Chapter 32: Go For A Career

"Second Batter, second baseman, Kominato Ryosuke."

As Ryosuke stepped up, Miyuki felt a pang of anxiety. Among the third-year Senpais, Ryosuke was one of the most formidable, along with Captain Tetsuya.

Dealing with other batters was one thing, but these two, when fully committed, were likely to challenge even Furuya and Kawakami.

'Once you get out of rhythm, it becomes very tricky. Don't let them get the upper hand,' Ryosuke's devilish grin promised trouble.

Deep, deep trouble.

Ping!

"FOUL!"

Ping!

"FOUL!!"

"BALL!"

High-speed fastballs over 150 km/h(93 mph) were repeatedly knocked foul. After ten pitches, the count was full: two Strikes and three Balls.

Kominato Ryosuke maintained his composure, never easing his focus on Furuya.

From the catcher's position, Miyuki felt overwhelmed.

'This is tough! Finish him with the last pitch, use the Forkball!'

Seeing Miyuki's signal, Furuya subtly nodded and threw the pitch.

Whoosh!

The ball sped towards home plate like a laser beam. It was right in the strike zone!

Kominato Ryosuke's eyes lit up with a knowing glint.

'A sweet pitch? Do you think I'm a fool?'

With guidance from Chris and Ochiai, Furuya rarely threw sweet pitches. This one was no ordinary fastball.

Kominato Ryosuke guessed correctly and was certain Miyuki knew he would.

Miyuki's real gamble was that Ryosuke wouldn't handle this pitch well.

As the ball approached, Miyuki felt a sense of relief. It fell neatly into his mitt.

The ball dropped rapidly due to its high speed, making it hard for the batter to connect with his bat.

Just as Miyuki prepared to catch it, a bat suddenly appeared in front of him.

The bat hit the ball precisely, sending it flying.

"FOUL!"

Another foul ball. With this one, there were eleven in total.

"Impressive, Ryosuke!"

"As expected of the renowned Devil Brother from Koshien."

"Show Furuya what you've got!"

Spectators watched in awe as Kominato Ryosuke continuously hit Furuya's pitches foul.

In the entire high school, Ryosuke was perhaps the only one who could do this consistently.

Snap!

"BALL!"

"Four Ball Walk!"

In the end, Furuya was forced to throw four Balls. Including these, he had faced twelve pitches.

Out of twelve, Furuya had thrown eight Strikes, showing significant improvement in control!

At this point, if the opponent wanted to take another four balls from Furuya, it wouldn't be easy. As long as he kept his cool, he'd be fine.

In the outfield, Sawamura nodded approvingly.

'I hope this can give him a good mindset for improving instead of being self-destructive.'

One Out, with a runner on first base.

"Third batter, center fielder, Isashiki."

Now it was Isashiki Jun's turn.

'Forget about the past. Focus on dealing with Jun-san now!' Miyuki signaled Furuya to concentrate on Isashiki Jun.

Furuya frowned, nodded, and prepared to pitch.

Roaar!

The pitch was as powerful as before, but slightly off-target. The previous four balls from Kominato Ryosuke had clearly affected Furuya's accuracy.

The ball sped towards Isashiki, seemingly headed straight for him.

"Watch out!"

"Move quickly!"

Spectators screamed in fear as the ball approached, but their cries came too late.

"Be careful!"

Furuya's hard-earned momentum and form were disrupted by Kominato Ryosuke's devilish batting.

Facing Isashiki Jun, Furuya threw a disastrous first pitch, sending the ball straight toward Isashiki's body from eighteen meters away.

With a terrifying speed exceeding 150 km/h, a ball hitting someone at that speed would be severe.

Most people would instinctively back away from such a dangerous pitch.

But Isashiki Jun did not flinch. He stared directly at the white ball as it approached him.

"I've been waiting to smash your stupid wild fastballs!"

Isashiki Jun raised his bat like a samurai sword. At this moment, he didn't look like a baseball player but more like a warrior ready for a duel, swinging his bat with fierce intent.

Ping!

The white ball was struck with great force, and it flew off on an unpredictable trajectory into the field.

"Third base!"

In left field, Sawamura shouted anxiously.

The sudden change clearly exceeded the outfielders' expectations.

Higasa watched the ball coming with a blank mind. His reflexes, honed through rigorous training, kicked in, and he lunged towards the ball's landing spot.

But it was too late. His glove was still over a meter away from the ball when it flew past him.

The ball rolled towards the third-base line, creating a clear path for a long hit!

"Haha!"

Isashiki swung his bat and sprinted towards first base. Kominato Ryosuke, who had acted earlier, was already approaching second base.

In left field, the white ball, after bouncing, rolled further into the field.

During this time, third baseman Higasa attempted to stop it but was too late. The shortstop Kuramochi tried to cover, but the ball was too far out of reach for him to catch.

"You think you can stop my hit? It's still a hundred years too early brats!"

Isashiki Jun was observed with a severe expression. This was his consistent style with Kohais: sharp-tongued but soft-hearted.

In left field, Sawamura remained calm.

He was the first to notice Isashiki Jun's hit, so he had warned Higasa to prepare.

Unfortunately, it was too late.

While warning Higasa, Sawamura quickly ran towards the direction where the white ball had gone.

Once he got moving, his speed was impressive, and it seemed he should be able to intercept the ball after its second bounce.

But for some unknown reason, he stumbled and appeared to be on the verge of falling.

And then, nothing more happened.

Kominato Ryosuke stayed safely at second base without trying to steal third, and Isashiki Jun also remained at first base.

Seeing Sawamura steady himself and finally catch the ball with his glove, Kominato Ryosuke gave him a thumb-up with a 'sweet' smile.

"Nice acting!"

"You should go for a career if something happens! You Demon Brat!"

Sawamura's face flushed red. It seemed these senpais had thoroughly remembered his tactics, including this deceptive maneuver.

'How excessive!'

Sawamura struggled to recall, but he had used such tactics no more than twice.

'Given the numerous games I had played, it should have been insignificant. How could they not believe I might actually fall, instead thinking it was an act?'

Sawamura couldn't understand.

In reality, even a single appearance of a tactic can leave a lasting impression.

When Sawamura first used this tactic, it was spectacular. People found it hard to believe he could remain so composed in such a tense game.

Not every player had such a natural talent.

One out, runners on first and second base.

The batter was the fourth hitter, Yuuki Tetsuya.

At the catcher's position, Miyuki was overwhelmed with anxiety.

He wasn't unaware of the seniors' strength! Being close made him more acutely aware of their formidable skills.

But he never imagined that Furuya would appear so vulnerable and cute against the seniors.

'They were on completely different levels.'

In Koshien, the Monster-kun showed commendable performance against top national players.

But against the seniors of Seidou High, Furuya seemed powerless!

'Was Furuya still not mature enough?'

'No, Furuya's state during the first batter, Kusunoki-senpai, was nearly peak performance.'

'Even if not his absolute best, it was at least 95% of his top form.'

From past experiences, Furuya's top-form performance was only a level less than Sawamura's.

In national terms, he was among the top ten pitchers.

Yet, with the interference from Kominato Ryosuke and Isashiki Jun, he seemed disturbed.

'And Tetsu-san hasn't even stepped up yet!'

…