Chapter 15: Who Is He?

Shiratsu is on base!

The once quiet Seidou rest area suddenly became lively.

The team cheered enthusiastically for the players on the field.

"Great job, Shiratsu!"

"Toujou, it's your turn!"

"Run if you get the chance…"

In stark contrast to the excitement in the Seidou High School rest area, the stands were eerily quiet.

After a long pause, a spectator finally pointed at Shiratsu on first base with confusion.

"Who is he?"

"I don't know."

Nearby fans could only helplessly shrug.

"This second-year player seemed to have almost no presence."

It's surprising that a key player from the previous team couldn't even be clearly named by the current team.

Given Seidou High School's national prominence, this is quite remarkable.

To be fair, it's not entirely the audience's fault. In the previous Seidou High School lineup, while Shiratsu was known for his steady batting, he didn't have any high-profile performances.

It's not surprising that he was easily forgotten.

If he were the weakest link among the nine main players, his fame would be much greater than it is now.

Unfortunately, Shiratsu was not even the weakest. The weakest member of Seidou High School's first string was Sakai, often criticized as the team's weakest link.

But because Seidou High School was so famous, Sakai's notoriety naturally rose as well.

In particular, many people enjoyed making fun of his name.

"That hit was barely Sakai's level."

"What Best Batter in Koshien? Even Sakai from Seidou is better than you!"

"No matter how bad Sakai was, he was still a key player on the National Champions. What are you?" (Poor Sakai XD)

Such jokes were common, and they inadvertently boosted Sakai's fame.

This made Shiratsu's position even more awkward, as he struggled to get some attention. Of course, if he were like Kusunoki and had a Handsome face, even if he wasn't exceptional, he'd still be remembered by many.

Unfortunately, Shiratsu was not like that. He had the most ordinary appearance, easily lost in a crowd.

Given this, it was surprising that he was famous at all.

This also explains why most of the audience did not know Shiratsu's name.

If he hadn't hit Mukai Taiyou's pitch, it would have been hard for anyone to notice that Seidou High School had such a good batter.

So far, Seidou High School has only managed two hits—one by Miyuki and one by Kominato. Even the mighty Sawamura Eijun couldn't gain an advantage over Taiyou.

Mukai's strength was evident!

In such a scenario, Shiratsu's unexpected hit came as a shock to everyone present.

As Fujio, a senior reporter for Baseball Kingdom Magazine, put it:

"With the departure of the third-year players, some talented members have begun to make their mark, and Shiratsu is one of them!"

When the third-year players were still around, Shiratsu's abilities struggled to gain recognition. But now that the Senpais have retired, Shiratsu's presence has emerged.

In simple terms, with the top players gone, the new ones like Shiratsu have stepped into the spotlight.

"Troublesome guy!"

Considering the upcoming battle against Seidou High School's lineup in the third round.

Kengo Inui knew they absolutely couldn't let any Seidou High School batters get on base now!

If they allowed the Seidou players to continue, they might face not just the fourth round of Seidou's assault but also the fifth round!

'Don't hold back anymore. With few innings left, let's go all out to defeat the enemy in front of us.'

Inui signaled Mukai without hesitation.

On the mound, Mukai subtly nodded and threw the ball.

He and Toujou were both prominent players in the Tokyo area, with a strong rivalry between them. Their teams had a fierce competitive spirit, and both were exceptional players.

When two outstanding players meet, a competition is inevitable.

In middle school, Mukai Taiyou lost to Toujou. But by his third year, Mukai had developed his pitching and sought to reclaim his honor.

'Have you, who once dominated the mound, now fallen to the outfield?'

A sharp light gleamed in Taiyou's eyes.

He clearly couldn't accept Toujou's choice.

"A true pitcher doesn't give up the mound!"

Whoosh!

The small white ball flew through the air.

Toujou Hideaki swung decisively.

Ping!

The ball soared high and landed in the second baseman's glove.

Snap!

