The bottom of the third inning began with Seido on offense.
Kanzaki Ryou pulled on his batting gloves and stepped into the batter's box.
Seeing him, Sanada Shunpei on the mound suddenly felt the urge to challenge him head-on.
However, now was not the time for reckless pride.
The score was already 7–0. He couldn't allow Seido to easily widen the gap.
…Alright.
I've decided.
A walk.
"Ball!"
"Ball!"
"Ball!"
"Ball!"
Four pitches flew wildly outside the strike zone.
Kanzaki didn't even get a chance to swing.
He shot Sanada an annoyed look before jogging reluctantly to first base.
After Kanzaki, the sixth batter Chris stepped up.
Chris battled Sanada patiently, pushing the count to three balls and two strikes.
Finally, he connected with a forkball.
However, the contact was poor.
Although Kanzaki advanced to second base, Chris himself was forced out.
Next came Masuko Toru and Shirasu.
Neither of them managed to advance the runner.
Both were forced out one after another.
In the end, Kanzaki—who had reached second base—had no choice but to return to the dugout without scoring.
"That guy pitches so well. Why didn't he start the game?"
Furuya Satoru asked while watching Sanada on the mound.
"Yeah, and he's wearing number 18. Why isn't he number 1?" Sawamura added.
Standing beside them, Miyuki smiled.
"What's so strange about that? When a talented player doesn't get the Ace number, there are usually two reasons."
"Which two?" Arima Kazusa asked curiously.
"First, he's been ostracized by the team."
Miyuki shrugged.
"But Sanada obviously isn't. So there's only one possibility left."
"He has physical issues—maybe an injury, or maybe he lacks stamina."
Hearing that, Takashima Rei, who stood behind them, nodded.
"According to the information we gathered, Sanada Shunpei did suffer a leg injury."
"We discussed it in the last meeting."
"Were you two not listening carefully?"
The moment she finished speaking—
Coach Kataoka slowly turned his head.
"You two… after the game, run five kilometers."
"Eh?!"
Meanwhile, Kominato Haruichi, who had been silent the entire time, smiled quietly.
"I'll supervise them."
"I'll leave it to you, Haruichi," Coach Kataoka replied calmly.
At that moment, Kanzaki finished drinking water, put on his glove, and prepared to return to the field.
"Kanzaki, take a break," Coach Kataoka suddenly said.
Kanzaki froze for a moment.
Then he smiled.
"Alright."
"Tanba! Your turn!" the coach called out.
Hearing his name, Tanba Koichiro immediately stood up in excitement.
But then he hesitated and glanced at Kanzaki.
Originally, Kanzaki had been scheduled to pitch four innings.
Was it really appropriate for him to go in now?
"If you don't go in now," Kanzaki said with a smile,
"and the game ends early because of the score difference, you might not get a chance to pitch."
Tanba nodded slowly.
Since he had the opportunity, he wouldn't hesitate.
Manaka Kaname must be watching.
And today—
He would avenge him.
At the top of the fourth inning, Seido changed pitchers.
Third-year Tanba Koichiro stepped onto the mound.
At the same time, high in the stands—
A young man stood quietly in the shadows.
One arm hung in a sling, wrapped in a cast.
It was Manaka Kaname.
"Koichiro…"
Seeing Tanba take the mound, Manaka's heart filled with complicated emotions.
On the field, the coordination between Tanba and Chris was extremely smooth.
Chris could clearly feel Tanba's determination.
His pitch calling immediately became more aggressive.
Yakushi's second batter, Kazuma Akiba, swung and missed twice.
On the third pitch, he finally made contact with a fastball aimed at his chest.
Bang!
Because he had been jammed, Akiba's swing was awkward.
The ball flew high into the air.
Kominato Ryosuke calmly caught it at second base.
One out.
Next came the third batter, Mishima Yuta.
If Kanzaki's pitching had made him feel despair—
Then Tanba's appearance restored some of his confidence.
But reality was cruel.
The current Tanba was already a top-tier pitcher.
After experiencing two Koshien tournaments, his mentality had grown much stronger.
Moreover, with Kanzaki backing him up, Tanba no longer carried the pressure of being the sole ace.
As long as he wasn't the starting pitcher, he could maintain excellent form.
A curveball.
Then another sharp curve with vertical break.
Two quick strikes.
After throwing two breaking balls on the outside corner, Chris suddenly signaled for a low inside forkball.
With both vertical and horizontal movement—and a drop in speed—
Mishima barely managed to connect.
The result was a weak ground ball.
Tanba quickly stepped forward, picked up the ball, and fired it to first.
Whoosh!
Yuki caught it cleanly.
Mishima was out.
"Tanba! Two outs!"
"Nice! Keep it up!"
"Tanba-senpai, well done!"
Hearing the cheers of his teammates behind him, Tanba felt even more energized.
Facing Yakushi's fourth batter, he delivered a clean strikeout.
A perfect performance.
Three up.
Three down.
Back in the dugout, Tanba's face was slightly flushed.
Partly from the heat.
But more from satisfaction.
Retiring Yakushi's batters in order felt like sweet revenge.
Manaka…
You saw that, right?
Tanba's eyes instinctively searched the stands.
The game soon moved to the bottom of the fourth inning.
Seido's ninth batter, Sakai Ichiro, connected with an outside fastball from Sanada and sent the ball into the outfield.
"Heh… that guy is even deliberately holding back his strength."
Watching the pitch, Kanzaki smiled.
"Is he worried he won't last until the later innings?"
Although Sakai's hit was excellent, it was partly because Sanada had tried to conserve energy.
Perhaps he thought facing the ninth batter didn't require full strength.
Instead—
He allowed a runner on base.
On the mound, Sanada gave a bitter smile.
He wasn't underestimating Sakai.
He would never underestimate anyone in Seido's lineup.
The truth was simply that—
He really needed to conserve stamina.
Next, Kuramochi Yoichi stepped up and immediately laid down a bunt.
The ball rolled steadily toward third base.
"Yah-ha!"
The speedster laughed wildly as he sprinted toward first.
Although Kuramochi reached base safely, Sakai Ichiro was forced out.
One out.
Sanada frowned.
Even though Sakai had been eliminated—
The runner now on first base was far more dangerous.
Kuramochi's speed made him a constant threat.
And the next batter—
Was someone Sanada least wanted to face.
Kominato Ryosuke.
As expected, Ryosuke dragged the at-bat to five pitches.
On the sixth pitch, Seido executed a hit-and-run.
Kuramochi advanced to second base.
But Ryosuke himself was forced out.
"Hahaha! My turn!"
Isashiki Jun stepped into the batter's box.
After swinging and missing twice, he began to look irritated.
When a forkball came in, he raised the bat high and chopped down on it.
Bang!
The ball bounced sharply toward third base.
Seeing that, Kuramochi stayed at second base.
Meanwhile, Jun managed to reach first base safely.
Two outs.
Runners on first and second.
And the next batter—
Seido's fourth batter.
Yuki Tetsuya. ⚾