"Bunt?"
For most of the spectators — and even many of the first-year players — Zhou Hao's decision was incomprehensible.
Why bunt now?
However, the second- and third-year players of Seido understood almost immediately.
Especially the core members of the First String.
Their substitute ace, Tanba Koichiro, had a well-known flaw:
Once a runner reached base, his concentration wavered.
He wanted to focus on the batter, but couldn't fully commit.
Because of that weakness, he had lost his chance to compete for the Ace position.
And clearly—
Zhou Hao knew it.
Not only did he see it, he deliberately targeted it.
The moment an opportunity appeared, he would press that weakness until it cracked.
Just thinking about it made people uneasy.
Yet Zhou Hao executed it as naturally as breathing.
"...This kid might become a coach someday," someone muttered.
Most people saw Zhou Hao as a prodigy player — and they were right. His potential was obvious. A future superstar.
But beyond talent, his game awareness and command ability were frightening.
Knowing a weakness was easy.
Baseball at Seido wasn't played in secrecy — strengths and flaws were constantly analyzed.
But analysis alone didn't win games.
Creating the conditions to force that weakness to appear — that was the mark of a strategist.
And Zhou Hao excelled at exactly that.
Now, his goal was simple:
Force Tanba to collapse mentally.
If Tanba didn't waver, the freshmen couldn't score.
Their batting strength simply wasn't enough to consistently hit him.
This moment would decide the inning.
Could the first-years seize the chance?
Not everyone understood.
Especially since Sawamura Eijun wasn't known for batting.
And now — he was bunting.
From the stands came doubtful whispers.
"Bunting isn't that easy."
"That's Tanba. You won't even touch his pitch."
"The plan is good… but execution? Impossible."
Sawamura ignored all of it.
Zhou Hao said I'm a genius bunter.
So I won't fail.
"You all watch carefully!" he shouted internally.
"Witness true genius! From today on, I'm the Bunt King!"
His spirit burned fiercely.
Tanba, however, remained calm.
He knew Sawamura's personality — confidence no matter the situation.
Being one of the most watched rookies gave him that right.
And he also understood Zhou Hao's intention.
Trying to disturb his pitching rhythm with a bunt…
But Tanba didn't believe he would break here.
"I'm being underestimated."
No matter the scheme—
If he retired Sawamura, the strategy collapsed.
That was all he needed.
He ignored Kominato's presence on base and locked his gaze onto the batter.
Swoosh!
The pitch exploded toward the plate.
The upperclassmen's eyes shone.
There was no way the rookie could handle this.
Even touching it cleanly would be impossible—
Then—
Clink!
The ball met the bat softly.
It died instantly, rolling perfectly toward the first-base line.
A textbook bunt.
No — better than textbook.
The first-years erupted in excitement.
Sawamura being strong wasn't surprising to them.
As one of the three top rookies, he should be capable.
But the upperclassmen froze.
Their eyes widened.
This… didn't make sense.
They knew Sawamura's overall ability.
His pitching talent was exceptional — possibly even beyond Furuya's.
But outside pitching?
Fielding, batting, baserunning — all rough.
And yet—
His bunting surpassed theirs.
"How is that possible?"
"Maybe… he just doesn't fear the ball."
Many guesses appeared, none convincing.
Even Zhou Hao couldn't explain it.
Sawamura simply possessed extraordinary feel for bunting — a natural instinct.
He barely practiced.
Yet he executed it perfectly.
While the defense handled the ball—
Kominato Haruichi dashed from second to third.
Sawamura was thrown out at first.
"Out!"
Two outs.
Runner on third base.
The upperclassmen had already used everything — even Tanba.
And still…
They couldn't stop the freshmen's offense.
The tying run now stood ninety feet away.
Tanba on the pitcher's mound suffered another heavy blow to his confidence.
He had already been wavering before… and now it was even worse.
"How could this happen?"
"Isn't Zhou Hao too ruthless?"
Everyone understood what this meant — a strike like this could shake Tanba's very conviction.
