At 10 a.m., on the day of the semifinals—
The Seidō High School baseball team arrived at the stadium by bus.
Wearing his training uniform, Ushijima Wakatoshi looked as calm as ever.
Earphones in.
Music playing.
Completely unfazed.
Carrying his gear bag, he followed the team onto the field.
"Seidō's here!"
"Is that their ace?"
"Yeah—Ushijima Wakatoshi!"
"The fastest pitcher in this year's tournament!"
"I heard he can hit 158 km/h!"
"What?! Even Narumiya Mei only throws around 148, right?!"
The crowd buzzed with excitement.
"If Seidō keeps this up, they're definitely making the finals."
"Honestly, this semifinal feels like a formality."
"Yeah… they're just too strong this year."
On the opposite side—
The Sensen players watched silently.
"They're really popular…"
"Yeah…"
But their ace—
Maki Yōsuke—
Didn't speak.
He simply stared at Ushijima.
Ushijima Wakatoshi.
Height: 188 cm.
A pure power pitcher.
Fastball max: 158 km/h.
Main arsenal:
Four-Seam
Two-Seam
Cutter
Shootball
Sinker
A pitcher who dominated with speed—
And aggressive inside pitching.
All of this information—
Maki had memorized.
He knew exactly what kind of opponent he was facing.
This year—
Ushijima had risen to fame almost overnight.
Compared constantly to Narumiya Mei—
The so-called left-handed king.
While Ushijima—
Was being called the right-handed king.
Which one was stronger?
No one knew.
The answer would come—
In the finals.
"…Tch."
Maki clicked his tongue quietly.
They're underestimating me.
The teams entered the stadium.
The crowd followed.
Inside the locker room—
After changing, Yuki Tetsuya spoke up.
"Masashi is here."
"Oh?"
Ushijima raised an eyebrow.
"He doesn't have a game today?"
"He heard we made the semifinals."
"He came with my parents to watch."
"They said they've never seen you pitch in person."
Ushijima shrugged lightly.
It didn't really matter to him.
Soon after—
The team headed onto the field.
Coach Kataoka spoke briefly:
"The starting lineup stays the same."
"Let's go."
"YES!"
The game began.
Seidō on offense.
Senzen on defense.
Kuramochi stepped up as the leadoff batter.
On the mound—
Maki stood tall.
Very tall.
"…Whoa…"
Kuramochi's expression stiffened.
"That's… insane…"
At 195 cm, Maki's height created overwhelming pressure.
The release point alone—
Was completely different.
Whoosh!
The first pitch came—
A straight fastball.
Before Kuramochi could react—
It was already in the catcher's mitt.
No swing.
Strike one.
"…That's fast."
From the dugout—
Ushijima watched calmly.
Then turned to Yuki.
"Captain."
"If this inning ends three up, three down…"
"Our core lineup will lead off next inning."
"You'll be first."
Yuki nodded.
Listening carefully.
"But…"
Ushijima continued,
"We probably won't hit him in the first round."
"The simulation yesterday helped…"
"But it's not enough."
"You can raise the mound…"
"But you can't replicate his height."
Everyone understood.
"The real chance starts in the second rotation."
Ushijima's eyes sharpened slightly.
"But I want us to score first."
"With an early lead…"
"We can control the game."
"And reduce unnecessary risks."
"The finals matter more."
Yuki nodded again.
"Go on."
Ushijima continued calmly:
"If you get on base—good."
"But if not…"
"Don't force it."
"Even giving up an out is fine."
That made a few players blink.
"Because…"
"I'll be next."
Ushijima pointed at himself.
"If I can't hit cleanly…"
"I'll bunt."
"With my speed—"
"I can reach base."
"And once I'm on…"
He glanced toward Masuko.
"You'll buy me time."
"I'll steal second… then third."
"And then—"
"A sacrifice play brings me home."
Silence.
Simple.
Efficient.
Calculated.
Yuki Tetsuya smiled.
"…That's solid."
It wasn't flashy.
But it was—
Reliable.
The kind of strategy that wins games.
And with Ushijima's speed and pitching dominance—
Even a single run—
Could decide everything.