At the very front of the freshman squad, Zhou Hao stood tall—like a great general overlooking the battlefield.
He raised his head slightly, eyes fixed on the confrontation unfolding before him.
Tojo's attempt had failed completely.
Tanba's pitching rhythm hadn't been shaken in the slightest.
From this point on, anyone who wanted to hit Tanba Koichiro's pitches would have to rely solely on their own ability.
Kominato Haruichi.
In Zhou Hao's impression, this kid was a walking miracle.
Short in stature and far from physically imposing, he looked harmless at first glance.
Yet his batting skill ranked among the very best in the entire Seido High School Baseball Team.
Still—
Kominato hadn't had the chance to fully read Tanba's pitches yet.
To expect him to smash Tanba's ball right now…
Even Zhou Hao himself found that hard to believe.
Scoring a run will be extremely difficult for the freshmen, Zhou Hao judged silently.
And it wasn't just him.
Anyone with even a basic understanding of baseball would reach the same conclusion after seeing Tanba's current pitching form.
On the opposite side, the second- and third-year players finally felt a bit relieved.
Today's welcome match was nothing like the ones they had experienced before.
Under Zhou Hao's command and with Sawamura Eijun's shocking performance on the mound, the upperclassmen had already sensed danger.
If they weren't careful—
They would be the ones humiliated.
Every one of them had fought tooth and nail to become Second Team regulars, standing just one step away from the First String.
How could they back down now?
How could they accept being overwhelmed by first-year rookies?
With Tanba Koichiro taking the mound, they finally felt reassured.
At least the worst-case scenario they feared seemed unlikely to happen.
Yet deep down, they all knew—
Sending out a First String regular like Tanba against first-year newcomers was fundamentally unfair.
Even if no one said it aloud, everyone understood.
Winning like this wouldn't be honorable.
Facing newly enrolled freshmen was already nothing to boast about.
The only reason they accepted this match was because it was a long-standing tradition of Seido High School Baseball Team—
A tradition meant to temper newcomers and allow seniors to display the results of their training.
To prove to the coach that they weren't useless.
That they, too, had strength.
But now?
Even if they won, there was little pride to be found.
Because the core presence on the field was no longer them—
It was Tanba Koichiro on the mound.
And at best, all they had managed so far was to suppress the freshmen's scoring.
In truth, they didn't hold much of an advantage.
Sawamura Eijun's performance was undeniable.
And according to Seido's usual rules, no matter how well Sawamura pitched, he would eventually be replaced.
He wouldn't exceed three innings.
He had already completed one flawless inning.
Two innings remained.
Could these second- and third-year batters truly break through Sawamura's pitching within that time?
No one could say for sure.
With such thoughts weighing on them, how could they possibly smile?
The fact that they weren't breaking down already spoke volumes about their mental fortitude.
"Let's deal with these first-year brats first," Isashiki Jun shouted bluntly.
"We can't let them keep acting so arrogant!"
Quite a few people shared his sentiment.
They were happy to see talented rookies emerge.
But watching their own classmates being toyed with by first-years—
That wasn't something they could accept easily.
Because of this, most of the second- and third-year regulars naturally found themselves cheering for the upperclassmen.
Only Zhou Hao and two other first-year regulars thought differently.
Zhou Hao genuinely wanted the freshmen to win.
As for Furuya Satoru and the remaining first-year—
They were thinking about something else entirely.
When will it be our turn?
Watching their fellow freshmen clash head-on with second- and third-year seniors made their blood boil.
They couldn't help but imagine—
What if they were the ones standing on the field right now?
Especially after witnessing Sawamura's pitching, that thought only grew stronger.
Just as these emotions surged through the crowd—
Tanba Koichiro delivered his next pitch.
He had already thrown one strike.
As the second pitch left his hand, his momentum showed no sign of slowing.
"Whoosh!"
Another sharply breaking curveball.
Behind the plate, catcher Miyauchi forcefully exhaled through his nostrils like a bull.
"Moo!"
From his perspective, Tanba's pitch was flawless.
This first-year batter looked dangerous.
But against Tanba's high-breaking curveball?
With his current ability, making contact was nearly impossible.
And reality proved him right.
The young batter—bangs shadowing his eyes—swung with all his strength.
The bat cut through the air.
But the baseball dropped too quickly.
It missed the barrel by barely a ball's width.
Clap!
"Strike!"
Two strikes.
The batter was completely cornered.
The onlookers couldn't help but gasp.
With this level of pitching rhythm and quality—
Forget first-year rookies.
Even many First String batters would struggle to handle it.
This was pure bullying.
Even Zhou Hao, watching from the sidelines, quietly abandoned hope.
He knew better than anyone—
Under these circumstances, the chance of turning the tide was incredibly slim.
Scoring now felt almost impossible.
The game pressed on, tension thick in the air.
Tanba Koichiro stood tall on the mound, radiating dominance.
"Swoosh!"
The baseball flew like an executioner's blade.
This pitch—
Was meant to end Kominato Haruichi once and for all.
A fastball!
After two high-breaking curveballs, he's going to use a straight ball to seal the deal.
The players of the Seido High School Baseball Team, having been deliberately trained by the team to think strategically, were extremely adept at reading situations like this.
Almost instantly, they reached the same conclusion.
Tanba's judgment was flawless.
His execution was perfect.
