Standing in the batter's box, Higashikuni looked not only burly but also exuded an overwhelming aura.
Just standing there, he resembled a towering mountain—imposing and intimidating.
Many players on the team were supporters of Higashikuni.
He was the soul of the team and their cleanup hitter, batting fourth.
Considering his performance on the field, it was only natural that the team would support him.
"Hit it out of the park!"
"Go all out—show this first-year what our varsity lineup is made of!"
...
It was as if they could already see Higashikuni hitting the ball out.
Earlier, two third-year players had been taken down by Zhou Hao.
While the team was shocked by Zhou Hao's pitching talent, they also felt slightly humiliated.
After all, Seidou was known for its offensive strength.
Not just in Tokyo—nationwide, they were ranked among the best.
And now, facing a freshman who had only been in high school for two or three months...
Their core batters were getting shut down one after another?
If they couldn't regain some face, how were they supposed to hold their heads high in the team?
"Stop making noise—don't scare the poor freshman. Come on, bring that spiral pitch of yours!"
Higashikuni stood tall and proud.
He raised his bat high, fully prepared to swing at any moment.
Squatting behind home plate, Chris felt more excited than ever before.
As the team's main catcher, Chris knew exactly how strong their cleanup hitter was.
At this moment, Higashikuni was undoubtedly serious.
"Relying solely on fastballs and spiral pitches might not be enough to get him out. Are you ready for the challenge?"
Chris looked up and saw Zhou Hao's calm face on the mound.
Zhou Hao wasn't intimidated by Higashikuni at all.
"Good!"
Chris was very satisfied with Zhou Hao's composure.
"Fastball—this location."
Chris positioned his glove at the inside corner of the strike zone.
Standing just behind Chris, Miyuki caught a glimpse of the glove's angle.
"Chris-senpai, aren't you overestimating him a bit? Zhou Hao can't throw to such a tight inside angle!"
Miyuki muttered in his heart.
He had partnered with Zhou Hao before and knew his pitching inside and out.
But just then, Zhou Hao moved on the mound.
He stepped forward—his motion clean and efficient.
Then came the pitch, his arm swinging with power.
"Whoosh!"
The white baseball whistled through the air, quickly arriving in front of Higashikuni.
"You're dead!!"
Higashikuni locked onto the ball's trajectory and swung with full force.
"Boom!"
The swing was so powerful that it produced a massive whooshing sound.
Several players standing close by felt their eardrums vibrate from the force.
They watched as the bat connected with the ball, sending it flying through the air.
"It's outta here!"
Higashikuni supporters felt every cell in their bodies cheering.
The moment they had been waiting for was finally happening.
But unexpectedly, despite the ball flying over 100 meters, it wasn't counted as a home run.
"Foul!"
The ball had veered about three meters outside the foul pole.
"Tch!"
Higashikuni clicked his tongue in frustration.
He turned back and glared fiercely at Chris.
Chris knew that was the exact location Higashikuni was best at hitting, and he'd never pass it up. So he intentionally called for Zhou Hao to pitch there, luring him into swinging.
Of course, Chris had deliberately misled with the glove's position earlier.
Otherwise, the pitch wouldn't have ended up foul...
"All these flashy tricks are useless. Sooner or later, he'll have to face me head-on."
Higashikuni muttered.
Although the team was disappointed the ball hadn't resulted in a home run, seeing it fly so far still got their blood pumping.
"You think that first-year might've gotten rattled by that swing?"
After all, the ball had gone over 100 meters.
For any pitcher, seeing their pitch hit that far would be mentally jarring.
It might even throw off their control.
But just as people were thinking that, Zhou Hao cleanly and swiftly delivered his second pitch.
He didn't know Higashikuni tendencies at all.
But that was fine—because someone else did.
Zhou Hao had absolute trust in Chris's guidance.
So every pitch he threw was full of confidence.
"Whoosh!"
Another fastball!
This time, the angle was even trickier.
"Such an obvious bad pitch—did you think I'd fall for it?"
Higashikuni gripped his bat tightly and let the ball pass by in front of him.
"Pop!"
Then the umpire, Kataoka, announced loudly:
"Strike!"
Higashikuni turned his head in disbelief. That pitch was in the strike zone?
"You have a problem?" Kataoka asked.
"No…"
Higashikuni licked his lips and raised his bat again.
He was now behind with two strikes.
Not far behind him, Miyuki swallowed hard, disbelief written all over his face.
When did Zhou Hao's control get this good?
That pitch had landed right on the edge of the inside corner.
As Miyuki thought this, Zhou Hao caught the return throw and prepared to pitch again.
This time, he took noticeably longer to set up.
Is he going to throw the spiral pitch now?
Higashikuni heart surged with excitement.
He was finally going to see Zhou Hao's spiral pitch!
"Whoosh!"
The pitch came screaming in.
As the ball approached, Higashikuni clenched the bat tightly.
"Fly out of here!!"
Even though the pitch was slightly high, Higashikuni still swung with all his might.
"Boom!"
As Seidou's cleanup hitter—a nationally recognized slugger—
Higashikuni looked like he wanted to obliterate everything in front of him.
The watching players instinctively held their breath at such an awe-inspiring swing.
They were all anticipating the moment the bat struck the ball.
It was sure to be a spectacular sight.
But what they didn't expect was that despite the fierce swing, the bat didn't connect.
The baseball passed just above the bat.
Chris, who had already stood up in advance, caught the ball steadily in his glove.
"Pop!"
A huge impact reverberated through the glove.
The ball seemed unwilling to give in.
Chris smiled with admiration.
"Even the tailspin on his fastball has improved!"
"Strike three!"
As the home plate umpire, Kataoka announced the result.
Three strikes—Higashikuni was out.
On Seidou High School's baseball field, nearly a hundred players and coaches…
Not a sound was heard.
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