Right now, Tanba was Seido High School's second pitcher… second only to Zhou Hao.
Just thinking about it made the second and third-years feel bitter.
If Tanba truly collapsed…
Then the team would face a serious problem.
Sawamura, Furuya Satoru, Tanba, Kawakami—
Who would actually be the real second pitcher?
All eyes were fixed on Tanba.
They could clearly see that Senpai Tanba was furious.
This result had already exceeded the limit of what he could tolerate.
"There is only this one chance! Fourth batter, it's up to you!"
Oshima Shin.
Kominato Haruichi.
Aside from these two trump cards, there was still one more monster among Seido's first-year rookies.
Unlike the others, this one excelled only at batting — everything else about him was almost negligible.
His family owned a batting cage, giving him unique batting training since childhood.
Zhou Hao passed over Kanemaru.
He passed over Takatsu.
He personally handed the fourth batter position to him.
Kotori.
A gentle, frail-looking boy wearing glasses.
Burning with anger, Tanba Koichiro showed no mercy.
"A rookie like this as fourth batter… are they looking down on me?"
He stepped forward and pitched with all his strength.
Swoosh!
The baseball dropped like a meteor, instantly appearing before Kotori.
Kotori's eyes lit up as he watched the pitch.
What an amazing trajectory…
Having grown up around batting machines and simulations, he had seen countless pitches.
But never — not even once — had he seen a curveball with such a massive drop.
He didn't even have time to react.
Thwack!
The ball slammed into the mitt.
Strike One!!
The second and third-years immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
It seemed Tanba's condition was still excellent.
"Nice! Keep it up!"
As long as Tanba maintained this form, even if Kotori had some trick, it wouldn't matter.
On the mound, Tanba threw again — his signature high-drop curveball.
Swoosh!
This was his trump card.
The confidence he used to challenge anyone.
This time, Kotori was clearly more prepared.
The moment the ball dropped — he swung decisively.
But the bat missed cleanly.
Thwack!
The ball hit Miyauchi's mitt again.
Strike Two!
Two strikes in a row.
Everything suggested Tanba was perfectly in control.
Everyone believed the out was guaranteed.
Then came the third pitch.
Miyauchi behind the plate and Kataoka at the umpire position both wore serious expressions.
Outsiders couldn't tell.
They thought Tanba had become even stronger.
But the truth was the opposite.
The more anxious Tanba became, the more unstable his curveball grew.
Its drop was now only fifty to sixty percent of its original sharpness.
The landing point floated higher.
It could deceive ordinary rookies—
But against a true batter, it would be dangerous.
Zhou Hao's calculations had been precise from the very beginning.
Step by step, he had dragged Tanba into the abyss.
Just as Miyauchi and Kataoka realized this—
Kotori swung.
"I can hit it!"
His eyes shone brightly.
Tanba's pitch was powerful.
And precisely because it was powerful… he wanted to hit it even more.
Buzz!
The bat connected perfectly.
Clink!
Miyauchi's eyes widened red.
Impossible!
Before he could react—
The white baseball was already flying far into the field.
Tanba's weakened curveball had been smashed by a first-year rookie.
The fielders rushed desperately.
Too slow.
The ball bounced away beyond their reach.
Kotori dropped his bat and sprinted to first base.
From third base—
Kominato Haruichi dashed toward home.
Safe!!
Two outs. Runner on first.
But that didn't matter anymore.
The rookie team had scored the first run.
Score: 0 – 1
Silence fell over the field.
The coaches of Seido were stunned.
Rookies had scored before.
But never — not once — had a rookie team scored first against the second and third-years.
Zhou Hao had created a miracle.
A miracle Seido High School had never seen.
The thirty to forty rookie players erupted in cheers.
"We're leading!!"
"Amazing!!!"
And just as the celebration exploded—
A voice sounded inside Zhou Hao's mind.
[Congratulations, Host. You have completed the special mission: Defeating the Teacher in One Move.]