Chapter 257: Furuya's Opening Pitch!
Koshien Opening Match
The highly anticipated showdown between Seidou High School and Ichizen High School was about to begin.
Both were nationally renowned powerhouses.
Even though it was only the first game of the tournament, a large number of fans and reporters had already shown up—proof enough of just how much attention this match was drawing.
"Did you hear? Seidou's got this first-year monster. Supposedly, his fastball is already pushing 160 km/h!"
"He's only fifteen?!"
From the stands, bursts of excitement echoed as fans chattered among themselves.
Most were trying to show off what they knew, but by now, those "hot takes" were hardly news to anyone.
"What, you think I'm some caveman without a smartphone? Of course I've seen the reports—I know about him!"
Anyone who followed high school baseball knew all about Furuya.
The moment his name came up, fans' eyes would light up like floodlights—blazing with excitement.
This buzz from the stands couldn't help but affect Ichizen High's players.
When they first learned that their opening-round opponent would be Seidou, Ichizen's players had wasted no time in preparing.
The first step: intel gathering.
Everything from online scouting reports to insider talk from their own network—
they'd collected it all, and organized it thoroughly.
They knew going into this game that Seidou would likely have a strong crowd behind them.
It was only natural.
Who doesn't love a spectacle?
Especially for hardcore baseball fans—a first-year pitcher throwing 159 km/h? That's the kind of thing they live for.
He'd be their bragging rights for years to come. There was no way they'd miss the chance to witness it live.
Ichizen had mentally prepared themselves to face a "road game" atmosphere.
But once the players from Seidou stepped onto the field—especially Furuya—it hit different.
Their earlier expectations now felt too tame.
They had definitely underestimated what this game would be like.
Before the first pitch was even thrown, the moment Furuya appeared on the Koshien mound, the entire stadium erupted.
The cheers and applause were thunderous—like a superstar entering a pro stadium.
If it were just Seidou's fans reacting like that, it would've been understandable.
Who wouldn't cheer for their own team's prodigy?
But the truth was—most of the crowd were neutral fans.
They hadn't come to support Seidou.
They came to see Furuya.
"Man, this game's turning out to be way more fun than I expected."
Ichizen's ace pitcher was a wiry-looking boy—not particularly tall or muscular, not what you'd call physically imposing.
But there was a sharp light in his eyes—like a fire burning within.
When Ichizen's players saw the relaxed smile on their ace's face, they couldn't help but feel a little more at ease.
"As long as Wada's on the mound, we'll be fine!"
None of Ichizen High's players said that out loud—
but every single one of them believed it in their hearts.
Their head coach was a woman with long, shoulder-length hair tucked under a baseball cap.
She had a commanding presence—sharp, composed, and full of energy.
In the world of high school baseball, gender discrimination ran deep.
Most schools wouldn't dream of appointing a woman as head coach—
and especially not at a powerhouse like Ichizen.
But Ichizen had.
And not only that—she was well-known and respected across the country.
The tournament organizers, of course, capitalized on it.
A female coach leading a powerhouse school, and good-looking on top of that?
That was a PR goldmine.
There was no way they were going to pass that up.
"Let's give it our all out there," she said. "The stronger the opponent, the more fired up we get—right?"
Coach Aihara had a gift: she knew exactly how to use her position to motivate.
The same words from a male coach would've been inspiring enough—
but coming from her, the effect was tenfold.
Sixteen- or seventeen-year-old boys, overflowing with hormones—
how could they not go wild when their beautiful coach gave them a fiery pep talk?
"Wada, I'm counting on you! Watch closely!"
With the team hyped up, Coach Aihara turned her attention to their ace.
She understood something very clearly: in the end, only a rare few—
maybe even just one—could actually carry out what needed to be done.
"Don't worry, Murasaki!" Wada grinned.
Coach Aihara's expression instantly shifted.
"Call me that again, and I'll slice you up and feed you to the fish…" she said with a smile.
And yet, for some reason, the temperature around Wada seemed to drop dramatically.
"Understood, Coach!"
Wada made a full 180 in tone, earning laughter from his teammates.
"Wada, man, you're such a clown."
"You really think you can joke around with the coach?"
Just like that, the tension in the Ichizen dugout loosened.
Even with Seidou's overwhelming popularity, Ichizen's players radiated confidence—
as if they were the ones destined to win this match.
"Let's go!"
Top of the 1st inning—Ichizen High at bat.
Their leadoff batter stepped up.
A fairly average-looking kid—no intimidating aura, no signs of being a powerhouse slugger.
But the moment Seidou's players saw who it was, their expressions turned serious.
"Batting first, pitcher, number one—Wada!"
They had once dared to let their ace bat first too—
but that was only because their ace was Furuya.
At the time, many of Seidou's players had felt it was a bit too bold.
The team's ace batting lead-off? Seriously?
