<183> I Was Just Guessing!

Chapter 183: I Was Just Guessing!

As the baseball hit the ground and bounced, Yuuki, who was originally on first base, seemed to break free from invisible shackles and ignite the engine in his legs.

In a flash, he bolted off first base.

This was the natural reaction of a competent baseball player.

At first, the players from Yakushi High School didn't think much of it. In their minds, they were still fantasizing about getting the ball back in time.

Sure, there was some risk this time, but as long as they returned the ball promptly, they could mitigate the danger.

It wasn't until Yuuki reached second base that panic started to set in among Yakushi's players.

Their outfielder, who had just sprinted to the outfield, hadn't even managed to pick up the ball yet.

"Danger!!!"

When Yakushi's players fully realized the gravity of the situation, they were flustered.

Their eyes burned red with urgency.

"Quick! Get the ball back!"

The outfielder in the backfield used all his strength to finally scoop up the ball.

Then he turned around—and saw that the runner was already a small dot over 100 meters away.

The Yakushi outfielder was completely overwhelmed, his mind blank.

"How did this happen?"

They couldn't understand. It was beyond comprehension.

Why had the situation turned out like this?

This outcome was miles away from what they had envisioned.

Despite his hesitation, the Yakushi outfielder gritted his teeth and threw the ball to the cutoff man.

With his arm strength, it was impossible to get the ball directly to the catcher in one throw.

Time was already tight for them, and by the time the Yakushi second baseman received the ball, he felt a chill run down his spine.

Too fast!

Even though Seidou's captain didn't seem like a speedster, and compared to his other skills, Yuuki's base running wasn't particularly celebrated, the second baseman was stunned to see Yuuki flying toward third base—and then sprinting toward home.

In the time it took for Yakushi's relay throw, Yuuki had already covered dozens of meters.

Was this the level of a star player from a powerhouse high school baseball team?

The Yakushi second baseman realized that even if he completed the throw, it wouldn't matter.

Still, unwilling to give up, he threw the ball toward home plate.

"Pop!"

The baseball landed perfectly in the catcher's glove.

But it was meaningless.

"Safe!"

Long before the ball arrived, Yuuki Tetsuya had already stepped onto home plate.

The scoreboard now read 6-0.

"Wow, that was incredible!!!"

"Another run! Another score!!!"

In the stands, Seidou High School's fans erupted in excitement.

From their perspective, this series of plays was absolutely stunning.

Whether it was Furuya's hit or Yuuki's running, it was simply amazing.

They had all demonstrated the caliber of top-tier national star players.

It was important to note that Yakushi High School's performance was by no means subpar.

Especially their ace pitcher, Sanada—his performance on the field was nothing short of textbook.

But even so, what did it matter?

In a head-to-head clash, Seidou High School's baseball team still came out on top.

As a national powerhouse and champions of the Kanto Tournament, their strength was unquestionable.

They were so strong it was almost terrifying.

Even if Yakushi High School sent their ace pitcher to the mound, the outcome wouldn't change.

"Let's go, Seidou!"

"Seidou! Seidou!!!"

As the awe subsided, a unified cheer erupted from the stands, giving the impression that Seidou High School was about to seal their victory.

It wasn't just the fans in the stands; even the Seidou players themselves were thrilled by what they saw.

Already leading their opponents by five runs, the extra run didn't seem all that significant to them.

What truly excited the team was the fact that they had scored against Sanada.

Earlier, they had only managed hits to get on base; now, they had directly scored.

For the players of Seidou High School, this was immensely significant.

Scoring off Sanada not only boosted their team's confidence but also dealt a heavy blow to their opponents' morale.

It was a classic case of killing two birds with one stone—or perhaps three, considering they had added another run to their lead.

In the face of such a scenario, it would be a lie to say the players weren't excited.

Yet amidst the excitement, a question lingered in their minds:

Why?

The Seidou players couldn't quite wrap their heads around something.

Why was it that the one who managed to hit the ball—once again—was Furuya, whom they considered most likely to make a mistake at bat, instead of someone else?

No matter how they looked at it, it didn't make sense.

And this wasn't a minor issue either.

Their curiosity was palpable.

They didn't have to wait long, though. Sanada quickly secured the third out, bringing the inning to a close.

With three innings complete, the game moved to the top of the fourth. The score on the board read 6-0.

Having just stepped off the base, Furuya began changing into his gear to take the mound.

At that moment, his teammates, like cats who had caught the scent of fish, swarmed around him.

"What's going on?"

"Come on, tell us!"

