Chapter 68: Condition
Raizou Todoroki still wore his usual lazy smirk, though he clicked his tongue with irritation.
"Tch… what the hell… they're not even sending out their ace."
"Do they think they can beat us without using him?"
"Hey, Raichi, are we really that weak?"
He turned to glance at Raichi—only to see him munching on a banana.
Raizou: "…"
Top of the first inning.
Seidou on offense, Yakushi on defense.
Kuramochi got them off to a strong start. His hit flew past center field, quickly retrieved by Yakushi's defense, but with his speed he stretched it into a double.
The pitcher on the mound wasn't Yakushi's Sanada, but Mishima.
Today, Rinichi felt that the team's condition was better than before.
Haruichi dropped down a bunt, the ball rolling toward third base.
Raichi caught it barehanded and threw to first with ease.
"Out!"
The third batter, Maezono, struck out.
Suddenly, two outs were already recorded.
Miyuki stepped up to bat.
Seeing him swing at the very first pitch and send it out, Rinichi: "…"
Miyuki: "…"
It was just a pop fly to first base.
But Kuramochi didn't waste the chance—he tagged up and rushed home, putting Seidou on the board first.
Ochiai stroked his beard.
Still not stable enough.
Only hitting well when there's already someone on base…
If it were him, he would've given the cleanup spot directly to Rinichi.
Even though Rinichi was only a first-year, he had the ability to handle it.
Even if it wasn't a home run, a single from him would raise the odds for Miyuki batting right after.
His gaze shifted to Kataoka standing proudly at the dugout entrance.
The first inning ended with just one run.
On the mound was Furuya.
Before the game, he had even begged Coach Kataoka to let him pitch a complete game, but was flatly and mercilessly denied—without room for discussion.
Ochiai said nothing, but in truth, he agreed with Kataoka.
In a team, one ace was enough. Instead of letting Furuya chase "what an ace should do," it was better to develop him as a reliable reliever.
Even if he pitched a complete game, it would be meaningless.
There was no way he could outshine Rinichi, who had become the team's core ace in just two months.
In that sense… it was cruel.
But unavoidable. Rinichi's brilliance already overshadowed too many other talents.
Kataoka probably just wanted to see where Furuya and Kawakami fit in for future games, in case Rinichi grew fatigued.
Yakushi, however, was fired up by Furuya taking the mound.
Raizou's head tilted slightly, a cruel smile curling at his lips.
"Another 150 km/h pitcher, huh…"
"If we want to crush Rinichi, we first have to get past this little boss."
"Yes!"
But even just facing 150 km/h fastballs was enough of a struggle.
Adding Furuya's erratic control—sometimes strikes, sometimes balls—the batters couldn't predict what was coming next.
That kind of instability gave them headaches.
When Raichi stepped up to the plate, Furuya felt the pressure.
After three foul balls, Raichi popped one up, caught for an out.
So far, Furuya's performance was much better than before, surprising many.
Change of innings.
When Furuya returned to the dugout, the first thing he did was walk straight to Rinichi.
Everyone froze. Some even half-raised their hands to stop him, but they faltered.
Rinichi raised his eyes slightly, meeting the serious gaze beneath Furuya's cap.
The two stood locked in that stare for a moment.
Furuya clenched his fist.
"I…"
"…will catch up to you."
"And then, I'll surpass you."
The words were awkward, halting.
Ochiai glanced at him.
Does this kid even realize the level of Rinichi's strength?
Rinichi blinked, then smiled, replying with a mix of seriousness and indifference:
"Then come at me."
Those four words felt strangely familiar to him.
He'd said them to countless others before.
Respectful, yet tinged with carelessness.
Miyuki's expression froze, his smile stiff.
Furuya really dared to say something like that to Rinichi.
And his next pitches seemed to embody that determination.
By the end of the fifth inning, Furuya had given up only three runs.
At first it had been smooth sailing, but as the innings wore on, Yakushi's core lineup pressured him hard, and the number of walks piled up…
Sixth inning, Kawakami took the mound.
Even just that inning was tough. By the seventh, Yakushi scored once; in the eighth, they scored three more—four runs total.
By the time it ended, Kawakami's spirit was broken. His composure was gone.
Meanwhile, Seidou had only scored once more in the sixth inning, adding to their first-inning run—two runs in total.
In the end, Yakushi defeated Seidou with a five-run lead.
Rinichi stood up.
Overall, Yakushi had improved compared to before.
But to Rinichi, it made no difference.
Against him, they'd all be the same.
The practice match was over.
Seidou returned with heavy hearts.
They had gone in determined to put on a strong performance… and in the end, they only managed to score two runs.
Just earlier, they had been so full of confidence.
Now, their faces burned with shame.
The setting sun cast the world in shades of red.
Everyone was gathered together.
"A crushing defeat—that's the true measure of your strength."
The atmosphere sank heavy and silent.
"Batters, especially you second-years, you're not being nearly aggressive enough at the plate!"
Since Koshien, they still hadn't gotten back into form…
"Maybe you've all been focusing too much on team batting. But if your individual hitting isn't good enough, it's meaningless. These past few days, I deliberately let you swing freely, because I trusted that you could translate your practice into real results—yet this is all you show me?"
Coach Kataoka paused.
"Batting order and starting positions will not be fixed. Whether you're a first-year or a second-year, the ones in good condition will play. Everyone here needs to be ready for that."
The only one who felt no pressure at all was Rinichi.
In fact, he was already thinking—if Miyuki kept playing like this, the cleanup spot would eventually be his anyway.
That thought lifted his mood for a moment.
"Finish your stretches—today, you're dismissed!"
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