But since it was Furuya, the logic was understandable—
and he'd actually performed well enough to justify the decision.
Looking back, even Seidou's teammates were satisfied with how it turned out.
Still, that strategy was never used again.
Because the role of an ace is just too important.
Having him bat first was, at its core, a risky move.
So now, seeing Ichizen using that same tactic in a real match—
Seidou's players immediately picked up on the implications.
They sensed danger.
"Either he's incredibly capable, or they've got something special planned,"
Chris remarked calmly.
Powerhouse teams like Ichizen almost never stray from their established lineups or strategies without good reason.
So this sudden shift meant they were likely hiding something.
Whether others bought into that theory or not—Chris certainly did.
Seidou's players had grown sharp under their coaches' training.
Maybe they didn't have Chris's clarity,
but they could all feel it—Ichizen was bringing real pressure.
"That guy's name is Wada, right?"
"Wadagawa. Ichizen's ace. He was their number five hitter—a cleanup-style batter."
As the murmurs spread through the Seidou dugout, Wada stood motionless in the batter's box, eyes locked onto Furuya.
Ichizen had done their homework.
They'd studied Seidou thoroughly—
through articles, scouting reports, and grainy footage.
But no matter how much you read or watch from afar,
you can't grasp Seidou's true strength until you face them head-on.
The reason Ichizen sent Wada to bat leadoff wasn't because they were itching to see him swing.
No—
they trusted Wada's eyes.
He had exceptional dynamic vision—
a rare ability to track objects clearly in motion.
Putting him first was a calculated move to give him as much opportunity as possible to see Furuya's pitching firsthand.
After analyzing Seidou's games, Ichizen had come to a conclusion:
"To beat Seidou, you have to beat their ace."
If they could neutralize Furuya, beating the rest of Seidou wouldn't be a far-fetched dream.
Not just their coach—
many of Ichizen's players and fans were now pinning all their hopes on Wada.
"Watch carefully—don't miss a thing!"
This plan was one of Ichizen's deepest secrets.
But the moment Wada stepped up and took his stance—
Miyuki saw through it.
From his positioning and how he gripped the bat,
Miyuki instantly guessed their objective.
"Looks like they're trying to gauge your strength... What do you think about that?"
Seidou's starting pitcher for this game—
was none other than Furuya.
Their ace… was leading off?
That was a rare strategy—one almost never seen among elite-level teams.
Though Seidou themselves had tried it once before…
For this crucial opening match, Seidou High School was all-in.
They sent out their full main roster from the very first pitch.
They had only one goal:
to crush their opponent and claim a dominant victory.
No matter who they were up against—
Seidou, finally back on the sacred grounds of Koshien, was determined to start strong.
On the mound, Furuya glanced at Miyuki's signal.
A grin spread across his face.
"Well, obviously."
He knew exactly what the opponent was trying to pull.
But he didn't care.
No matter what Ichizen High's players were planning—
whatever strategy or stunt they hoped to pull off—
Furuya wasn't going to let them have their way.
He raised his leg high.
As his weight shifted forward, he coiled like a loaded gun—
and then exploded into motion.
BOOM!!
The sound when the ball left his hand shook the air.
All across the stands, fans witnessing this for the first time were stunned.
So fast!!
They'd seen fastballs before, sure—
but this speed?
This was in a league of its own.
The white ball streaked through the strike zone like a beam of light.
At the plate, Wada didn't even blink—he stared it down with everything he had.
And still—inside, a storm raged.
Before stepping into the box, Wada had imagined this moment countless times.
He knew Furuya threw hard.
He'd seen it in the recordings.
He'd even practiced with pitching machines set to simulate it.
And honestly? He'd felt confident.
Furuya's speed was extraordinary, yes—
but Wada truly believed he could at least make contact.
Maybe not a hit, maybe not a bomb—
but he was sure he could get the bat on the ball.
He had no doubt about it.
Until now.
Until he actually faced Furuya in real life.
Now—standing in the box, watching that pitch scream by—
doubt crept into his heart.
Can I really hit that? Can I even touch the ball?
"Pop!!"
"STRIKE!!"
He didn't even have time to react.
The white blur zipped past—clean and untouched.
The crowd gasped in unison.
And then—
"OH MY GOD!!"
Startled by the outburst, nearby fans turned toward the voice.
"What? What happened?"
Everyone had seen the speed—
even from the stands, it was unreal.
But they didn't understand what had shocked their friend so much.
"Look—up there!!"
Following the direction of the pointed finger, they all turned to the massive scoreboard.
And then—just like that—
they froze.
Eyes wide. Mouths agape.
"No way…"
They didn't want to believe it—
But the scoreboard said it, plain as day:
"157 km/h!!"
Even knowing that wasn't Furuya's top speed,
the crowd was still shaken.
"What is this monster…? He didn't even need a warm-up? First pitch and he's already throwing that hard?!"
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