As a newcomer, Nishiyama unexpectedly found himself on the pitcher's mound so quickly.
This was clearly beyond everyone's expectations; most were surprised and excited, though some harbored different emotions.
For instance, the replaced Furuya, who had pitched only three innings, was visibly frustrated, wearing an angry expression.
Despite his calm appearance, it was easy to read his feelings; anyone familiar with Furuya would immediately recognize his anger.
"You pitched well. We've established an advantage, and it's not a bad thing to give the Kohai some experience," Sawamura said to his friend, trying to console him.
"Acting so high and mighty, you didn't even get a chance to play," Furuya self-deprecatingly remarked, which only deepened his frustration.
"Don't look down on me!" Furuya suddenly exclaimed, shocking those around him.
Although the possibility seemed unlikely, given the current atmosphere, one couldn't help but wonder if a conflict might arise between Sawamura and Furuya. That would be quite embarrassing for Seidou High.
"Isn't it past the time when you had to beg me to teach you how to defend? You've grown into such a reliable pitcher now!" Sawamura responded, his expression neutral as if discussing something trivial.
"The reason I sought your advice was to defeat you one day," Furuya retorted, showing no signs of hiding his emotions.
This attitude startled those nearby.
From their perspective, Sawamura had been nothing but supportive of Furuya, almost like a mentor.
Furuya wanted to take down Sawamura from day one at Seidou, it was not a piece of breaking news, but this was the first time he voiced it this loudly.
"I see. If that is what you wanted, I will give it to you."
"But remember, I also have no intention of losing to anyone."
Sawamura's expression darkened as he fixed a serious gaze on Furuya, who met it without flinching.
He deliberately stepped away from Furuya and focused intently on the field.
Sawamura knows that Furuya no longer needs his protection.
He was now ready to walk on his own.
But Eijun couldn't help but feel ironic.
Before his regression, Sawamura had always chased after Furuya's shadow in high school. Though he claimed they were rivals for the Ace position throughout their three years, the reality was that Furuya often outshone him.
Unexpectedly, the tables had turned, and now Furuya was chasing after him.
'But that was fine; let him pursue with all his might; otherwise, our three years in high school would be quite meaningless.'
'The spring tournament had just begun, with four full months until the summer tournament.'
'The battle for the ace position at Seidou High had already commenced.'
With Furuya's outstanding spring performance and current form, he had finally begun to catch up to Sawamura's pace, igniting the competition for the Ace role.
In this situation, no one anticipated that another young player would also rise.
This shifted the original rivalry into a three-way contest.
For Sawamura, this was a fascinating experience.
"Nishiyama! Go for it!!"
"Nishiyama, let's go!!"
Voices from the stands cheered, somewhat chaotic yet full of strength.
Nishiyama, debuting in his first match, inexplicably garnered support from some fans, regardless of his actual abilities.
In Akamaji High School's dugout.
Upon seeing Nishiyama just substituted onto the field, the team's Coach first felt anger, then surprise.
Seidou High was allowing a freshman pitcher to take the mound in their match, which infuriated him.
After all, these new players had barely been in high school for just over two weeks.
Many new players hadn't even touched a bat or baseball yet, merely engaging in physical conditioning training.
But Seidou had directly placed a freshman on the mound.
And it wasn't just any unimportant position like the fifth batter, who is treated as a joke.
While his swing was impressive, his actual skill was just average.
Having faced their own pitchers twice and being dealt with, now facing a freshman pitcher felt precarious.
"Seeing as the opponent underestimates us, this is a great opportunity. Don't hold back; swing with all your might!"
Now it was Akamaji's second batter's turn to bat.
They had all the advantages: timing, location, and players.
In such circumstances, there was no reason they shouldn't win against Seidou High.
This was the Coach's mindset, echoed by Akamaji players.
Despite Nishiyama's seemingly sturdy physique, they were confident they could take him down swiftly.
'Come on, high school baseball isn't child's play.'
Akamaji's second batter was not a typical technical hitter but a strong slugger.
He aimed to swing with full power.
His menacing gaze locked onto Nishiyama on the mound, as if he intended to swallow him whole.
Taking down a fresh high school newcomer would be easy.
Nishiyama, however, ignored the opponent's provocative attitude.
His eyes revealed no sign of anger or excitement.
He simply regarded the batter calmly, ready to pitch at any moment.
The catcher, Miyuki Kazuya, didn't disappoint him and quickly signaled a play.
Before the game, Miyuki had approached Nishiyama to discuss their signals.
"Though the Coach mentioned he'd give you a chance, I didn't expect it to come this quickly," Miyuki said, looking slightly awkward.
Honestly, Coach Kataoka's decision was completely unexpected; he hadn't prepared at all and had never partnered with Nishiyama before.
Most of the time, Nishiyama had focused on physical training, with little actual pitching practice, let alone partnering with a catcher.
Suddenly being thrust onto the field felt unreasonable.
While internally complaining, he inquired about his new partner.
"What pitches do you have? What signals do you like to use?"
Miyuki asked patiently.
Nishiyama had been looking forward to partnering with Miyuki, and hearing his words made his heart race.
The signals would be entirely his call. This meant the senior had confidence in remembering all his signals in one go!
Overcoming his surprise, Nishiyama respectfully replied to Miyuki.
"No need for anything complicated; just use the fastball."
"Just the fastball!"
'The boy had quite the balls!'
Miyuki was initially taken aback by Nishiyama's answer, then couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"You're quite amusing."
For Miyuki, there were only four to five months left of high school baseball.
Initially, aside from the dreams of Koshien, he thought nothing else would change.
Now, he realized he was dead wrong. With so many interesting freshmen, the last few months should be quite enjoyable.
"Let's do this!"
When it came to truly partnering with Nishiyama, Miyuki remained cautious.
He had no idea about Nishiyama's preferred pitches, his pitching state, or even his speed...
In such a situation, it was far from easy to catch for Nishiyama.
Perhaps this was Coach Kataoka's intention.
Putting Nishiyama on the mound right now was to test his true abilities.
With no prior knowledge in mind, Miyuki decided to start with a ball outside the strike zone to gauge Nishiyama's pitching state.
With this thought, Miyuki positioned his mitt inside, close to the batter's body.
'This spot was clearly outside the strike zone!'
On the mound, Nishiyama wore a slightly strange expression.
Perhaps he was overthinking it, but this Senpai's signal was indeed bold.
In the absence of understanding his control and pitching ability, he dared to call such a risky pitch?
'If it wasn't executed well, the batter could get hurt.'
'Wasn't he concerned about that at all?'
Nishiyama clearly thought too much; Miyuki certainly considered those things.
Yet, his personality dictated that as long as he could win and remain within the principles, he wouldn't hesitate to play the devil.
In such a situation, calling for a risky pitch was nothing significant.
'The key is whether the pitcher has the courage to throw it.'
Catching is one thing, but whether the pitcher dares to throw such a ball is another matter entirely.
This pitch could test Nishiyama's control and his fighting spirit as a pitcher.
'How strict!' Nishiyama sensed this too.
There was no hint of displeasure on his face; instead, a cold smile appeared at the corners of his mouth.
'How exhilarating!'
This feeling of being pushed to the limit.
This feeling of hearing his heart thumping.
Tension and excitement.
Every cell in his body seemed to pulse with power as if coming back to life.
Nishiyama felt an extraordinary delight throughout his body.
'Here we go!'
Whoosh!
...