Chapter 91: Blow Them Away
"Now announcing the starting lineup."
The moment those words came out, everyone instinctively held their breath.
"Batting first, shortstop, Yoichi Kuramochi."
...
"Batting second, right fielder, Kenjirou Shirasu."
...
"Batting third, second baseman, Haruichi Kominato."
...
"Batting fourth, pitcher, Rinichi Kamishiro."
When Rinichi heard his name called at cleanup, his eyes lit up.
"Here!"
This was something many had already expected.
Ace pitcher and cleanup hitter.
The spotlight on him couldn't be bigger.
And the coach was clearly willing to give Rinichi that kind of spotlight.
"Batting fifth, catcher, Kazuya Miyuki."
...
"Batting sixth, first baseman, Kenta Maezono."
Not expecting to drop this far in the order, Maezono had trouble swallowing it.
"Here."
"Batting seventh, center fielder, Hideaki Tojo."
...
"Batting eighth, third baseman, Shinji Kanemaru."
I made it into the starting lineup...
Kanemaru snapped back to attention and quickly answered,
"Here!"
....
At the stadium during warmups, everyone saw Rinichi pick up a bat.
Everyone: "..."
Wait a sec—wasn't he the starting pitcher?
Already suited up in full gear, Miyuki frowned.
"Rinichi… hurry up and get to the bullpen. Let me see your pitches. You haven't thrown at all these past few days. Don't tell me you're planning to 'warm up' directly on the mound?"
He said it as tactfully as he could.
Truth was, Miyuki was nervous.
Rinichi thought for a moment.
"I mean… I could."
Miyuki: "..."
"Fine, fine, I'll drag myself over."
He put the bat back, picked up his glove and cap, and headed toward the bullpen.
Miyuki: "..."
....
And truth be told, Rinichi's pitching was still as sharp as ever.
"How's that? Pretty perfect, right?"
A smug grin spread across his face.
"So you see, there's nothing to worry about. I'm the ace—how could there ever be a problem with my pitching?"
Miyuki: "..."
There really wasn't anything to say to that.
Still, he felt Rinichi was unusually fired up today.
No doubt it was because he'd been made the cleanup hitter—the success was already going to his head.
What could Miyuki even say now?
His smile stiffened.
"Yeah, yeah… our great ace..."
"Of course. You're our strongest pitcher. We should be worried about you the most."
Naturally, that flattery worked wonders on Rinichi. He couldn't hide his grin.
Unintentionally, Miyuki had stumbled on the perfect way to keep Rinichi in check.
....
Top of the first inning — Seidou at bat.
Fresh out of the bullpen, Rinichi was already back with his helmet and bat in hand.
Everyone: "..."
The opening couldn't have gone better.
Kuramochi got on base, then stole second while Shirasu was at the plate.
Shirasu laid down a bunt and reached first safely, while Kuramochi advanced to third.
Third batter Haruichi delivered a sharp hit to center field, scoring Kuramochi.
Seidou: 1 run in. Runners on second and third.
"Batting fourth, pitcher, Kamishiro Rinichi."
Rinichi stood up. His expression alone showed how good his mood was.
Stepping into the batter's box, he made a fluid, one-swing motion with the bat.
The catcher for Shimosen Academy frowned.
Alright, let's test him with the first pitch.
But when Rinichi saw the ball's trajectory, his grin only deepened.
He tightened his grip, twisted his torso, and unleashed a full swing.
Ping!
The loud crack of the bat echoed. The center fielder backpedaled frantically, but could only watch as the ball sailed over the wall into the stands.
Home run.
The crowd erupted, cheers tearing through the stadium air.
Even Miyuki followed up with a rare hit when no one was on base—though just a single.
After that, Maezono slammed a shot down the left field line.
Miyuki made it home to score, while Maezono slid safely into second.
In that moment, it was hard to tell whether Seidou's bats were just that strong—or Shimosen Academy's defense was just that weak.
Seventh batter Tojo proved patient at the plate, earning a walk.
With runners on first and second, eighth batter Shinji Kanemaru smashed a line drive down the left field line.
But in the end, the inning came to a close with Rinichi at the plate.
Rinichi: "..."
Oops. Got under it.
A high flyout ended the threat.
Still—Seidou had already racked up seven runs in the very first inning.
Miyuki, who had earlier joked that Rinichi would hit a high fly ball: "..."
Kuramochi slowly turned his gaze toward him: "..."
It was… meaningful.
Miyuki forced a stiff smile.
"Don't sweat it. We scored seven runs in the first inning.
Besides, without you, we wouldn't have put up seven runs in the first place."
Fresh off the field, Rinichi thought that made perfect sense.
"You're right."
Miyuki: "..."
Unbelievable. He actually buys into this brainless flattery.
And the worst part? He isn't even smug about it.
....
Over on the Shimosen Academy side, morale had already plummeted.
Players could only comfort themselves, muttering, "Of course—they're a powerhouse, a famous school..."
Even their coach hadn't imagined things spiraling this quickly.
Seven runs—just in the first inning.
His face was grim.
"I know it looks bad… but don't lose heart. We still have chances to score."
But the sharp-minded among them didn't believe it.
What a joke. Their ace is the No. 1 pitcher in the nation. No team has ever managed to score a run off him.
"Think about it! Most teams can't even scratch a run from Seidou's ace. If we can just get one, it proves we're stronger than all of them!"
His words rang out, echoing with conviction.
A few of the more naïve players seemed to be inspired.
They started to imagine the what ifs.
But stepping into the batter's box, they were quickly swallowed by reality—by despair.
"Strike! Batter's out!"
Terror flickered in their eyes.
Dead silence.
Not one of them said a word.
They couldn't even put the bat on the ball.
"Strike! Batter's out!"
From beneath the brim of his cap, Rinichi's eyes were calm, cold.
Watching the frozen batter, a flicker of contempt surfaced in his gaze.
Adjusting his cap, he turned from the mound without so much as glancing at Shimosen's dugout.
Change of sides.
The Shimosen players were stunned.
The thought—"There's no way we can win"—spread like a virus, infecting the entire team.
Their coach was the first to snap out of it.
Grinding his teeth, he barked,
"What are you standing around for!? Get back to your positions!"
His roar jolted them into motion.
They scrambled for their gloves, hurrying awkwardly back onto the field.
"Is Shimosen really okay? They look… rattled."
A voice of doubt rose from the crowd.
Rinichi took off his cap, accepted a cup of water, and drank—utterly indifferent to Shimosen's state.
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