To outsiders, Takashi looked enraged by Koenji Rokosuke's provocation, but inwardly he felt nothing.
He wasn't the type to act rashly out of emotion.
The reason he insisted on staying on the field last game, even to the point of clashing with Amatani Kensuke, was because he knew that if they didn't take down Chukyo University in one go, once they recovered, it would be Aoba who'd lose.
The point of fighting hard and acting aggressive was to create psychological pressure—to make the opponent afraid.
Why did Kabei Kota fail to hold out in the end?
Was he overthinking? Mentally stressed?
That was part of it. But the real reason was that, faced with Takashi displaying an insane "I'll destroy my arm if I have to, but I will beat you" attitude, he got scared.
That's right—Kabei Kota was afraid.
Last year, he had already wrecked his arm while pitching.
He was scared that if he kept going, his arm would be ruined again.
Once someone has been hurt in a certain way, they'll naturally develop psychological trauma when facing the same situation again.
And besides, Kabei Kota and Takashi are not the same.
Baseball was just a hobby class Takashi had signed up for while in school—he never planned to rely on it for a living.
Even if his arm got injured, as long as it didn't affect his daily life, it didn't matter.
But Kabei Kota was different.
He was aiming to go pro—and he had a very good chance of making it.
What's the most important thing for a professional baseball player?
The answer: his body.
Asking him to be as reckless as Takashi, risking his whole career for a single high school game—that was impossible.
Even if he went all out, who's to say he'd even win? And it was only the semifinals, not the finals.
Even if they won, he wouldn't be able to play in the Koshien finals anyway.
And if they lost the championship in the end, what would be the point of going head-to-head with Takashi like that? Just to give Advanced Nurturing a free pass?
In sports, it's not just about technical skill—it's also a psychological battle.
One side wants to win, while the other is already hesitating. That's why Takashi laughed last.
But today's match against Advanced Nurturing was different.
If he had gone on the field from the start, it might have actually fired up the opposing team.
If nothing else, Koenji Rokosuke would definitely have gotten serious.
But Koenji Rokosuke alone wasn't scary.
Takashi didn't think he was inferior to anyone.
But what he feared was the emergence of Rokusuke Koenji, Kakeru Ryuen, Nagumo Miyabi, Kanzaki Ryuji, Katsuragi Kohei, and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka all joining forces to bring down a common enemy: him.
That would be the worst-case scenario.
And it was precisely what Takashi wanted to avoid. That's why he chose to hold back for now.
Knowing when to yield isn't cowardice. Just like his idol Liu Bang, for Takashi, the process didn't matter—as long as he won in the end.
…
Crack!
Under the midday sun, the white baseball flying high into the air had lost all spin. Its leather glinted in the light like a star shooting into the sky.
"Home run!"
"Who would've thought it'd be Katsuta Musashi who'd bring in Aoba's first two runs!"
Despite hitting a home run in the final, Katsuta Musashi showed no joy.
He glanced up at the scoreboard.
2:7.
It was still only the top of the third inning, and Aoba was already trailing Advanced Nurturing by five runs.
Before that home run, Aoba had scored nothing.
"They're still not putting in Takashi? What the hell is Aoba's coach thinking?"
"This is just a one-sided beatdown."
"Are they trying to get completely humiliated?"
In the stands, voices rose in protest.
Spectators were extremely dissatisfied with Amatani Kensuke keeping Takashi on the bench.
Plenty of people had given up their day off to come watch this—no one wanted to see such an ugly game.
On the livestream, the comment feed exploded:
[This sucks, I'm out.]
[Stupid coach!]
[That Aoba pitcher is useless. If Takashi were playing, Aoba wouldn't have lost so many runs!]
[I bet he's not even injured—he just doesn't want Takashi hogging the spotlight and wants to swoop in and take credit.]
[LMAO. Even if you want to steal credit, at least have Takashi's skills. Do you even know your own level?]
[Before Takashi joined, Aoba's best result was a second-round spring Koshien exit. In his first year, he led them to the finals. They're not even in the same league!]
[Honestly, I feel like even I could play! Just let Takashi carry and I'll sit back and shout "Let's go!"]
[Baseball's a team sport. One-man carry only gets you to the finals.]
In real life, people might hold back.
But online? Everyone—from Aoba's coaching staff to the players—got flamed. Everyone except Takashi.
In competitive sports, being weak is the original sin.
…
In a VIP box, the head of the Kujou family looked grim.
The Takatsukasa patriarch looked equally displeased.
The lady of the Ichijou family had given up and was playing with her phone, not even looking at the scoreboard.
This group wasn't just here for nostalgia—they had come to witness Aoba winning their first championship in person.
But now? Forget winning—they'd be lucky not to get slaughtered.
The worst part was that Shinomiya Gan'an had also come.
Their relationship with Shinomiya Gan'an was like Barça and Real Madrid. They both wished the other would just die already.
Aoba and Shuchiin students weren't exactly enemies, but the relationship was tense.
Just recently, the student who sent Tanaka Kota to the hospital hadn't been punished at all. In fact, Shuchiin's baseball team's budget had gone up by 30%.
Everyone knew—it was the Shinomiya family's provocation.
They were doing it just to piss them off.
The message was clear: "Your Aoba student got beaten by our Shuchiin student, and not only will we not punish him, we're rewarding him for it."
Seeing their team getting wrecked like this was humiliating. No wonder they looked so sour.
"This is so boring."
Shinomiya Un'yo, seated far away from his father, yawned as he casually stroked his date's waist.
"Did you invite us just to watch you embarrass yourselves?"
"What's the rush?"
Hitomi sipped her tea with graceful poise.
"Takashi hasn't even taken the field yet."
"Heh~"
Shinomiya Un'yo sneered, crossing his legs arrogantly. "Yozakura Hitomi, aren't you placing a bit too much faith in Takashi?"
"I admit he's impressive, but that's assuming he's healthy."
"With the way he is now, pitching must be hard for him."
Hitomi smiled faintly. "Wanna bet on it?"
"Bet on what?" Shinomiya Un'yo asked, intrigued.
"That piece of land we both want. Loser buys it and gives it to the winner."
Hitomi grinned.
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