Chapter 102: Toy Gun

All the Magic you see in circus and TV when you get down to it, is essentially just a form of misdirection.

What is misdirection?

There is this "A single leaf can block the view of spring and autumn."

A leaf floats down from the sky. When you look up, this single leaf just happens to be blocking your view.

Because of the leaf's obstruction, you can't see what's happening on the tree. You have no idea if the tree's leaves are just budding in the spring or if autumn has arrived and everything is starting to wither.

Whether it's magic or tricks, in the end, they all follow this basic principle.

The first-year student, Tomobe, on the Yakushi High School baseball team, performed so well in his first encounter with the mighty Seidou High School team's lineup because the opponent used this simple and crude trick.

Taking advantage of the conflict between the pitcher and the fielders, they applied the principle of a car accident scene.

When people see a crowd gathered around a car accident, what do they do?

They instinctively turn their attention to it.

This is the human psychology at play—curiosity about what happened, a desire to see for themselves.

Tomobe, the first-year student from Yakushi High School's baseball team, used this kind of strategy to deceive the Seidou High School batters.

In his role as a junior, he kept giving orders to his teammates.

The others were veterans of Yakushi High School's baseball team, and some of them were even somewhat famous nationwide.

So when this junior kept shouting at them, they naturally scolded him in return.

With Yakushi's internal drama, would Seidou's players resist looking at the spectacle?

Of course not. They'd be curious.

It's not just the opponents, even the normal bystanders. When there's a spectacle, they would want to know what is going on.

This is just the human nature.

Yakushi's team used this human psychology, taking advantage of the argument between the pitcher and others, to quietly adjust their defense.

Then, with the speed of a thunderclap, they threw the ball quickly, catching the batter off guard.

To be honest, this trick wasn't very clever—it almost felt like child's play.

But strategies themselves don't have a high or low level; what matters is how people use them.

If the pitcher had more skill, maybe he could have lasted longer and not exposed his weakness so quickly.

If it were Sawamura, he could even fool the whole game with some preparation.

Back in the resting area, Sawamura was putting on his batting gloves while thinking.

Clearly, he had learned something new.

Just like when he learned the "Swallow's Homecoming" technique, as long as he learned it, that skill would eventually become his.

Although stealing a technique from a Kohai, a first-year student, felt a bit embarrassing…

But baseball isn't about who's been playing the longest or who started first. As long as the other person has something unique that you don't, and if you can learn it, then it's better for you to learn it.

While Sawamura was thinking about Tomobe's strategy, the on-field situation was changing.

The second time facing Kuramochi, Tomobe finally revealed his real skills.

It turned out he had kept his breaking ball hidden when he faced Seidou's lineup earlier.

This was truly incredible.

Not many pitchers would dare keep their trump card hidden when facing the mighty Seidou High School lineup, let alone a first-year student.

Just this alone showed how courageous Tomobe was.

Even top national-level pitchers would probably lack the courage to keep their secret weapon against such opponents.

Seeing the sudden appearance of the breaking ball, Kuramochi was caught off guard.

Tomobe and third baseman Raichi began arguing, and their interaction was quite comedic.

Tomobe kept giving orders, and Raichi would stubbornly respond, "I won't do it!"

His words were firm, but his body was obedient.

The audience was in stitches, realizing that Yakushi's players were not only full of energy but had a strong sense of humor.

They hadn't expected this level of comedy from the team.

While they had always felt Yakushi's team had good team spirit, whether they were winning or losing, the players were always full of energy and positive, which made watching them feel uplifting.

But the good atmosphere and humor were two different things.

And it wasn't something they expected to see when the pitcher's mound changed.

While everyone's attention was pulled, Kuramochi was not paying attention to the third base.

On the surface, it looked like he was turning his head in that direction, but his eyes were narrowing, watching Yakushi's overall defense.

'As expected, they had shifted their positions.'

While everyone was looking at third base, the first base side was shrinking its defensive range.

Their fielders had shifted towards the sidelines.

Now, it was clear what type of pitch the pitcher would throw.

"Sigh!"

Kuramochi let out a long sigh and inwardly admired the strategy.

It was no easy feat.

To deceive an entire lineup with a toy gun, and to pull it off convincingly for an entire round!

