Chapter 182: Get Some Points First

Just as the spectators were reluctantly preparing to accept a four-pitch walk, Kitamura Kou—who had been motionless like a statue since the start of the at-bat—suddenly came alive.

He stepped in and swung his bat with all his strength toward the incoming ball.

Sato Toshiya, who had been closely watching every subtle movement, felt a surge of excitement rise in his chest.

He finally moved?

"The quality of this pitch from Sakuraba-kun is excellent," Sato thought, his eyes narrowing in delight. "Even I'm not confident I could hit it cleanly. Looks like we still have a chance to handle this troublesome opponent."

Clang!

The ball struck the bat's thinner contact point with a sharp, metallic crack.

The impact was so close that the ball passed within ten centimeters of Kitamura Kou's fingers. A slight misjudgment, and it could have crushed his hand. In that case, this game wouldn't even need to continue—Yakushi High School could have been forced to forfeit on the spot.

But Sato Toshiya saw everything clearly. His excitement only grew.

Kitamura's smooth, compact swing was instantly distorted by the impact. His form twisted under the force, clearly disrupted at contact.

Under normal circumstances, this would have been nothing more than a weak, broken hit—something lucky to even reach the infield, let alone threaten the outfield.

But then—

The ball exploded off the bat like a charged railgun blast, shooting toward center field with terrifying speed and power, slightly drifting toward left-center.

It cut through the air in a straight, violent line, producing a piercing whistle—as if it might tear the air itself apart.

For a brief moment, the entire stadium held its breath.

Some spectators clenched their fists so tightly their palms were drenched in sweat. Others stared wide-eyed, silently praying as the ball soared away.

The Kaidou outfielders reacted instantly, sprinting to cut it off.

"Go through!"

"Cut it off!"

But Sato Toshiya's expression slowly froze.

The ball pierced through the infield defense like a streak of white lightning, not slowing even for an instant as it raced into the outfield.

It shot past Kusano, who was sprinting at full speed.

Thud!

A heavy impact rang out as the ball slammed into the center-field scoreboard, finally stopping its forward momentum.

And then, silence—followed by shock.

If one looked closely at the point of impact, an unbelievable sight appeared.

The once-smooth scoreboard now showed dense, spiderweb-like cracks spreading outward from a single indentation. The fractures branched in every direction, as if the surface itself could no longer contain the force behind the hit.

It was easy to imagine just how terrifying the power behind Kitamura Kou's swing truly was.

"It… it's gone! A home run!"

The announcer's voice exploded across the stadium.

"The fourth pitch from Kaidou High School's left-field ace killer, Sakuraba, has been launched over the fence by Kitamura Kou! What a monstrous hit! Yakushi High School strikes first!"

The stadium erupted.

"This is it! This is what we came to see!"

"A home run off the scoreboard right away! If the pitcher cracks from this, it's over!"

"Next is the cleanup hitter, Todoroki Raichi! Will he make it back-to-back home runs?!"

In the stands, Todoroki Raizo grinned so widely it looked like his mouth might split his face.

"Heh… heh heh… this is what happens when you don't walk him," he muttered gleefully. "A deep pitching staff? We'll just crush them until they run out of arms."

Meanwhile, Sato Toshiya watched the batter round the bases, his eyes burning with excitement, agitation, and an almost violent competitive spirit.

"A line drive… all the way to the scoreboard in center field?" he murmured. "What kind of swing is that?"

A faint grin formed at the corner of his mouth.

"He really is a monster."

"Goro… your perspective was too narrow. You can't understand something like this unless you're standing on the Koshien stage yourself."

"I hope you don't regret underestimating him."

Even as Sakuraba tried to maintain composure on the mound, Sato's sharp eyes caught every subtle crack in his mental state.

Nothing escaped him.

"Umpire, I request a timeout."

Without hesitation, he stood up and called for time.

"Sakuraba-senpai," Sato said calmly as he approached, smiling gently. "There's nothing wrong with your pitching. Getting hit for a home run just means we underestimated his strength. The important thing now is to reset—one out at a time. Remember… there's still another monster waiting ahead."

His tone was warm, almost soothing, like a spring breeze.

"Don't worry, Sakuraba," Chisato Masato added with a grin, patting his shoulder. "We'll get that run back immediately."

"That's right. Our offense doesn't lose to anyone."

Sakuraba took a deep breath, steadying himself.

"...I'm not that fragile," he said quietly. "I won't break from just one first-year. I'll handle the next batters. The rest is on you guys."

Smiles returned to the team as they took their positions once more.

The game resumed.

During Kaidou's timeout, Akiba Kazuma took the opportunity to speak briefly with Kitamura Kou.

"How was the pitcher?"

Kitamura adjusted his grip slightly.

"He's got excellent control. There are basically no easy pitches. Good thing I'm a lefty—otherwise that big-breaking curve would've been troublesome. Southpaw curveballs are rare."

He paused.

"But don't worry too much. He's still a level below Narumiya Mei. Especially his fastball—it's nowhere near Narumiya's. Beating him is just a matter of time."

Akiba didn't respond. He simply stepped into the batter's box with steady, confident strides.

The timeout was over.

"Second batter, left fielder, Akiba-kun."