Whoosh!
The baseball left Sawamura's hand and slammed into the dirt well before reaching the plate.
"Too much force, idiot!" Kanzaki Ryou shouted.
Sawamura's face immediately turned red with embarrassment.
"What am I supposed to do? It feels so awkward pitching like this."
Kanzaki Ryou shook his head and walked forward. Picking up a baseball, he held it up for Sawamura to see.
"The Circle Changeup grip naturally makes it feel like you can't put any power behind the ball. It tricks you into thinking the pitch won't even reach home plate."
"Don't overthink it. Don't try to force anything. Just throw it naturally, like this."
As he spoke, Kanzaki demonstrated the pitch himself.
"See? Just like that."
Sawamura nodded instinctively, though he didn't fully understand.
Still, he grasped the important point: he shouldn't deliberately put strength into the pitch. What he needed was that soft, powerless feeling.
Before long, a suddenly enlightened Sawamura successfully threw his first proper Circle Changeup.
"Good."
Kanzaki nodded in satisfaction.
"Now it's just a matter of control. Keep working on the accuracy, and before long you'll be able to use it in games."
Seeing Sawamura making progress, Kanzaki and Miyuki resumed their own training.
After practice ended for the day, the members of Seido's baseball club gathered in the meeting room.
Their next tournament opponent was Oya High School, a public school from East Tokyo.
The team watched footage of Oya's previous game.
"Well? Want to watch it again?"
Standing at the front of the room, second-year Watanabe controlled the video playback.
The players immediately turned toward Kanzaki Ryou.
As team captain, his opinion carried the most weight.
"Don't look at me. If you still want to watch it, go ahead."
So everyone rewound the footage and carefully studied it once more.
Oya High School was an offensively oriented team, but honestly, their batting lineup was fairly average.
Their defense, however, was quite interesting.
After watching the recording several times, Kanzaki suddenly tapped the table.
"Stop."
Watanabe immediately paused the video.
"Back it up a little... yeah, there. Play it."
The footage resumed.
On screen, Oya's ace, Wakabayashi Go, stood on the mound. Just before he delivered the pitch, the entire defense shifted slightly toward the left side.
Then he threw a Fastball.
"I knew it."
Kanzaki tapped the table with his knuckles.
"Their defensive positioning changes according to the catcher's signs. Whenever the fielders shift left, Wakabayashi throws a Fastball."
"Exactly, Captain. You noticed it too."
Watanabe smiled.
"Too? You already figured it out?" Kuramochi asked in surprise.
"Yeah. I was planning to bring it up later."
After discovering Oya's tendency, the Seido players exchanged knowing smiles.
That single piece of information could provide a huge advantage during the game.
"Wakabayashi Go, Oya High School's ace. Right-handed pitcher, right-handed batter. His specialty is the Forkball, and he primarily uses it to rack up strikes..."
Watanabe began introducing Wakabayashi's scouting report.
After the analysis session ended, Coach Kataoka stood up and walked to the front of the room.
"The rest of the starting lineup for the next game will be announced the day before the match."
He paused before looking at Kanzaki.
"As for the pitcher, Kanzaki, do you want the start?"
Kanzaki glanced at the coach before turning toward Sawamura.
Smiling, he replied,
"Coach, it's up to you. I'm fine with whatever you decide."
Coach Kataoka nodded.
If Kanzaki wanted the mound, he would have no objections.
"Then it's decided."
He looked toward Sawamura.
"Sawamura! You'll start the next game."
"Yes, Boss!"
Sawamura jumped to his feet and shouted enthusiastically.
"Spend these next two days polishing that Changeup."
A faint smile appeared on Coach Kataoka's face.
"Then give Oya a surprise."
He already knew Sawamura had been practicing the pitch and was looking forward to seeing the results.
Days passed.
Sunday, 12:00 PM.
Seido's first-string squad was already seated in the dugout.
The game began smoothly.
Guided by Miyuki's game-calling, Sawamura skillfully used both the height and width of the strike zone, retiring Oya's first three batters on only seven pitches.
Then it was Seido's turn to attack.
Oya's ace, Wakabayashi Go, displayed obvious hostility from the moment he stepped onto the mound.
From the bottom of his heart, he viewed powerhouse private schools as rivals.
And among them, the dominant Seido High School was his biggest target.
Unfortunately, confidence alone couldn't bridge the gap in ability.
Kuramochi opened the inning with a bunt single.
Haruichi followed with a sharp pull to left field, putting runners on first and second.
Miyuki reached base as well, though one runner was forced out.
Then Kanzaki stepped into the batter's box.
After confirming through Oya's defensive movement that a Fastball was coming, he swung decisively.
CRACK!
The ball rocketed toward the right-field corner, nearly carrying into the stands.
Kuramochi easily scored from second.
By the end of the first inning, Seido had built a commanding 3-0 lead.
Kanzaki played only four innings before being pulled to rest, with Aso Takashi replacing him in left field.
Nine innings later, the scoreboard read:
Seido 9 - Oya 1
Sawamura successfully shut down Oya's batting lineup, allowing only a single run.
More importantly, his newly developed Changeup made its official debut and produced excellent results.
With the victory secured, Seido advanced to the Autumn Tournament semifinals.
Only one step remained before the championship game.
Meanwhile, the remaining quarterfinal matchups were:
Inashiro Industrial vs. Sensen High School
Ichidai Third High School vs. Yakushi High School
Seikou High School vs. Sosei High School
Inside Inashiro Industrial's locker room, the players had already changed out of their uniforms.
Ace pitcher Narumiya Mei stared at the tournament bracket.
His eyes were filled with determination as his fists clenched tightly.
"Soon..."
"Kanzaki."
"Miyuki."
"Just wait for me."
After speaking, Narumiya shifted his gaze toward today's opponent.
Sensen High School.
They were a strong team.
But not strong enough to stop Inashiro.
The result was exactly as expected.
Inashiro crushed Sensen 7-0.
The real surprise came from the matchup between Yakushi and Ichidai Third.
The two teams battled through all nine innings before Yakushi narrowly emerged victorious, 4-3.
As a result, Inashiro Industrial and Yakushi High School would face off for a place in the Autumn Tournament Final.
That evening.
Seido High School, Seishin Dorm Meeting Room.
"Hiss... I never expected Seikou to win by such a huge margin."
"Yeah. Before the game, I didn't think they had a chance."
"Weren't they knocked out in the first round of the Summer Tournament?"
"And now they're in the semifinals."
"Improving that fast... they must be evil cultivators."
"Kanzaki-san, what's an evil cultivator?"
Kawakami turned around curiously.
Kanzaki burst out laughing but offered no explanation.
"Alright, alright."
He clapped his hands.
"Everyone's tired after today's game. Go get some rest."
"We'll study Seikou after tomorrow's practice."
The players quickly dispersed.
The quarterfinals had only just ended, and Watanabe was still gathering information on Seikou High School.
There was no need to rush.
However, Kanzaki Ryou had a particularly deep impression of Seikou.
In his memory, Miyuki had suffered an injury during their match after being violently collided with at home plate by a Seikou runner.
The moment that thought crossed his mind, Kanzaki made a decision.
In the next game—
He would take the mound himself.
-----------------------
pa-treon com/DaoOfPeeking