'It couldn't be delayed any longer. It had to be solved quickly.'

Even though Yakushi had survived the first round of Seidou's lineup, the audience still hadn't fully understood the situation.

After all, the third inning wasn't over yet.

People had different concepts of a "round of batting." Some think it's just nine batters taking their turn, while others see the first three innings as the first round.

Both views have some merit.

To put it simply, whether or not they score in the first three innings is crucial.

For Seidou's team, it's a delicate situation.

If they could score, fine. But if they couldn't, it would be a little embarrassing, considering the opponent was just a first-year kid.

Kuramochi's eyes glinted with excitement. He couldn't wait to see if his prediction was right.

'Will I be right?'

On the pitcher's mound, Tomobe noticed that Kuramochi had turned his head towards third base, and he keenly sensed the opportunity.

Now!

If Tomobe's pitch was unexpectedly thrown out without warning, even Kuramochi would be helpless.

But this duel was different.

Kuramochi had already formed a judgment in his mind. He was almost certain about what type of pitch would come and where it would be placed.

Though he couldn't be 100% sure, the general direction was almost perfect.

Kuramochi gripped the bat tightly, watching the ball come toward him, yet he didn't swing immediately.

He was waiting.

Waiting for the ball to come into range.

Tomobe's pitch was fast. Even though it wasn't the fastest throw, the ball would go from his hand to the catcher's mitt in less than half a second.

Half a second was so fast that even blinking might be too late.

But Kuramochi didn't feel the speed of the pitch at all.

For Tomobe, it seemed like he didn't hesitate at all and threw the ball out without delay.

Yet, to Kuramochi, it felt like he was waiting for an eternity.

Finally, the baseball came flying toward him.

Having waited so long, Kuramochi didn't wait in vain. He finally saw the pitch.

'Now!'

He timed it, calculated the ball's position, and swung his bat decisively.

Ping!

The ball was hit solidly and flew away.

On first base, Mishima's muscles were tense, ready for action.

According to their plan, Kuramochi's rushed swing should have hit the ball straight at Mishima, giving him the best chance to catch it.

That's why Mishima was so tense.

But what Mishima didn't expect was that the ball, which he thought would fly straight at him, didn't.

Instead, it veered off and flew over the second baseman's head.

'What was going on?'

Mishima was dumbfounded.

They had prepared for this, so why didn't the ball follow its expected path?

Kuramochi wasn't concerned with Mishima's confusion.

He was already running to first base at top speed.

Tap!

By the time the ball hit the ground, Kuramochi was already halfway to first base.

It was only about ten meters away.

"SAFE!"

By the time the fielders from the Yakushi High School baseball team picked up the ball and threw it back to first base,

Kuramochi had already reached first base ahead of time.

Two Outs, and there's a runner on first base!

This outcome was, of course, quite pleasing to the players of the Seidou High School baseball team. The supporters in the stands cheered wildly for Kuramochi, and the teammates in the dugout kept shouting in excitement.

The atmosphere suddenly became electric.

Though there were already two Outs, with Kuramochi now on first base, everything was still unpredictable.

Don't be fooled by the fact that he was at first base; if the next batter gets a hit, he could easily make it home.

There's no helping it—this guy is just too fast!

The atmosphere in the Yakushi High School baseball team's dugout was equally heated.

They didn't panic due to the sudden crisis. On the contrary, they were very proactive, constantly shouting encouragement to their pitcher.

"Don't be afraid! Face them head-on!"

"Don't worry, your pitches are great!"

"Let's finish off Seidou's batter in one go!"

"Two Outs!"

"Two Outs!!"

Regardless of the training they'd received privately, once they stepped onto the field, they always showed their most positive side.

Right now, in this crisis situation, the spirit of the Yakushi High School baseball team is still fierce.

They seemed to selectively ignore the fact that Kuramochi had just hit the ball into one of their gaps. This essentially meant he'd bypassed their defense.

Of course, there were those who kept their cool.

For example, Sanada, who was in the outfield, and Raizou, who was lounging in the dugout with his legs crossed, wearing a lazy smile.

The moment Kuramochi hit the ball, Raizou asked himself internally,

'Has they already figured it out?'

…

T/N: Seidou is going offensive!

Anyway, That's it for now!

As always, Thank you all for reading!!

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