"Kid, I heard your pitching speed is pretty fast! Let me see it for myself! I won't go easy on you!!"
Azuma spoke with his usual bold and energetic tone.
Among the third-year players of Seidou High's baseball team, quite a few were big fans of this senior.
Hearing Azuma's confident declaration, their morale soared.
Especially the mustached senior.
"Get ready to experience true terror, Furuya!"
Of course, there were also those in Seidou's lineup who were simply excited to watch the showdown unfold.
There was no doubt about Azuma's strength.
But none of them had forgotten just how terrifying Furuya was.
Even if his opponent was the monstrous Azuma, they firmly believed that Furuya would emerge victorious.
"Come on! I can't wait to see what you've got!!"
The spectators, including their coach, all watched with eager anticipation.
Furuya took a deep breath.
Standing on the mound, he could now feel it even more clearly than before.
It was terrifying.
Watching from the sidelines was completely different from actually facing him.
Standing on the mound, he could fully sense Azuma's overwhelming presence—like a slumbering volcano, ready to erupt at any moment.
And more than likely, that eruption would occur the instant he released the pitch.
"He's so strong!!"
It was a completely different sensation from facing Raichi, Yuuki, or Harada…
This was raw, unfiltered power, straight from his physical strength alone!
"What's wrong? Are you too scared to throw? Hurry up and pitch!"
Azuma had been waiting for several seconds.
But Furuya, standing on the mound, seemed to be hesitating, frozen in place.
This naturally irritated his opponent.
"Don't tell me you're thinking of begging for mercy? Even if you do, I won't let you off easy!!"
Seeing Furuya remain motionless, Seidou's former cleanup hitter finally lost his patience.
Hearing his words, Miyuki, crouched behind home plate, felt his heart skip a beat.
"Now he's done it…"
If Furuya had any reservations before, it was likely because he was facing a respected senior.
After all, Azuma was currently dealing with some struggles in his professional career.
If Furuya dominated him too decisively, it could cast a shadow over Azuma's confidence.
For a rookie who had just entered the pros and barely played any games, such an experience could leave a lasting scar on his career.
Furuya was a sharp and considerate player.
It wasn't in his nature to deliberately put his senior in such an awkward situation.
But now that Azuma was provoking him so aggressively, the circumstances had completely changed.
Even if Furuya had planned to hold back, that was no longer an option.
Nothing triggered young men more than a direct challenge.
"What's wrong? Are you not up to it?"
For teenage boys, just a few words could be devastating.
And what Azuma had just said was far harsher than just a few words.
Almost everyone watching could tell—Furuya was furious.
He didn't make any exaggerated movements, but just by looking at his eyes, it was clear.
The fire inside him had been completely ignited.
And once that fire started burning, he would never let his opponent off easily.
Raising his leg high, then stomping down hard!
Even in his pitching stance, Furuya's presence was overwhelming.
Azuma, standing in the batter's box, immediately dropped his previous casual attitude.
It seemed he had miscalculated.
This underclassman wasn't hesitating because he was afraid to pitch.
He was simply considering how to approach this at-bat—how much of his strength he should use against his senior.
"Looks like my junior underestimated me!!"
Surprisingly, Azuma wasn't upset by the situation at all.
What he wanted to see was Seidou's younger players carrying themselves with the same bold confidence.
The better they performed, the happier he was.
And right now, his eyes narrowed in concentration.
His entire focus locked onto the incoming pitch.
Boom!!
The moment the ball left Furuya's hand, Azuma felt as if an unknown beast was charging straight at him.
"So fast!!!"
Just as that thought flashed through his mind—
The ball had already flown past him.
"Pop!"
"Strike!!"
Miyuki, crouched behind the plate, instinctively smirked.
The moment he heard Azuma's taunt, he knew there was no way Furuya—who took great pride in himself—would hold back.
And now, his prediction was spot on.
With just one pitch—
Furuya had unleashed his full velocity.
Around the field, the spectators were left speechless.
It wasn't their first time seeing Furuya pitch.
They were his teammates, the ones who practiced with him every day.
If anyone understood just how terrifying Furuya was, it was them.
Originally, they thought no pitch from Furuya would ever surprise them.
After all, this was Furuya—someone they believed could do anything.
But when that pitch actually flew past—
Their eyes still widened in shock.
"Was that even faster than before?"
"We don't have a radar gun!"
"Damn, we should've brought one out!"
Frustration filled the dugout.
From their perspective, that pitch might have shattered Furuya's previous records.
Unfortunately, they had no way to confirm it.
"By the way, did anyone else feel like his pitch carried even more intensity than usual?"
"Probably because Azuma provoked him. I mean, who wouldn't be fired up after being called out like that?"
The teammates exchanged their thoughts.
But Miyuki, still in his catcher's stance, had a completely different idea.
He knew that pitch was incredible.
But he didn't believe it was just because Furuya was angry.
Sure, Furuya was definitely pissed—
But he hadn't let his emotions interfere with his pitch.
Maybe it was because of all the training and advice they had drilled into him beforehand.
