"Ah… sorry, sorry. I accidentally used too much force."
Kitamura Kou scratched his head awkwardly.
Nakanishi rushed forward, grabbed Kou by the collar, and shouted angrily,
"WHY?! If you can pitch like that, why aren't you on the baseball team?!"
Kou pushed Nakanishi's hand away.
"What nonsense are you talking about? This is all your fault, idiot."
"M-my fault?" Nakanishi blinked in confusion.
"That was three years ago," Kou explained calmly. "That day, I had already filled out the application form to join the baseball team."
He crossed his arms.
"But then… I saw a very brave fat guy beating up several third-year seniors all by himself."
Nakanishi froze.
"That happened three months after school started!" he protested. "What were you doing before that? Didn't I ask you to join the baseball club with me from the beginning?"
"Back then I wasn't confident," Kou admitted. "But I kept practicing at home. I even went to watch the team practice sometimes."
He shrugged.
"Little by little, I started thinking maybe I could actually do it."
"But then you saw me fighting and changed your mind?"
"I figured the baseball team must be full of terrifying people like you."
Nakanishi rubbed his forehead.
"Fine, fine. I get it."
Kou grinned.
"Still, playing casual baseball again after so long was pretty fun. Maybe we should form a team and play regularly."
He paused thoughtfully.
"We could even order new uniforms."
"WE DON'T NEED UNIFORMS!!!"
Nakanishi exploded in frustration.
Just then—
"Hey, young man… what's your name?"
A lazy voice sounded behind them.
Both boys jumped in surprise.
"Uh—uncle, who are you?" Nakanishi asked cautiously.
"Is something wrong?"
The man scratched his messy hair.
"Ah, sorry. Forgot to introduce myself."
"My name is Todoroki Raizo."
"I'm the new coach of Yakushi High School."
He looked directly at Kou.
"Are you interested in joining Yakushi and working together to reach Koshien?"
Nakanishi burst out laughing.
"Yakushi High School?"
"The team that always gets knocked out in the first round?"
"Hahaha! Uncle, you're hilarious!"
He continued mockingly.
"Even leaving aside Inashiro Industrial, Ichidaisan, and Seido, the top three powerhouses in West Tokyo…"
"You probably can't even beat schools like Seikou or Sensen, who barely make the Top Eight."
Raizo wasn't offended at all.
Instead, he grinned.
"Don't you think it would be more interesting?"
"Leading an unknown team… overthrowing the giants… defeating powerful enemies…"
"And winning the Koshien championship."
His tone suddenly turned provocative.
"I've already found three talented players to join Yakushi."
He looked at Kou carefully.
"Or do you lack confidence?"
Kou's interest was finally piqued.
"Oh?"
"I'd like to see how good your so-called prodigies are."
Raizo pointed toward the bridge nearby.
"Perfect timing. They're practicing batting under the bridge."
"Come take a look."
Under the bridge not far from the sandlot field—
"Ka hahaha! Ka hahaha! I want to hit it! I REALLY want to hit it!"
Before they even arrived, a strange and excited laugh echoed through the area.
As they got closer, they saw three teenagers practicing swings.
The one making the strange laugh was a short boy holding a huge wooden bat, much larger than a normal metal bat.
Every swing created a loud WHOOSH that echoed under the bridge.
"Raichi!" Raizo shouted.
"If you don't complete 800 swings, you're not allowed to stop!"
"Otherwise, no dinner!"
"Coach, that's too harsh!" a chubby boy protested.
"Raichi trains so hard already! How can you not let him eat enough?"
"Shut up, Mishima!" Raizo snapped.
"Get back to training!"
Then he muttered quietly,
"Who told our family to be so poor…"
"That's because you owe money everywhere!" the boy named Raichi shouted with tears in his eyes.
"At least let your son eat properly, you stupid old man!"
"What did you say?!" Raizo roared.
"Is this your rebellious phase?!"
"I've ALWAYS been in my rebellious phase!"
The two immediately started wrestling.
It looked less like an argument and more like a chaotic family comedy.
"Coach… Raichi…"
A calm voice interrupted.
"We have guests."
The remaining teenager rubbed his forehead helplessly.
The father and son finally stopped fighting.
"Oh right…" Raizo said awkwardly.
He suddenly realized he didn't know their names.
Kou stepped forward.
"Kitamura Kou."
"Nakanishi Daiki," Nakanishi added.
The chubby boy spoke next.
"Mishima Yuta."
The calm boy followed.
"Akiba Kazuma."
Finally, the energetic boy peeked out from behind Mishima.
"I-I'm… Todoroki Raichi."
He suddenly became shy when he noticed the strangers.
Raizo clapped his hands.
"Perfect timing!"
He pointed at Kou.
"Why don't you pitch to my son?"
"Let's see if he's strong enough."
His tone sounded exactly like a proud father showing off his treasure.
Kou nodded.
"I don't mind."
From the batting practice earlier, he could already tell—
This guy named Raichi had serious talent.
"Ka hahaha…"
Raichi's eyes lit up like a hunter spotting prey.
He stared at Kou on the mound.
"Oh?" Kou smiled.
"What a terrifying aura."
Excitement surged through him as well.
WHOOSH!
The baseball exploded from Kou's hand.
It shot toward the high inside corner.
Without hesitation—
Raichi swung.
The bat cut through the air with a terrifying WHOOSH.
CLANG!
The ball flew backward at an even greater speed.
Foul ball.
"Ka hahaha! Amazing! Truly amazing!"
Raichi's excitement only grew.
"I want to hit it! I MUST hit it!"
"That was close," Kou muttered with a grin.
"It almost left the park."
He received the ball again.
The second pitch came even faster.
Raichi still reacted instantly.
His body twisted violently as the bat followed through.
WHOOSH!
CLANG!
Another foul ball.
This one flew behind him.
Everyone nearby held their breath.
No one dared speak.
They were completely absorbed in this duel.
"Ka hahaha…"
Raichi's presence grew more intense.
His eyes locked completely onto Kou.
Kou caught the ball again and tossed it lightly in his palm.
A wide smile spread across his face.
He was enjoying this battle.
A long-awaited showdown.
Hot blood surged through his veins.
Kou lifted his left leg.
All his strength gathered in the fingers of his right hand.
WHOOSH!!!
The baseball lunged forward like a starving beast.
For the first time—
Raichi's rhythm faltered.
His swing came a fraction too late.
The bat cut through empty air.
SMACK!
The ball slammed into the catcher's glove.
"STRIKE THREE!"
Raizo raised both arms dramatically.
"STRIKEOUT!!!"
The duel was over.