Fujio, Kunitomo, Ochiai...
What these individuals perceive is something that ordinary spectators simply cannot grasp.
All they can truly feel is what lies right before their eyes.
Currently, the situation on the field is one Out, with a runner on third base.
At the plate stands Narumiya, who had collapsed during the previous game.
He looks like a protagonist from an anime, seemingly resurrected and full of life, radiating energy and vitality.
He bears no resemblance to the half-dead player from earlier.
"What a monster!"
In the shortstop position, Kuramochi quietly scoffs.
Compared to Inajitsu High School, he would prefer to face Seihou High School as an opponent.
This current adversary knows them far too well. Playing against such an opponent makes it hard to feel secure, no matter how many runs are scored.
Especially when the other team is filled with so many powerful players.
Take Narumiya, for instance!
'You claim to be exhausted, yet instead of resting in your bed, you've come to the field to stir up trouble for us.'
'Is it really possible for you to hit the ball in this condition?'
'Don't joke around.'
'No matter how lively you appear, you're just a facade—worn out inside.'
Kuramochi's internal curses seem to have no effect.
When Narumiya steps up to bat, he displays remarkable determination.
Ping!
The white ball is struck and soars out into the air.
The baseball flies directly towards the outfield.
Though Kuramochi's mind drifts, his body responds without hesitation.
Snap!
He lunges forward, catching the ball as it rebounds back.
'Good!'
Pleased with himself, Kuramochi prepares to throw the ball to home plate.
Just then, he hears Miyuki, the catcher, suddenly call out.
"Throw to first base!"
Keep in mind, when Narumiya batted, Carlos had already dashed towards home.
Throwing to first now means giving up the chance to catch Carlos.
Kuramochi feels a pang of reluctance.
But he trusts Miyuki's judgment more!
At this point, even throwing to home might be too late to stop Carlos from stealing a base.
Since Miyuki has chosen to make a bold call, what reason does he have to hesitate?
Kuramochi adjusts his throw to first base.
Snap!
"OUT!"
Usually, a ball directly caught by the shortstop means the runner cannot advance.
However, Carlos, relying on his unmatched speed, makes it back to home plate.
From the start, they had executed a play-and-run strategy to take an early lead.
The score is now 1-0.
Excitement fills the air.
In past high-stakes matches, scoring was rare and precious.
But today's game seems unlikely to follow that trend.
With neither team's Ace pitchers available, both lineups have a valuable opportunity to score.
"Yeah!"
"Swing that bat!"
"Let the balls fly!"
"Keep the runs coming!"
The fans from both teams are like fierce fighters, brimming with excitement.
The fans of Inajitsu High School, thrilled by their team's first score, erupt in cheers.
Meanwhile, supporters of Seidou High School refuse to be quiet.
They believe this game is way far from over and that more thrilling moments await.
Bring it on!
Bring it on!!!
The entire stadium has transformed into a battlefield, thick with tension.
The players are no longer just athletes; they are soldiers armed for battle.
They are ready to engage in a fierce and bloody showdown.
"Nice pitching!"
From the catcher's position, Miyuki remains calm.
He passes the ball back to Furuya on the mound and nods in affirmation.
Although he doesn't know when Narumiya will pitch again, he's certain it won't be in the early innings.
Narumiya is fatigued—so much so that he had fainted during the last game.
'His stamina can barely last four or five innings. Given the strength of Seidou, that number might decrease even further.'
Considering he's been on the mound since the game began, Miyuki estimates that Narumiya can't pitch for more than three innings.
Three innings equate to one full lineup.
That should be Narumiya's limit.
'This means we have a full six innings to score against Hirano.'
There's no need to rush; we will definitely catch up. The key now is to control the rhythm of the game.
Miyuki knows exactly what he wants right now.
He's also clear on what needs to be done.
In this situation, he will make a bold call to secure quick Outs.
This is easy to understand.
With two Outs and no runners on base, they now face Inajitsu High School's fourth batter, Yamaoka Riku.
'He's a powerful hitter, known for his long hits.'
'With his tremendous strength, he doesn't even need to make solid contact; just touching the ball with the bat could send it flying.'
'When facing such an opponent, the priority is to maintain pitching rhythm and deliver strikes into the Mitt.'
Miyuki calmly signals, then crouches in position, extending his Mitt.
'Aim the ball here!'
His Mitt resembles a massive black hole, drawing in the pitch with bizarre force.
It beckons Furuya's throw toward it.
On the mound, Furuya exhales deeply, concentrating all his strength on his fingertips.
Roaar!
Like an artillery shell, the small white ball rushes toward the batter with a thunderous crack.
Seeing the pitch for the first time, Yamaoka shows no sign of panic.
He puffs out his cheeks and steps forward.
'Is he swinging at the first pitch?'
Miyuki's instincts flare; a warning bell rings in his mind.
He's not concerned about the ball being hit but rather about Inajitsu's strategy.
Originally, Miyuki expected Inajitsu to try to exhaust Furuya's stamina and pitch count.
After all, Furuya had thrown an entire game before this, so his stamina wouldn't be at its peak.
Even a small amount of fatigue could yield satisfying results.
But Inajitsu clearly has other plans.
Ping!
The small white ball was struck and rebounded high into the air.
Yamaoka's pitch became an infield pop-up.
Standing in the Batter's Box, Yamaoka had a face full of bulk, giving off a rough vibe like a martial artist.
