Because this was an internal Red-and-White match,

both teams were to be commanded by the players themselves.

For the third-years, as mentioned earlier, Chris-senpai was in charge.

On the side of the active roster, the one calling the shots was, of course, the brain of the team and current captain—Miyuki.

Coach Kataoka stood at home plate acting as the chief umpire, while the bases were manned by the team's assistant coaches.

Ochiai, Takashima Rei, and Ota sat in the control room by the field, watching closely.

For Ochiai, this was the perfect chance to test the month's worth of training: to see where the active players stood, and whether or not their weaknesses had been improved.

It was a crucial benchmark.

....

On the first-base bench, the current squad huddled tightly in a circle.

"Excited, right? Fired up, right? But also… feeling that suffocating pressure, aren't you?"

Miyuki bent slightly at the waist, standing in the center with a faint grin as he addressed his teammates.

"The senpai seriously want to crush us. But what we need to do is withstand them—then fight back!!!"

He pressed his hand against his chest as he spoke.

"Because we are Seidou, the champions, too!!!"

"OOOOOOOOHHHHHH!!!"

The roar of the current roster rang out.

With their captain leading the charge, Eijun, Kuramochi, Maezono, Haruichi, and the others released their fighting spirit in full.

This is what makes it worth it, you brats!!!

Their surging momentum brought eager smiles to the faces of the third-years on the opposite bench.

Isashiki-senpai, in particular, bared his teeth in a feral grin.

Crush them. Show these kids the dignity of their senpai here and now.

....

"Top of the first inning! Batting first for the third-years, shortstop Kusunoki!"

"Go, Kusunoki! Smash those punks!"

"Fumiya, make him cry on the mound!"

"Haha, yeah, make them all cry! And don't expect us to let you off the mound even if you do, rookies!"

From the very start, the third-years asserted themselves—taunts, pressure, and fighting spirit led by Isashiki Jun.

Out in left field, Eijun's mouth twitched.

Yup, this was exactly the kind of behavior he remembered from his seniors.

Especially Isashiki-senpai…

Eijun sighed inwardly.

....

"Ohhh, here we go, here we go!"

"The starter is Furuya, just as expected."

"A straight-up power duel. Let's see if the new Furuya can hold down the seniors' bats."

"Haha, that's a tall order."

The moment the game opened, the spectators' excitement erupted.

At home plate, Miyuki gave Kusunoki a sidelong glance, an odd glint flashing in his eyes as he signaled.

"Kusunoki-senpai is the type who only swings at the pitches he's aiming for. No need for trickery here—go straight at him. Use your power to overwhelm him."

"Mm."

Receiving the sign, Furuya straightened his posture on the mound.

Boom!

He drove his front leg down hard, his arm whipping forward with violent force.

Whoosh!

Like a beam of light, the ball exploded out of his hand.

The crack of the air splitting echoed through the field.

A dazzling streak shot straight for home plate, its sheer pressure making Kusunoki's pupils contract instantly.

The gale of the fastball's wake seized his breath.

His swing came too late—

Thunk!!!

The ball thudded cleanly into Miyuki's mitt.

"STRIKE!!!"

"That's it! That's the stuff!"

"Mmm, beautiful sound! Speed is the true romance of a pitcher!"

"A perfect inside fastball—nasty location."

"Looks like Furuya's in great shape today."

"Yeah, his command is spot on. If he'd put it a touch lower, it would've been a perfect pitch."

"He can still get stronger… Furuya can get so much stronger."

And that was only the first pitch.

Furuya's blazing fastball had already raised the stadium's atmosphere to another level, drawing gasps of awe from the crowd all around.

Heh… so this is Furuya's heater. Standing in the batter's box, it feels completely different.

And compared to the summer—his pitches no longer felt stiff.

Now they carried a wilder, more ferocious life.

Kusunoki Fumiya smiled faintly.

He gave his bat a light shake, then reset his stance.

"But…"

Whoosh!

Another flash of brilliance tore through the air.

"…the flaws are obvious!!!"

Ping!

The bat whipped through, colliding with the ball.

Clang!!

The sharp crack echoed as the ball leapt off the bat.

At home plate, Miyuki's eyes widened in surprise.

"Tch!"

"Ohhhhhhh!!!"

The spectators roared. Kusunoki's expression lit up with joy.

He dropped the bat and sprinted full speed for first base.

Thud!

The ball landed in front of Eijun and Kuramochi, but too late—Kusunoki had easily touched first.

A high pitch.

For Furuya, this had been a flaw since the moment he'd joined Seidou.

Though nearly a year of training had helped him improve, the issue hadn't vanished entirely.

Most dangerous of all—these high fastballs were the pitches he had once prided himself on the most.

When he threw inside or straight over the plate,

his balls still had a tendency to float upward.

And if there were anyone who knew this best,

it was his own teammates.

Chris-senpai and the other third-years were intimately familiar with Furuya's habits.

That's why, from the very start, Chris had designed the seniors' strategy:

Attack his not-quite-high, but slightly elevated fastballs.

With the seniors' combination of strength and technique, facing Furuya—still seen by them as a rookie—was practically child's play.

Kusunoki Fumiya's crisp, clean hit at his second swing was the perfect proof of that.

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