"Out!"
The third-year senior from the Old-tirs Team had once been a substitute for Seidō's First-String. His strength didn't need further explanation—anyone could tell from his swing alone what kind of power he possessed. In an ordinary high school, he would easily be a cleanup hitter.
Yet such a player had been handled cleanly, eliminated the mont he stepped into the batter's box. Both the Old-tirs and the Freshn on the field stared in disbelief.
How was this possible?
If it had been Zhang Han on the mound, or one of the other well-known new pitchers, the reaction would've been normal. But Kawakami? Aside from a decent showing at the tryouts, he rarely demonstrated any special ability.
Unexpectedly, the mont he stood on the real mound, he was performing this well.
Even the two managers watching from the dugout were stunned.
"He dealt with Kada so easily… This Kawakami has excellent talent," Takashima Rei observed.
"You can't say that for sure," Manager Ōta replied modestly. "Miyuki's pitch-calling was sharp, and that inside low pitch is exactly the kind Kada struggles with…"
Even so, the relief on his face was impossible to hide.
"I forgot—this player was specially scouted by Manager Ōta. As expected, you really have an eye for talent."
"Oh—no, no," Ōta said, rubbing the back of his head.
Though he was the club manager and technically above her in position, this was still the Takashima family's school. And Rei was the young lady of that household. Receiving praise from her was a fortune in itself.
Even if it didn't raise his salary or change his position, in the future, if trouble ever ca, just a few words from Takashima Rei could turn a crisis into a blessing.
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At the very least, she could turn a big problem into a small one—perhaps even make it disappear entirely.
Rei nodded and shifted her gaze back onto the field.
The battle continued.
After losing one out, the Old-tirs were not going to back down easily.
"Ping!"
The No. 2 batter didn't bother observing Kawakami's pitching pattern. He swung at the very first ball.
"Swinging at the first pitch?"
The Freshn couldn't understand. Kawakami's earlier performance had been so solid. Normally, the upperclassn should take ti to watch a few pitches before adjusting.
But they had no intention of studying him. They were swinging with full intention to crush the ball.
As if Kawakami's pitching didn't concern them at all.
"Ping!"
The ball shot into a defensive gap.
"Nice hit!"
"That's it! Let's tie the score in one go!"
In the Old-tirs dugout, the seniors were shouting confidently. They too saw potential in Kawakami.
But only potential.
His control and ball movent were decent—but his velocity was slow.
Against such pitchers, they could simply wait longer before swinging.
One out, runner on first.
Behind the plate, Miyuki felt the pressure clearly. Even seniors who weren't First-String regulars were monsters. Among the second team alone, several players made him uneasy.
Facing a lineup of such beasts would crush most people ntally.
But not Miyuki.
Far from being shaken, his eyes were glowing with excitent. It was only when facing opponents like this that the ga beca interesting.
"Whoosh!"
Kawakami pitched again. The senior on first base exploded into motion—stealing second without hesitation.
Against freshn, the seniors had zero fear.
They acted without hesitation, without caution, almost instinctively. Even if the Freshn prepared, the odds of stopping such a runner were low.
The Freshn's faces stiffened with worry. They believed the situation was hopeless.
Except Miyuki.
"Thwack!"
The mont he caught the pitch, Miyuki was already rising to his feet, launching the ball toward second in a single fluid motion.
"So fast!"
The ball turned into a streak of white, cutting across the field.
Kuramochi, perfectly prepared, received it right above the base.
The baserunner slid in. Kuramochi dropped his glove cleanly in front of the foot.
"Thwack!"
"Out!!"
Two outs. Bases empty.
Another brilliant play—this ti by Miyuki and Kuramochi.
The incoming rookies were shining. Zhang Han had blasted a ho run. Miyuki had shut down the upperclassn's running ga.
And the Old-tirs still had not scored.
"Out!"
Three outs. Changeover.
After two innings, the score remained 2–0.
Although the Old-tirs managed three hits, Miyuki's superb handling prevented even a single run from crossing ho.
Two full innings. The Freshn led by two.
The New School Teammates' montum was real.
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