Chapter 80: Boiling Blood!

As the game between Seidou High School and Komadai Fujimaki High School entered the final inning, the score remained 2-1, with Seidou trailing by one run.

Today, Seidou had the first at-bat, meaning this was their last chance to score in the top half of the ninth inning.

If Seidou couldn't score this time, their journey in the Spring Championship would end here.

From Komadai's perspective, they were only three outs away from victory.

Before Hongou Masamune took the mound, Coach Nitta, who had been furious, surprisingly calmed down.

"Although I'm dissatisfied with your previous performance, given the situation we're in, I have just one final order: win!"

Nitta's sudden shift from roaring to this calm demeanor was quite shocking.

At least Renji, the catcher, instinctively shivered.

Even though the coach didn't threaten punishment, his intense demeanor made it clear: any mistakes in this final inning would not be forgiven.

"We'll do our best!"

Renji quickly nodded in agreement.

Meanwhile, Hongou haughtily turned his head and walked toward the field.

Despite having thrown nearly 100 pitches, his fighting spirit surged stronger than ever.

Superintendent Nitta gave off a refined and experienced impression to outsiders. He was skilled at maintaining a courteous demeanor during interviews or while greeting other coaches.

But behind the scenes, who knew he was actually a relentless taskmaster?

To ensure his players trained, this old man would do anything.

Komadai Fujimaki High School hadn't always been well-known. In their earlier years, other strong teams were reluctant to face them, considering them an unknown entity.

With no suitable opponents, they had to focus on improving themselves.

In Hokkaido, heavy snowfall is common. Not to mention the year-round cold, at least eight or nine months are spent under snow.

Once snow covers a baseball field, the ball won't bounce upon hitting the ground.

In other words, it's nearly impossible to practice.

In such conditions, every time it snowed, the old coach would push a cart to clear the field.

He would sweep the entire field by himself.

No one knew when he woke up or how he managed it.

It's this kind of relentless dedication that drives Komadai Fujimaki High School forward.

Whether for himself, for the team, or for this silently striving old man, Hongou Masamune would never accept failure.

"Come on, Seidou!"

Now, it didn't matter who stood opposite them; Hongou would show no mercy.

"Full of energy!"

Renji thoughtfully observed Hongou.

He wondered if it was because of Furuya, or for some other reason. Today, Hongou was exceptionally motivated.

This was certainly a good thing for the team, but as a friend, Renji sensed a deeper meaning.

'Was Hongou moved by something?'

He couldn't guess Hongou's true thoughts, but for Renji, it didn't matter.

He just needed to know Hongou's intentions.

"Three outs left!"

Let's take them down one by one.

"First up, shortstop, Kuramochi-kun."

Kuramochi approached the Batter's Box with calm composure. Instead of shouting his usual laugh, he focused intently on Hongou Masamune on the mound.

Komadai had thoroughly studied Kuramochi.

Across the nation, runners with this speed are monsters.

Once on base, their threat is akin to a tactical missile.

However, as long as he doesn't get on base, his threat is merely average.

So far, only three batters from Seidou High School have successfully reached base against Hongou.

This means they hadn't fully adjusted to his pitching yet.

'As long as you can consistently perform at your best, we'll win this match,' Renji thought, signaling to his teammate.

Hongou, on the mound, nodded imperceptibly.

His expression was stoic.

In this regard, his style was quite similar to Furuya.

Both of these top pitchers from Hokkaido shared many traits.

For instance, their ruthless pitching can apply tremendous pressure on opponents.

Roaar!

The white ball was hurled, showing no signs of slowing down compared to before.

Boom!

"STRIKE!"

Kuramochi didn't swing at the first pitch.

After Hongou's pitch was over, he glanced at the speed display on the electronic screen.

152 km/h! (94 mph)

The speed of the ball hadn't dropped significantly, hitting that mark on the first pitch.

'In other words, it was impossible for the opponent's condition to be worse than before.'

Kuramochi's expression turned serious.

Following Coach Kataoka's instructions, they had been trying to wear down Hongou's pitch count.

However, it seemed that their strategy hadn't been very effective. Even in the final moments, the quality of Hongou's pitching showed no decline.

'We can't afford to stall any longer.'

Now that it was the final inning, Seidou was still behind.

'In this case, it has to be a direct confrontation.'

At his core, Kuramochi possessed the spirit of a gambler.

His eyes were locked onto the mound.

Then he took a bunt stance.

Originally, when facing him, the Komadai players had already moved slightly forward.

Now, seeing Kuramochi's bunt stance, they instinctively took two more steps forward.

There were no gaps.

The opponent's defense against Kuramochi's speed was absurdly intense.

They had firmly controlled the situation, giving Kuramochi no chance.

'How annoying!'

The opponent's heavy focus on him frustrated Kuramochi.

He felt trapped with only one choice left: to face off directly against Hongou on the mound.

'The players of Komadai Fujimaki High School should be confident about the outcome of this duel.'

'Otherwise, they wouldn't be so aggressive.'

'Were they afraid?'

Deep down, Kuramochi felt a lack of confidence.

But that didn't mean he lacked the will to fight.

On the contrary, Kuramochi's fighting spirit burned brightly.

