Standing in the batter's box, Masatoshi Harada stared at Kanzaki Ryou and let out a quiet sigh.
Inashiro Industrial and Seidou had faced each other countless times.
And every single time—
They lost.
Now, after another year of growth, the pitcher standing on the mound had become even more terrifying.
If Inashiro wanted to defeat Seidou, then they had to score off Kanzaki Ryou. Otherwise, everything else was nothing more than a fantasy.
This towering wall standing before all of West Tokyo—
Masatoshi Harada was determined to carve a crack into it.
No matter the cost.
With that resolve, Harada focused completely, his gaze locked onto Kanzaki Ryou without blinking.
Whoosh!
The pitch came roaring in.
Harada reacted instantly, his bat cutting through the air with terrifying speed.
Pop!
"Strike!"
The baseball snapped cleanly into Miyuki's mitt.
Forkball.
The bat passed over the ball, missing by a narrow margin—one above, one below.
"Phew…"
Even Miyuki let out a breath.
That swing was frightening.
The speed, the power—when the bat sliced through the air in front of him, it felt genuinely dangerous.
"Strike!"
Miyuki rose smoothly and tossed the ball back.
Kanzaki caught it, rolled his neck once, and noticed Miyuki already squatting and signaling again.
Fast tempo.
Kanzaki smiled faintly.
Against a hitter like Masatoshi Harada, accelerating the rhythm was itself a weapon. Miyuki had clearly factored that into his pitch-calling.
Of course, not every pitcher could use this tactic.
Some needed time to reset, to adjust their breathing and feel.
But Kanzaki Ryou?
He thrived in this rhythm.
Whoosh!
Before Harada could reset his thoughts, the second pitch was already on its way.
Under the crushing pressure of sheer velocity and weight, Harada remained calm, choosing his pitch and swinging decisively.
Pop!
"Strike!"
Another empty swing.
But Harada didn't look discouraged.
This pitch—
A ball.
He glanced down at Miyuki with complicated emotions.
This battery was truly troublesome.
The pitcher was monstrously strong.
The catcher was cunning to the bone.
Two people like this working together were enough to make any batter feel a headache—
—or outright disgust.
"Eh heh~"
Miyuki looked up and smiled brightly at Harada.
If a batter wanted to hit that badly, how could he resist tossing in a bad pitch to mess with them?
"…Tch."
Harada turned his head away, clearly irritated.
This dark-hearted catcher wasn't just annoying on the field—off the field too.
Their pitcher even muttered "Kazuya, Kazuya" from time to time.
Absolutely unbearable.
Miyuki, completely unaware of being disliked, stood up and returned the ball, then calmly gave the sign for the third pitch.
Kanzaki nodded.
His grip shifted.
Circle Changeup.
Two straight high-speed pitches followed by a changeup—
Perfect for shattering rhythm.
And this one was headed toward the upper part of the strike zone.
The moment Harada saw it, he swung downward toward what he believed was a falling pitch.
But—
Whoosh.
Miss.
"Strike three!"
Harada froze.
This wasn't the Forkball he'd anticipated.
It was a Changeup.
"Good!"
"Nice pitch!"
"Kanzaki!!"
The Seidou supporters erupted as Inashiro's cleanup hitter and captain walked back to the dugout.
Kanzaki smiled faintly.
Then—
A familiar figure stepped into the batter's box.
Blond hair.
Bat clenched tightly.
Narumiya Mei.
Inashiro's Ace.
Their fifth batter—just like Kanzaki Ryou.
As a pitcher, his batting ability was nothing to scoff at.
And with personal grudges piled sky-high, his understanding of Kanzaki Ryou likely rivaled that of Kanzaki's own teammates.
"Come on!"
Narumiya Mei shouted—rare enough that even Miyuki glanced at him in surprise.
Mhm… you've got spirit today, Mei.
Miyuki shook his head.
He remembered Mei's fiery look from the time he'd once tried to recruit him.
At first, defeating Narumiya Mei felt satisfying.
But after so many times—
It almost felt cruel.
Meeting him and Kanzaki one after another…
That really was fate playing tricks.
Still—
Sorry, Mei.
Even if the Spring Tournament wasn't the ultimate goal, Seidou intended to stay undefeated.
Miyuki steadied his resolve and gave the sign.
Their eyes met.
Kanzaki sensed Miyuki's seriousness—the unyielding desire to win.
The corner of his mouth lifted.
He spun the ball once, inhaled deeply, lifted his left leg—
And fired.
Like a bullet.
Inside pitch!
Narumiya Mei's pupils shrank.
He swung instantly.
Pop!
"Strike!"
A chest-high inside fastball.
Mei's swing was half a beat late.
He missed.
Yet unlike before, Narumiya Mei didn't show frustration.
Instead—
He was eerily calm.
His eyes, as still as a lake, locked onto Kanzaki Ryou.
Miyuki returned the ball, feeling that pressure.
After brief consideration, he called—
Outside low cutter-slider.
The pitch came.
Narumiya Mei didn't move.
Miyuki caught it cleanly.
Ball.
Just as expected.
Inside high fastball.
Outside low breaking ball.
Next…
Forkball?
Changeup?
Narumiya Mei's mind raced.
If he were on the mound—if he were Kanzaki Ryou—what would he throw?
Countless possibilities collided in his thoughts.
But the battery on the field gave him no time.
Less than three seconds after the return throw—
Miyuki made his decision.
The sign flashed.
Not a Changeup.
Not a Forkball.
An ordinary—
Fastball.
Straight down the center of the strike zone.