"Boom!"
The bat swung through the air, and in that instant, it felt as if the entire world had been violently flung away.
Despite already being ahead by two strikes, Fujita, the catcher for Inashiro Industrial, still broke out in a cold sweat. His grip tightened unconsciously around his glove as his eyes followed the ball's path.
Facing a monster like this was the most terrifying thing imaginable.
No matter what kind of advantage you held, as long as you hadn't completely dealt with him, he could drag you straight to hell with a single swing.
And now, that very scene was unfolding before his eyes.
"Ping!"
The baseball, struck squarely by the bat, flew back even faster than it had arrived, tearing through the air with a shrill sound.
Inashiro Industrial couldn't possibly have been unprepared for a monstrous hitter like Azuma Kiyokuni. Before the pitch was even thrown, their outfielders had already retreated several steps, positioning themselves deeper than usual.
This was done to ensure they could intercept the ball if it was driven toward the back of the field.
But preparation meant nothing in the face of raw power.
The ball came too fast.
The fielders barely had time to react. Before they could even lock onto the trajectory, the baseball had already screamed past their defensive zone and slammed heavily against the wall with a dull, echoing thud.
The consequences of such a hit were impossible to ignore.
Tanaka, who had originally been on Second Base, sprinted toward Home Plate without hesitation. He didn't look back once, pushing himself to the limit as his spikes dug into the dirt. In a single breath, he crossed home and secured the first run for his team.
The scoreboard flipped.
One to zero.
But that wasn't all.
Immediately after the hit, Azuma Kiyokuni charged past First Base without slowing down. His expression remained calm, but his legs pumped relentlessly as he rounded the bag.
The fielders of the Inashiro Industrial High School Baseball Team tried their best to stop him. The left fielder scrambled for the ball, the relay throw rushed and unstable.
But how could they possibly stop him?
Before the ball could even be thrown back toward Second Base, Azuma Kiyokuni had already slid in and planted his foot firmly on the bag.
"Safe!"
The umpire's call rang out clearly.
The situation was still two outs, with a runner on Second Base.
The difference was that Seido High School's Baseball Team had now taken the lead.
And it was at this exact moment that Yuuki stepped into the batter's box.
In the stands, Seido's fans hadn't even had time to catch their breath. Their cheers surged higher and higher, crashing together like waves.
On one hand, they were celebrating the run that had just been scored. On the other, they were pouring all their energy into cheering for Yuuki.
"Yuuki! Yuuki!!!"
"Seido! Seido!!!"
The synchronized chants shook the stadium. Mixed in with them were the blaring sounds of the orchestra and the rhythmic movements of the cheerleaders, who were just as busy, encouraging the players in their own ways.
Everyone was moving, shouting, living in the moment.
The scene was so lively that even a school festival couldn't compare.
It was overwhelming.
The atmosphere of the entire stadium, driven by Seido's fans, seemed to twist and transform into something entirely different, as if the field itself had been pulled into another world.
On the other side—
In Inashiro's dugout.
Their director, a man with a noticeably receding hairline, stared at the field in disbelief. His expression was stiff, almost frozen, as if he was struggling to process what he had just witnessed.
Before the game had begun, the Inashiro Industrial High School Baseball Team had, of course, prepared countless predictions and contingency plans. They had considered unfavorable matchups, surprise plays, and even sudden momentum shifts.
They had planned for almost everything.
Almost.
This scene, however, had never crossed their minds.
They couldn't understand how things had reached this point.
Since when had Seido, a team they had never truly taken seriously, grown this strong?
"Director?"
The manager with the receding hairline turned helplessly toward Coach Kunimoto, his voice tight with unease.
In all of their planning, they had never imagined that Seido's overall strength would surpass theirs to such a degree. If the game continued to develop like this, they would be in serious trouble.
Once the gates were opened, stopping the flow of runs would not be easy.
Coach Kunimoto remained expressionless.
It was as if the team falling behind wasn't his own.
After a long moment, he finally turned his neck slightly, the motion slow enough that it produced a faint creaking sound.
Inashiro's manager straightened immediately, assuming the director was about to give instructions.
But in the end, Coach Kunimoto didn't say a single word.
Nor did he signal for any changes or give guidance to the players on the field.
It seemed he intended to leave everything in their hands.
"Director!"
The manager couldn't hold back any longer and spoke directly. "If this isn't working, should we consider making a change?"
Kunimoto didn't even turn his head. He merely glanced sideways, his eyes calm and unreadable.
The words the manager had prepared instantly vanished, and he fell silent.
"It's not time yet," Kunimoto finally said. "Let them continue to go wild."
Unable to receive any concrete instructions, Inashiro's pitcher and catcher grew increasingly uneasy.
They shared the same thoughts as their manager. At this moment, they believed their director should step in.
But he didn't.
Instead, Coach Kunimoto chose to trust them, allowing them to face and overcome this crisis on their own.
Strangely enough, that trust didn't feel entirely bad.
At the catcher's position, Fujita quickly sorted through his thoughts and made a decision. Without hesitation, he gave the signal.
Even after giving up a run, they refused to retreat. They would still confront the batter head-on.
Nishimonji, standing on the pitcher's mound, nodded faintly. His expression hardened as he wound up and released the ball.
"Whoosh!"
The small white ball shot forward like an arrow, heading straight toward Yuuki's chest.
Yuuki, standing in the batter's box, didn't move at all. He simply watched the baseball approach, passing less than five centimeters from his body.
"Thwack…"
"Ball!"
At the catcher's position, Fujita felt pain flare through every organ in his body.
Liver. Spleen. Stomach. Kidneys.
It was infuriating.
Yuuki Tetsuya's stance while waiting for the pitch was beyond frustrating. Nishimonji wasn't known for exceptional control. Even though they had been careful with that pitch, there was still a real chance it could have struck Yuuki.
Yet Yuuki hadn't retreated even a single step.
It felt as if, even if the ball had hit him, he wouldn't have flinched. The tough fear the reckless, and the reckless fear those who don't care about their own lives.
Yuuki's way of standing in the box belonged squarely to the latter. Unless Inashiro Industrial genuinely intended to hit him, they could no longer throw dangerous inside pitches.
And Yuuki knew it. Because he hadn't moved at all. This made finding his weakness nearly impossible.
No matter the position.
No matter the angle.
As long as the ball entered the strike zone, it felt like he could hit it. At this rate, continuing cautiously was meaningless.
Fujita had no choice but to give Nishimonji the signal for a decisive pitch. If they wanted to survive this inning, they had to face him head-on.
At the very least, if they could get Yuuki out, things would become much more manageable afterward.
Come on.
Fujita opened his glove wide.
On the mound, Nishimonji didn't hesitate. He gathered all his resolve and hurled the baseball forward.
"Whoosh!"
The moment the ball flew toward him, Yuuki, who had been motionless like a statue, suddenly moved.
When still, his presence seemed harmless.
But once he moved, it was like a natural disaster. A small tornado seemed to erupt in the batter's box.
"Ping!"
The bat collided with the ball solidly, and the white sphere traced a beautiful arc through the air, dropping cleanly behind the Third Baseman.
"Thwack…"
The instant the ball hit the ground, everyone knew the result. Yuuki Tetsuya, as magical and terrifying as ever, helped his team bring in another run.
At the very start of the game, Seido High School had not only perfectly shut down Inashiro's offense, but also scored two runs in a single offensive burst.
It had been many years since Seido had experienced such a flawless opening against Inashiro.
They were lucky.
But more than that, they were strong.
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