Bang!
The baseball shot straight into the catcher's mitt.
The instant he saw it, Ushijima Wakatoshi pressed the stopwatch.
He glanced at the time—but said nothing.
When the second pitch came, he timed it again.
Two pitches.
Two measurements.
Just as the third pitch was delivered, Kuramochi swung.
Crack!
The ball bounced off the bat and rolled toward the infield.
The moment contact was made, Kuramochi dropped his bat and sprinted toward first base.
His acceleration was explosive.
By the time the pitcher fielded the ball and turned to throw—
Kuramochi had already stepped safely onto first.
"Yehahaha~!"
Standing on base, Kuramochi flashed a smug grin.
He could feel it.
Ichidai San High's ace pitcher already seemed a little strained.
On the mound, Manaka Kaname spat to the side, irritation flashing across his face.
Letting the leadoff batter reach base was never a good feeling.
In Seido's dugout, Ushijima spoke calmly.
"1.35 seconds."
Miyuki, standing beside him, frowned.
"Why are you timing that?"
"Do you know Kuramochi-senpai's time to reach base?" Ushijima asked.
The dugout fell silent.
Yuki thought for a moment.
"4.18 seconds?"
"That's his time from home to first," Ushijima corrected.
"What I'm asking is—does anyone know how long it takes him to run from first to second?"
Even Coach Kataoka didn't answer.
Clearly, no one had ever measured it.
"3.20 seconds."
Ushijima stated the number plainly.
"So what?" Miyuki still didn't get it.
"3.20 seconds minus 1.35 seconds equals what?"
"1.85 seconds." Yuki answered instinctively.
Ushijima nodded.
"Now here's the key question."
"You've played against Ichidai San High before."
"How do you think their catcher's throwing speed compares to yours, Miyuki-senpai, when stopping a steal?"
That made everyone freeze.
After a moment, they answered together:
"Your arm is stronger."
Ushijima continued.
"Then do you know how long it takes Miyuki-senpai to throw from home plate to second base?"
No one replied.
"1.89 seconds."
He laid it out clearly.
"Let's use Miyuki-senpai as the benchmark."
"Manaka Kaname takes 1.35 seconds from pitching motion to the ball entering the mitt."
"If the catcher were Miyuki-senpai, his throw to second takes 1.89 seconds."
"Total: 3.24 seconds."
"Kuramochi-senpai reaches second in 3.20 seconds."
A razor-thin margin.
"But—Ichidai San High's catcher isn't Miyuki-senpai."
"Their arm is weaker."
"So their full-power throw to second takes around 2.0 seconds."
"1.35 plus 2.0 equals 3.35 seconds."
"With Kuramochi-senpai's speed—"
"He can steal successfully."
The dugout stared at Ushijima in disbelief.
To most people, 0.15 seconds meant nothing.
But in baseball—
It meant everything.
"And stealing bases doesn't just gain ground," Ushijima added.
"It also disrupts the pitcher's rhythm."
"My own time from first to second is 3.05 seconds."
"With Kuramochi-senpai and me against this battery—"
"To put it bluntly, we can steal freely."
"As long as we reach first, we can steal all the way to third."
"And once we're on third—"
"With our speed and footwork—"
"A soft bunt rolling toward first base is enough to send us home."
Everyone looked at him like they were staring at a monster.
Just by timing two pitches—
He had mapped out an entire offensive system.
"Then we'll test it."
Coach Kataoka finally spoke.
He raised his hand and signaled to Kuramochi on first base.
Kuramochi froze.
"A steal? Now?"
In the batter's box, Kominato also saw the sign.
The instruction was clear—
Don't swing. Put pressure on the pitcher.
Kominato nodded slightly.
On first base, Kuramochi began to move restlessly.
He didn't understand why the coach wanted him to steal.
In his mind, Kominato-senpai could easily advance him with a hit.
But an order was an order.
On the mound, Manaka Kaname began his pitching motion.
The moment Kuramochi saw the pitcher's foot turn—
No pickoff.
He exploded forward.
"Steal!!!" the first baseman shouted.
Hearing the warning, Manaka panicked and released the pitch early.
The ball sailed high.
Snap!
The catcher caught it cleanly and instantly pulled it from his mitt.
He spun and threw with all his strength toward second base.
Kuramochi was flying.
Before the ball reached the second baseman's glove—
His foot slammed onto the bag.
Safe.
"Ya hahaha~!"
The crowd erupted.
"He stole second on the first pitch?!"
"As expected of Seido's fastest legend!"
"That speed is insane!"
The stadium buzzed with excitement.
What shocked everyone wasn't just the steal—
It was how easily Seido did it.
Now, the leadoff batter stood in scoring position.
In the dugout, Ushijima checked his stopwatch.
"2.10 seconds."
"0.1 seconds slower than predicted."
"Total time: 3.45 seconds."
"Kuramochi-senpai and I can reach base almost without resistance."
"And now the pitcher's focus will split."
"If I had to predict—Manaka's pitch time will increase to around 1.45 seconds."
"That gives 3.55 seconds total."
"With Kominato-senpai, Isashiki-senpai, and Yuki-senpai speed."
"They can steal too."
Everyone in Seido swallowed.
This wasn't analysis anymore.
It was surgical dissection.
Coach Kataoka's eyes burned as he raised his hand again—
And signaled to Kuramochi.
On second base, Kuramochi's eyes widened.
"W-What?! Still stealing?!"