This may not sound rational at first, but a closer look reveals its logic.

Kuramochi Yoichi is in this very state.

Before heading to Koshien, Seidou High School underwent two rounds of intense training.

The first round focused on group drills, exhausting each player's stamina to the brink.

In such circumstances, everyone's weaknesses were laid bare.

Next came the second round of intense training.

If the first round was primarily about torment and breakdown, the second round was comparatively easier.

It focused on reinforcing each player's shortcomings.

As a key player, Kuramochi's area of improvement was hitting.

According to Coach Ochiai, the main issue of Seidou's lineup right now lies with Kuramochi.

When Kuramochi realized how much the coach valued him, he felt flattered.

"Our defense and pitching are solid. The only issue is at the plate. Our offensive strength has dropped significantly compared to last year's team."

After saying this, Coach Ochiai turned his attention to Kuramochi.

"The second, third, and fourth batters—while they show some difference compared to last year, it's negligible."

Everyone agreed.

Sawamura had been the original core batter, and since Miyuki took on the role of fourth batter, he has also performed admirably.

Kominato Haruichi might not be better than his brother Ryosuke, but he is close.

In terms of overall strength, if Ryosuke scored a perfect 100, Haruichi would be around 95.

Others like Sawamura and Miyuki were in similar situations.

How powerful was Seidou High School's offense before?

Even if their strength has declined by one or two percent, they should still be formidable.

Yet, Seidou High School now often finds itself shut down by opponents; even when they manage hits, they fail to score.

Coaches Ochiai, Kataoka, Ota, Takashima, and the entire coaching staff have spent considerable time analyzing this issue, but have yet to find a suitable answer.

Ultimately, their investigation pointed squarely at Kuramochi.

The reason for the poor scoring ability is the lack of coherence in the lineup.

In fact, if Kuramochi could consistently reach base, Seidou's offensive strength would undoubtedly double.

"Focus on honing your hitting!"

In the end, Coach Ochiai gave Kuramochi this directive.

You can imagine how Kuramochi felt receiving such guidance from his coach.

He wanted to prove himself—being called out like this made it impossible not to respond.

Over the past few months, Kuramochi has dedicated twice the energy of others to improving his hitting.

He swings his bat nearly 700 times a day.

As if it were second nature, his hitting power has grown considerably. While he hasn't had a breakthrough yet, he just needs an opportunity.

Now, that opportunity has arrived.

The team is facing a critical moment against the nation's top pitcher, Hongou.

It's time to showcase his true skills!

In the Batter's Box, Kuramochi thought to himself.

He intends to prove himself with the bat in his hand.

He abandoned his previous bunt stance and took hold of the bat firmly.

His eyes were fixed on the pitcher's mound as if he were ready to devour Hongou whole.

'He pulled back!'

Seeing Kuramochi retract his bat, Renji, the catcher, breathed a sigh of relief.

Though Kuramochi had handled previous at-bats smoothly, it didn't mean he was unthreatening, especially with such speed.

Not to mention the current situation—with no Outs.

Once Kuramochi reaches base, Seidou's chances of scoring would significantly increase.

This is something Komadai Fujimaki High School cannot allow.

They cannot afford any surprises since their lead is minimal.

'Hold steady, we can do this!'

Renji signaled to Hongou and quietly adjusted his position.

Roaar!

Without any preamble, the baseball flew straight in.

With one strike already against him, Kuramochi felt he had no choice but to swing.

He took a swing, but the ball suddenly dropped.

They passed each other, and neither made contact.

BOOM!

"STRIKE!!!"

Kuramochi missed the first pitch and swung and missed on the second.

In an instant, he was down to two strikes.

"Two Strikes!"

"Hongou!!!"

Excited shouts erupted from the Komadai Fujimaki bench.

The players were exhilarated, nearly overwhelmed with emotion.

Incredible, exhilarating!

A rush of feelings flooded their hearts.

At that moment, the trolls could practically envision their victory.

With a two-stroke lead, Hongou remained unfazed on the mound.

To him, this seemed perfectly normal.

In the Batter's Box, Kuramochi swallowed hard, narrowing his eyes with intensity.

It felt like facing a tough bastard in a fight; his blood had cooled.

Now, he was focused on how to defeat this challenge.

As a child, Kuramochi wasn't the tallest or strongest, yet he rarely lost fights.

This was due to two factors.

First, he possessed unmatched agility and speed.

Second, he had street smarts.

In a fight, he struck first and exploited his foe's weaknesses.

To overcome Hongou, waiting patiently wouldn't work at all.

With this thought, Kuramochi stepped closer, pressing his body tightly against the inner corner of the plate.

Down two Strikes, he was not about to give up.

Renji frowned, observing his opponent closely.

After being down two strikes, Kuramochi hadn't backed down but rather pressed tightly against the edge of the strike zone.

If Renji believed Kuramochi had no plan, he would be an idiot.

Kuramochi's stance aimed to seal Hongou's inside pitch.

'It was a common tactic, but how could he hit an inside pitch from this position?'

With this in mind, Renji decisively signaled Hongou for an inside corner ball.

…

T/N: Thank you all for reading!!

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