"Is this guy really a freshman? Even against a batter like me, he still managed to paint the inside corner five times?"
Azuma Kiyokuni could hardly believe it.
Miyuki Kazuya smirked before revealing even more shocking information to his former senior.
"In yesterday's game, he threw 27 pitches to the inside corner and struck out 9 batters in a row."
Azuma froze.
"What did you just say?"
"27 inside-corner pitches… and 9 consecutive strikeouts?"
He turned toward the coach in disbelief, only to see Kataoka silently nod.
"Senior Azuma, this guy struck out 26 batters yesterday," Isashiki said with a grin. "A total of 27 strikeouts."
"What kind of joke is that? Yesterday was the semifinal!"
Azuma's eyes widened.
"Twenty-six strikeouts in a semifinal? And a complete shutout?"
It sounded too outrageous to be real.
"In that case… wouldn't that mean he almost achieved a perfect game?"
"No," Yuki said calmly. "Against the 27th batter, Ushijima lost control for a moment and hit him with a pitch, allowing one runner on base."
"So it was 26 strikeouts instead of 27," Azuma muttered in relief. "Nine innings with no hits and no runs allowed… that at least sounds believable."
Then Miyuki casually added:
"He already threw a perfect game last week."
"…What?"
Azuma nearly choked.
"This kid already pitched a perfect game?"
"That's right," Miyuki answered proudly. "My first perfect-game battery in high school baseball."
Azuma stared blankly at Ushijima Wakatoshi.
"This… this monster…"
Then he suddenly pointed at Yuki.
"You bastard! Why didn't you bring a cousin like this to Seido sooner?!"
"I was only in my third year of middle school last year," Yuki replied honestly.
"Shut up! I ought to beat you up!"
Everyone burst into laughter.
Soon after, the duel between Azuma and Ushijima resumed.
After an intense eight-pitch battle, Ushijima finally ended it with a low four-seam fastball on the corner.
Strike three.
"Damn it! This kid's a monster…"
Azuma clicked his tongue in frustration after getting struck out again.
"Heh," Miyuki laughed. "To be honest, we could've struck you out much earlier. Ushijima still had four more pitches he hadn't even shown yet."
"Even his cutter reaches over 140 kilometers per hour."
"Damn…"
Azuma felt even worse hearing that.
"He said he'd only use four pitches against you, and he really meant it."
"He's the type of pitcher who loves direct confrontations and overwhelming his opponents head-on."
Azuma had already realized that much himself.
Ushijima's pitching style was incredibly aggressive.
After finishing the matchup, Ushijima returned the glove to Kawakami.
"I lost," Azuma admitted honestly. "I'll bring the others to cheer for you tomorrow."
"I'm heading back now. I need to watch your game and talk to the rest of the team."
Having seen enough, Azuma finally left.
The thought of the former third-years coming to support them greatly lifted the spirits of Seido's current second- and third-years.
Soon afterward, Seido resumed its usual practice.
However, during training, Ushijima noticed something strange.
Kominato Ryosuke's right foot looked off.
Kuramochi's expression whenever he glanced at Kominato also seemed unusually tense.
"When did it start?" Ushijima wondered silently.
Could it have happened yesterday when Kominato crashed into the catcher while rushing home?
During a short break, Ushijima walked over to Kuramochi.
"You know something, don't you?"
Kuramochi stared at him in surprise.
Ushijima simply looked back calmly, waiting for an answer.
"…What are you trying to say?"
"Kominato-senpai."
The moment Ushijima said the name, Kuramochi understood.
"You noticed?"
"I only realized something was wrong with his right foot. Did it happen yesterday during the collision at home plate?"
Kuramochi silently nodded.
Clearly, he hadn't expected Ushijima to notice so quickly.
After hearing the answer, Ushijima didn't ask any more questions.
"Are you going to tell the coach?" Kuramochi asked quickly.
"The coach probably already knows," Ushijima replied calmly. "He's just choosing not to say anything."
"He understands what tomorrow's game means to the third-years."
"He won't interfere, and he trusts Kominato-senpai to decide for himself."
"But if Kominato brings it up on his own, the coach will respect that decision too."
Kuramochi fell silent.
He himself had been struggling over whether or not to tell everyone.
Then Ushijima suddenly clapped his hands.
"All starting members, gather up for a minute. We need to talk."
Kuramochi looked at him in shock.
Once everyone — including the coach — had gathered around, Ushijima looked directly at Kominato.
"Say it."
"Don't turn yourself into someone selfish."
"I believe our team is strong enough to carry the burden together."
Kominato glanced at Kuramochi, who simply shook his head helplessly.
Kominato immediately understood.
With a faint smile, he said:
"Your eyes really are sharp."
"What's wrong, Kominato?" Isashiki asked in confusion.
Kominato took a breath.
"I didn't want to affect everyone's morale at a time like this… but my right foot is injured."
The moment the truth came out, everyone stared at him in shock.
At the most critical moment before the finals, their starting second baseman was injured.
"I know tomorrow's game means everything to the third-years," Ushijima said seriously.
"If we lose, your summer ends."
"And if you can't even play at full strength, it hurts even more."
"I'm not telling you to step down."
"And I'm not asking you to give up your starting position."
"I just don't want you hiding everything from us and trying to carry it alone."
"If something's wrong, then tell us."
"We'll face it together."
Kominato stared blankly at his junior.
Meanwhile, Miyuki, Yuki, and the others all smiled reassuringly at him.
"I know all of you have worked for three years for this moment."
"I don't have the right to take that chance away from anyone."
"But if you tell us the truth, then everyone can support you during the game."
"And besides…"
Ushijima pointed at himself confidently.
"You've got a pretty reliable ace on the mound."
A warm smile finally appeared on Kominato Ryosuke's face.
"…Sorry for making everyone worry."
Seeing the atmosphere lighten slightly, Ushijima grinned.
"Besides, if you think about it positively…"
"We've already sacrificed one foot."
"So tomorrow, we'll just beat Inashiro while handicapped."
"Hahahaha!"
Everyone burst into laughter at Ushijima's arrogant declaration, and the heavy atmosphere finally disappeared.