Chapter 21: Head-To-Head

Sasaki's worries turned out to be unfounded.

The gossip never even reached Seidou High School's rest area.

Just after parting with Kousei, Sawamura put an end to the topic.

"Where did that weird guy come from?"

Even Furuya, who was usually quiet, recognized that Kousei's behavior was problematic.

We are about to face each other as opponents; how can we be probing for the opponent's Ace pitch at this moment?

There are generally only two possible explanations for such an open and straightforward question:

1. The person is an idiot.

2. The person is deliberately asking for trouble.

Given Kousei's attitude, neither Furuya nor Haruichi believed he was provoking them.

The only reasonable explanation was that the opponent was indeed an idiot.

Sawamura shrugged helplessly.

He was at a loss, but this topic absolutely couldn't spread.

"The opponent must have such a simple personality; we don't need to worry about it."

Meanwhile, Kousei was still confusedly asking Sasaki, "Is there something wrong with my question?"

Sasaki rolled his eyes and replied sharply, "Don't you realize that your question is problematic?"

"Why?" Kousei genuinely didn't understand. "Even though we're opponents, as long as we're not on the field, we can discuss things as friends. Asking a friend a question isn't unusual."

This was Kousei's thought process.

Sasaki was taken aback.

He looked at Kousei strangely and asked, "Did you know Sawamura before?"

"Yes!" Kousei admitted cheerfully.

'So, they were acquaintances? That wasn't impossible.'

Sasaki nodded. If they were acquaintances, it wouldn't be too rude to ask such a question.

"Then how did you meet?"

"On TV!"

Sasaki almost choked on his frustration.

"I'm going to kill you, you brat!"

'From TV!?!?'

That meant he already knew Sawamura.

'No! Doesn't that mean all the freaking country are his best buddies!!'

"You asked if I knew him."

Kousei looked at Sasaki with a strange look, as if questioning why his teammate was so dumb.

"And we will not know if he recognized me if we don't ask him."

In Kousei's view, it was natural for Sawamura to know him.

'Ahhhh! This guy is so frustrating!!'

At that moment, Sasaki seriously wanted to kill Kousei.

'Not knowing Sawamura and still asking him how he is throwing his new pitch!!? The one he is likely going to throw against us in a few minutes!?!?'

If Sasaki had a brick in hand, he would have used it to knock some sense into this clueless guy.

Unfortunately, he didn't.

"You're completely out of your mind!"

The pre-game drama went unnoticed by the audience in the stands.

Jingu Stadium was packed to capacity, including the outfield stands.

Tens of thousands of people filled the seats, watching the game.

Cameras flashed continuously.

There were dozens of reporters covering the game.

In the lively atmosphere, the cheerleaders and brass bands of both teams were performing energetically and cheering.

"Seidou!"

"Seidou!!!"

"Sankou!!!"

In this fiery atmosphere, the game was about to begin.

In the playoff final, Seidou High School was up against Ichidaisan High School.

"PLEASED TO PLAY WITH YOU!!"

"PLEASED TO PLAY WITH YOU!!"

The first inning, top half.

Seidou High School is up to bat!

"First batter, shortstop, Kuramochi-kun."

"Hyaa-ha-haa!"

As Kuramochi stepped into the batter's box, his eyes were firmly locked on the mound.

At this moment, his mind kept replaying the information Watanabe had shared about Amahisa Kousei.

'This guy's pitching is incredibly sharp, especially his outdoor Slider, which is extremely difficult to handle.'

'He's a true genius!'

That's Watanabe's assessment of Amahisa Kousei.

"And he's a super genius who becomes unbeatable once he's in form."

The Seidou High School players had no doubts about this. According to their research, once Amahisa Kousei gets into his pitching rhythm, his performance is off the charts.

Though Kousei had yet to achieve notable results in high school, his skill was undoubtedly among the best in the nation.

Kuramochi was absolutely certain of this.

In a previous meeting, when analyzing the opponent's pitching strength, Seidou had acknowledged this fact.

In other words, this opponent could be compared to Sawamura, Narumiya, and Hongou.

"Does this mean our opponent has no weaknesses?"

Kuramochi had asked this before.

Thinking about facing such an opponent made even Kuramochi feel quite uneasy.

He knew just how challenging a pitcher of this caliber could be.

