The second inning wasn't even over yet, but Sensen High School was already down by ten runs.
It felt unreal.
This was nothing like what they had expected. Maki Yosuke's pitching shouldn't have been this fragile—yet in front of Seido's lineup, it looked like paper, easily torn apart. Almost every batter could get a hit.
On the sidelines, Coach Ukai Kazuyoshi stood with his hands clasped tightly behind his back, eyes fixed on Maki.
From that inning alone, it was obvious—Maki was rattled.
Was it because of Seido?
He had hoped facing such a powerhouse would ignite Maki's fighting spirit…
But instead, it had pushed him too far.
He was overheated.
Meanwhile, in Seido's dugout—
Kanzaki Ryou had just returned after circling the bases, bringing in four runs.
The moment he stepped in, he was surrounded.
"Forty!!!"
"Forty home runs!!"
From the stands, Seido fans roared in unison.
"That's insane—forty already!"
"That's even faster than Yuuki-senpai!"
"At this rate, fifty by the end of summer is guaranteed!"
"I can't even imagine his final total by third year…"
The chatter went on endlessly.
Kanzaki simply smiled, clearly pleased.
With his batting improving, his home run efficiency was even higher than last year.
That was also why Coach Kataoka kept him in the lineup every game—even when he wasn't pitching. Building his batting record now would only help his future.
"Just luck," Kanzaki said, waving it off.
"Being too modest isn't a good thing," Yuki Tetsuya replied calmly.
Kanzaki chuckled.
"This isn't just me. It's because you guys keep getting on base and putting pressure on pitchers. Otherwise, I'd be walked all the time. I wouldn't even get the chance to swing."
The others exchanged smiles.
A strong Ace was great but an Ace who acknowledged his teammates?
That made it even better.
While they talked, Miyuki had already been put out and returned to the dugout.
"Kazuya, what was that?" Isashiki Jun complained. "You killed our momentum."
Miyuki scratched his head awkwardly.
"Bad luck. Hit it right at someone."
After him, Arima Kazusa stepped up for his second at-bat but still couldn't get on base.
Facing Maki's steep-angle pitches, he managed contact several times, but none of them carried far enough.
When he returned, Kanzaki patted his shoulder.
"Don't rush. You're just lacking a bit of power and swing speed right now. You'll get there."
"…Yes." Arima nodded firmly.
As a first-year, watching Kanzaki who had already piled up home runs since last year he knew he still had a long road ahead.
"Don't worry, little Arima," Masuko Toru added with a grin. "I'll treat you to pudding later."
As fellow third basemen, Masuko didn't mind at all that Arima was starting today. Letting first-years gain experience was normal.
Still, seeing his junior struggle, he wanted to help somehow…
Even if all he could offer was pudding.
Bottom of the second inning.
Sensen's offense.
They had started adjusting to Sawamura's pitching. Balls were being put into play, and runners began to appear on base.
Soon—
Two outs.
Runner on third.
Miyuki studied the batter carefully.
Two consecutive outside fastballs had already been thrown—one swing and miss, one foul.
Time for an inside pitch?
No… the batter would expect that.
Instead—
Miyuki set his mitt low and outside.
Cutter. Edge of the zone.
Sawamura inhaled deeply, his focus razor-sharp.
The presence of his friends and his childhood friend in the stands…
Didn't shake him at all.
Whoosh!
The ball shot forward.
The batter swung immediately—
Inside?!
Wrong guess!
Pop!
"Strike!"
"Strikeout!"
Two scoreless innings.
Sawamura had completely shut down Sensen's scoring chance.
"Nice work," Miyuki said, slinging an arm around his shoulders. "You're starting to look like an Ace."
"Eh?! Really?!" Sawamura's eyes sparkled. "Can I already be the Ace?!"
Miyuki laughed.
"I just complimented you. Don't get ahead of yourself."
Then his tone turned serious.
"First, master your control. Then add at least two reliable breaking balls. With your current speed, if you stay like this, you'll get figured out quickly."
Sawamura nodded rapidly.
"Are we developing the late-breaking pitch next?"
"You're rushing again."
Miyuki shook his head.
With pitchers like Kanzaki, Tanba, and Kawakami ahead of him, Sawamura had time.
No need to rush growth.
Back in the dugout—
"Sawamura."
"YES! BOSS! HERE! GENERAL!!"
Coach Kataoka stood before him, expression firm.
"Good performance. From here on…"
"I'm entrusting everything to you."
A heavy silence fell.
Even Kanzaki was momentarily surprised.
Kawakami quickly understood.
With a 10–0 lead, the game might end early in five innings.
If they followed the original plan, there wouldn't even be enough innings for both him and Furuya to pitch.
So—
The responsibility shifted.
Furuya, standing nearby, radiated resentment like a dark aura.
In the quiet dugout, Sawamura's breathing became audible.
This responsibility—
Came too suddenly.
"Hey, what's wrong?" someone teased.
"Nervous?"
"Our rookie's freezing up?"
"Too big a task for a first-year, huh?"
Laughter spread.
Sawamura's face flushed red.
Then—
He lifted his head.
His eyes locked onto Coach Kataoka's.
No hesitation.
No retreat.
"I can do it!"