"OUT!"

Mukai Taiyou's eyes held an unwavering resolve.

He was confident that his current form far surpassed Toujou's.

Kanemaru and Asou were also dealt with swiftly.

With Mukai's 3D pitching, he seemed like a different, formidable player.

However, it wasn't all positive.

As he pitched with all his might, the Seidou High School batters were also analyzing his weaknesses.

For example, Sawamura was gradually figuring out the secret to Taiyou's pitching.

Although not entirely sure, he was formulating a plan.

He believed that when he next faced Taiyou, he wouldn't be as ineffective as he was now.

In the top of the sixth inning, Teito High School attacked.

"OUT!"

"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!!"

"OUT!!!"

Sawamura easily secured three Outs.

Despite difficulties in hitting, the Demon King still showed his dominance on the mound.

In the bottom of the sixth inning, Seidou High School came up to bat, and the game was still evenly matched.

After a full five innings, the score remained 0-0.

This was clearly unusual.

Seidou High School had not managed to gain any advantage over Mukai for two entire rounds of attack.

Even though Seidou High School's offensive strength had significantly decreased after the graduation of their third-year players, with excellent batters like Miyuki and Sawamura still present, the team retained a strong offensive power.

Yet, none of this seemed to faze Mukai.

After two full rounds, Seidou High School had yet to score a single run.

As the game reached the bottom of the sixth inning, Seidou High School's batters faced Mukai for the third time.

"First Batter, shortstop, Kuramochi-kun!"

Kuramochi, who had previously been playful, entered the batter's box without saying his usual catchphrase. He approached the plate with a serious demeanor.

Once at the plate, his demeanor was incredibly calm. He held his bat high, ready to swing at any moment.

After a moment's hesitation, Taiyou and catcher Inui decided to pitch decisively.

Whoosh!

The white ball soared through the air like a shooting star.

Kuramochi, who had previously appeared expressionless, suddenly sprang into action.

What seemed like a prolonged stance was actually a feint. His real intention was a bunt.

Ping!

What began as a normal swing quickly turned into a bunt.

The ball rolled away after contact.

Kuramochi, now sprinting like a predator, dashed towards first base with all his might.

The bunt was not particularly well executed, but Kuramochi's speed was exceptional.

The fielder who picked up the ball thought he would have enough time to throw to first base. However, by the time he looked up, Kuramochi was already closing in on the base.

'So fast!'

The Teito High School fielder, panicked, hurriedly threw the ball to first base.

But it was too late. He could only watch as Kuramochi reached the base.

"SAFE!"

Kuramochi made it to first base.

With no outs, Seidou High School had a runner on first base.

"Yeah!!"

The Seidou High School bench erupted with excitement. Players clung to the railing, shouting and cheering. Some even used their hands as makeshift megaphones to cheer for Kuramochi.

Not only the Seidou High School players but also their supporters, eagerly awaited the outcome of the game.

This was a crucial opportunity.

"Kuramochi!"

"Kuramochi!!!"

What began with a few voices quickly grew louder, and soon more than a third of the crowd was shouting Kuramochi's name in unison.

"When did he become so popular?"

Sawamura, watching the enthusiastic crowd, was astonished.

'It was just a bunt and a stolen base—why all the excitement?'

Miyuki, Haruichi, and Shiratsu had all made hits before, and unlike Kuramochi's bunt, those were legitimate hits!

Why hadn't the crowd reacted so enthusiastically then?

Sawamura couldn't understand the crowd's reaction.

The audience had their own view. To them, this was a genuine scoring opportunity. With Kuramochi on base and Kominato Haruichi, an excellent hitter, coming up next, Seidou High School had a great chance to capitalize.

Even if Teito High School was aiming to use Walks to gain easy Outs, would not have enough bases to use.

Like this, Teito would need to face Sawamura and Miyuki directly.

Thus, Seidou High School's chance had arrived!

On first base, Kuramochi silently prepared for the next move…

…