At the plate, Sawamura adjusted his stance and looked up at Maki Yosuke.
With just one glance, he froze.
"W-What's going on? Isn't this a baseball game? Why does it feel like he wants to kill me?" Sawamura gulped.
Then, in true single-celled fashion, a thought flashed through his mind—
Hmph! Trying to intimidate me so I mess up? So you're scared of me, huh?!
Hehehe… has the name of Great Sawamura already spread this far?
Whoosh!
Thwack!
"Strike!"
"Eh?"
Sawamura blinked.
The ball was already in the catcher's mitt.
"Sawamura!! What the hell are you doing?!" Isashiki Jun roared from the dugout.
"Bastard! Why are you spacing out?!"
"Bakamura!"
A storm of scolding voices hit him instantly.
"Ahahaha… the pitch was just too good, even I couldn't react…"
He scratched his head awkwardly, trying to save face.
"Tsk, killing with words," Kanzaki Ryou muttered.
"If your theory is right, Maki's probably furious right now," Miyuki smirked.
And he was.
In Maki Yosuke's eyes, Sawamura's behavior was a direct insult.
Why… why can an idiot like him enter Seido… but I can't?!
His anger boiled violently beneath a calm exterior. Only his gaze grew colder.
Second pitch.
A wide outside curveball.
Whoosh!
Swish!
"Strike!"
"Woah—Die!!"
Sawamura jumped in shock.
That pitch moves way too much! No wonder Kominato-senpai struggled!
Maki's eyes turned even more disdainful.
What a disgraceful swing…
Third pitch.
A low fastball.
He expected another ugly miss—
But suddenly—
Thwack!
Sawamura bent slightly, placing the bat perfectly in front of the ball.
A soft bunt rolled cleanly toward third base.
The God of Bunting has arrived.
"Run!"
Sawamura sprinted toward first.
Maki Yosuke stared in disbelief.
How is that possible?!
That idiot… can bunt that cleanly?!
"Hahaha! Shocked, aren't you?"
"Sawamura's bunting is top-tier even at Seido!"
"Nice! He's on base—and he's fast too!"
Amid the chatter, Sawamura safely reached first and celebrated with Shirasu at second—an exaggerated air high-five.
Maki turned his head away, face dark.
If he kept looking, he might actually explode from anger.
Next up: Kuramochi Yoichi.
Second at-bat.
Two runners on base.
A clean hit here could mean bases loaded with no outs.
Kuramochi tightened his grip on the bat.
No bunting. No reckless swings.
A grounder could mean a double play.
He exhaled slowly, eyes locked on Maki.
Whoosh!!
First pitch—low outside fastball.
"Strike!"
Kuramochi clicked his tongue.
"No matter how many times I see it… it's still ridiculous."
But he wasn't aiming for the fastball.
He was waiting for the curve.
Second pitch—another fastball.
Swish!
Strike two.
Kuramochi grimaced deliberately.
The catcher hesitated.
What does he want to hit?
Third pitch—
A low inside curveball.
Whoosh!
Now!
Thwack!
"I got it!"
"Foul!"
"Damn it!"
Kuramochi froze mid-run.
Not only did he miss the hit—he exposed his plan.
Next pitch—
Outside fastball.
He had no choice but to swing.
Swish!
"Strikeout!"
"Lame."
"The speedster fizzled out."
Back in the dugout, Kanzaki and Miyuki didn't hold back.
"Go to hell, you two!" Kuramochi snapped, gulping down water before shouting, "Ryosuke-san! Hit it!"
Crack!
On cue, Kominato Ryosuke connected.
"Third base!!" the catcher shouted.
A straight shot—
Forced out! Maybe even a double play!
That's what everyone thought—
But—
The ball hit the ground in front of the third baseman and took a nasty hop!
It slipped past his glove!
"Run!!"
Shirasu dashed for third.
In the dugout, Sensen players groaned.
Unlucky bounce…
One out.
Bases loaded.
Isashiki Jun stepped in, eyes blazing.
The plan was clear: target the curveball.
Whoosh!
Thwack!
"RAAAH!!"
He smashed it cleanly past shortstop.
Shirasu scored!
Runners advanced!
Then—
Yuki Tetsuya stepped up.
Another clean hit.
Sawamura scored.
Still one out.
Bases loaded.
Then came the fifth batter—
Kanzaki Ryou.
By now, Seido had completely adapted.
Aside from the steep angle, Maki Yosuke had nothing left to surprise them.
His velocity?
Decent.
His power?
Average—by Seido standards.
Once they adjusted—
He was no longer a threat.
Whoosh!
Thwack!!!
A deafening crack echoed across the field.
The ball soared high—far—deep into the stands.
Grand slam.
Kanzaki Ryou didn't even look surprised as he jogged the bases.
Scoreboard—
10 : 0
In just one swing, the game was blown wide open.