Todoroki Raichi had actually been struck out!
Except for the few members of Yakushi High School who had witnessed their clash a few months ago, everyone else was stunned.
The stadium, which had been noisy just moments earlier, seemed to have suddenly been fitted with a silencer. The entire audience fell silent, staring wide-eyed in disbelief.
They all knew that Kitamura Kou's pitches were fast and powerful.
But Todoroki Raichi's overwhelming presence and his monstrous swing gave the impression that no matter what the pitcher threw, he could smash it away. No one expected him to fail. In fact, they couldn't even imagine what that failure would look like.
"Ka—kahahaha! So strong! The ball suddenly dropped right in front of me! Oh!!! Baseball is way too fun!!"
In the end, the silence was broken by Raichi's excited roar.
Having never played in an official baseball match and rarely experiencing real pitching duels, most of his practice had been imaginary training on his own. He simply had no concept of winning or losing.
He only cared about the thrill of battling different pitchers.
He wanted to face more opponents.
He wanted to hit more balls.
At the end of the day, he was simply a pure, straightforward baseball idiot.
The game continued.
Next up was Akiba Kazuma.
This was the first time Akiba had faced Kitamura Kou directly.
Previously, he had only watched Kou's duel with Raichi or observed his pitching from outside the bullpen. Now, for the first time, he stood in the batter's box to face him head-on.
Finally, he had the chance to challenge him.
After watching the previous confrontation, it would be a lie to say he wasn't nervous. But more than fear, he felt excitement.
Even though there would be more chances to face Kou in the future, the first time always carried a special thrill.
He wanted to know just how big the gap between them really was.
Meanwhile, after striking out Raichi, Kitamura Kou had fully entered the zone.
Whiz!!!
Pop!!!
A 150 km/h fastball shot forward like a precision-guided missile, landing perfectly in Akaishi's glove.
Akiba Kazuma swung—and missed.
Yet he showed no frustration. His face remained calm as he quietly reset his stance and waited for the next pitch.
Whiz!!!
Pop!!!
"Strike!"
Whiz!!!
Pop!!!
"Strike three! Batter out!"
With nothing but three straight 150 km/h fastballs, Kitamura Kou quickly disposed of Akiba Kazuma—whose batting ability was only slightly below Todoroki Raichi and on par with Mishima Yuta.
With his engine fully running, Kou didn't give Sanada Shunpei any opportunity either.
Three four-seam fastballs.
Three strikes.
Another strikeout.
"Three outs! Change sides!"
"Beautiful pitching, Kitamura!"
"Hey, hey! Leave a few chances for us to show off too! At this rate we're going to fall asleep out there!"
"Hahaha!"
The outfielders joked as they walked back to the dugout alongside Kou.
After two innings, he had already recorded five strikeouts and one groundout, a dominant performance.
Then the game moved to the bottom of the second inning.
Team B's turn to attack.
And now, batting as the cleanup hitter—
Kitamura Kou.
The duel between Sanada Shunpei and Kitamura Kou continued.
Only this time, their roles were reversed.
Kou adjusted his protective gear and slowly stepped into the batter's box, bat resting lightly on his shoulder.
On the pitcher's mound, Sanada Shunpei—his sharp sword-like eyebrows raised slightly—clapped his hands and pointed toward the sky with his index finger.
"Alright! Everyone stay sharp on defense!"
He grinned.
"Let's get three outs together. First—let's take down this monster!"
"Got it, Sanada!"
"Take him down, Sanada-senpai!"
His teammates answered one after another.
Sanada's lips parted slightly, revealing tightly clenched white teeth. A sharp glint flashed in his eyes.
He lifted his left leg.
His right arm whipped forward.
The baseball shot out of his hand.
"Let me see how good your pitching really is," Kou said with a relaxed smile.
But his eyes never left the speeding ball. His brain rapidly processed every detail his vision captured.
Just as the ball approached the strike zone—
He swung.
Ding!
At the last instant, the pitch cut slightly inward.
The ball struck the thinner part of the bat and shot toward the line.
It landed less than ten centimeters outside the first-base line.
"Foul!"
If Kou hadn't reacted quickly and adjusted his swing path at the last second, that ball might have turned into an easy out.
"That was close. I almost got taken out."
The smile on Kou's face grew even wider.
The stronger the opponent, the more excited he became.
He reset his stance calmly.
"Shunpei, stick to your strengths. Keep attacking aggressively."
Catcher Watanabe Tatsuya set his glove near Kou's chest.
Sanada nodded.
He lifted his left foot again and delivered the pitch.
Kou watched the ball calmly.
It was heading straight for his shoulder.
He straightened his body and took a small step back.
The ball barely brushed past him before landing in Watanabe's glove.
If Kou hadn't moved just now, the pitch would have hit him squarely.
Even though Sanada's fastball wasn't quite as fast as Kou's, it still reached 147 km/h—definitely not something you wanted hitting your body.
"Ball!" announced Todoroki Raizo.
"You're pretty aggressive, Senpai," Kou muttered softly.
He stepped forward again and returned to his batting stance, completely unfazed.
Sanada Shunpei was a pitcher who loved attacking the inside corner.
More importantly—
He possessed exceptional psychological resilience.
Sanada pulled down the brim of his cap before looking up again.
His white teeth showed as he grinned.
There was not the slightest hint of guilt about nearly hitting Kou.
He lifted his left leg once more and drove forward.
As he brought the ball from above his head to behind his body, his torso twisted more dramatically than most pitchers. With the explosive rotation of his waist and the stomp of his front foot, all the power in his body flowed into the index finger that released the ball.
This unique pitching form gave his pitches greater velocity, heavier movement, and sharper break.
Of course—
It also demanded more stamina and placed greater strain on the body.
Whiz!!!
Kou's concentration reached its peak.
With his extraordinary dynamic vision, he immediately judged the pitch.
A 145 km/h cutter. High and inside.
He adjusted his stance instantly.
Then he swung.
His bat speed was no slower than Raichi's.
Clang!!!
The bat struck the ball squarely in the center.
The baseball exploded off the bat like a laser beam, streaking high into the sky and out of the stadium.
Several small birds in the trees beyond the fence scattered in fright.
Home Run!!!
This wasn't the first home run Kitamura Kou had ever hit.
But it was his first since joining Yakushi High School.
And considering the strength of the pitcher he faced—
It was a home run well worth remembering.