Kuse Hikaru really disliked the reaction of the man in the opposite hitting box.
Kuse Hikaru's pitching speed was not fast, and he was not the type to rely on velocity alone to get strikeouts. For batters who could make it to Koshien, hitting his fastball was not difficult.
The difficult part was hitting it well.
From the very beginning of their confrontation, Kuse Hikaru had been waiting, waiting for that short guy to make a move so he could determine what kind of batter he truly was.
But the opponent did not react at all. His eyes were narrowed, and God knew what kind of scheme he was planning.
The fans in the stands were saying unpleasant things, claiming the opponent was already scared silly. If that were true, Kuse Hikaru would not have minded in the slightest.
But the problem was, it was not true.
Where did the opponent look scared? He clearly harbored ill intentions, like a venomous snake hiding in the shadows, ready to strike at any moment.
With two strikes already, Kuse Hikaru decided to throw a pitch just outside the strike zone.
According to his usual style, he always decided the outcome within the strike zone. But this time, he changed his mind. That short young man gave him an extremely bad feeling. He abandoned his usual approach and began using tactics.
The white ball whistled through the air, appearing very close to the strike zone. Under pressure, it was difficult for batters to remain calm when facing such a pitch.
They would usually swing.
But Kominato Ryosuke, standing in the batter's box, remained completely still. He watched as the white ball zipped past him and into the catcher's mitt.
"Pop!"
"Ball!"
The umpire announced.
The count became two strikes and one ball.
The fans in the stands were bewildered.
If this pitch had been called a strike and that little guy struck out, what a scene it would have been. All the momentum would have shifted to Shinko High School.
But now, a ball had been called, and the opponent had not even swung.
Their surging momentum paused involuntarily.
"What kind of eyesight does that umpire have? That was a ball too?"
"Don't talk nonsense if you don't understand. After two strikes, throwing a ball to lure the batter into swinging is standard procedure. We can only say that little guy was too lucky, clinging to life for one pitch."
Up to this point, those fans still firmly believed that Kominato Ryosuke was simply scared.
But Kuse Hikaru on the pitcher's mound felt differently.
He frowned, carefully observing the young man in the batter's box. A trace of apprehension quietly grew in his heart.
His pitch selection was extremely accurate.
Unlike the spectators, Kuse Hikaru noticed that Kominato Ryosuke had made a move.
In other words, his opponent had considered swinging but held back the moment he realized it was a ball.
Replacing Tanaka was no coincidence. This little guy truly had something special.
"Phew."
Kuse Hikaru let out a long breath and began treating the young man in front of him as a core batter-level opponent.
He knew this might be an overreaction.
But he did not mind.
At Koshien, there was no retreat. Losing meant packing up and going home.
Even giving up a single run was extremely dangerous, especially for a pitcher-centered team like Shinko High School.
One run could decide everything.
He had to be careful. He absolutely could not give Seido High School Baseball Team any opportunities.
"Whoosh!"
"Pop!"
"Ball!!"
Kominato Ryosuke did not swing at two consecutive balls.
Once might be coincidence. Twice was not.
This batter truly possessed exceptional skill. His pitch selection ability was outstanding.
Kuse Hikaru's heart tightened.
The next pitch looked like a ball at first, but it would change midway and curve into the strike zone.
This was one of Kuse Hikaru's methods for dealing with strong opponents.
Revealing this so early was undoubtedly risky, but Kuse Hikaru believed it was worth it. He lacked information on this opponent and could not afford to be careless.
The man who had not swung at three consecutive pitches finally swung at this one.
"Ping!"
The ball struck the bat and bounced foul.
"Foul ball!"
After two strikes, a foul ball meant nothing to the pitcher except an increased pitch count.
Kuse Hikaru's expression grew serious.
He could roughly guess what his opponent was trying to do.
What frightened him most was that, based on their exchange so far, this little guy genuinely seemed capable of doing it.
He was trying to get a walk.
For Seido High School Baseball Team to use such a tactic at the very start of the game was astonishing.
He had not expected such a master to be hidden on Seido's bench.
It was a surprise, but there was no joy on Kuse Hikaru's face.
Next, he threw two more tricky breaking balls.
They were extremely difficult to hit cleanly.
But compared to hitting them well, fouling them off was easier.
Kominato Ryosuke thought the same and acted accordingly.
Kuse Hikaru's breaking balls had sharp trajectories, but their speed was not overwhelming.
Kominato Ryosuke possessed top-tier batting technique. Hitting them for solid contact was difficult, but fouling them off posed no problem.
The two sides tangled for five or six pitches, leaving the Shinko supporters stunned.
Only then did they realize how completely wrong their earlier judgment had been.
That little guy they had looked down on was not just good.
He was terrifying.
He truly deserved to replace Tanaka.
"Ball!"
"Walk to first base."
After the prolonged exchange, Kuse Hikaru decisively abandoned the duel.
Although he still had a high chance of striking the batter out, continuing would require throwing an unknown number of additional pitches.
This game was not only a test of skill, but also a test of stamina.
With temperatures reaching thirty-four degrees Celsius under direct sunlight, the field felt like a battlefield.
In such conditions, a pitcher capable of throwing one hundred fifty pitches would likely have to reduce that by at least twenty percent.
Prolonged battles with a single batter were self-destructive.
It was better to issue a walk and focus on the next hitters.
"That's very decisive," Zhang Han thought.
Kuse Hikaru was indeed a formidable leader, making decisions with exceptional clarity.
Most people, even knowing that a walk was the correct choice, would struggle to swallow their pride and do it.
The fact that Kuse Hikaru could proved just how extraordinary he was.
"Seido changes runner. Number five, Tanaka Kakuei, takes the field."
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