The transition from two consecutive high-breaking curveballs to a fastball was textbook. The batter's timing would inevitably be disrupted. Even if he swung, the odds of solid contact were vanishingly small.
From every angle—
This confrontation had already reached its end.
"The second out is coming."
That was what everyone believed.
And yet—
The young man standing in the batter's box suddenly curled the corner of his mouth.
As if even the heavens were siding with him.
From the perspective of pitch selection, neither Tanba nor Miyauchi had made a single mistake.
Two curveballs had already carved a deep impression into the batter's mind. The sudden fastball would undoubtedly catch him off guard.
They were already imagining the sight of the first-year rookie flailing helplessly.
After all, this kid had never looked particularly threatening.
And then—
An unbelievable scene unfolded.
The seemingly suppressed Kominato Haruichi moved without the slightest warning.
"He swung?!"
"So what if he swung? It's a fastball thrown after two breaking balls—he won't touch it!"
This was not a pitch a first-year rookie should be able to handle.
Everyone was absolutely convinced of that.
But the instant the baseball reached the plate—
Ping!
The bat in Kominato's hands moved like a precision instrument, striking the ball squarely.
For a split second, time seemed to freeze.
Then—
The white baseball soared high into the air.
"He… hit it?"
That frail-looking first-year rookie had actually connected with Tanba's fastball.
And not only that—
He'd hit it cleanly.
The second- and third-year outfielder sprinted toward the projected landing point.
But he was still a step too late.
The baseball landed just in front of him and bounced forward.
He lunged desperately—
Missed by more than ten centimeters.
The ball slipped through.
"It got through!"
"It really got through!!"
The first-year rookies stared at one another, utterly stunned.
To be honest, even they hadn't expected this outcome.
That quiet, unassuming kid had just smashed Tanba Koichiro's high-quality fastball.
"That's insane…"
"Where did this monster even come from?"
Under the stunned gazes of the crowd, Kominato Haruichi sprinted.
He rounded first base cleanly, then charged toward second.
He wanted more.
Then he saw it—
The baseball rocketing back toward the infield like a bullet.
Too fast.
It had already reached deep in the field. Kominato had briefly thought about pushing for third—
Maybe even an inside-the-park home run if luck favored him.
But the Second Team regulars reacted with frightening speed.
They cut him off decisively.
No mercy.
One out.
Runner on second base.
Seeing this, Zhou Hao couldn't help but clap.
The other first-year rookies immediately followed suit.
Applause erupted throughout the stadium.
"These first-year rookies are terrifyingly good!"
The old alumni and die-hard Seido fans watching the game were visibly moved.
The quality of this year's freshmen was completely different from previous generations.
Not only were their fundamentals solid—
Their teamwork and atmosphere were exceptional.
"Where did all these little monsters come from?"
Manager Ota rubbed his hands, his confusion mixed unmistakably with pride.
Amazing.
These kids were truly something special.
"Kominato Haruichi," Takashima Rei said calmly, never one to withhold praise,
"Kanagawa's star player. He doesn't look impressive, but his hit rate is sixty-five percent. Among players I know, the only one with a higher official batting average is Zhou Hao."
Though he lacked the immediate flash of those promoted early to the First String—
Kominato Haruichi was absolutely not someone to underestimate.
From behind the plate, light glinted off Coach Kataoka's brown sunglasses.
The name Kominato Haruichi had been etched deeply into his mind.
On the mound, Tanba Koichiro's expression stiffened.
His form was excellent today.
So how—
How had a first-year junior managed to hit that pitch?
The fleeting confusion on Tanba's face did not escape Zhou Hao's eyes.
This is the chance.
If they wanted to score, this was the best opening they would get.
The only problem was—
Aside from Kominato, who else could handle Tanba's pitching?
Truth be told, among this year's rookies—
There really was someone else.
Unfortunately, that person had already been promoted to the First String and could no longer represent the freshmen.
"Third batter—pitcher, Sawamura."
Sawamura Eijun.
Despite his mediocre batting reputation, Zhou Hao had deliberately placed him third.
A hidden weapon.
Zhou Hao intended to use Kominato and Sawamura to execute a perfect combination play.
With Tojo's interference earlier, the original success rate had been extremely high.
But now that Tanba had taken the mound—
The difficulty had skyrocketed.
Sawamura stepped into the batter's box and raised his bat high.
For a moment, he looked like he could hit anything.
Zhou Hao, however, had no intention of allowing that.
He immediately flashed a signal—
A clean bunt toward the first-base side.
Sawamura's face twisted in obvious dissatisfaction.
"I can hit it myself, Zhou Hao-senpai!"
He was confident. Absolutely convinced.
But Zhou Hao's response was firm and unwavering.
"You're a famous Bunt Genius. Follow my call first. If there's another chance, I'll let you swing."
Sawamura would be pulled after three innings.
Whether he'd even get another at-bat was uncertain.
A normal swing might never come.
Still—
Zhou Hao calmly fed his junior a sliver of hope.
"…Alright!"
Though unhappy, Sawamura trusted Zhou Hao completely.
If this was his command—
He would execute it without hesitation.
Sawamura lowered into a bunting stance.
One out.
Runner on second.
The moment Sawamura squared—
The mouths of the First String players nearly fell open.
"Zhou Hao…"
"Is absolutely ruthless."