"Ha—hahahahaha!"
"A grounder?!"
"I'm dying—!"
"Look at Furuya, his face is completely red!"
"He's so cute!"
The entire stadium burst into laughter after Furuya's first pitch bounced halfway to the plate.
On the mound, Furuya wished the earth would swallow him whole.
In Seidou's dugout, Kanzaki Ryou sprayed out the water he had just taken a sip of.
"Wait—why is he digging grounders? Isn't that Sawamura's specialty? Since when did you steal that move?!"
Beside him, Coach Kataoka's stern expression twitched slightly.
He understood what had happened.
Furuya had intentionally tried to ease off his power — to pitch with control instead of brute force. But whether due to inexperience or the oppressive heat, he had relaxed too much. The result? A pitch with almost no drive behind it.
Still… the fact that he was thinking was progress.
When he first joined Seidou, Furuya only knew how to throw at maximum power. Now he was trying to adjust.
That was growth.
"Hahaha! Gourd-Teeth dug a grounder! See? He's hopeless! Coach, let me pitch!"
Sawamura laughed wildly, shamelessly promoting himself.
Coach Kataoka glanced at him and said nothing.
Back on the Field
Miyuki calmly retrieved the ball and threw it back to the mound.
Furuya, still flushed with embarrassment, began taking deep breaths — copying Sawamura's routine to reset himself.
Once his breathing steadied, Miyuki gave the sign.
Low outside fastball.
Furuya nodded.
This time — focus.
He delivered with controlled effort.
Slap!
"Strike!"
Perfectly tucked into the outside corner.
The batter hadn't moved.
Miyuki's eyes sharpened.
No swing at outside. No reaction at inside either earlier.
Are they…
Letting all borderline pitches go?
Next pitch — low inside fastball.
The batter didn't swing.
"Ball!"
Miyuki inhaled sharply.
So that's it.
They're betting on Furuya's control.
If he throws enough edge pitches, eventually he'll miss. And with today's heat affecting him, the odds increase.
It was a logical strategy.
Under normal conditions, Miyuki wouldn't rely heavily on corners with Furuya anyway. His control, while improved, wasn't elite.
And today?
He was probably operating at 80%.
If Akikawa forced him into the heart of the strike zone, things could get dangerous.
Fine.
If they want something hittable—
Let's give them something deceptive.
Forkball
Miyuki signaled: forkball, slightly below center.
Furuya blinked.
Now?
But he trusted Miyuki.
He nodded.
On Akikawa's bench, their coach leaned forward.
"As expected, the first-year's control is unstable. Our chance is coming."
You Shunshin frowned slightly.
"Don't forget who's catching. That's Miyuki Kazuya."
Furuya threw.
The forkball dipped — slightly higher than ideal, but still in the zone.
Hashimoto finally committed.
Bang!
The bat clipped the upper half of the ball.
It smashed into the dirt and bounced high over Furuya's head.
For a split second, chaos.
"Second base!" Miyuki shouted.
Kominato Haruichi charged in, fielded smoothly, pivoted, and fired to first.
Slap!
"Out!"
Furuya exhaled quietly.
That forkball had scared him. The release point felt off.
But it worked.
In the dugout, Kanzaki glanced at the speed gun.
"Top speed so far? 146 km/h."
Chris nodded.
"He's holding back deliberately. He learned from the last practice games."
Sawamura suddenly appeared behind them.
"Haha! Furuya, have you finally grasped the essence of baseball? I've understood teamwork for ages!"
Kanzaki sighed.
This guy just wanted innings so badly it hurt.
"Keep shouting and I'll punch you," someone muttered.
"Ehehe, sorry!"
Sawamura immediately hid behind Coach Kataoka.
Two Outs
Now facing Shiratori.
Count: two balls, two strikes.
Furuya delivered.
Miyuki's eyes widened.
Too sweet.
CRACK!
The ball soared high toward left field.
"Left field!!" Miyuki shouted.
Sakai Ichiro sprinted back, tracking the arc.
Too far?
At the last moment, he launched himself forward —
Glove extended —
Snatch!
Diving catch.
"Out!"
The stadium erupted.
"What a play!!"
"So cool!"
Sakai, who rarely saw playing time, delivered brilliantly when it mattered.
On the mound, Furuya exhaled deeply.
When the ball left the bat, he thought it was a guaranteed hit.
But his teammate erased the mistake.
Reliable.
He turned and gave Sakai a small nod of thanks.
Two outs.
One batter left in the inning.
You Shunshin stepped toward the batter's box once again.
Miyuki turned his head slowly to face him.
The real duel… was about to begin.