"This pitcher does have his own weaknesses, and they're not insignificant. For example, he often starts games inconsistently. At the beginning of a game, he sometimes throws some very hittable pitches. If such an opportunity arises, it must be seized; it could very well be the key to winning the game."

Inconsistent starts!

This is a common issue for many pitchers. Even if their arm is warmed up well, it may not be fully ready at the start of the game.

As a result, many pitchers perform sub-optimally in the early innings.

This issue is both physical and mental. At the start of the game, a pitcher's concentration is not as sharp as it is later in the game.

Because of this, many pitchers tend to perform poorly in the early innings.

Furuya Satoru also has this problem.

A large percentage of the runs Kousei has allowed have occurred in the first inning.

Even though he has given up very few runs overall, he allowed 12 runs in the first innings of the games during the Fall and playoffs alone.

This ratio is quite alarming.

Watanabe's comment about Amahisa's inconsistent start was based on this.

Kuramochi kept these details in mind.

"Whew!"

He took a deep breath and prepared for the ball to come.

'If there's going to be a mistake, it's most likely to happen at the start. I had to be ready to capitalize on it!'

Kuramochi's determined stance caught Amahisa Kousei's attention. he tilted his head, observing Kuramochi.

'Is he waiting for my Straight?'

The expectation was so obvious that Amahisa found it hard to ignore.

"Ridiculous!"

'Knowing that you're expecting a Straight, why would I throw one?'

'Am I an idiot?'

With that thought, Amahisa made his stride and threw the ball.

Whoosh!

The white ball shot through the air like a streak of light, instantly reaching the plate.

Kuramochi, who had been ready and eager, swung his bat without hesitation.

As the bat was about to make contact with the ball, a flicker of joy appeared in Kuramochi's eyes.

Got it right!

The ball wasn't fast, and its location wasn't tricky.

He was confident he could hit the ball out of the park.

At that moment, the ball, which had been flying straight, suddenly dropped!

'A Slider!!!'

This sudden break clearly exceeded Kuramochi's expectations.

He stared, stunned, as confusion filled his mind.

'How could it not be a Straight?'

SNAP!

"STRIKE!!"

Kuramochi's surprise had not yet dissipated.

On the pitcher's mound, Amahisa was already grinning.

'Fool!'

'Totally outplayed.'

'You made your intention to hit the Straight ball so obvious.'

'How could I possibly throw one?'

'However, the next pitch could be a fastball as well.'

'Since you're aiming for a Straight, it wouldn't be good to disappoint you too much.'

Whoosh!

With barely any reaction time, the second pitch flew by.

In the blink of an eye, the ball was right at Kuramochi's hand.

He watched the ball and smiled ruefully.

Here it comes again!

To Kuramochi, this pitch seemed no different from the previous fastball.

Luckily, its course was slightly off, so he didn't have to rush his swing.

SNAP!

"BALL!"

The count now stood at one Ball and one Strike.

Amahisa found it quite fascinating. He had thought this pitch would be enough to fool Kuramochi.

He hadn't expected Kuramochi to remain so composed in selecting pitches.

"Impressive!"

Amahisa was sincere and generous with his praise when acknowledging his opponent's performance.

'Bring it on!'

At this moment, Amahisa's previously modest fighting spirit surged.

In Seidou, Kuramochi was mostly known for his excellent defense. Once on base, he became extremely challenging.

But when it came to hitting power and successful base hits,

Kuramochi's strength was not very remarkable.

'Against such an opponent, as long as he was kept off base, he wouldn't be a major threat.'

Amahisa had originally thought this. However, during the actual game, he realized that Kuramochi Yoichi's batting skills were far more intimidating than he had imagined.

Firstly, Kuramochi's hitting strength was quite solid, though not outstanding.

Especially in a team like Seidou High, where exceptional talents abound, his skills appeared less remarkable.

Secondly, his pitch selection was impressive.

From the previous pitch, Amahisa could see that Kuramochi had a keen eye.

"King Seidou!"

Muttering these words, Kousei's expression shifted to one of intense focus.

He instinctively realized that this team he was facing was entirely different from the ones he had encountered before.

He had to give his all to defeat these formidable opponents.

With this thought in mind, he had to take the game seriously and threw the ball with full effort.

Whoosh!

The white ball flew out and reached the plate in an instant.

'Here it comes!'

As Kuramochi watched the ball come in, he suddenly felt a surge of insight.

'Why should I go head-to-head with this pitcher here?'

Ping!

…