Having just surrendered a home run,
any pitcher would inevitably feel shaken.
Not to mention Tanba Koichiro.
Both the players of Seido High School Baseball Team and their opponents understood very well—
Tanba's mental resilience had always been one of his biggest weaknesses.
After giving up a long ball in such a critical moment, it wouldn't be strange if he completely collapsed.
Ichidai San High School Baseball Team's Coach, Manager Tahara, wore a smile that looked almost like a blooming chrysanthemum.
"Good job, boys!"
"Keep the pressure on and score a few more runs in one go!"
To Tahara, this was the perfect chance.
Even if a complete comeback was unrealistic,
adding more runs would at least restore morale and confidence.
More importantly—
Seido High School Baseball Team still hadn't changed pitchers.
As long as Tanba remained on the mound, they still had hope.
"Don't hold back!"
"Don't show mercy!"
"Use everything you've got and show Seido what Ichidai's batting lineup is capable of!"
Tahara's eyes burned with determination.
Although he had to admit that Seido High School Baseball Team's overall strength had surpassed theirs,
when it came to batting—
Ichidai San High School Baseball Team had never been inferior to anyone.
Years of brutal training.
Thousands of swings every single day.
This was their pride.
They would keep scoring.
Ichidai San High School Baseball Team's fifth batter stepped into the batter's box.
Across from him, Tanba stood tall on the mound.
Seido's fielders subtly shifted into ready positions.
Everyone could feel it—
This at-bat was crucial.
"Whoosh!"
Tanba adjusted his breathing and delivered the pitch.
In the batter's box, the fifth batter's eyes flashed with vicious intent.
When your opponent is wounded—finish him.
That was the belief he lived by.
In his mind, Tanba had just been shaken.
This pitch would definitely be hesitant.
This was his chance.
Without waiting for another look, he swung at the very first pitch.
He wanted to crush Tanba's confidence in one blow.
"Ping!"
The high-breaking curveball was struck.
For an instant, the hearts of Seido's supporters leapt into their throats.
But the ball didn't soar.
It traveled less than twenty meters before dropping sharply to the ground.
"Thwack!"
A bouncing grounder.
Before anyone else could react—
A blur charged forward.
Kuramochi!
With lightning speed, he scooped the ball cleanly and fired to first base in one fluid motion.
"Thwack!"
Yuki Tetsuya caught the throw securely.
"Out!"
"Three outs! Side retired!!"
A thunderous cheer erupted from the Seido stands.
Ichidai San High School Baseball Team's offensive surge was cut off just like that.
The players froze in place.
Disbelief.
Frustration.
Unwillingness.
All written clearly across their faces.
It was over?
They had thought Tanba was on the verge of collapse.
They had believed this was their golden chance.
Yet in the blink of an eye, it vanished.
Worse—
Tanba didn't look broken at all.
If anything, his eyes now burned even brighter.
His pitching looked sharper than before.
The game moved into the top of the fifth inning.
Score:
Seido High School Baseball Team 5 — Ichidai San High School Baseball Team 2
Inside Ichidai's dugout, the atmosphere was heavy.
They had scored two runs.
By normal standards, that should have been encouraging.
But no one felt happy.
They all knew—
Two runs were far from enough.
And the window they had just missed might never open again.
In their memories, Tanba Koichiro had always been the "soft target."
A pitcher they could exploit.
A pitcher they had bullied many times in the past.
But today's Tanba felt different.
His flaws still existed.
With runners on base, his focus could waver.
Under pressure, mistakes could still happen.
Yet overall—
He was clearly stronger.
Calmer.
More resilient.
Strong enough that Ichidai could no longer toy with him as easily as before.
And once Zhou Hao returned to the mound later in the game…
Their already slim chances would drop close to zero.
The thought alone made their heads ache.
"What should we do…?"
Just as despair quietly spread,
a bald Ichidai player who was about to take the field grinned and raised a finger.
"Leave it to me."
"I won't let Seido score another run!"
The substitute pitcher, Amahisa, wore an exceptionally confident smile.
Ichidai San High School Baseball Team's players couldn't help but be drawn to him.
Their gazes gathered on Amahisa as if he were glowing.
It felt almost like a savior's declaration.
If these words had come from anyone else, even if Ichidai's players didn't openly refute them, they would have dismissed them in their hearts.
