Chapter 454: Red vs. White (5)
The first pitch was a fast split-finger ball, and that guy Sawamura actually managed to catch up to it.
Miyuki frowned slightly.
This guy's serious.
Alright then—next pitch: a low fastball on the outside corner.
Miyuki subtly signaled with his fingers.
Knowing that Eijun was currently in top form, Miyuki had no intention of confronting him head-on.
Instead, he planned to wear down Eijun's momentum bit by bit.
Only after dulling that intense energy could they take control of the game in both pitching and strategy.
"Whoosh!"
The moment Miyuki gave the sign, Furuya on the mound swung his arm sharply once more.
A streak of flashing brilliance.
An intense, cutting presence.
At the plate, Eijun's expression didn't change. In his focused eyes, the silvery gleam of the incoming pitch reflected clearly. His foot stomped down forcefully as he swung the bat with everything he had.
"Swoosh!"
The bat sliced through the air like a half-moon arc.
A chilling aura radiated from the metal bat.
At the same time, a resonant sound rang out—
"PING!"
The powerful impact sent a tremor through Eijun's hands, the bat vibrating slightly from the force.
The cold light in his eyes grew even sharper.
Suppressing the rebound with all his might, in that split second, that very instant—
Eijun gathered all his strength deep within his core and unleashed it in a burst.
This power, this pressure—he absolutely could not let it be suppressed.
If it was, there would be no chance for anything afterward.
In a desperate, all-out swing—
"Whoosh!"
The ball, unable to resist the force, compressed for a moment before bouncing off violently.
It smashed hard against the ground.
Toward first base.
Maezono's expression changed as he dove forward.
But Eijun's swing was faster than Maezono had expected.
"Bang!"
The ball shot up from the ground again the moment Maezono reacted.
And just as he started to move—
The ball had already zipped past the first base bag.
In the next instant, the open expanse of the outfield appeared in the distance.
"Plop!"
"Foul ball!"
In the end, the ball didn't stay fair—it rolled out past the foul line before it could clear the infield.
But even so, that hit alone was enough to fill Maezono's gaze toward Eijun with a kind of profound shock.
Such a swing. Such a hit.
Had Sawamura really grown this much already?
If before, Maezono had felt some dissatisfaction—or perhaps other complicated feelings—about being pushed down to the fifth spot while Eijun took the third…
Then this one swing—
had given him the perfect answer.
At this moment, Maezono's heart was more tangled than ever before.
"Ooooh, that was so close to staying fair!"
"As expected of our proud ace from the Kingly Seidou. Not just his pitching—even his batting is this powerful."
"Even Furuya's blazing fastballs can barely suppress Sawamura."
"Don't you guys think Miyuki's pitch-calling is starting to get a little cautious too?"
"Which only proves just how much pressure Sawamura's batting is putting on him."
Leaving aside the players from Team A and Team B on the benches, even the spectators outside the field—the peanut gallery—were now all showing expressions of awe.
Of course, what they didn't know was—
At the plate, despite wearing a calm, relaxed expression, Eijun was internally cursing up a storm.
His palms were stinging painfully.
After all, he had chosen to go head-on against Furuya's fastball with brute force.
But seriously, was Furuya's fastball something you could just hit that easily?
Not just the velocity—there was the heavy finish, too.
And the nasty movement that came with the angle.
"Damn it, this guy's getting tougher and tougher to deal with."
Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Eijun re-gripped his bat, resetting his stance.
Third pitch—vertical slider.
Although both Furuya and Eijun had outstanding physical abilities, Eijun's dynamic vision was just slightly weaker.
This pitch—
Would take full advantage of Furuya's fastball speed,
Using the high velocity to sharpen the breaking action.
Finish him right at the plate.
Facing Sawamura, now locked into ultra-high focus mode, Miyuki showed no mercy.
On the mound, Furuya nodded solemnly.
Once again, he swung his arm powerfully.
"Whoosh!"
A flash of cold light shot out.
The ball's shadow tore through the air.
Eijun's expression sharpened.
The incoming ball's glint reflected in his narrowed eyes.
Inside fastball.
In that instant—this very second—
Eijun prepared to swing his bat.
And then—
The ball's path suddenly jolted.
Eijun's pupils contracted;
even his hands hesitated for a split second.
"Whoosh!"
The next moment—
The ball traced an arc across the sky, sharply breaking downward toward the lower left.
Eijun's arms, mid-swing—
His body, already committed—
Had to forcibly twist midair in a desperate attempt to adjust.
Right now, Sawamura was exactly as Miyuki had said—
completely switched on.
He saw Furuya standing before him not just as a teammate, but as a true opponent.
In Eijun's own words:
The moment he stepped onto the field—
this was his battlefield.
This was his home ground.
No matter who stood before him—
they were all rivals.
At home plate, as Eijun swung his bat—
Miyuki's eyebrows twitched upward.
"Swoosh!"
The metal bat cut through the air, flashing with a cold, sharp glint.
A shimmer that tugged at the heartstrings.
For a moment, Miyuki's heart skipped a beat.
"Ping!"
The ball twisted sharply midair—
but ultimately couldn't escape the reach of Eijun's bat.
In that split second, Miyuki couldn't help but let out a quiet sigh.
Still just a little bit off...
"Whoosh!"
A dazzling arc shot skyward.
Furuya's expression changed drastically on the mound.
Staring at the ball's trajectory, they all watched as it traced a perfect arc across the sky.
Furuya's right hand instinctively clenched into a fist,
his pupils flashing with an unpleasant glint.
Straight and fierce—
Amidst the stunned looks from everyone around the field—
the ball soared, brilliant against the sky,
then, with unstoppable momentum—
cleared the outfield fence and dropped onto the grassy field beyond.
"Plop!"
The distant thud and the fleeting glimpse of the white ball—
"OHHHHHHH!!!"
"Home run!"
"Holy crap, that kid Sawamura—starting the game off this wild again?!"
"He blasted Furuya's slider right out of the park!"
"Amazing, absolutely amazing!"
"It's like they're not even on the same level."
"Furuya didn't stand a chance."
Raising his left hand in a casual gesture,
Eijun jogged the bases with a smile on his face.
The spectators around the field couldn't help but watch him in awe.
On the other side of the field—upperclassmen who had rushed over to watch the red vs. white match
showed complicated expressions—a mixture of pride, joy, and a burning excitement they could barely contain.
Among them, Isashiki Jun was the most obvious.
Watching Eijun's figure rounding the bases,
his pupils couldn't hide a flash of envy.
"That damn kid's already grown this much, huh? Damn it! I wanna get out there and play too!!"
The senior with the bulldog expression cried out in open admiration toward the field.
Beside him, Ryousuke Kominato, Chris, and the others smiled knowingly.
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