The Coach decision to move Kanzaki Ryou to the fifth spot proved to be brilliant. With this arrogant kid behind him, no school would dare to intentionally walk Azuma Kiyokuni again.
On the pitcher's mound, Manaka Kaname frowned. Trying to retire Azuma Kiyokuni, he threw the ball to the edges of the strike zone—
but the umpire called it a ball.
Realizing today's strike zone would be extremely strict, he couldn't afford to gamble on borderline pitches.
Ichidai Third's battery grew more cautious. Soon, the second pitch came: a straight ball inside, brushing near the chest.
Azuma Kiyokuni locked onto it and swung decisively—
Smack!
"Strike!"
One ball, one strike.
The third pitch was a high-speed curveball, sharp and tricky.
Azuma roared and swung—
Crack!
The sweet spot hit the ball dead center.
Whoosh!
The ball flew low and straight—not high enough for a home run, but fast enough to land cleanly.
Yuki sprinted toward Second, and Azuma reached First Base safely.
Two outs. Runners on first and second.
Ichidai Third suddenly felt cornered.
"Kanzaki!!"
A thunderous cheer exploded. With the third and fourth batters both on base, the fans believed their fifth batter—
Kanzaki Ryou—
would not disappoint.
In the stands, Kanzaki Kumiko and her older sister Mami jumped to their feet, waving wildly.
Kumiko had already been snapping photos nonstop of her brother's flawless pitching. Now that he stepped into the batter's box, she turned into a full-on fangirl:
"Onii-chan, ganbatte!!!!"
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Kanzaki's practice swings sliced through the air like wind blades, the sound reaching the catcher.
Manaka Kaname stared at him intensely.
This first-year…
This monster had once hit a home run off him.
Taking a deep breath, Manaka steadied himself.
The pitch flew.
Kanzaki swung—
Bang!
A foul ball down the line.
"Foul!"
Kanzaki exhaled. That outside high-speed curveball had a vicious drop. If he hadn't pulled it foul, it would've been an easy groundout.
The catcher nodded. He would use that pitch later.
Second pitch: a straight ball outside. Kanzaki didn't swing.
"Ball!"
One ball, one strike.
Kanzaki tilted his head. Two outside pitches in a row…
This catcher is predictable.
The third pitch came—
Kanzaki recognized it instantly.
His bat carved a powerful arc—
BAAAANG!!!
A high-speed inside curveball was destroyed, blasted deep toward left field!
Dropping his bat, Kanzaki took off for First Base.
Yuki and Azuma advanced rapidly, and Kanzaki reached First Base safely.
The stadium trembled.
"Kanzaki!!"
"Seidou!!"
"Ni-chan!!!"
Kumiko's shrill scream echoed above all others. Kanzaki turned at First Base and waved toward the stands.
"Yay!! Big Brother saw me!" Kumiko bounced in excitement.
At the plate, Tanaka Wataru stepped into the batter's box.
His mission was simple—
Bring the runners home. Score.
The three runners stared at him intensely. Kanzaki even gestured directly—
Hit it my way. I don't care if I'm out. Just send Yuki-senpai home.
Tanaka nodded. His batting was steady. In past Seidou vs. Ichidai matchups, both sides relied on heavy offense.
But this time was different.
Seidou could still score off Manaka Kaname.
Ichidai Third, however… would find scoring against Kanzaki Ryou nearly impossible.
The pitch came.
Tanaka chose not to swing.
"Strike!"
The second pitch came—a high-speed curveball.
Tanaka lowered himself, stepped forward, and swept his bat along the bottom of the zone—
Bang!
A sharp grounder tore toward First Base, slipping past Ichidai Third's infield!
uki exploded from Third Base, sprinting at full speed.
"YUKI! RUN!!"
"AAAAAAAH!!!"
Seidou's fans screamed wildly.
Ichidai Third responded like veterans—the fielder scooped the ball and hurled it to First Base.
If they got Tanaka out, Yuki's run wouldn't count.
Yuki dove.
Tanaka sprinted.
Both plays happened almost simultaneously—
The baseball slammed into the First Base mitt
at the exact moment Yuki's fingers touched home plate.
"SAFE!!!"
Yuki had left early and sprinted with all his strength.
The run counted.
Seidou 1 – Ichidai Third 0.
As the bottom of the first inning ended, Yuki's heartbeat pounded.
If Tanaka's hit had been just a little closer to third, scoring would've been impossible.
But they had done it.
And in a battle between national powerhouses, one run could change destiny.