"Kid, hurry up and pitch!"
Azuma Kiyokuni grew impatient. As a senior and now a professional player, it was beneath him to ask what Miyuki and Sawamura had been whispering about.
On the mound, Sawamura adjusted his grip and took a deep breath.
His entire presence shifted.
The casual energy from before vanished, replaced by sharp focus. Even the onlookers unconsciously held their breath.
He raised his right leg high—
Then drove it down.
Power surged from his lower body through his torso and into his arm.
Whoosh!
The baseball shot out like a white laser toward home plate.
"Hmph!"
Azuma snorted.
Outside pitch. I've got it.
He stepped in and swung—
WHOOSH!
Miyuki's heart tightened.
Everyone watching braced themselves for a loud hit—
But just before reaching the plate—
The ball moved.
A cutter? Azuma smirked inwardly.
He had already prepared for that.
This kind of movement wouldn't fool him.
But—
Thwack!
The ball slipped around the front of his bat.
Clean miss.
"…What?!"
Azuma's eyes widened.
That wasn't just a cutter.
It had moved too late… too sharply.
For a split second, he saw something familiar in it—
A shadow of Kanzaki Ryou's cutter-slider.
Behind the plate, Miyuki froze.
His pupils shrank.
His hands trembled slightly.
This…
Excitement surged through him.
He hadn't expected this outcome at all.
Just by reverting to his old, unstable form—
Sawamura had created something like this.
The last time he'd seen such a bizarre pitch… was from Kanzaki.
Clap. Clap. Clap.
Applause broke the silence.
Everyone turned.
Kanzaki Ryou stood there, smiling as he clapped.
"Not bad, Sawamura," he said. "Looks like you've got yourself a new weapon."
"Eh? Really? A new pitch?" Sawamura blinked, completely confused.
"Don't think—remember!" Coach Kataoka's voice cut in sharply. "Memorize that feeling. The grip, the release—everything!"
"Yes, General!" Sawamura shouted.
Amid the excitement, no one noticed Azuma quietly stepping back, trying to slip away unnoticed.
Unfortunately for him—
"Oh? Senior Azuma, not hitting that pitch… are you giving up already?" Miyuki's teasing voice rang out.
"Damn you, Miyuki!" Azuma snapped. "Who's giving up?! A junior just developed a new pitch your job as a catcher is to help him stabilize it!"
"Hehe." Miyuki chuckled and let him off the hook.
He stood and waved at Sawamura.
"Come on. Let's test it again same as before."
"Mhm!" Sawamura nodded vigorously, brimming with excitement.
The two moved to the side, fully absorbed in refining the new pitch.
Azuma let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Then—
He turned his gaze.
Straight at Furuya.
"Kid! Your turn!"
Furuya looked around blankly before turning to Coach Kataoka.
"Go," the coach said simply. "Pitch well."
With that, Furuya stepped forward.
"I'll catch," Chris said, walking out calmly.
Azuma's eyes lit up.
"Hahaha, Chris! Perfect timing."
"Senior Azuma, aren't you going easy on us?" Chris smiled.
"With you catching? I wouldn't dare," Azuma replied seriously.
Chris only smiled and turned toward Furuya.
"Furuya," he said gently, "relax. Follow the signs and pitch with everything you've got."
"…Everything?" Furuya asked.
He knew what that meant.
If he went all out, his control might slip. The ball might rise.
"Mhm," Chris nodded. "If you want to beat someone like him, you'll need something unexpected."
He patted Furuya's shoulder.
"This is practice. Focus on your mindset. When that stabilizes, your pitching will naturally improve."
Furuya's eyes sharpened.
Chris believed in him.
That alone was enough.
If Chris-senpai says I can do it… then I can.
His confidence surged.
Senior? Pro player?
Didn't matter.
You're not hitting my pitch.
At the bullpen entrance, the crowd leaned in with anticipation.
After Sawamura's surprise, expectations were high.
"Kanzaki," Kuramochi whispered, "that pitch earlier… looked a lot like your cutter-slider."
Kanzaki shook his head.
"Similar, but different."
"Sawamura's pitch is basically a four-seam base with a cutter grip. It breaks earlier and wider—but it's still a cutter."
"And yours?"
"My slider uses a similar concept," Kanzaki said. "But it's fundamentally still a slider."
"In the end—they're different pitches."
Kuramochi scratched his head. "Looks the same to me."
"Then your eyes need work."
By then, Furuya had finished warming up.
"Let's go," Azuma said, gripping his bat. "Show me what you've got."
Chris crouched and gave the sign.
High inside fastball.
Furuya nodded.
Full power at this location was risky—but—
He stepped forward anyway.
Whoosh!
The pitch tore through the air.
Bang!
Azuma swung.
He made contact—
But it wasn't clean.
Late.
Jammed.
"…Fast," Azuma muttered.
Just one pitch and he was already impressed.
He hadn't paid much attention to high school baseball lately. Pro training left him no time for that.
This visit had been casual.
But now—
Two first-years had already surprised him.
One with bizarre movement.
The other—
With overwhelming speed.
And judging from that pitch—
Furuya hadn't even gone all out yet.