Now, with his eyes narrowed, he looked even more like a fierce warrior.
'The ball flew up!'
'I had heard that balls traveling over 150 km/h tend to drift upward to varying degrees.'
'But I didn't expect that such a low course pitch would still float.'
'This guy is more troublesome than I thought,' Yamaoka concluded, echoing Carlos's sentiment.
Snap!
After a few seconds, the high-flying white ball finally came down.
Second baseman Kominato Haruichi had been waiting there, mitt open, ready to catch it securely.
"OUT!"
Three Outs and the teams switched places.
'Although we conceded a run early on, it wasn't a total disaster.'
The expressions and mindset of Seidou High School's players remained positive.
Furuya's performance was stable at least. While it couldn't be compared to his earlier game against Komadai Fujimaki High School, he was doing well overall.
'Perfect!'
This at least ensured that Seidou High School wouldn't lose too many runs.
In this situation, all they needed to focus on was how to attack.
In the dugout, Coach Kataoka, wearing sunglasses, gathered his proud players.
"Now it's our turn to attack! When will the opponent's Ace pitch? We can't predict that. If we want to ensure victory, our only option is to score. As long as we build a big enough lead, even if we switch out Narumiya on the mound, we will still win in the end."
"Think back to the training you endured in winter; remember how you swung the bat then? Show your determination and progress here."
"YES!!!"
Kataoka's words successfully reminded the players of their grueling memories.
Their expressions turned painful as if they remembered something unpleasant.
During their hellish training, the players had seriously questioned their resolve.
It felt like they might really break.
Living each day in physical exhaustion and endless training hell.
They learned to let their bodies act before their brains, turning their actions into conditioned reflexes!
As the second half of the inning began, Seidou High School took to the offense.
Leading off was Kuramochi.
He raised his bat high, ready to unleash his energy.
'Time to hit!'
He was determined to smash the ball with no mercy.
Despite his confident stance, the players from Inajitsu High School remained unfazed.
Everyone knew each other's strengths too well.
They understood exactly which strategies to employ against each opponent, and their actions were decisive.
Inajitsu's infielders positioned themselves forward, providing no opportunity for Kuramochi to bunt or steal bases.
Simultaneously, their battery devised strategies specifically for Kuramochi.
Whoosh!
The sharp ball darted straight toward the inside corner.
From the very beginning, Hirano had adopted an aggressive stance.
"STRIKE!"
Starting the Koshien finals, many had predicted that the inexperienced Hirano might crumble under pressure.
Of course, this was the most optimistic outlook, but not entirely unfounded.
A qualified player looking to shine on a big stage generally has two paths to success.
The first is having a powerful heart; the greater the stakes, the better they perform.
Furuya Satoru exemplifies this type of player.
In finals or major competitions like Koshien, he often shows remarkable form.
The second path involves having ample experience.
Knowledge comes from experience—not just idle talk.
Players who have faced many competitions tend to stay calm under pressure.
As for Sawamura, he embodies both traits.
He has a powerful heart and extensive experience.
In crucial matches, he can perform steadily.
Based on prior experience, it's difficult for anyone his age to match Sawamura's level.
Hirano, no matter how you look at it, doesn't belong to either category.
Yet, his performance has been surprisingly good.
It seems that anyone determined enough to train at a prestigious school is far from ordinary.
Faced with the sharp inside pitch, Kuramochi struggled to adapt.
He even instinctively shifted his position closer to the plate…
In the catcher's spot, Tadano narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing Kuramochi's actions.
He paid close attention to every move, hoping to uncover something different.
From Kuramochi's previous actions, Tadano quickly realized he had no intention of bunting.
'He was waiting for a specific pitch.'
'And that pitch definitely wasn't an inside corner.'
'The earlier movement was meant to draw a pitch to the outside corner.'
Tadano, believing he had seen through Kuramochi's intentions, wouldn't let him have it easy.
So for the second pitch, he still called for an inside corner.
'Only slightly adjusted from before.'
After signaling for this pitch, Tadano visualized the third throw in his mind.
Two consecutive inside pitches would certainly keep Kuramochi focused on the inside course.
If he threw another inside pitch now, there would be no reason for Kuramochi not to swing.
'As long as he was willing to swing, any remaining issues would be easily resolved.'
With the last pitch, Tadano aimed for an inside ball to trick Kuramochi into swinging.
Tadano's plan seemed well-constructed, but he clearly didn't understand Kuramochi fully.
Just because Kuramochi seemed straightforward in his approach didn't mean he wouldn't play tricks.
From the start, Kuramochi had no specific pitch to target.
His slight movement was meant to mislead Tadano into thinking he would aim for the outside corner.
In reality, the pitch would be coming from the inside.
According to Kuramochi's strategy, if Tadano's previous pitch was outside, he would do the same thing to mislead Tadano into thinking he aimed for the inside.
This tactical deception put Kuramochi in a favorable position, no matter how the opponent chose to respond.
'Here we go!'
Facing the ball soaring toward the inside course, Kuramochi took a step away from the plate.
Now the ball is not a hard-to-hit inside corner ball for him but an easy ball in the middle.
All he has to do now is to swing hard.
Ping!
The white ball was struck and fell behind the first baseman.
If the first baseman of Inajitsu High School hadn't been positioned so far forward, he would have caught it.
But in the world of sports, there are no "ifs".
The little ball flew away.
T/N: The Second Chapter!
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