"Whoa! He actually did it?!"
Toujou stared in disbelief.
"If the bat hadn't broken, that ball might've reached the wall," Kanemaru said excitedly.
"That would've been an easy double."
The Seidou players immediately raised their hands and cheered.
Meanwhile, the mood in Inashiro's dugout grew noticeably heavier.
A pinch hitter coming off the bench and immediately getting a hit was never a good sign.
And the next batter was Furuya Satoru.
"Tch."
Narumiya Mei clenched his fist in frustration.
Back in Seidou's dugout, however, Ushijima Wakatoshi calmly spoke to Furuya, who was preparing for his at-bat.
"Furuya."
"The bigger the hit you get in this game, the more starts I'll give you at Koshien."
The entire dugout fell silent.
"A single?"
"You can start one game."
"A double?"
"You can start two games."
"A triple?"
"You can start three games."
Then Ushijima delivered the finishing blow.
"A home run..."
"You'll start every game at Koshien."
"I'll become the relief pitcher."
BOOM!
The moment those words left his mouth, Furuya's competitive spirit exploded.
Everyone nearby instinctively took a step backward.
The pressure coming off him was terrifying.
Most importantly...
Furuya didn't question a single word.
Not once did he wonder why a first-year player had the authority to decide Seidou's pitching rotation.
Nor did he consider whether Coach Kataoka might have something to say about it.
For someone as straightforward as Furuya, none of that mattered.
The only thing he heard was:
Hit the ball.
Get the mound.
That was enough.
Kuramochi looked at Ushijima with a deadpan expression.
"This guy is way too easy to trick."
Ryosuke nodded.
"Seriously. He's unbelievably easy to manipulate."
Miyuki couldn't help joining in.
"By the way, whether someone starts or not is decided by the coach."
"Your opinion doesn't count, Ushijima."
Ushijima shrugged.
"It can't be helped."
"If the upperclassmen aren't carrying the team, then us first-years have to work harder."
"..."
The second- and third-years instantly froze.
"..."
"..."
A painful silence spread through the dugout.
Sawamura immediately jumped in.
"That's right!"
"The first-years have been carrying today's game!"
"The seniors have practically done nothing!"
The instant those words came out—
BOOM!
The upperclassmen's competitive fires ignited.
Ushijima calmly continued.
"Let's see..."
"Kuramochi."
"Yuki."
"Masuko."
"Kominato."
"Miyuki."
"Shirasu."
"None of them have a hit yet."
The players he named immediately felt arrows piercing their hearts.
Only Isashiki secretly sighed in relief.
Thank goodness I got a hit earlier.
Otherwise this brat would've roasted me too.
Standing on first base, Haruichi blushed awkwardly.
Meanwhile, Furuya stepped into the batter's box.
His mind was completely occupied by one thought.
A single means one start.
A double means two starts.
His aura intensified with every step.
The defensive play he'd made in left field had already left a deep impression on Inashiro.
Narumiya, in particular, was paying close attention.
Behind the plate, Harada quickly reminded him:
"Don't get reckless."
"If we let him get on base too, things will get ugly."
"And Ushijima is batting next."
"We have to stop him here."
Harada called for a changeup.
Narumiya nodded and delivered it.
Whoosh!
The ball floated toward the plate.
To everyone's surprise—
Furuya didn't swing.
Smack!
The ball settled into Harada's mitt.
"Strike!"
Furuya stared at the glove.
Changeup.
Then he remembered Ushijima's promise.
A single...
One start.
A double...
Two starts.
His eyes sharpened.
Across from him, Narumiya felt the intensity radiating from Furuya.
The next pitch came.
A low fastball on the outside corner.
The moment it left Narumiya's hand—
Furuya swung.
I'm taking that mound!
CRACK!!!
The sound of metal meeting the sweet spot echoed throughout the stadium.
The entire Inashiro team froze.
The baseball soared high toward left-center field.
"Carlos!"
Harada shouted immediately.
Both Haruichi and Furuya exploded into motion.
Because once they started running, they needed the ball to fall.
If it was caught, everything would collapse.
Carlos sprinted desperately toward the ball.
Fast.
Very fast.
But not fast enough.
"Damn it..."
He immediately abandoned any thought of a diving catch.
Missing it would be disastrous.
If the ball got past him, a double could easily become a triple.
Thud!
The ball hit the grass before Carlos could arrive.
The stadium erupted.
"AAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"
Seidou's supporters leaped to their feet.
Haruichi raced all the way to third base.
Furuya thundered into second.
"No outs!"
"Runners on second and third!"
"Seidou has created another golden scoring opportunity!"
The commentator nearly shouted himself hoarse.
"Inashiro is facing another major crisis!"
Coach Kunimoto remained expressionless.
But internally, he couldn't ignore the situation.
The first-years had exceeded every expectation.
The previous inning had ended only because of an incredible throw from the outfield.
Now, two first-years had produced consecutive hits.
And the next batter...
Was another first-year.
Back in the dugout, Isashiki jumped to his feet.
"Amazing!"
"He really did it!"
"A double!"
"Furuya, nice job!"