"Sanada-senpai, I don't know if you've noticed this yet, but aside from Mima Soichiro at the top of the lineup, the other batters from Hakuryu High School are specifically targeting your low pitches," Kitamura Kou said seriously as he caught up with Sanada Shunpei on the way back to the dugout.
"Is that so?" Sanada Shunpei frowned and thought it over carefully. The more he reflected, the more he realized Kou was right. Leaving the others aside, the most obvious examples were Kitaoji and the eighth batter.
Kitaoji had shown almost no reaction to his high inside fastballs and Cutters, but immediately swung at the low outside Cutter. The eighth batter had done the same thing—ignoring the high pitches before two strikes, then attacking the low outside fastball.
"Yeah. It looks like Hakuryu High School wants to force ground balls off your low pitches and use their speed to get on base. Once they reach first, with their mobility, tactical execution, and our defensive weaknesses, it'll be extremely hard to stop them from scoring." Kitamura Kou's expression turned even more serious. "Sanada-senpai, you need to be more careful. Try not to let them get on base in the first place."
"I got it. But now it's your turn, Ace and cleanup batter. Don't let them keep pushing us around." Sanada Shunpei nodded seriously before slipping back into his usual teasing tone.
Kitamura Kou rolled his eyes helplessly, quickened his pace, and left him behind.
"In the bottom of the second inning, Yakushi High School comes to bat! The fourth batter, center fielder, Kitamura Kou!"
As Ito looked at Kitamura Kou stepping into the batter's box, he recalled the instructions Coach Sasaki had given before the inning began.
"Ito, Ono… after facing Todoroki Raichi in the first inning, you should already understand how dangerous the next batter is. If Todoroki Raichi hadn't made such an amateur mistake, that would've been an easy double. And Kitamura Kou is an even more troublesome hitter."
"He's already hit five home runs this tournament, homering in every single game so far. And that's despite being intentionally walked several times. I shouldn't need to tell you what to do."
Coach Sasaki's expression had been unusually serious.
"Sigh… honestly, I'd love to walk Kitamura Kou intentionally," Ito muttered inwardly. "Even a pitch that far outside nearly got crushed by Todoroki Raichi earlier. It's safer not to challenge him at all."
Ito stood up and shifted far outside the batter's box before opening his glove.
"Ball!"
"Smack!"
"Walk! Take your base!"
Kitamura Kou could only sigh helplessly. Those pitches were nowhere near hittable. No matter how good his batting skills were, there were limits.
Still, as he walked toward first base, a faint smile appeared on his face.
"This works too. Both of Hakuryu High School's runs came from stolen bases and pressure tactics. Looks like it's time to return the favor."
With that thought, Kitamura Kou slowly widened his lead after reaching first base.
The moment the crowd noticed how far he was standing from the bag, the stadium erupted.
"Hey! Isn't he standing even farther off the base than Mima Soichiro earlier?! Isn't he afraid of getting picked off?"
"What's there to fear? Kitamura Kou's speed is definitely not inferior to Mima Soichiro's!"
"This is getting exciting! I really want to know who's faster, Kitamura Kou or Mima Soichiro!"
"Obviously Kitamura Kou! I've never seen him fail a stolen base attempt!"
"No way, it's definitely Mima Soichiro! He's miles ahead of everyone else even at Hakuryu High School!"
On the mound, Shintaro Ono stared coldly at Kitamura Kou. However, he made no attempt at a pickoff throw.
He understood perfectly well that Kou's speed was on the same level as Mima Soichiro's. Repeated pickoff attempts would only waste stamina and disrupt his own rhythm.
So he simply turned away, pretending not to care.
Shintaro Ono began his pitching motion, but compared to the first inning, it was noticeably quicker now.
The instant Ono fully committed to the pitch, Kitamura Kou exploded off first base without the slightest hesitation, sprinting toward second.
"Pitch!"
"Steal!"
Kitaoji immediately shouted a warning.
"Smack!"
"Ball!"
It was obvious Hakuryu High School had anticipated this situation beforehand. Ito rose from his crouch almost immediately after receiving the ball, his body already prepared to fire toward second base.
As the nation's premier speed-focused team, Hakuryu High School had undergone extensive training to stop stolen bases. More importantly, they possessed an advantage no other team had.
They could practice against some of the fastest runners in all of Japanese high school baseball whenever they wanted.
The moment the ball entered his glove, Ito launched the throw without wasting even a fraction of a second.
"Throw!"
Kitamura Kou dove headfirst toward second base, his body sliding across the dirt just before the baseball reached the second baseman's glove.
"Smack!"
"Safe!"
The crowd exploded into cheers.
Kitamura Kou stood up calmly, dusted himself off, then looked toward Shintaro Ono and raised an eyebrow with a slightly provocative smile.
Shintaro Ono snorted coldly and turned his head away dismissively. However, the dirt he unconsciously kicked from the mound exposed his true frustration.
In Hakuryu High School's dugout, Coach Sasaki leaned forward, staring intently at Kitamura Kou as excitement flashed across his eyes.
"How interesting… I never expected there to be another player in high school baseball whose speed could rival Soichiro's."
"Ahhh… why didn't I discover this kid earlier? If he were at Hakuryu High School, our domination of the nation would be unstoppable!"
Thinking that, Coach Sasaki turned toward Todoroki Raizo in Yakushi's dugout. The envy in his gaze was impossible to hide.
Meanwhile, in Yakushi High School's dugout—
"Raichi, did you see that?" Todoroki Raizo sighed deeply while pointing toward second base. "That was a proper slide. As for yours…"
He looked at his son's foolish face, hesitated for a moment, then simply shook his head helplessly.
That sigh contained endless disappointment, helplessness, sorrow… and the deep suffering of a father questioning every life decision that had led him here.