"Senior Azuma, one pitch to decide it? Or we doing this properly?"
"Properly, of course," Azuma snorted.
One pitch? What if I miss? I'm not risking that.
"Heh." Miyuki smirked and gave the sign.
"Come on, Sawamura!"
Sawamura locked eyes with Azuma.
He knew this wasn't an ordinary batter. He couldn't afford to hold back.
Raising his leg high, he drove forward—
Whoosh!
From Azuma's perspective—
I can't see the release point!
The ball seemed to appear out of nowhere.
So fast!
He reacted instinctively and swung—
Bang!
The ball nicked the top of the bat and flew behind him.
Murmurs spread through the bullpen.
"As expected of a pro… he still made contact."
"That bat speed is insane."
"Yeah, that power…"
Azuma frowned instead of smiling.
He looked at Miyuki.
"This kid's release point… it's invisible?"
"Pretty amazing, right?" Miyuki grinned.
Azuma nodded slowly. "Not bad. Interesting. But his velocity could be better."
"No rush. He's only a first-year," Miyuki replied calmly. "And that's not even his best trait."
That caught Azuma's attention.
If someone like Miyuki said that, then this kid definitely had more to show.
"Next pitch!" Azuma called.
This time, Sawamura threw an inside fastball.
Azuma was ready.
CRACK!
The ball was blasted cleanly.
Sawamura froze.
His inside pitch one that troubled so many batters had been crushed effortlessly.
"Kid! Too slow!" Azuma shouted.
That hit would've been a long one in a real game.
Miyuki frowned slightly.
Without movement, Sawamura's pitches really weren't enough against someone like Azuma.
"Hey, are we done or not?" Azuma said impatiently.
"Not yet," Miyuki replied, smiling.
He set his mitt on the outside corner.
"Let's try your cutter."
Whoosh!
Bang!
Another clean hit.
Azuma shook his head. "Decent control, average speed. But where's this 'special trait' you mentioned?"
Miyuki's smile widened.
He stood up and shouted:
"Sawamura! Use your old pitching style!"
"Old…?" Sawamura blinked.
Seeing his confusion, Miyuki jogged over.
"You forgot? That messy grip you used before. Just throw it like that."
"But the ball will go wild."
"That's the point," Miyuki whispered with a grin. "Make it impossible to hit."
Sawamura's eyes lit up.
"Ohhh… got it!"
"Hey! What are you two plotting?!" Azuma barked.
"Coming, coming!" Miyuki waved him off and returned behind the plate.
Sawamura stood on the mound, rotating the ball in his hand.
His current pitching was structured, controlled—refined.
But now…
He deliberately loosened his grip.
He aligned it like a four-seam—
Then held it like a cutter.
A strange, unstable combination.
This should work… probably.
Taking a deep breath, Sawamura stepped forward—
Ready to unleash something unpredictable.