After all, without personally experiencing Seido High School Baseball Team's strength, no one could truly understand how terrifying the national champions were.
Any bold talk made without that prerequisite would be nothing more than empty boasting.
But Amahisa was different.
He had already taken the mound earlier.
He had already faced Seido High School Baseball Team's middle-order batters.
That alone gave him the right to speak.
After personally experiencing Seido's overwhelming offense, he could still make such a declaration.
Naturally, his words carried weight.
"Good!"
"Keep that spirit, Amahisa!"
Manager Tahara nodded firmly.
At this moment, he had no elaborate tactics left.
As a coach, all he could do was choose to believe.
Believe that his players could resist.
Believe that they could create a miracle.
Standing on the pitcher's mound, Amahisa looked like a different person.
Earlier, when he first faced Seido, there had been a trace of hesitation in his eyes.
After missing a period of competition, doubt had inevitably crept into his heart.
Pitchers valued continuity.
Once they went too long without holding the ball, their feel would inevitably decline.
Even Amahisa wasn't sure how much of his former strength he could still unleash.
But as the game progressed, he gradually realized something.
Not only had his ability not declined—
It had improved.
Youth grew quickly.
His body was stronger.
His pitches were sharper.
Even against the national champions, his weapons were still effective.
Especially his signature low-angle semi-sliding ball.
Facing Seido's leadoff batter, Amahisa unleashed a pitch with fierce momentum.
"Whoosh!"
Kuramochi's pupils shrank slightly.
He already knew this pitcher was dangerous.
But he hadn't expected him to be this sharp.
The ball came in like a sniper's bullet, aimed straight at the vital point.
Kuramochi gripped his bat tightly, waited for the ball to enter the zone, and swung.
"Ping!"
The ball was weakly tapped and rolled forward.
Hoshida moved in quickly and scooped it into his glove.
"Out!"
One out, no one on base.
Kominato Ryosuke followed.
But he also failed to display his usual devilish batting.
The ball stayed inside the field.
The angle suggested he might have a chance.
However, Ichidai's shortstop rushed in, fielded cleanly, and fired to first.
"Thwack!"
"Out!"
Two outs, no one on base.
The Seido supporters in the stands unconsciously widened their eyes.
To be honest, this was unexpected.
Their opponent was stronger than anticipated.
Seido's leadoff combination had been completely suppressed.
"Two outs already!"
"And only three pitches used…"
"That efficiency is frightening."
In the stands, veteran reporter Fujio from Baseball Kingdom nodded.
"This pitcher is extremely talented."
"Coupled with Ichidai's solid defense, they form a system where one plus one is greater than two."
"Even a national champion like Seido would find it difficult to break through."
Beside him, the long-legged female reporter Oowada Akiko hurriedly wrote it down.
"Don't write that."
Fujio frowned.
He genuinely couldn't understand how their agency recruited people.
Was it based on leg length?
With these qualifications, being a receptionist would already be impressive.
Reporters weren't just for show.
They needed insight.
They needed judgment.
They needed an instinct for news.
Fujio was valued precisely because he could see deeper than others.
"Then… senior,"
Oowada asked softly,
"Do you think Zhou Hao can hit it out?"
Amahisa's pitching was sharp.
Ichidai's defense was airtight.
Even though Zhou Hao's batting was terrifying…
Could he really break through?
"Maybe."
In Fujio's heart, the probability was about forty percent.
Zhou Hao was slightly at a disadvantage.
"So Zhou Hao is that strong in your eyes?"
Oowada's eyes sparkled.
Before Fujio could answer—
Amahisa had already delivered the pitch.
"Swoosh!"
This pitch was even sharper than the previous ones.
But the moment the ball entered the strike zone—
Zhou Hao swung.
"Boom!"
It was a swing that seemed capable of sweeping away everything.
Under the stunned gaze of Ichidai's catcher,
the bat struck the baseball squarely.
"Ping!"
The ball rocketed into the sky.
Thousands of eyes followed its trajectory.
It flew.
It kept flying.
Straight into the right-field stands.
"Thwack!"
The commentator roared:
"It's gone!!!"
"Zhou Hao with a clean home run!!"
"Seido High School Baseball Team extends the lead!"
"Total score—6 to 2!!!"