When Sawamura recorded the second out, Zhou Hao already knew—
Today's game was secure.
There were still several freshmen who hadn't taken the field yet.
But Zhou Hao understood clearly:
with their current ability, it would be difficult for them to attract Coach Kataoka's attention.
When the skill gap becomes too large, even talented players cannot properly display their potential.
Sawamura and Kominato Haruichi stood out precisely because they were exceptional.
The others… hadn't reached that level yet.
But this alone was enough.
Especially Sawamura.
From his performance today, being promoted directly to the First String was no longer impossible.
You could tell just by looking at Furuya Satoru and Kawakami.
Neither spoke—
Yet their expressions revealed everything.
Shock.
And acknowledgment.
From this moment on, they had officially recognized Sawamura as a rival capable of challenging them.
"What is wrong with these first-years…?"
Isashiki Jun stroked his beard, looking utterly depressed.
As a third-year, he wanted to say something to defend the honor of the upperclassmen.
But the game spoke for itself.
Deep down, he knew—
They were being completely suppressed.
And not only them.
Aside from Zhou Hao and Yuki, even if the First String lineup were sent out…
They might not be able to defeat Sawamura.
They had experienced it last year.
Everyone remembered how abnormal his pitches were.
To put it bluntly:
Defeating Sawamura was extremely difficult.
This one-sided situation was destined to continue.
"This shouldn't be happening… absolutely shouldn't…"
The second- and third-years wore grim expressions.
This was nothing like the match they imagined.
Who could have expected
that this boy named Sawamura Eijun would be this strong?
In him—
They faintly saw Zhou Hao's shadow.
He was already strong last year.
Now he had grown even stronger.
Last year, Zhou Hao alone shocked the upperclassmen.
But this year's freshmen weren't just Sawamura.
There were also Tojo, Kominato Haruichi, Kotori—
And Oshima Shin and Furuya Satoru, already promoted to First String.
When the current third-years first joined Seido, they were called a "thin generation."
People said there were no promising freshmen.
Compared to that—
This year could almost be called Seido's Golden Generation.
"It might sound disloyal… but the team's future looks incredibly bright."
"This freshman class is terrifying."
Amid the praise—
Sawamura fired another pitch.
WHOOSH!
The batter clenched his teeth and swung.
He didn't want to panic.
But Sawamura's pressure had already reached an overwhelming level.
If they didn't swing with full force—
They couldn't even touch him.
Realizing that came too late.
CLANG!
The bat barely grazed the ball.
A weak grounder.
The freshman first baseman fielded it cleanly.
Pop!
"Out!"
Three outs.
Score remains: 1–0
The upperclassmen's faces turned pale.
The game had reached the second inning—
Yet they hadn't scored
nor produced a single solid hit.
They were completely shut down.
"This is impossible…"
"How can a first-year be this strong?"
Even the calm analysts were stunned.
Coach Kataoka's eyes gleamed sharply.
Truthfully—
He had misjudged Sawamura.
When he previously promoted two freshmen, he chose Furuya Satoru and Oshima Shin because they fit the team's immediate needs.
They filled the missing combat power.
It wasn't favoritism.
His evaluation of Sawamura then:
Great pitching potential —
but incomplete overall ability.
In terms of future growth, Sawamura might even surpass Furuya.
But right now, he wasn't ready.
Seido also had enough pitchers.
So Sawamura remained in the Second Team.
Now—
He was clearly wrong.
The ability Sawamura displayed wasn't potential.
It was immediate strength.
Even if lacking in other areas—
His pitching and bunting alone could influence games tremendously.
"The roster… needs adjustment."
The answer was obvious.
No matter how much he valued seniority, Kataoka would never allow talent to stagnate.
Bottom of the Second
The freshmen attacked.
Tanba, regaining his form, struck out three batters cleanly.
From start to finish, they couldn't touch the ball.
Although he allowed a run earlier—
This performance restored everyone's trust.
"Maintain this state. Trust your pitches.
No matter the batter, you can handle them.
Stay steady, you are indispensable to this team."
For Tanba, this was redemption.
"YES, COACH!"
The game moved to the top of the third inning.
The second- and third-years came up to bat again.
The previous six batters…
Had all been retired.
Standing before them, Sawamura Eijun had already become an almost insurmountable presence.
At this point, the goal of the second- and third-years became very simple:
They needed at least one hit… and one run.
"We can't let a first-year act this arrogant!"
"Even if we have to bunt — we score off him!"
This reminder quickly cleared their minds.
Matching Sawamura purely with batting skill was extremely difficult.
But bunting?
Normally, bunting with no runners on base was close to suicide.
Success rates were low.
However—
Their opponents were first-years.
They lacked experience.
They lacked coordination.
If pressure was applied continuously, the rookies might panic.
Using such tactics against freshmen was admittedly disgraceful.
Under normal circumstances, the seniors would never do it.
But being held scoreless for three straight innings in the freshman welcome game…
That was a humiliation they could not accept.
The seventh batter stepped up and immediately showed bunt.
"Did they really bunt?!"
"That's too harsh on the freshmen!"
"They won't be able to handle this!"
The crowd stirred.
Then—
Kanemaru, the third baseman, reacted first.
"Move up!"
"Move up!!"
The infield instantly advanced.
They sealed every bunt angle.
Any ball dropped would fall directly into a fielder's glove.
The spectators froze.
"I thought the freshmen lacked leadership…"
"They reacted instantly!"
"That third baseman is impressive."
"Well… every one of them is a prodigy."
This year's Seido freshmen were simply too strong.
Even the less flashy players Zhou Hao recruited were far from ordinary.
Their experience rivaled the upperclassmen.
The bunt attempt failed.
Out!
Another bunt—
Out!!
Two quick outs.
Sawamura was one out away from perfection.
Normally, even elite rookies would grow nervous here.
Coach Kataoka.
Takashima Rei.
Zhou Hao.
Chris.
Miyuki.
All watched Sawamura.
They wanted to see—
How he would finish this.
Yet Sawamura showed no complacency.
Instead, he began enjoying the duel.
"One more out!"
Like a true Ace, he steadied everyone's emotions.
Under his presence, the freshmen no longer looked like newcomers.
They looked like a team ready to overthrow the seniors.
WHOOSH!
The pitch came.
The batter was cornered and forced to swing.
CLANG!
A high pop fly.
Sawamura raised his glove—
But the landing point drifted.
Zhou Hao's heart tightened.
Sawamura hadn't been specially trained for this.
Yet—
He stepped back three times and adjusted smoothly.
Snap!
"Out!!"
Ever since deciding to join Seido…
Ever since witnessing the team conquer the nation—
Sawamura had made a promise to himself:
He had to become stronger.
Otherwise, how could he be worthy of Seido's pitcher's mound?
For that pride—
And so as not to disappoint Zhou Hao—
He trained more than just pitching.
Perfect defense was still far away.
But plays within his responsibility—
He could now handle flawlessly.
Zhou Hao murmured softly,
"He's growing fast…"
The freshman welcome game progressed.
After three innings:
Score: 1–0
By the twelfth inning, nearly everyone had played.
Final score:
17–1
Overall, the seniors still crushed the freshmen.
But if only the starting players' matchup were considered—
This rookie class had created a miracle.
After the game ended—
Zhou Hao's system reward arrived.
[Congratulations, Host — You have obtained: Sharingan Genjutsu]