Chapter 355: Teito's Battle – An Impenetrable Fortress
"Taiyou, you don't need to use too much technique against this batter. Just overpower him with pure strength. If he doesn't hit the sweet spot with a wooden bat, it'll be hard for him to make solid contact."
During the first-inning matchup, Kengo had already noticed Haruichi's refined batting skills. He seemed to have some control over a wooden bat, but compared to Seidou's three cleanup hitters, his power was still lacking.
In Kengo's eyes, Haruichi had yet to develop the true strength needed to wield a wooden bat effectively. He was more of a technical hitter, and the best way to counter such a batter was to suppress him with sheer power.
"Hmm."
Mukai nodded solemnly.
As he took a powerful stride and swung his arm forward, raindrops trickled off the brim of his cap, only to be swept away by the fierce wind.
"Whoosh!"
A streak of light shot forward.
A gleaming flash.
It tore through the rain, carrying a piercing chill as it rushed toward the plate.
In the batter's box, Haruichi's bangs lifted slightly, and a flicker of determination sparked in his eyes.
"Swish!"
He swung his bat with all his might.
Based on his previous at-bat, Haruichi made subtle adjustments to his stance and swing angle.
Unfortunately, his read on the pitch was still slightly off.
"Pop!"
The ball sailed just above the outside corner, narrowly avoiding his bat before landing cleanly in Kengo's mitt with a crisp snap.
Was I off by half a ball's width?
Haruichi furrowed his brows. This pitch had a slight rise to it. Three-dimensional command over the strike zone—what a tricky pitcher.
For Eijun to blast a home run off such precise control in his first at-bat...
That was really impressive.
Thinking of this, Haruichi couldn't help but glance at Eijun, who was calmly crouching in the on-deck circle.
I have to keep this at-bat alive.
As long as he could get the lineup to Eijun and Miyuki-senpai, they would definitely score.
Gripping his bat tighter, Haruichi steeled his resolve.
Second pitch—low and outside. That's where they're aiming.
Kengo's eyes flashed as he subtly signaled again beneath his mitt, his expression unwavering.
"Whoosh!"
With a smooth motion, the ball streaked through the air once more.
A dazzling white blur.
As it entered Haruichi's vision—
Low outside? A tricky spot!
A flicker of hesitation flashed through Haruichi's eyes. That split-second of doubt led him to hold back his swing, watching as the ball landed squarely in Kengo's mitt.
"Pop!"
"Strike!"
What?! That was a strike?!
Haruichi's face showed a trace of surprise.
Meanwhile, in the on-deck circle, Eijun's brows furrowed slightly.
He realized that Haruichi was starting to get drawn into Teito's pitching rhythm.
This was bad for Haruichi. He wasn't fully playing to his strengths.
Next pitch—same downward trajectory, slightly further outside.
Kengo had a firm grasp on Haruichi's mindset, refusing to give him any room to adjust. The pressure of their relentless attack continued to build.
"Whoosh!"
Once again, a streak of white light cut through the sky and into Haruichi's vision.
Clenching his teeth, Haruichi made his decision.
"Swish!"
He swung his bat with full force.
Using the experience from his previous swings, Haruichi once again made subtle adjustments to his batting angle and stance.
A margin of 0.01.
That was the level of precision he was striving for.
Unfortunately, the outcome still fell right into Kengo's trap.
"Ping!"
The moment the ball made contact with the bat, a crisp sound rang out.
From the feedback through the bat, Haruichi immediately realized—he hadn't hit the sweet spot.
"Whoosh!"
"Bang!"
The slightly high contact caused the ball to bounce downward toward the infield, slamming hard against the wet ground.
Even though Haruichi had fully unleashed his power, failing to hit the ball's sweet spot meant the wooden bat's effectiveness was far inferior to a metal one.
The ball still shot out fast—
But Teito High's middle infielders were even faster.
With seamless coordination, second baseman Kajiyama intercepted the ball cleanly and fired it to first base, securing Haruichi's out.
"Pop!"
"Out! Three outs! Inning change!"
"Nice one, Taiyou! Keep it up!"
"Well done! You shut him down, Taiyou!"
"Great stop, Kajiyama!"
"Teito! Teito! Teito!"
Not even the rain could shake their solid defense.
This was the product of years of training, the experience accumulated by a powerhouse team like Teito High through relentless practice, day in and day out.
Simply breaking through Mukai alone wouldn't be enough—unless Seidou could hit home runs every single time.
Otherwise, to score runs, they would have to overcome not just Mukai, but also Teito's seemingly impenetrable defense.
...
"I really thought we could shake that kid up in the first inning... What a shame."
In the dugout, Miyuki slipped on his catcher's gear and glanced toward Mukai's back with a hint of regret in his voice.
However, sitting nearby, Eijun caught the subtle gleam in Miyuki's eyes—
A glint of something completely different from disappointment.
Eijun pursed his lips.
This guy… He's just pretending to be regretful.
A classic case of saying one thing and feeling another.
Of course, that was just Eijun's internal thought.
If he actually voiced it out loud… Yeah, just imagining the consequences gave him chills.
Better to keep his mouth shut.
After all, trouble always starts with words.
Still—Mukai Taiyou was really something.
This game was only going to get more interesting.
Eijun's pupils reflected Mukai's figure as a slight smirk curved his lips.
"Top of the fourth inning! Teito High on offense! Leading off—second baseman, Kajiyama!"
...
"Remember, don't let your last at-bat affect you. Focus completely on his fastball!"
"In this weather, if he dares to throw too many breaking balls, his mistake rate will definitely go up!"
"Don't get intimidated by how dominant his fastball was last inning. Lock onto it! Understood?"
Before sending his players up to bat, Teito's head coach, Okamoto, spoke with a stern expression.
As the leader of Teito High, he fully grasped the situation.
If they wanted to win, they had to take some risks.
The fastball.
As long as they could capitalize on Eijun's fastball, Teito would have a chance at victory.
If they could force him to rely on his breaking pitches, his error rate would increase, giving them even more opportunities.
Of course—if Eijun somehow managed to avoid making any mistakes for the rest of the game despite the rain…
Well, in that case, Okamoto would just pretend he never said any of this.
In baseball, probabilities were never absolute.
As a coach, all he could do was choose the best possible option—the one with the highest chance of success.