"Oh my—Yakushi High School's ace is finally on the mound!"
"So they're getting serious now?!"
"Who is this Sanada guy? Does anyone know him?"
"And he's facing Ichidaisan's core lineup right away?! Is that even okay?!"
The entire stadium buzzed as Shunpei Sanada stepped onto the field.
"I'm sorry, Sanada… we gave up too many runs today," Mino Hayato said quietly, his head lowered.
Sanada smiled and shook his head.
"What are you talking about? You stood your ground against Ichidaisan's lineup without backing down. That takes courage."
Mino froze for a moment.
"Leave the rest to me."
"Sanada!"
"Shut them down!"
"Only three innings left—go all out!"
"Sanada-senpai! If the ball comes to me, I'll catch it for sure!" Todoroki Raichi shouted, grinning brightly.
Sanada glanced at him flatly. "I'd rather not rely on you. You're too prone to mistakes."
"…I'm serious!" Raichi puffed his cheeks, clearly offended.
From the dugout—
"Hey, Raichi! Don't hold Sanada back!" Todoroki Raizō shouted lazily. "Use your brain for once—figure out who to pass the signs to!"
"Hahahaha!"
The crowd burst into laughter.
"Shut up, old man! I don't want that kind of inheritance!" Raichi yelled back, face red.
The tense atmosphere instantly loosened.
"Hahaha! Wakaba, Kou team is hilarious," Aoba said, clutching her stomach as she laughed.
"Told you," Wakaba replied with a gentle smile. "Kou's team is fun to watch."
But among the serious observers—
"The moment he stepped onto the mound, the entire team changed," Jun Isashiki said.
"Yeah… that's their ace," Yuuki Tetsuya added quietly.
"Still strange they didn't use him earlier," Kominato Ryosuke muttered.
"Top of the seventh inning—Ichidaisan High School. Third batter, center fielder, Miyagawa Teru!"
Sanada rolled his shoulders lightly, smiling.
"Starting with their core lineup? Perfect. My job is simple—shut them down."
In the batter's box, Miyagawa Teru glared at him.
"So you're finally here… You think you can clean up after crushing our ace?" His eyes burned with hostility. "I'll break you right here."
Behind the plate, Watanabe Tatsuya set his glove close to the batter's chest.
"Sanada—attack. First pitch, high and inside. Four-seam."
Sanada's smile widened.
"You really get me, Tatsuya."
He raised both hands, lifting his left leg high—higher than most pitchers—before driving it down with force.
His arm snapped forward like a whip.
Call!
The ball exploded out of his hand—around 145 km/h—charging straight toward Miyagawa's head.
Miyagawa didn't flinch.
Snap!
"Ball!"
The pitch cut dangerously close before slamming into Tatsuya's mitt.
Sanada caught the return throw, eyes narrowing slightly.
Good… he didn't back off.
Without hesitation, he fired again.
Another high inside fastball—same course, same aggression.
This time, Miyagawa swung.
Whoosh!
Ping!
"So heavy…!"
Though his bat met the ball, the impact clearly overwhelmed him. His swing was suppressed.
The ball dribbled weakly into the infield.
Sanada stepped forward, fielded it cleanly, and tossed it to first.
Snap!
"Out!"
Miyagawa clicked his tongue as he walked back to the dugout, face dark.
As he passed the next batter, Omae Takahiro, he muttered:
"Careful… his pitches are heavy."
"Whoa… Yakushi's ace is no joke!"
"Ichidaisan's in trouble now!"
"Are they really about to lose to a dark horse like Yakushi?!"
"Then why didn't they use him from the start?!"
The crowd buzzed even louder.
Two pitches.
That was all it took to shut down a core batter.
"Nice pitching, Sanada!"
"One out!"
"Take down the cleanup next!"
Yakushi's dugout erupted in cheers.
Meanwhile, Ichidaisan's side grew tense.
"Omae… it's all on you now," Coach Tahara said grimly. "Bring us back into this."
Omae stepped into the batter's box, eyes locked onto Sanada.
"For Yakushi… for our last summer…" he murmured, gripping the bat tightly. "I'll crush you here."
Even under that pressure—
Sanada smiled.
"Scary… but not enough."
He pitched again.
Another four-seam fastball—high and inside—
Even faster this time. 146 km/h.
Omae didn't hesitate.
He swung with everything he had.
Clang!
The ball soared high into the sky.
Ichidaisan's players leaned forward in anticipation.
Yakushi's side held their breath.
The entire stadium watched—
waiting to see where it would fall.