Chapter 44: Seidou vs. Sensen (2)
Top of the 3rd inning ended with Kominato Ryousuke as the final batter—time to switch offense and defense.
Bottom of the 3rd, Rinichi was swapped out for Furuya.
Rinichi raised his right fist toward him. "You've got this."
Furuya paused, caught off guard, then bumped his own right fist against Rinichi's in return.
Miyuki blinked. "…Since when did those two get along?"
The other upperclassmen were also curious.
Rinichi headed to left field. Furuya stepped onto the mound.
...
"Still running this late? Don't overdo it. Want to pitch a little? I could try catching you. Don't be fooled by appearances—back in the day, I used to be a catcher."
Hearing that, Furuya slowed his jog. He glanced over—and there was Rinichi, grinning.
But he wasn't wearing any catching gear. "Don't worry. I'll be fine."
Furuya stayed silent.
He hadn't expected anyone besides Miyuki to be able to catch his pitches. The realization stirred something in him.
"Surprised?" Rinichi asked. "Nobody's ever caught your throws before?"
Furuya nodded just as Rinichi added, "Still… your control's really bad. That last one didn't even hit the strike zone."
Furuya: "…"
After that, whenever Furuya came out for late-night runs, Rinichi would sit nearby and watch.
The night after the Akikawa game, Rinichi griped about how trash their batting lineup was.
After the Yakushi match, he ranted about how only the #18 pitcher was worth anything on their team.
He could point out every weakness and explain exactly why the opposing team lost.
He clearly did his homework.
And just by listening to Rinichi talk, Furuya picked up a few things.
"I did the math—you'll definitely get to pitch against Sensen."
Furuya: "…"
Sure enough, just as Rinichi predicted, Coach Kataoka had announced that Furuya would take the mound for the Sensen game.
After that first time when Rinichi criticized his control, he never said another negative word about Furuya's pitching. He'd squat down and catch for him without comment. Furuya didn't even know if he was improving—there was no feedback.
He never asked Rinichi directly, either.
Then, on the morning of the Sensen match, Rinichi finally said:
"You'll probably throw a lot of bad pitches today. But with your velocity, they'll instinctively swing—so it'll turn into strikes. Walks don't matter. You've got the upperclassmen defending behind you. Just throw everything you've got—and learn from the game."
He sounded like a proper senpai for once.
Then he suddenly hesitated. "Sorry… Was I being too presumptuous?"
Furuya gave a small smile. "No."
...
"Eh? Seidou changed pitchers? Another first-year?"
The Sensen players all turned to look.
"If I remember right, this guy also throws 150 km/h fastballs. Seidou actually has two 150 km/h pitchers, and they're opposite-handed too?"
And this was the first time this one was appearing in the summer tournament. No one knew much about him.
"Strike!"
Miyuki caught Furuya's first pitch and froze slightly.
Better than he expected. He wasn't just throwing with brute force anymore. Chris-senpai must've worked hard with him. Furuya also looked different on the mound than he used to.
He couldn't put his finger on it, but something had changed.
"Strike!"
"Ball!"
"Strike! Batter out!"
…
"Walk!"
…
One out, two runners on.
"Out!"
…
"Strike! Batter out!"
Rough around the edges overall—but not terrible.
Sensen Coach stroked his chin. "He's got the same speed as their ace, but nearly no control…"
"You guys are swinging too early. Some of those were balls—but you turned them into strikes."
Sensen players: "…"
They knew that, of course—but a wild 150 km/h pitch is still terrifying. Hitting it takes sheer luck more than skill.
Occasionally, they'd get a hittable one.
Top of the 4th inning—switching sides again. Before stepping up, Coach Kataoka gathered everyone together.
"How's the opponent's pitching? Think you've got a handle on it?"
Masuko said, "Thanks to that fielding practice yesterday, I feel like I can connect better now."
Isashiki Jun adjusted his helmet. "The break on the curveball's a little odd—but manageable."
Yuuki Tetsuya added, "Let's go all-in when he throws his 'finisher' curve. Let's crush it."
Rinichi remained silent.
If it's him, hitting a home run shouldn't be a problem—he's clearly found his rhythm.
Hearing everyone say that, Coach Kataoka relaxed a little. "Keep your hits low and strong. Runners—be aggressive on the bases and seize every opportunity!"
"Yes, sir!"
"No matter how big the opponent is, if their footing slips, they'll fall. Got it?!"
That was followed by a loud, unified battle cry.
First up to bat was Isashiki Jun, shouting just as loudly as always in the batter's box.
He swung and missed the first two pitches. On the third, he hit a sharp line drive toward third base—but the Sensen third baseman caught it.
"Out!"
Rinichi: "…"
That didn't feel very promising.
"Fourth batter, first baseman—Yuuki."
Yuuki Tetsuya swung at the first pitch—and crushed it over third base into deep left field. A solid double.
Next was Masuko. He also made contact on the first pitch—a bunt toward third base. He reached first safely, and Yuuki advanced to third.
Rinichi tightened his grip on his glove, a smirk tugging at his lips. This was a good rhythm.
With runners now on first and third, it didn't really matter whether Miyuki got on base or not.
That's what he figured.
As Miyuki stepped into the batter's box, the Seidou brass band struck up their music.
Rinichi sat in the on-deck circle, bat on his shoulder.
Man, that music really made you envious.
To his surprise, Sensen decided to walk Miyuki intentionally—aiming for a double play from the loaded bases instead. It wasn't even pitching anymore—just gentle lobs.
"Four-ball walk!"
Rinichi hadn't expected that.
He stepped into the batter's box with the bases loaded.
"Let's go, Kamishiro!"
The Seidou crowd erupted with cheers.
Bases loaded… what a great feeling.
His eyes under the brim of the helmet were focused, paired with a faint, unreadable smile.
Surely they weren't planning to walk him too?
On the mound, Maki narrowed his eyes and delivered the pitch.
The Sensen catcher tensed up immediately.
This guy Kamishiro—he may be batting seventh, but he's a serious threat. Why did Maki—
Still, Maki went with his most trusted pitch: his curveball.
The catcher clenched his teeth.
If he misses, that's one thing…
But Rinichi connected. And not just connected—he launched it.
High. Far.
The catcher's mind went blank.
Gone… That was all he could think.
The ball soared over the fence.
"A home run! A grand slam! Seidou snatches four runs in one swing!" the commentator shouted, voice shaking with excitement.
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