Although Azuma's words were harsh, Furuya wasn't affected by them.
He accepted his senior's imperfections with surprising calmness.
Even if he felt some anger, at most, he would just ignore Azuma—it wasn't in his nature to act out over something like this.
The reason his pitching felt so terrifying at this moment wasn't due to any of the wild speculations from the others.
There was only one real reason.
"He's gotten stronger!"
Even though they spent every day together, Furuya's progress was still clearly visible.
"In just a few short weeks during this summer tournament, he's already reached a whole new level."
It wasn't quite a complete transformation.
Unlike Sawamura, whom they could say had completely reinvented himself, Furuya was always viewed as a monster from the start.
And now, that monster had become even more terrifying!
"Senpai!"
Miyuki glanced at Azuma in the batter's box—he was almost frozen in place.
"How will you respond to this?"
Even as a professional player, Azuma had to be shocked and frustrated by what he was facing.
And indeed, cold sweat trickled down Azuma's forehead.
But—
"Bring it on!!"
Shocked as he was, Azuma's pride as Seidou's former cleanup hitter wouldn't allow him to back down.
After regaining his composure, he lifted his chin with confidence and locked eyes with Furuya.
This freshman, his junior's junior's junior…
Had just thrown a pitch more terrifying than some professional pitchers he had faced.
"That last pitch had to be well over 150 km/h… No warm-up, yet he can casually throw at this speed? Is he really just a first-year high school student?"
Azuma wasn't the only one who had these thoughts.
Many coaches and players who had faced Seidou before had asked themselves the same question.
And before he could fully process it—
Furuya fired his second pitch without hesitation.
Boom!
If the first pitch was fast, this one was even faster.
The ball sliced through the air, emitting a terrifying screech.
It came straight down the middle of the strike zone.
Azuma gritted his teeth and swung his bat with everything he had.
"Don't look down on me!"
As he swung, his bat tore through the air with an equally powerful sound.
"Boom!!!"
Seidou's players, watching from the sidelines, were stunned.
None of them expected Azuma to step up his batting in the middle of the confrontation.
His swing—both in power and rhythm—was significantly stronger than before.
"Unbelievable!"
"He can still fight back in this situation? That's Azuma-senpai for you!!"
The spectators were in awe.
But even so—
Azuma still couldn't make contact.
"Pop!"
"Strike!!"
The count was now 0-2.
The batter was cornered.
Azuma's swing was full of momentum.
But as long as he didn't make contact, it was meaningless.
"Again!!"
With a determined look in his eyes, Azuma refused to back down.
He was serious now.
On the mound, Furuya also seemed fully prepared.
With a powerful stance, he unleashed another pitch.
Boom!!
The third pitch looked even more ferocious than the previous two.
Three pitches—each one faster than the last.
The watching players were completely dumbfounded.
"He's gotten even stronger!!!"
Just as that thought formed in their minds, Azuma suddenly moved.
"Fly out of here!!!"
This time, he put every ounce of strength into his swing.
Ping!!
And this time, luck was on his side—he actually made contact!
Even though he didn't hit it squarely, he still managed to send the ball flying.
The white baseball shot up into the sky.
Dozens of eyes locked onto its trajectory.
They watched as it traced a beautiful arc before descending.
"Pop!"
The ball landed on the field and bounced away.
"Yes!!"
Azuma let out a long breath of relief.
Meanwhile, Seidou's players exchanged puzzled glances.
They struggled to find the right words.
Even Azuma's biggest supporter, Jun Isashiki, hesitated for a long moment before muttering under his breath—
"An infield pop-up…"
Other teams might not realize it.
But if this had happened during a Seidou game, there was no question—it would have been an easy out.
Unless something unexpected happened, like an injury—
They were 100% confident they could catch that ball.
Was this really something worth celebrating?
On the mound, Furuya frowned slightly.
"Let's go again, Senpai!!!"
Seeing the determined look in Furuya's eyes, Azuma's expression shifted.
"Oh… right, I just remembered—I've got other things to take care of. That's enough for today, kid! Keep working hard, I'll come back to coach you another time."
With that, Azuma turned and left.
Coach Kataoka signaled the team to continue practice.
Tomorrow was the championship game—there was no time to waste.
He personally walked Azuma to his ride.
As Azuma climbed into the truck, Kataoka finally spoke.
"Tomorrow's the finals for your juniors. I thought you'd say something to them."
Even though Azuma never made it to Koshien, he was still an idol to many of Seidou's players.
If he had given them a few words of encouragement, it surely would have meant a lot.
Hearing this, Azuma leaned out of the window and gave a wry smile.
"That kid threw three straight fastballs—dead center. There's no way they're losing tomorrow!"
Furuya had given it his all.
He wasn't holding back.
But every pitch he threw was a straight fastball right down the middle.
Unless you were the one standing in the batter's box, it was impossible to tell.
Three consecutive fastballs, all right down the middle?
Hearing this, Kataoka couldn't help but smile.
"Last year, I'm sorry we couldn't take you to Koshien. But this year—that regret won't happen again!"
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