Chapter 327: The Exclusive Fastball!
Night, Seidou High School, Indoor Training Ground.
"Whoosh."
"Thud."
"Okay, okay, okay, the feel is really good."
Miyuki caught the incoming ball firmly, tossed it back with a backhand, and smiled as he spoke.
"Hmm, basically, there's no problem now. I could take the field at any time."
Not far off, Eijun caught the incoming ball into his glove, stretched his neck a bit, and calmly responded.
Honestly, although he had started both of the previous games and stayed in until the end, not stepping onto the mound felt a bit unsatisfying for a pitcher.
Right now, Eijun felt like he was holding back an intense energy, a desire to explode and unleash it at any moment.
"Tsk tsk, looks like the ace is itching to throw."
"Well, after all, I'm a pitcher," Eijun admitted straightforwardly. It had been over twenty days since they returned from Koshien, and he hadn't pitched at all during that time.
For an ace, it wasn't just itching; it felt like every cell in his body was stirring, yearning to get back on the mound.
"Though you want to pitch, unfortunately, I don't think the coach will have you play in the preliminaries. After all, you threw so many innings in the Summer Tournament. It looks like you've recovered, but the fatigue built up from all that pitching isn't so easily gone, especially with this hot summer; the strain on your shoulder is huge. The coach doesn't want to push you too hard."
"Whoosh."
"Thud."
Miyuki caught the ball with ease again and said with a smile, "Besides, the opponents in the preliminaries are pretty weak. There's no need for the ace to pitch, right?"
Miyuki winked and added with a teasing grin.
"Well, that's true," Eijun sighed slightly, feeling a bit disappointed.
"Alright, let's call it a day."
"For the last one, let's finish with a fastball." Miyuki glanced at the clock above, tightened his grip on the glove, squatted down, and said to Eijun, his voice serious.
"Huh? It's already over? Come on, Miyuki-senpai, throw a few more!"
Hearing Miyuki's words, Eijun's face clearly showed his discontent. After all, it had only been a short while, and he had so much pent-up energy from not being able to pitch.
Miyuki-senpai, if you keep this up, our friendship might be in jeopardy!
Eijun widened his eyes and stared at Miyuki with a fixed gaze, blatantly showing his frustration.
But of course, Miyuki was Miyuki. There was no way Eijun could easily sway his decision. Besides, the daily pitch count during recovery training was regulated.
This was something Chris had personally set up.
For Eijun's shoulder's sake, it was a reasonable arrangement.
"Alright, just one ball, Ace."
Miyuki shook his head and firmly insisted.
"Don't forget, even under full recovery, the daily training volume has to stay within reasonable limits, right? The coach made that clear."
"Alright..."
Other words didn't really matter.
But once Miyuki brought up Coach Kataoka, Eijun deflated like a deflated ball. He pouted.
Hmph, well, since it's the last ball and it's a fastball...
Eijun's eyes suddenly brightened.
He remembered the feeling that briefly passed through his fingers during the Summer Tournament.
In that moment, what appeared was truly his own fastball, the pitch he unleashed the night before the tournament finals.
The cleanest fastball.
Back when they were at Koshien, Eijun had an overwhelming urge to throw this pitch.
However, back then, during the tournament, in order to avoid any changes in his pitching form or issues with control, Eijun didn't push himself to practice it.
After returning, he had been focused on rehabilitation training and getting used to the new team's coordination and chemistry.
It wasn't until now that this issue resurfaced.
Tonight, it really seemed like a fortunate coincidence.
Eijun's lips curled into a subtle smile, one full of deeper meaning. The moment Miyuki saw that smile, a sudden unease gripped his heart.
To be honest, even though Miyuki always appeared relaxed and playful around Eijun, constantly teasing him and getting him to perform with ease, the truth was he was always cautious around his ace, his younger teammate.
Eijun was, without a doubt, the most unpredictable, calm, childish, and yet dependable ace in Seidou's history.
There was no one else quite like him.
Miyuki was constantly on guard against Eijun pulling off something unexpected.
Just like now.
"Hey, Eijun, it's just one fastball, alright?" Miyuki called out, a bit unsure.
"Mm, I know. Just a fastball. A simple fastball," Eijun replied with a grin, not bothering to hide his current excitement, his words filled with meaning.
Eijun recalled the feeling of the fastball he threw during the Summer Tournament and thought about the technique of that "accelerated" fastball from the original story.
To clarify, it wasn't actually an acceleration.
Eijun's fastball, from the moment it was thrown until it reached the catcher's glove, maintained consistent speed throughout its flight, with the initial and final speed staying in sync. This gave it the illusion of acceleration.
And this was what made it an almost "magical" pitch.
The key factor was:
"Super-high speed spin!"
Eijun's eyes suddenly widened as he gripped the ball loosely but firmly with his left hand, adjusting his posture slightly.
The sensation in his fingertips felt fluid and natural.
With his right leg lifted high, forming a straight line from the mound, he took a powerful stride forward.
In the next moment, his left arm swung down forcefully, and a flash of cold light shot out.
The fastball? Something felt a little off.
In Miyuki's suddenly constricted gaze, all he could think at that instant was:
How can a ball moving so fast only have a 135km/h speed?
The ball flew in with such clean, direct movement, no curve or hesitation, its speed nearly impossible to track.
"Whoosh!"
So fast!?
The ball seemed to almost appear out of nowhere, and the next instant…
Thud!
With a slight daze and a bit of surprise, Miyuki caught the ball perfectly into his glove. For a moment, he felt almost disoriented.
The only thought that lingered in his mind was a simple realization.
Looking at Eijun, who was standing nearby, smiling lightly…
"This kid… He really pulled off something unbelievable!"
And, truly, it was an extraordinary pitch!
As their eyes met, a sly and victorious smile flashed in Eijun's eyes, and Miyuki couldn't help but express his admiration in complete awe.
"Nice pitch!!"