<40> Luck

Chapter 40: Luck

Thud!

The loud sound echoed off the backstop beside the batter's box, snapping Sendo out of his nostalgic trance.

"Whoa!" his teammates and the WildCats players gasped in amazement.

"K... how fast was that?!"

"It was so quick! All I saw was a white streak—couldn't even see the ball! And Sendo-san, from where you're standing, it must look even faster!" one of the WildCats players commented.

Baseball speeds are perceived differently depending on where you're standing.

If you're a few meters behind the batter's box, at the side, or from the pitcher's point of view, the ball seems slower compared to the perspective of the batter or catcher.

In fact, even a 160 km/h pitch from the side or pitcher's view looks slower, but from the batter's box or the catcher's point of view, it's incredibly fast.

Sendo seen a video taken from the catcher's head where a 160 km/h fastball was thrown.

Honestly, the ball only became visible when it hit the camera!

"Yeah, the speed is around 140 km/h, no, more than that—at least 145 km/h!" another player chimed in.

"There's no way a middle schooler could hit a ball like that!"

"What's the coach doing? Even Sendo-san can't hit something like that, right?"

"It surprised me!" Sendo's pupils shrank, but outwardly he kept his cool.

"Heh heh, Sendo, that was a 150 km/h fastball. Even you can't hit that. Your sharp dynamic vision might let your eyes track the ball, and your reaction speed may be well beyond normal, but your body can't keep up with your vision and reflexes."

"Come on, show me a surprised expression like a kid for once! Acting all grown-up all the time is so boring!" Coach Nakani mischievously thought to himself. He had purposefully set the speed so high just for this.

"Ugh! This coach is at it again. I always thought he had a few days each month where he acted crazy, pulling off unpredictable stunts. Looks like I just have bad luck today, running into one of those days," Sendo thought, resting the bat on his shoulder and glancing at Coach Nakani.

Sendo had completely misunderstood; he always assumed the coach had mental lapses, when in reality, Nakani was just constantly worried about this kid who never acted his age.

"Just you wait, you'll be making all kinds of faces like a kid soon enough!" Coach Nakani gleefully imagined, already picturing Sendo angrily confronting him.

If Sendo found out, he'd surely say, "You're delusional! I'm not that kind of person!"

In this strange atmosphere, the screen displayed the animation of the simulated pitcher for the second pitch.

Whoosh!

Bang!

The hardball slammed into the backstop again with a deafening boom, making everyone wonder if the barrier would break under the force.

The ball, packed with wood chips inside, was nearly as solid as a wooden ball.

This time, Sendo focused intently on observing the pitch.

"With this speed, there's no way I can hit it normally...," he quickly assessed.

"Well, the coach is having one of his episodes again, so this makes sense. But... he seems to have forgotten that the pitching machine's speed is constant.

"It's probably impossible to hit it on the first swing. Maybe I'll need to time it as 1, 2, 3... and swing early! Swinging early is tricky, but it's okay if I miss this one. I can always hit the next!" Sendo mumbled to himself during the break between pitches, calculating the timing.

Without realizing it, Sendo's competitive nature was on full display.

What had started as a casual agreement to take a swing had now turned into a serious challenge. Although no one had explicitly said it, this was now more than just one turn in the batter's box.

"Alright, bring it on!" This time, Sendo unconsciously spoke aloud, though in a low voice that only those close to him could hear.

"Wow, he's actually getting serious!" Fumino thought, her heart racing.

The familiar sound of the machine starting up echoed once more.

"All I need to do is swing with all my strength! As long as I can connect with the ball, the rest is up to luck!" Sendo told himself as the machine clanked.

Clang!

The sharp sound of the bat connecting with the ball echoed through the otherwise quiet room, startling everyone, their hearts pounding in suspense.

In that moment, aside from Sendo, who outwardly showed no emotion but was inwardly quite surprised, and Fumino, who had a faint, almost imperceptible smile of pride, everyone else was left staring blankly at the white ball soaring through the sky.

Smack!

"…"

Everyone, except for Sendo and Fumino, was collectively stunned, their minds unable to process what had just happened.

While the others were fixated on the ball, Fumino immediately shifted her gaze to Sendo.

Though his expression and demeanor appeared completely composed to most, only Fumino, who had known Sendo since childhood, could detect the subtle signs.

As he stood there with his bat back in his right hand, his left hand, resting by his side, gently clenched in a small, almost unnoticeable celebratory gesture—revealing the emotions of its owner.

At that moment, Fumino's smile blossomed, as if the entire world tilted in awe of her beauty.

For Fumino, this was enough. Sadly, no one else saw her radiant smile, as everyone was still dumbfounded, watching the ball that had just hit the home run mark.

Fumino had already shifted her gaze away from the ball as soon as it began its flight.

Perhaps it was their deep childhood bond that allowed her to see what she wanted most.

And while her beauty in that moment went unnoticed, sometimes a girl's desires can be as simple as that.

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