"I thought that pitch would miss..."
"But it clipped the corner."
"It even tempted me into swinging."
Kuramochi frowned as he stepped back into the batter's box.
Before he could fully process the first pitch, Ugumori's ace, Umemiya, was already into his motion again.
The second pitch floated toward the plate.
Another slow curveball.
Painfully slow.
"Ball!"
The umpire's call echoed through the stadium.
A bead of sweat slid down Kuramochi's temple.
He looks like a delinquent...
So why is his command this good?
Leaning against the dugout railing, Ushijima watched with interest.
"This guy's pitch speed..."
"It's like an annoying little goblin."
The others turned toward him.
"It's so slow that if you swing, it completely throws off your timing."
"But it's still difficult to square up."
"And if you don't swing..."
"You just stand there watching it float into the catcher's mitt."
"It almost feels like it's mocking you."
"It's like one of those mischievous little goblins."
"You can't bring yourself to smack it..."
"But if you don't, it just keeps getting on your nerves."
"Hahaha!"
Miyuki and the others burst into laughter.
Everyone on the team knew one thing.
Ushijima hated slow pitches more than anything.
He hated throwing them.
He hated facing them.
Of course...
If he guessed correctly, he'd still crush one.
But they irritated him regardless.
Back on the mound, Umemiya smiled to himself.
The first two looping curveballs had already planted doubt in Kuramochi's mind.
Now...
It was time to change speeds.
"Hmph!"
A fastball suddenly exploded toward the plate.
Caught completely off guard, Kuramochi hurried his swing.
Crack!
The ball bounced weakly toward the infield.
"Damn it!"
Throwing down his bat, Kuramochi sprinted toward first.
That velocity difference...
It feels much bigger from the batter's box than I expected.
Despite being fooled, his speed made all the difference.
"Safe!"
The first-base umpire spread his arms.
Kuramochi had beaten the throw.
"Oh."
"There he goes."
Ushijima picked up his bat.
His turn was approaching.
"Yeah!"
"Run wild!"
"Speed is the only useful thing you've got anyway!"
Sawamura shouted enthusiastically from the dugout.
"Shut up!"
Kuramochi roared back without looking.
The dugout erupted in laughter.
Batting second, Shirasu immediately squared to bunt.
Tap!
The sacrifice bunt rolled perfectly along the first-base line.
"Nice bunt!"
Kuramochi advanced safely into scoring position.
The crowd applauded.
Everyone understood exactly how dangerous Seido became once Kuramochi reached second.
"They're bunting already?"
Reporter Owada Akiko looked surprised.
Fujio nodded.
"It makes perfect sense."
"They're setting up Kuramochi for Haruichi."
"And if that doesn't work..."
"They still have Ushijima hitting cleanup."
"Their priority is getting the first run."
Now batting third...
Kominato Haruichi calmly entered the box.
Pressure immediately shifted back onto Ugumori.
First-year.
Batting over .550.
A contact hitter.
Umemiya narrowed his eyes.
"But..."
"The real monster is the one waiting behind you."
He began his windup.
The first pitch was another looping curveball.
Haruichi watched it all the way.
"Ball."
The umpire's call confirmed his judgment.
"So calm..."
Even Ugumori's scorekeeper couldn't help admiring him.
For the second pitch...
Umemiya came back with a fastball.
Haruichi reacted instantly.
Crack!
The wooden bat met the ball squarely.
The line drive screamed straight back toward the mound.
Instinct took over.
Umemiya stuck out his leg.
Thud!
The baseball slammed directly into his shin.
"Ow!"
Pain shot through his body.
Even so...
He immediately bent down, scooped up the ball, and looked toward second.
Kuramochi had taken two steps toward third before stopping.
Seeing the runner retreat...
Umemiya quickly fired to first.
"Out!"
Haruichi was retired.
Kuramochi clicked his tongue.
"He actually blocked that with his leg?"
"Isn't he worried about getting hurt?"
Even Haruichi looked surprised.
He hadn't expected the opposing pitcher to stop the ball that way.
Back on the mound, Umemiya immediately received an earful from his teammates.
"Could you stop being so reckless?!"
The first baseman pointed at him angrily.
"I'm fine."
"It just hit my shin guard."
Umemiya waved him off with a grin.
"Two outs."
"Stay focused."
"The next batter..."
"...is the real monster."
Everyone on Ugumori turned toward the on-deck circle.
Ushijima Wakatoshi slowly stepped into the batter's box.
Among middle school baseball players across Japan...
There were almost none who didn't know his name.
Then Umemiya noticed something.
"A metal bat?"
A grin spread across his face.
"So..."
"You're looking for a safer hit?"
"You actually don't dare challenge me with a wooden bat?"
Ushijima ignored the provocation.
This was his first time facing Umemiya.
He still hadn't fully adjusted to the pitcher's extreme change of speeds.
Using a metal bat for his first at-bat was simply the smarter choice.
Once he figured out the timing...
He could always switch back to wood later.
Besides...
With Kuramochi standing on second...
Driving in the run came first.
"Come on!"
"Monster batter!"
Umemiya fired the opening pitch.
The baseball floated lazily toward the plate.
It wasn't even 100 km/h.
The looping curve dropped sharply at the last moment, clipping the inside corner.
Ushijima never offered.
Thwack!
"Strike!"
The umpire's arm shot into the air.
Ushijima remained completely expressionless.
Instead of looking at the mound...
His eyes wandered across the field.
He carefully examined Ugumori's defensive alignment.
Every infielder.
Every outfielder.
Every positioning adjustment.
Nothing escaped his attention.
Umemiya noticed the glance immediately.
Checking our defense?
Aha...
So he's planning to attack the next pitch.