"I can see your future!"
Zhou Hao exuded a confidence that was difficult for ordinary people to comprehend.
That unwavering certainty sent a sharp chill through Uekusa, who was preparing to pitch.
His instincts screamed at him — if he threw the ball according to his planned pattern, it could spell disaster.
Uekusa placed his hand behind his back and signaled to his teammates.
Immediately, the fielders of Arayashiki High School adjusted their defensive positions.
Yet Zhou Hao, standing in the batter's box, showed no reaction at all to their movements.
The crimson light flickering in his eyes danced faintly — calm and focused.
From the pitcher's mound, Uekusa felt another chill run down his spine.
Strange. Even though I changed the formation, that ominous feeling won't disappear.
He adjusted it again, but the unease persisted, making him doubt his own intuition.
Maybe it's just because I'm facing Zhou Hao… that I'm feeling this way.
Resolving himself, Uekusa pulled back and delivered the pitch.
At that same moment, the fielders of Arayashiki High School sprang into action.
Their initial movements were subtle, but their intentions were sharp — moving decisively toward a specific area.
Zhou Hao, his Sharingan glowing faintly, saw everything.
Every shift, every step — no movement on the field escaped his sight.
A fleeting thought crossed his mind.
If I were playing soccer, I'd make the perfect midfielder.
Not a single blind spot existed in his vision.
"Whoosh!"
The baseball left Uekusa's hand.
Zhou Hao's unfocused gaze suddenly sharpened, locking onto the spinning white ball.
It's coming… Now's the time!
There was no need to think.
His body moved on instinct, every motion precise and natural — the product of countless repetitions.
As the ball entered the strike zone, Zhou Hao swung.
"Ping!"
Up until that moment, most of the Arayashiki High School players wore confident smiles.
They believed the outcome would be the same as before.
The second baseman, following the prearranged plan, shifted quickly to his back-right —
the very spot where the ball was supposed to land.
If he couldn't reach it in time, he'd let it bounce once and then field it cleanly before throwing to first.
Everything was calculated.
But as he prepared to make the play, confusion struck.
The ball… didn't go where he expected.
It landed right where he had originally been standing.
What?!
The second baseman slammed on the brakes and lunged back, but it was too late.
The ball had already hit the ground, bouncing cleanly past him.
"Thwack!"
"It went through!"
From the stands, Seidou's supporters erupted in cheers.
They didn't know exactly what had just happened — only that they had witnessed it clearly.
"Why did that second baseman from Arayashiki move away?"
"He could've easily stopped it if he just stayed put!"
On the field, frustration spread through Arayashiki High School's players.
Meanwhile, Zhou Hao had already sprinted safely to first base.
Facing the cheers from the stands, he offered only a faint, modest smile —
as if what he'd done was nothing special at all.
"One out, runner on first base."
At that moment, the players of Arayashiki High felt an odd bitterness.
Their mouths were dry, their stomachs twisted in discomfort.
What troubled them even more was the uncertainty gnawing in their minds.
Was that just a coincidence?
Or did Zhou Hao completely read our tactics?
On the mound, Uekusa unconsciously glanced toward first base.
A coincidence?
Judging by Zhou Hao's earlier performance, he highly doubted it.
"A terrifying first-year…"
The opponent hadn't just seen through their strategy — he'd struck directly at their weakness.
Still, Uekusa wasn't panicked.
He'd never believed that a single pitch could take down every opponent.
There would always be monsters beyond his reach — and Zhou Hao was one of them.
As long as he could handle the others, the result would be the same.
"Third batter, number three — first baseman, Yuki!"
With one out and a runner on first, Yuki Tetsuya stepped into the batter's box.
Facing Yuki, whose power was monstrous, Uekusa felt a familiar unease —
the same bad premonition as before.
But compared to Zhou Hao, he actually felt more composed.
He wound up and threw.
"Whoosh!"
The Arayashiki High School catcher narrowed his eyes.
Others might not understand, but as Uekusa's partner, he knew what his pitcher was thinking.
The stronger the batter, the more precise their swing —
and the more effective Uekusa's tricky pitches became.
Conversely, weaker batters with unstable swings could sometimes cause him trouble.
Of course, such cases were rare — otherwise, Uekusa wouldn't be their undeniable ace.
To most people, Yuki was a nightmare of a batter.
But for Uekusa, he was exactly the kind of opponent he could deal with most easily.
Just as that thought crossed the catcher's mind—
Yuki moved.
When still, he was as steady as a mountain.
But when he swung, he was like a thunderclap tearing through the sky.
"Boom!"
The sound of the bat cutting through the air made the catcher's breath hitch.
So strong!
A split-second later, the bat met the ball squarely.
"Ping!"
In an instant, the white baseball shot forward like a bolt of lightning.
The Arayashiki High School fielders reacted immediately, racing toward the predicted landing spot.
But against that blazing line drive, their movements looked painfully slow.
Before they could even reach halfway, the ball had already landed, bounced, and streaked past them.
"How… how is this possible?!"
The shortstop, who had been sprinting desperately, nearly had his eyes pop out.
He couldn't comprehend what had just happened — but the ball was already gone.
Zhou Hao sprinted all the way from first to third.
Yuki, judging the ball's trajectory, stayed safely on first.
"One out, runners on first and third!"