It had been exactly one month since Ushijima Wakatoshi transferred to Seido High School.
And today—
He finally obtained the Gold Chest for thirty consecutive daily check-ins.
Not counting the six treasure chests from the beginner gift pack, he had already opened seven chests this month alone.
The rewards were…
Week 1 – Silver Chest → Cutter
Week 2 – Silver Chest → Curveball
Week 3 – Silver Chest → Cash
Week 4 – Silver Chest → Cash
From his first official game, he earned three more:
Silver. Gold. Diamond.
The Gold Chest gave him Metal Bat – Outfield Long Hit.
The Diamond Chest granted an ability that wasn't originally his specialty.
As for the Silver one…
He got lucky and drew a Screwball.
After a month, Ushijima had already figured out how this system worked.
Not every chest gave skills.
Sometimes it only gave money.
U.S. dollars.
Random amounts.
…Weird, but useful.
Still—
Even without counting the cash rewards, his growth was ridiculous.
As a first-year high school pitcher, he now mastered five different pitches.
Four-seam.
Two-seam.
Cutter.
Curveball.
Screwball.
None were max level yet.
But even so—
That variety alone was already unfair.
Because mixing these pitches together made life hell for batters.
Curveball & Screwball
The two pitches looked similar at first glance.
But their movement directions were completely opposite.
For a right-handed pitcher:
A curveball starts high, then drops sharply toward the inside corner of a right-handed batter.
The arc makes timing extremely awkward.
Even though it's slower than a four-seam, it's harder to square up.
Meanwhile—
A screwball breaks the other way.
It dives toward the opposite side instead.
Same speed range.
Totally different break.
Used together?
Absolute torture for hitters.
Ushijima stretched his shoulders.
"Alright… time for the Gold Chest."
"If I can get Gold-level Control… I'll take off instantly."
He opened it.
[ Ding! Treasure Chest opened ]
[ Congratulations! You obtained: Gold Cutter ]
"…Huh?"
He blinked.
Then checked his status panel.
Name: Ushijima Wakatoshi
Height: 188 cm
Dominant hand: Right
Physical Strength: Diamond
Speed: Gold
Pitch Types:
Four-seam – Diamond
Cutter – Gold
Two-seam – Silver
Curveball – Silver
Screwball – Silver
Control: Silver
Batting:
Infield contact – Gold
Outfield power – Gold
"…Gold Cutter?"
His eyes widened.
That meant—
Without worrying too much about control, his cutter could now reach 150 km/h.
Diamond cutters could exceed 160.
Gold tier meant 141–150.
With his current Silver control, he could probably stabilize it around 140–145 km/h.
Previously, his silver cutter barely touched 130 with control.
Now?
140+ with movement.
Sharper break.
More bite.
Deadlier.
His lips slowly curled upward.
"…Let's test it."
Bullpen – Later That Day
Inside the bullpen, Miyuki crouched behind the plate.
"Bring it."
Ushijima nodded and fired.
Thwack!
The ball exploded into the glove.
Miyuki's eyebrows shot up.
"…Again."
Second pitch.
Thwack!
Faster.
Sharper.
The ball cut violently at the last second.
Tanba, pitching nearby, stopped and stared.
"…Hey… isn't his cutter nastier now?"
Miyauchi nodded.
"Yeah. The control's tighter too."
"And the speed finally broke 140."
Miyuki grinned.
"A 140+ cutter paired with that four-seam…"
"He's disgusting."
"And cutters are murder for right-handed hitters."
He threw the ball back.
"Again!"
Ushijima delivered.
Pitch after pitch.
Each one sharper than the last.
Miyuki couldn't hide his excitement.
"This guy… he's improving way too fast."
"At this rate, Seido's mound is completely secure."
Miyauchi folded his arms.
"He's not invincible yet though."
"If his two-seam control improves too…"
"…then he might really become the best pitcher in the country."
Miyuki smirked.
"If he can throw four-seam, two-seam, and cutter all at 140+ with control…"
"He'll be on Narumiya's level."
Just imagining it made his blood heat up.
Outside the bullpen, Coach Kataoka watched silently.
Then—
He nodded.
Satisfied.
Seido had finally found their true ace.
"First String! Gather up!"
Everyone assembled.
Coach spoke calmly.
"We've already won the Spring Metropolitan Tournament."
"Tomorrow is the Kanto Tournament."
He looked directly at Ushijima.
"As usual… Ushijima will start."
No one objected.
No one doubted.
After all—
In the semifinals, he threw a no-hitter shutout against Ichidai.
In the finals, he crushed the East Tokyo champion with another scoreless game.
Even though he didn't get many strikeouts that time—
Opponents had studied him.
They could make contact now.
But…
They still couldn't score.
Their hits never landed clean.
Seido's defense handled everything.
Complete suppression.
Coach Kataoka looked at him.
"Ushijima. Any problem?"
Ushijima straightened.
Then answered firmly—
"None, Coach!"