"Kanzaki! This kid's good—an orthodox fastball pitcher, just like you!" Azuma Kiyokuni shouted, turning his head.
Kanzaki Ryou chuckled. "He's still far from me. Senior Azuma, don't praise him too much—he'll get cocky."
Even so, the pride in his tone was unmistakable.
"Hmph."
Not bothering to argue, Azuma reset his stance in the batter's box.
Behind the plate, Chris gave the next sign—
Low outside forkball.
Whoosh!
Furuya moved immediately, wasting no time.
Already aware of Furuya's velocity, Azuma took the pitch seriously this time. The moment the ball left Furuya's hand—
He swung.
Bang!
Clean contact.
"Hahaha!"
Azuma burst out laughing.
"Hey, hey—what's with that reaction, Senior Azuma? You're a pro player, you know~"
Kanzaki's teasing voice drifted over.
Azuma froze mid-laugh.
Right.
He was a senior. A professional.
Getting excited over a first-year's pitch… wasn't exactly dignified.
"Ahem… not bad," Azuma said, straightening up. "Good velocity, solid power, and accurate control. Kid, you've got a bright future."
The moment he said that—
The bullpen erupted in laughter.
"Senior Azuma, you've never praised me like that!" Isashiki Jun complained.
"Me neither," Tanba added.
"Same here," Kawakami chimed in.
One after another, the "victims" spoke up.
Azuma's face flushed red.
"I was doing that for your own good! Honest advice is hard to hear—don't you get it?!"
"Tch. Do you believe that?" Kanzaki shot back.
"Enough talk. One more pitch," Azuma said, glaring at Furuya.
Furuya nodded.
He had already seen the sign.
Fastball—low, full power.
Normally, if he threw with full force to that location, the ball would lose control—often rising too high.
In a real game, it could easily turn into a walk.
He didn't fully understand Chris's intention—
But he trusted him.
If Chris called for it, then this pitch must have value.
Behind the plate, Chris observed Furuya closely.
His expression was focused—but not stiff.
Good… he's in the right state.
Maybe—
Just maybe—
This pitch would work.
The bullpen fell silent.
Even Sawamura and Miyuki paused their own practice and turned to watch.
Furuya moved.
His arm whipped forward with full force—
The sensation at his fingertips was perfect.
He could feel the ball tearing away from his grip.
WHOOSH!!
This pitch was faster than any he had thrown before.
Azuma narrowed his eyes.
Fast… but straightforward.
He stepped in confidently.
I've got this.
He swung—
Then—
The ball jumped.
In Azuma's vision—
It suddenly accelerated.
For a split second—
It disappeared.
Pop!
The ball slammed into Chris's mitt.
"…What?"
"He missed?"
"How is that possible?!"
The crowd erupted in shock.
Furuya's speed was impressive, but Azuma had faced even faster pitches before—especially from Kanzaki.
At worst, he should've made weak contact.
A clean miss?
That didn't make sense.
Azuma lowered his bat slowly.
"…Something's off with that pitch."
From the batter's box, he could tell—
There was definitely something unusual about it.
Chris stood up and looked toward Miyuki—
Then at Kanzaki.
"Ryou… did you see that?"
Kanzaki nodded.
"An accelerating fastball."
The words sent a ripple through the bullpen.
Everyone turned to Furuya in disbelief.
"You can throw something like that?!"
"When did you learn that?!"
"They're evolving one after another…"
"Maybe Senior Azuma is a lucky charm."
Azuma had already taken off his helmet, looking at both Furuya and Sawamura with satisfaction.
"Not bad… not bad at all. Today was worth it."
"You've worked hard."
Coach Kataoka's voice suddenly rang out.
Azuma jumped slightly, then waved his hands awkwardly.
"Coach, please… you're embarrassing me."
Kataoka's lips curved faintly.
"You're a professional now. Training here for free is one thing—but gratitude should still be expressed."
The more Azuma listened, the more flustered he became.
Grabbing Nanjo, he hurriedly retreated from the bullpen—almost like he was escaping.
With Azuma gone, the crowd gradually dispersed.
In the bullpen—
Miyuki continued refining Sawamura's new cutter.
Chris helped Furuya stabilize his accelerating fastball.
The pitching staff of Seido was evolving rapidly.
Coach Kataoka and Coach Ochiai remained, guiding them personally.
If these new weapons could be mastered—
Then at Koshien, their defensive burden would be significantly reduced.
And Kanzaki Ryou… would no longer have to carry everything alone.
As evening fell, Azuma wandered around the campus for a while before finally leaving with Nanjo.
That night, in the conference room—
After analyzing Inashiro Industrial, Coach Kataoka announced the starting lineup for the finals:
1st: Shortstop – Kuramochi Yoichi
2nd: Second Base – Kominato Ryosuke
3rd: Center Field – Isashiki Jun
4th: First Base – Yuki Tetsuya
5th: Pitcher – Kanzaki Ryou
6th: Catcher – Miyuki Kazuya
7th: Third Base – Masuko Toru
8th: Right Field – Shirasu Kenjiro
9th: Left Field – Sakai Ichiro
Considering his familiarity with Narumiya Mei, Miyuki was assigned as the starting catcher.
The next morning—
All members of the Seido Baseball Club gathered.
First string.
Second string.
Even the underclassmen.
Everyone boarded the bus together.
Meanwhile, the brass band, cheer squad, and the entire school had already departed ahead of them.
July 31st.
The final day of the Summer Tournament—
Had arrived.