After the terrifying sequence of three straight balls, Nagata Shouhei finally calmed down.
This was his chance.
There was no way Kanzaki Ryou would throw another pitch like that unless he intended to walk him.
And Nagata knew that wasn't going to happen.
Which meant the next pitch would definitely be in the strike zone.
Maybe even somewhere easy to hit.
Resting the bat on his shoulder, Nagata took a deep breath.
After being deliberately intimidated with three consecutive inside pitches, his heart was overflowing with anger.
Right now, he wanted nothing more than to crush a home run off Kanzaki's next pitch.
Whoosh!
Unlike Nagata, who was busy sorting through his emotions, Kanzaki showed no hesitation.
After receiving the ball from Miyuki, he checked the sign and delivered the pitch immediately.
THWACK!
Nagata swung.
And missed.
"STRIKE!"
The fastball had blown straight through the middle of the zone.
Damn it!
Nagata clenched his teeth.
The pitch had been incredibly fast, and it seemed to gain another burst of speed as it approached the plate, completely throwing off his timing.
The second pitch came.
Circle Changeup.
SWISH!
Another swing and miss.
The speed dropped from over 160 km/h to barely 115 km/h.
The difference was so extreme that Nagata's bat cut through empty air far too early.
The sight looked almost comical.
"Bastard..."
Nagata glared at Kanzaki.
Kanzaki merely snorted.
Their pitcher had injured Seido's first-year.
Not only had the pitcher failed to apologize, but none of Seikou's players had shown even the slightest remorse.
Especially their catcher.
They had simply watched Arima collapse beside home plate as if it had nothing to do with them.
Birds of a feather flock together.
Not a decent one among them.
The count became full.
Three balls.
Two strikes.
The Seido supporters were already on their feet.
"Finish him!"
"Two strikes!"
"Kanzaki!"
The stadium buzzed with excitement.
The actions of Seido's battery had greatly relieved the anger of their fans.
Whoosh!
The payoff pitch came.
Nagata focused with everything he had.
Then his eyes widened.
A slow ball.
A ridiculously slow ball.
The baseball floated through the air in a huge arc, drifting toward home plate.
Nagata had already started his swing.
He had been prepared for a Changeup.
Maybe another blazing fastball.
But he had never expected this.
SWISH!
Empty air.
"STRIKE THREE!"
"BATTER OUT!"
The umpire raised his arm decisively.
At the same time, he couldn't help giving Kanzaki a strange look.
The famous Overlord of Seido...
was unexpectedly vindictive.
Nagata's face flushed red.
His fists cracked loudly.
Yet there was nothing he could do.
Their pitcher had injured someone.
The retaliation was entirely understandable.
But why was he the one suffering for Ogawa's mistake?
That was what he couldn't figure out.
With a dark expression, Nagata returned to the dugout.
"Nagata, are you alright?" Masu Shinichiro asked.
"I'm fine."
The answer came through gritted teeth.
As he spoke, Nagata shot a furious glare at Ogawa Tsunematsu.
On the field, Miyuki and Kanzaki quickly retired Seikou's fifth and sixth batters.
The game moved to the bottom of the second inning.
Kuramochi stepped into the batter's box carrying a fire burning in his chest.
This time, he didn't even need a hit.
Ogawa self-destructed.
Four straight balls.
Walk.
As a first-year pitcher, his control had never been particularly good.
After watching Seido publicly humiliate their cleanup hitter in the previous inning, his emotions had become even more unstable.
Masu immediately called time and jogged to the mound to calm him down.
Only then did Ogawa regain some control.
Next came Kominato Haruichi.
Among Seido's first-years, Haruichi was known as one of the gentlest.
And among the first-year regulars, he and Arima Kazusa were especially close.
At this moment...
Haruichi opened his eyes.
CRACK!!!
The sound echoed across the stadium.
Every ounce of strength and frustration exploded through the bat.
For a brief moment, a terrifying ruthlessness flashed in Haruichi's eyes.
CRACK!
The wooden bat shattered.
Yet the baseball continued soaring.
Higher.
Higher.
Straight toward the stands.
The crowd froze.
Then erupted.
HOME RUN!
A two-run shot!
The first home run of Kominato Haruichi's high school career.
In a burst of anger, Haruichi had broken through his own limits.
As he rounded the bases, he turned toward the mound and let out an uncharacteristic roar.
"RAAAAHHHHH!"
Everyone was stunned.
"Haruichi is kind of scary..."
"Yeah."
"Even though his personality is completely different from Ryou-san's..."
"For some reason, he feels just as intimidating right now."
"Is this what happens when a quiet kid gets angry?"
"He's seriously furious."
Back in the dugout, even the second-years were shocked.
Seido's lead expanded.
7–0.
"Miyuki!"
Kanzaki shouted from the dugout.
"Just get on base!"
Miyuki clicked his tongue.
What kind of nonsense was that?
It sounded like Kanzaki believed he could hit a home run whenever he wanted.
No.
The guy was obviously worried about getting intentionally walked again.
Stepping into the batter's box, Miyuki glanced toward Masu.
Then he spoke quietly.
"Birds of a feather flock together."
Masu looked up blankly.
He didn't understand.
Was Miyuki talking about them?
What did he mean?
Seeing the utterly confused expression on the catcher's face, Miyuki nearly laughed from anger.
First pitch.
Outside fastball.
Ball.
First-years really are first-years.
Poor control.
Weak mentality.
Terrible attitude.
Compared to Seido's first-years, they weren't even in the same league.
Miyuki grumbled internally.
Second pitch.
Spiral Ball.
He let it pass.
Third pitch.
A high outside fastball.
Miyuki fouled it off.
Fourth pitch.
Another Spiral Ball.
CRACK!
This time he connected.
The pitch was incredibly heavy and broke sharply.
Even so, Miyuki managed to keep it fair down the left-field line.
By the narrowest of margins, he reached first base safely.
Not enough.
Kanzaki picked up his bat and walked out of the on-deck circle.
If there was only a runner on first, Seikou might still intentionally walk him.
He needed to change that.
Stepping into the batter's box, Kanzaki rested the bat on his shoulder.
The corner of his mouth curled upward.
"Come on."
"Throw it."
"Let me see how powerful your Spiral Ball really is."
Masu's expression changed immediately.
No.
Don't take the bait.
His eyes frantically signaled Ogawa.
He's provoking you on purpose.
Ogawa's face twisted with fury.
It looked as though he wanted to devour Kanzaki alive.
Masu repeatedly gestured for him to calm down.
Slowly, Ogawa regained some composure.
Then Kanzaki spoke again.
"You wouldn't dare, would you?"
Idiot!
Masu nearly cursed out loud.
The moment those words reached the mound, he knew things were about to go wrong.
Ogawa's eyes instantly turned bloodshot.
Reason disappeared.
Without waiting for a sign.
Without waiting for instructions.
He lifted his leg high.
Whoosh!
The pitch was coming.
And it was coming with all of his anger behind it.