"Come on, Kusano! What are you doing?! If you don't swing the bat, we'll never score a run!"
"Kusano! Pull yourself together! We're Kaidou High School!"
The Kaidou players and their supporters shouted at the top of their lungs, desperately trying to encourage their teammate.
Their voices echoed throughout the stadium.
Yet inside the Kaidou dugout, the atmosphere couldn't have been more different.
Egashira's face was as dark as a storm cloud.
"Hmph!"
"Kusano has completely disgraced the name of Kaidou."
His teeth ground together with barely restrained anger.
They were Kaidou High School.
The defending national champions.
A powerhouse that stood at the pinnacle of Japanese high school baseball.
Yet from the opening pitch, they had been completely overwhelmed by Yakushi.
Forget scoring.
They hadn't even managed a single hit or reached base.
To someone as prideful as Egashira, such a performance was utterly unacceptable.
He suddenly turned toward one of the reserve players.
"Amuro."
"Get ready."
"Starting next inning, you'll replace Kusano in center field."
His voice left no room for argument.
Then his icy gaze swept across the entire dugout.
"Listen carefully."
"If anyone else performs like Kusano..."
"...showing no fighting spirit and bringing shame upon Kaidou..."
"Don't blame me for showing no mercy."
"Understood?"
Every player instinctively straightened their backs.
"Yes, sir!"
Their unified reply rang through the dugout.
"Tch..."
Kitamura Kou looked toward Kusano in the batter's box.
The batter stood there as though his spirit had been drained from his body.
His eyes lacked focus.
His swing had disappeared.
Seeing that, Kitamura couldn't hide his disappointment.
He had been looking forward to battling Kaidou's lineup.
Instead...
His opponent had already surrendered mentally.
It felt like preparing for an all-out duel...
Only to discover the other side had already laid down their weapons.
His excitement vanished.
"If you've already lost the courage to swing..."
"I'll put an end to this."
Kitamura gathered himself and drove off the mound.
BOOM!!
The fastball screamed toward home plate.
Although it still carried tremendous velocity...
Its speed had dropped slightly compared to his previous pitches.
It was just over 150 km/h.
Meanwhile...
Kusano remained trapped inside his own thoughts.
Is this really how it's going to end?
If I walk back to the dugout like this...
Will I be satisfied?
Can I really face the teammates who fought beside me...
The ones who gave everything but never even made the first string?
The baseball continued racing toward the plate.
Closer.
Closer.
At the very last moment—
Kusano's eyes regained their focus.
The hesitation disappeared.
Replacing it was unwavering determination.
No...
I can't end it like this.
I fought through countless hardships just to earn this chance.
Not only for myself...
But for everyone who never got the opportunity I'm standing in now.
I won't waste it.
No matter how difficult the road ahead is...
I'll wear Kaidou's uniform with pride.
And I'll fight until the very end!
With a roar, Kusano poured every ounce of strength into his swing.
Whoosh!!
The metal bat cut through the air.
Clang!!
The ball shot off the bat like a bullet toward third base.
It struck the dirt hard and skipped sharply toward Raichi.
Instantly...
Every pair of eyes in the stadium turned toward Yakushi's third baseman.
The ball was traveling fast.
Fielding it cleanly would be anything but easy.
"Get through!"
The Kaidou bench erupted with excitement.
"It dropped fair!"
"Run!"
Their hopes reignited in an instant.
On the other side...
Yakushi's players felt their hearts leap into their throats.
"Raichi!"
"Don't charge it!"
"Stay where you are!"
"Just block the ball!"
They shouted desperately.
Unfortunately...
The very thing they feared came true.
"Kahahahaha!"
Raichi charged forward without hesitation, as if he hadn't heard a single word.
Seeing that reckless dash...
Every Yakushi player turned pale.
A terrible premonition flashed through their minds.
This is bad...
The next moment—
The baseball skipped off the edge of Raichi's glove.
It slipped straight past him and rolled into left field.
The Yakushi bench collectively covered their faces.
"I knew it..."
Fortunately, Akiba Kazuma had anticipated the possibility.
The instant the ball was hit, he had already broken toward left field.
He cut it off before it could roll all the way to the wall.
Even so—
Whoosh!
Thwack!
"Safe!"
For the first time in the game...
A Kaidou High School player reached base.
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