"Batting second, second baseman—Kominato Ryousuke!"
On first base, Kuramochi immediately took an aggressive stance, clearly pressuring Narumiya Mei and disrupting his focus. The agitation in Narumiya was beginning to show.
To make matters worse, Ryousuke squared to bunt.
The situation was quickly turning dangerous.
As soon as Narumiya made his pitching motion, Kuramochi took off for second.
Harada caught the ball and quickly stood to throw to second base.
But Kuramochi's legs were just too fast.
If he'd been caught stealing, it would've been a big blow. But since he made it, the boost to Seidou's morale was huge.
The dugout erupted in cheers.
Immediately after, Ryousuke laid down a bunt—perfectly executed as a sacrifice—and Kuramochi advanced to third.
It was still only the first inning, and Inashiro was already facing a runner on third with just one out.
And now, Seidou's heart of the lineup was stepping up.
"Batting third, center fielder—Isashiki-kun."
The energy in the stadium soared, both from the spectators and the benches.
Inashiro's defense crept in, ready to throw home at any moment.
Meanwhile, Miyuki was already slipping on his black catcher's mitt.
On the very first pitch, Isashiki swung—and managed to connect with Narumiya's slider.
Harada lifted his mask, startled.
He managed to swing fully even at that inside pitch?
"Second base, back!" he shouted.
The ball dropped cleanly between second base and center field.
Kuramochi slid home safely—1 run for Seidou!
Isashiki made it to first safely. One out on the board.
"Batting fourth, first baseman—Miyuki-kun."
As captain Yuuki Tetsuya stepped to the plate, the brass band burst into song and the cheer squad harmonized with their chants. The cheering from the stands grew even louder than before.
Momentum was completely on Seidou's side.
First pitch—straight down the middle—Yuuki swung and missed.
It caught everyone by surprise.
Rather than calling it a confident duel, it felt more like Narumiya was just irritated.
Right now, Seidou had the perfect chance to blow the game wide open.
One strike, two balls.
Narumiya clearly hadn't settled in yet—his pitching motion looked stiff.
Rinichi rotated his shoulder a bit.
Hope it's still my turn when we get back up, he thought.
The fourth pitch was a changeup, just as Yuuki predicted, but it dropped with a movement similar to a sinking cutter.
He swung hard—and missed.
"Strike! Batter out!"
Fifth batter Masuko didn't do much either—he was also retired.
Still, all in all, the result wasn't bad. They managed to score first.
Rinichi put on his cap and picked up his glove. He pulled the brim low, a flicker of excitement in his eyes and a smirk on his lips.
Hell is about to begin.
After all, nothing was more fun than shutting down a powerhouse batting lineup.
Miyuki noticed the shift in Rinichi's aura—completely different from before.
"And now, taking the mound—Kamishiro Rinichi! A first-year ace who has yet to allow a single run this tournament!"
First-year. Ace. Zero runs allowed…
Just a few key phrases—and Rinichi was instantly elevated to a whole new level.
From the stands, there were quite a few people shouting his name. Though… most of them were girls.
Yet Rinichi, a first-year, wasn't nervous at all in this kind of spotlight. In fact, he looked even more pleased with himself than usual.
Clearly, he was enjoying every second of it.
"Bottom of the first inning—Inashiro comes up to bat."
"Leading off, center fielder, Carlos-kun!"
Rinichi's windup was smooth and natural.
Go ahead and hit it...
The first few batters—let me take it easy on them.
As the ball approached, Carlos was stunned—it was an easy pitch to hit.
Here it is! My chance to get on base! This Kamishiro must not be in form yet!
But as soon as the bat made contact, Carlos's expression changed drastically.
The ball floated lightly—and dropped right into Rinichi's glove.
Even the umpire hesitated for a second. "Out!"
Carlos looked toward the mound and met Rinichi's gaze—mocking, arrogant.
He had clearly been played.
That pitch… was weird.
It looked like such an easy ball to hit, but there was something strange about the spin—it was as if the ball had a mind of its own and dropped awkwardly toward the mound.
In the dugout, Miyuki's heart clenched.
He'd seen this pitch before in earlier matches.
It always looked like an easy pitch, but it never turned out that way.
Then again, none of Rinichi's pitches were ever easy.
Except for the pitcher, catcher, and batter—no one really understood why that pitch, despite appearing so hittable, somehow couldn't be handled.
In the stands, Takashima Rei murmured, "That pitch just now…"
Shinomiya sighed. "Yeah, that was reckless… but that's how Rin is. Against strong opponents, his fighting spirit ignites."
"The pitch looks easy to hit, but it's only an illusion. Its entire purpose is to induce weak contact—so he can catch it himself and minimize pitch count."
"To execute that requires insane control over the ball's spin. That's what makes Rin's fastballs so tough—it's not just the velocity, but the way the spin adds that late movement. The spin is the core, the tailing motion is just the icing."
"But that pitch's effectiveness really depends on the type of batter. Against someone who hits for power, it's almost useless."
He paused thoughtfully.
"For contact hitters, that kind of pitch has too many variables. Once they've seen it once, they can usually crush it in their second at-bat. It's practically a one-time trick."
"Besides, just hearing about it secondhand isn't enough. You have to experience it yourself to understand—and even then, knowing how it works doesn't mean you can hit it."
"Rin's probably trying to minimize pitch count so he can go the full game."
"Is it because he doesn't trust the catcher…?"
In other words, he didn't believe the catcher could guide him through a complete game.
Coach Kunimoto asked, "What kind of pitch was that just now?"
Narumiya Mei turned his gaze slightly.
It was just a hittable pitch, wasn't it?
Carlos removed his helmet and explained, "It… looked like a straight fastball with a hittable trajectory. But the spin was weird. It felt like it dipped right before contact—and then… rose again slightly."
Whatever that pitch was, it was abnormal in every way.
Carlos's words made the entire dugout fall silent as they mulled it over.
But all they could recall was that it looked easy to hit—nothing more.
Even after hearing the description, it was hard to picture.
An easy-looking pitch…
Anyone would've swung at it, right?
Coach Kunimoto narrowed his eyes. "Kamishiro has never once pitched in poor condition."
That statement jolted everyone.
Right… how could they have forgotten?
He's never off his game…
Which means—there's no way he'd throw an easy pitch by mistake.
Is this guy even human…?
If you want to read 20 chapters advanced.