Chapter 47: Enthusiastic Kohai

Boom!

To the catcher, a fastball exceeding 150 km/h is like a ferocious beast charging directly at you.

Faced with this intimidating beast, Matsumoto Jun's performance was surprisingly calm; he effortlessly subdued his opponent.

It was as if a polar bear had come roaring in, eager to attack.

Then an eight-year-old child appeared, holding a small wooden stick. He swung the stick, striking the polar bear on the head.

By normal logic, the child should have been torn apart immediately, but instead, that small wooden stick somehow managed to bring the polar bear down.

Matsumoto Jun's catch created a sense of unreality.

"Ohhh!"

Miyuki Kazuya, watching from the sidelines, was equally intrigued, his eyes wide in disbelief as he looked at Matsumoto.

Even for him, the first time he caught a pitch from Furuya Satoru didn't seem this easy.

'This guy's talent for catching was simply unparalleled!'

Miyuki finally began to believe what Sawamura had said before his Kohai was truly remarkable.

He could catch any pitch.

Based on achievements and previously displayed abilities, Matsumoto Jun had almost no qualifications to compete with Yui Kaoru or Okumura Koushuu.

But now, things were different.

In other teams, Matsumoto only showcased his catching talent and would never become the main catcher.

But at Seidou High School, it was a different story. Who could predict that they had two superstars?

The "Maou" Sawamura Eijun and The Monster Pitcher Furuya Satoru.

These two didn't need any special pitches; their raw throwing power was already enough.

In other words, as long as someone could catch their pitches securely, they could unleash extraordinary combat power.

Unless Okumura Koushuu and Yui Kaoru could completely catch Furuya and Sawamura's pitches during the upcoming period.

Otherwise, in the competition for the catcher position, Matsumoto Jun might very well end up as the last man standing.

"There are so many new monsters this year!"

After silently reflecting on this, Miyuki did not ease up on his demands for Furuya.

"Didn't you just eat? Your pitch has no power at all. Are you trying to let him off easy?"

Miyuki was blunt as he spoke.

Furuya's aura exploded at his words.

Yes, when he pitched just now, he had indeed taken it easy.

After all, Matsumoto was his Kohai in the same dorm, he felt he had to show some leniency.

But he didn't expect this Kohai to be this capable.

'In that case, I could pitch with full effort!'

Furuya took a deep breath and prepared to throw.

Roaar!

If the previous pitch was 150 km/h, this one clearly stepped it up a notch.

It reached 155 km/h.

The white ball flew like a falling meteor, astonishing everyone as it zoomed toward its target.

'So fast!'

Even Matsumoto didn't have time to see all the changes in the baseball, yet he opened his Mitt and caught it securely.

Boom!

The baseball slammed into his Mitt with such force that it almost bounced out.

'Wow!'

Matsumoto successfully tamed the wild pitch and didn't embarrass himself.

He looked up, disbelief in his eyes, at Furuya in front of him.

'This Senpai's pitching is incredible!'

He had barely adjusted to the previous pitch's power when he realized there were still hidden talents among Seidou's Senpais.

He never thought that his Shisho would be able to suppress someone of this caliber without breaking a sweat.

'No wonder he's the Shisho!'

At that moment, Matsumoto couldn't wait to catch one of Sawamura's pitches.

What kind of pitch could keep such a super monster in check?

'This was impressive!'

Miyuki was equally amazed. He inspected Matsumoto and then asked, "What's the fastest pitch you've caught?"

"If I had to guess, about 160 km/h!"

'Wow! A true monster.'

"Try using a breaking ball."

Seeing how easily Matsumoto handled the fastballs, Miyuki discreetly gave Furuya a suggestion.

Although he didn't fully understand what Sawamura wanted by gathering everyone, this seemed like a perfect opportunity—a chance to show the newcomers what they could do.

He just hoped everything would go smoothly; he didn't want to end up embarrassing the Senpais.

Miyuki's worries were not unfounded.

In fact, up to this point, the new students had collaborated with the Senpais without any mistakes.

The final pitching duo would, of course, be Sawamura Eijun and Yui Kaoru.

"What level should we start at?"

Before the official practice, Sawamura murmured to himself.

He ultimately decided to begin at level one.

Otherwise, jumping straight to a high level could lead to complications.

"Are you ready?"

Determined, Sawamura skipped any warm-up and directly addressed Yui Kaoru behind the plate.

"Don't you need to warm up your shoulders first, Senpai?" Yui asked, puzzled.

Sawamura smiled nonchalantly.

"I already warmed up on the way here."

Having walked together, Yui couldn't help but recall the few stretches Sawamura had done.

'Was that really his warm-up?'

'It seemed too...casual?'

According to normal logic, a Senpai should throw at least a dozen pitches to warm up.

But it appeared that Sawamura had only done a few simple stretches.

"You don't need to worry about him; this guy is as flexible as a rag and ready to go at any time," Miyuki chimed in with a smile.

"A demon can't spit out ivory; everything that comes out of your mouth stinks!"

Sawamura retorted without hesitation.

The Ace pitcher and team captain were teasing each other, both good-natured but the Kohais are feeling awkward.

Yui Kaoru broke the strange atmosphere by speaking up.

"I'm ready; we can start anytime."

With Yui's enthusiasm, Sawamura lost interest in bantering with the sly Miyuki.

He wanted to seize this opportunity to find some inspiration.

"One Out, runner on second base, batter up: Todoroki Raichi."

Before pitching, Sawamura suddenly announced the situation in detail.

Yui Kaoru, who was squatting as the catcher, paused for a moment, then his eyes brightened.

"What about the runners?"

Sawamura smiled slightly from the pitcher's mound.

This scene was nostalgic; he remembered how Chris-senpai taught him with such care, and now he was passing that knowledge to his Kohai.

'This was likely a form of inheritance.'

"Runner: Inajitsu's Carlos."

As soon as Sawamura spoke, Yui Kaoru quickly devised a strategy.

"Keep your focus, then throw the ball to the outside corner quickly."

Todoroki was a left-handed batter, and hitting to the outside corner meant targeting the third base side.

This positioning could restrict the runner's actions.

Nodding slightly, Sawamura lifted his leg high and then brought it down like a battle axe.

As he shifted his weight, the small white ball in his hand flew out like a whistling bullet.

'How is this possible?'

As Sawamura released the pitch, Yui's expression turned serious.

He couldn't even see where the ball was coming from!

'Incoming!'

In the blink of an eye, Sawamura's pitch was already at Yui.

Yui hurriedly raised his Mitt to catch it.

SNAP!

The white ball dove into the Mitt but was restless, bouncing as if trying to escape.

Yui struggled to control it, but ultimately it popped out.

This unexpected turn took him by surprise.

However, Yui didn't let the ball fly past him; he blocked it with his body.

He then pressed the ball down with his Mitt and made a throw to third base.

"Great job!"

Although Yui couldn't secure the pitch, his quick reaction impressed Sawamura.

'Even after a miss, he was already thinking about the runners.'

'Such a Kohai was truly reassuring.'

"But judging by your reaction, if the batter had been Carlos, he'd probably be on base by now," Miyuki offered an objective assessment.

His tone held no emotion.

However, Yui Kaoru, still behind the plate, showed no signs of giving up. He stared intently at Sawamura on the mound.

"Let's go again, Senpai!"

After witnessing Sawamura's pitch, he felt no fear; instead, he was eager to take on the challenge.

Psychologically, he had already passed the test.

…