"This pitcher's style is very unique. If he doesn't unleash his full power, his pitches are easy to hit."
Takashima Rei knew she couldn't stop it anymore—so she could only join in and do what she could.
"Don't worry," Zhou Hao said calmly, eyes sharp. "That kid's already fired up. Even if he only has a hundred strength, he'll squeeze out one-twenty."
He understood Sawamura better than anyone here. At this moment, Sawamura had already decided to throw everything he had against Azuma Kiyokuni.
"Then let me see this 'quirky pitch' for myself!"
Though Sawamura always bragged about facing batters head-on with his so-called fastballs—Straight balls fired straight into the strike zone—he wasn't as reckless as he claimed. He could aim outside corners, but whenever he pitched away from the center, he unconsciously held back.
Yet when he pitched dead center with full force, his ball behaved differently—darting, wobbling, shifting within the zone. No matter how it moved, it never strayed out of the strike zone.
Zhou Hao lowered his mitt square in the middle. "Then right here."
Across the diamond, Azuma Kiyokuni loomed in the batter's box, a predator waiting for prey. If the ball came into his range, he would crush it without hesitation.
"Zhou Hao, just wait—you'll be crying soon! This kind of chance doesn't come often."
To him, Sawamura was an afterthought. His real target was Zhou Hao.
That casual dismissal stung. Sawamura's face darkened. He hadn't traveled all the way from Nagano to be ignored like a nobody.
Damn it… I'll show you!
He raised his leg high, body coiled with determination. The ball snapped from his fingers with a sharp whoosh.
The Seidou players frowned as soon as it left his hand. The speed—barely 130 km/h. Ordinary. Nothing special.
But then the pitch bent. Mid-flight, the ball twitched off its line, jerking unpredictably toward the mitt.
"Be careful!" Rei shouted.
If Zhou Hao misjudged it, the ball would smash straight into his chest protector.
Yet Zhou Hao's eyes glowed crimson. His Sharingan caught the smallest tremor in the ball's path. At the last moment, he slid his mitt and snatched it cleanly.
Thwack!
The crisp sound echoed. Sawamura's eyes lit up—he had never heard anyone catch his ball like that before. Perfect.
Confidence surged through him. If his quirky pitch felt this sharp, then even Azuma Kiyokuni couldn't stop him.
The big slugger narrowed his eyes. This wasn't just some countryside brat after all. Rei wouldn't have chased him down to Nagano if there wasn't something special about him.
"You punk," Azuma growled, gripping his bat. "This is the pitch you're proud of? Then let me show you what a real national-level swing looks like!"
But before he could strike, Zhou Hao cut in with a smirk.
"Azuma-senpai, you're not seriously planning to use the biggest metal bat against a middle school pitcher, are you? Isn't that a little… much?"
It was pure provocation, and Azuma knew it. But he couldn't brush it off.
"Don't flatter yourself. I don't need the biggest bat for the likes of you. This one's too light, that's all. Bring me one size heavier."
A teammate quickly handed him another bat. Azuma twirled it with a predator's grin.
Meanwhile, Zhou Hao replayed Sawamura's pitch in his Sharingan vision. The bizarre movement still shocked him—it was unlike anything he'd ever seen. This kid… was a natural monster.
"I've done what I can," Zhou Hao thought. "From here on… it's fate."
Sawamura had drawn the first strike. A good start.
Zhou Hao crouched again, flashing the next sign.
---------------
Support m at patréon com/DaoOfPeeking