Bang!
The baseball shot straight into the catcher's mitt.
The instant he saw it, Ushijima Wakatoshi pressed the stopwatch.
He glanced at the ti—but said nothing.
When the second pitch ca, he tid it again.
Two pitches.
Two asurents.
Just as the third pitch was delivered, Kuramochi swung.
Crack!
The ball bounced off the bat and rolled toward the infield.
The mont contact was made, Kuramochi dropped his bat and sprinted toward first base.
His acceleration was explosive.
By the ti the pitcher fielded the ball and turned to throw—
Kuramochi had already stepped safely onto first.
"Yehahaha~!"
Standing on base, Kuramochi flashed a smug grin.
He could feel it.
Ichidai San High's ace pitcher already seed a little strained.
On the mound, Manaka Kana spat to the side, irritation flashing across his face.
Letting the leadoff batter reach base was never a good feeling.
In Seido's dugout, Ushijima spoke calmly.
"1.35 seconds."
Miyuki, standing beside him, frowned.
"Why are you timing that?"
"Do you know Kuramochi-senpai's ti to reach base?" Ushijima asked.
The dugout fell silent.
Yuki thought for a mont.
"4.18 seconds?"
"That's his ti from ho to first," Ushijima corrected.
"What I'm asking is—does anyone know how long it takes him to run from first to second?"
Even Coach Kataoka didn't answer.
Clearly, no one had ever asured it.
"3.20 seconds."
Ushijima stated the number plainly.
"So what?" Miyuki still didn't get it.
"3.20 seconds minus 1.35 seconds equals what?"
"1.85 seconds." Yuki answered instinctively.
Ushijima nodded.
"Now here's the key question."
"You've played against Ichidai San High before."
"How do you think their catcher's throwing speed compares to yours, Miyuki-senpai, when stopping a steal?"
That made everyone freeze.
After a mont, they answered together:
"Your arm is stronger."
Ushijima continued.
"Then do you know how long it takes Miyuki-senpai to throw from ho plate to second base?"
No one replied.
"1.89 seconds."
He laid it out clearly.
"Let's use Miyuki-senpai as the benchmark."
"Manaka Kana takes 1.35 seconds from pitching motion to the ball entering the mitt."
"If the catcher were Miyuki-senpai, his throw to second takes 1.89 seconds."
"Total: 3.24 seconds."
"Kuramochi-senpai reaches second in 3.20 seconds."
A razor-thin margin.
"But—Ichidai San High's catcher isn't Miyuki-senpai."
"Their arm is weaker."
"So their full-power throw to second takes around 2.0 seconds."
"1.35 plus 2.0 equals 3.35 seconds."
"With Kuramochi-senpai's speed—"
"He can steal successfully."
The dugout stared at Ushijima in disbelief.
To most people, 0.15 seconds ant nothing.
But in baseball—
It ant everything.
"And stealing bases doesn't just gain ground," Ushijima added.
"It also disrupts the pitcher's rhythm."
"My own ti from first to second is 3.05 seconds."
"With Kuramochi-senpai and against this battery—"
"To put it bluntly, we can steal freely."
"As long as we reach first, we can steal all the way to third."
"And once we're on third—"
"With our speed and footwork—"
"A soft bunt rolling toward first base is enough to send us ho."
Everyone looked at him like they were staring at a monster.
Just by timing two pitches—
He had mapped out an entire offensive system.
"Then we'll test it."
Coach Kataoka finally spoke.
He raised his hand and signaled to Kuramochi on first base.
Kuramochi froze.
"A steal? Now?"
In the batter's box, Kominato also saw the sign.
The instruction was clear—
Don't swing. Put pressure on the pitcher.
Kominato nodded slightly.
On first base, Kuramochi began to move restlessly.
He didn't understand why the coach wanted him to steal.
In his mind, Kominato-senpai could easily advance him with a hit.
But an order was an order.
On the mound, Manaka Kana began his pitching motion.
The mont Kuramochi saw the pitcher's foot turn—
No pickoff.
He exploded forward.
"Steal!!!" the first baseman shouted.
Hearing the warning, Manaka panicked and released the pitch early.
The ball sailed high.
Snap!
The catcher caught it cleanly and instantly pulled it from his mitt.
He spun and threw with all his strength toward second base.
Kuramochi was flying.
Before the ball reached the second baseman's glove—
His foot slamd onto the bag.
Safe.
"Ya hahaha~!"
The crowd erupted.
"He stole second on the first pitch?!"
"As expected of Seido's fastest legend!"
"That speed is insane!"
The stadium buzzed with excitent.
What shocked everyone wasn't just the steal—
It was how easily Seido did it.
Now, the leadoff batter stood in scoring position.
In the dugout, Ushijima checked his stopwatch.
"2.10 seconds."
"0.1 seconds slower than predicted."
"Total ti: 3.45 seconds."
"Kuramochi-senpai and I can reach base almost without resistance."
"And now the pitcher's focus will split."
"If I had to predict—Manaka's pitch ti will increase to around 1.45 seconds."
"That gives 3.55 seconds total."
"With Kominato-senpai, Isashiki-senpai, and Yuki-senpai speed."
"They can steal too."
Everyone in Seido swallowed.
This wasn't analysis anymore.
It was surgical dissection.
Coach Kataoka's eyes burned as he raised his hand again—
And signaled to Kuramochi.
On second base, Kuramochi's eyes widened.
"W-What?! Still stealing?!"
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