"Strike!"
After receiving the pitch, Miyuki Kazuya quietly let out a breath of relief.
Shunsuke Furukawa had chosen to attack the outside pitch on the very first ball. Fortunately, Kanzaki Ryou's fastball velocity was terrifying—so fast that even a power hitter like Furukawa couldn't fully adjust on the first swing.
Without wasting time, Miyuki immediately shifted tactics, pulling his mitt slightly inward.
Let's go… Kanzaki's signature two-seam.
He gave the sign.
"Throw a bad ball."
On the mound, Kanzaki nodded and lifted his leg.
At the same moment, Shunsuke Furukawa sharpened his focus. His timing on the previous pitch had been slightly late—this time, he had to swing earlier.
Whoosh!
The baseball came straight in.
Furukawa seized the timing and swung—
But just as the ball reached the plate, it suddenly sank and tailed sharply down and away, diving out of the strike zone.
"Strike!"
The bat had already gone more than halfway through.
Strike two!
"Good one, Kanzaki!"
"Two strikes!"
"Finish him!"
"Strike him out!"
Despite holding two strikes, Miyuki didn't relax for even a second. Kanzaki, standing on the mound, looked equally serious.
Both of them understood clearly—
If that second pitch had been a true four-seam fastball, it would've been crushed.
As expected of the cleanup hitter of a national-level powerhouse. Furukawa's sense of timing was abnormal.
Miyuki tossed the ball back and squatted slowly.
The safest option is a Changeup… something he won't expect.
But—
There's no need.
There were no runners on base. Even if Furukawa reached, the damage would be limited.
And striking him out purely with breaking balls wouldn't be easy anyway.
If Kanzaki went straight at him—
Even contact wouldn't be clean.
Miyuki made his decision and flashed the sign.
Go straight at him.
On the mound, Kanzaki took a deep breath, completely relaxing his body.
Seeing this, Furukawa frowned.
"What…? Is he hiding something?"
"Don't tell me he's going to throw another weird pitch?"
But he quickly dismissed the thought.
From Kanzaki's eyes—
From the aura radiating off him—
This was a head-on challenge.
Then Kanzaki moved.
His lead foot slammed down, dust rising as his arm whipped forward.
Whoosh!
A white blur screamed toward the plate.
Furukawa's bat was already in motion.
"A straight fight?! Then let's go!!"
Bang!!
A sharp metallic crack rang out.
The ball shot high into the air.
But Furukawa's expression didn't change to joy.
Too fast…
Even though he'd swung early, he'd only scraped the very edge of the ball.
"Fly ball!"
"Out!"
The baseball descended neatly into Kominato Ryosuke's glove.
"Nice!!"
"Well done!!"
"One out!!"
Cheers erupted from Seidou's bench and stands.
Retiring Sagara High School's cleanup hitter sent Seidou's supporters into a frenzy.
On the other side, Sagara's fans fell silent—
Just like Seidou's fans had earlier when Azuma Kiyokuni was struck out.
Furukawa calmly walked out of the batter's box.
It was only his first at-bat. There would be chances later.
Next time… I'll hit it.
Watching him leave, Azuma—standing near third base—felt immensely satisfied.
"As expected. First time facing Kanzaki's ball… unless luck is on your side, it's nearly impossible," Azuma muttered smugly.
"To be honest, those two are still holding back. If they pitched to him the same way they pitch to me in practice, he'd be out even faster."
Then—
Indignation welled up.
Why are they more cautious with him than with me?
Did that mean Furukawa ranked higher in their eyes?
Kanzaki Ryou: "This is a game."
Miyuki Kazuya: "This is Koshien."
After Furukawa, Sagara's fifth batter stepped up.
With Kanzaki and Miyuki's flawless coordination, he was retired in just three pitches.
Next came the sixth batter, a left-handed hitter, who attempted to bunt Kanzaki's fastball—
But the speed was too extreme. The bunt failed completely.
After his intentions were exposed, he was forced to swing.
Two brutal high-inside fastballs aimed at the chest—
Strikeout.
The inning ended cleanly.
End of the Second Inning
Score: Seidou 1 — Sagara 0
Both teams returned to their dugouts.
Coach Kataoka immediately gathered Seidou's players.
"Kominato."
His gaze fell on Kominato Ryosuke, standing quietly behind the group.
"Your speed is an advantage. Once you get on base, don't hesitate. The moment you see an opening, swing."
"As long as you reach base, there will be chances to score later."
Kominato nodded.
He understood.
Behind him stood Yuki, Azuma Kiyokuni, and Kanzaki Ryou—
Power hitters from Seidou's first, second, and third years.
If even they couldn't send him home, that would be unbelievable.
"In the early game, we must widen the lead," Coach Kataoka continued.
"It's impossible for Kanzaki to suppress their lineup forever."
"There are still two more games ahead."
"Before he leaves the mound, we need to build a buffer for the second half."
"Yes, Coach!"
Hearing this, Kanzaki smiled wryly.
His stamina had improved tremendously since joining Seidou—but this was Koshien.
Facing three national powerhouses in succession…
Pitching all three games was unrealistic.
Once he left the mound—
Whether it was Nanjo Taishi or Tanba Koichiro, runs would be conceded. Not one or two—but several.
Even Kanzaki himself couldn't guarantee a shutout.
Once he stepped down, the game would instantly turn into a slugfest.
That was why—
How many runs Seidou scored now would decide everything later.
The more runs they piled on, the less pressure Nanjo and Tanba would face.
Especially Tanba.
Kanzaki was honestly afraid that, under pressure, Tanba might completely collapse.