"How did you see through his pitching?"

For the players of Seidou High School, analyzing game information and independent thinking were essential skills.

But despite their best efforts, they had come up empty-handed.

From their perspective, Sanada's ability to throw unpredictable breaking balls made him an incredibly frustrating opponent.

No matter how much they racked their brains, they hadn't been able to come up with a solution to counter him.

Since they couldn't figure it out, it was only natural that their hope for hitting his pitches fell squarely on Furuya's shoulders.

After all, he had dazzled them by hitting those pitches out of the blue—twice in a row!

Facing their eager, inquisitive gazes, Furuya looked rather uneasy.

"If I told you I was just guessing, would you believe me?"

He responded hesitantly.

"Even if you're trying to fool us, could you at least come up with a more believable excuse?"

As expected, Furuya's teammates scoffed at his explanation.

Not a single one of them believed him.

But in all honesty, Furuya wasn't lying.

At first, Furuya considered himself a calculated batter. While he couldn't predict the opponent's every move with pinpoint accuracy like Miyuki or Chris, he had always relied on his experience, sharp eyesight, and prior analysis to devise his batting strategy.

For a long time, this was how Furuya approached his at-bats.

He wasn't some muscle-brained "baseball gorilla."

He prided himself on being a player who could think strategically and play intelligently.

On this point, he was both steadfast and confident.

That was the kind of person he was.

However, it seemed that, to some extent, his belief in himself was a bit one-sided.

No matter how much he claimed to be a player who relied on his intellect, things began to change the moment he started relying purely on instinct in his battles against pitchers.

This change happened suddenly and caught him completely off guard.

By the time he realized it, there was nothing he could do about it.

What baffled him even more was that when he stopped overthinking and relied solely on his intuition, his batting success rate—and even his probability of hitting home runs—skyrocketed.

This was true in the last game against Akikawa and was happening again now against Yakushi High School.

Faced with this, Furuya found himself reluctantly accepting the situation.

If the heavens had bestowed him with such talent, who was he to question it?

He might as well embrace it.

And that's exactly what he had done just now.

When he saw the pitch coming, he hadn't consciously decided what to do. He simply acted on instinct.

And the result? He hit the ball out.

Though the satisfaction of planning and executing a hit was missing, the outcome was still favorable.

Overall, Furuya could accept it.

However, this approach came with its own set of complications, as was evident now.

Faced with his teammates' expectant gazes, Furuya didn't know how to explain himself.

He insisted that his hit was purely coincidental, which was the absolute truth.

But not a single one of his teammates believed him.

"If you carefully observe his pitching patterns, there should be something to gain. I can't quite put it into words, but I feel like his breaking ball isn't as unpredictable as Sawamura's."

Since telling the truth didn't convince anyone, Furuya decided to make something up on the spot.

After all, if no one believed him, what difference did it make what he said?

Unexpectedly, his offhand remark made his teammates' eyes light up.

"If his breaking ball has a pattern, it's not really a breaking ball—it's just his signature pitch!"

"To make such a pitch effective, it must be mixed with fastballs; otherwise, it won't work as well."

"We could completely ignore those breaking balls and focus solely on hitting the fastballs."

"Even with bad luck, we should have at least a 50% chance of making contact."

The team analyzed the situation in detail, as if they'd already devised a strategy to counter Sanada.

Furuya was dumbfounded.

The information he'd provided was made up!

To be honest, he was tempted to stop his teammates from acting on his fabricated insight.

But after hearing their analysis, Furuya couldn't deny that their plan wasn't entirely off-base.

At the very least, it was far better than their current scattershot approach to batting.

As the game entered the top of the fourth inning, it was Yakushi High School's turn to bat.

The first player in the lineup was Raichi, who had been placed as the leadoff hitter.

"Sawamura, are you warmed up and ready?"

Just as Furuya was preparing to take the mound, Coach Kataoka suddenly called out.

"Boss, I'm always ready!"

The suddenly addressed Sawamura responded with electrified enthusiasm, his eyes bright and intense as he fixed his gaze on the coach, declaring his readiness without hesitation.

"Good. You'll be going in next!"

"Furuya, you'll move to the outfield. We still need your batting. Besides that..."

Coach Kataoka didn't finish his sentence but gave Furuya a knowing look.

This kind of arrangement was something Seidou High School had prepared for in advance.

Furuya nodded solemnly.

"No problem!"

"Get ready to go in. Tanba, take a rest."

Seidou High School made a substitution, bringing in first-year ace Sawamura Eijun with a 6-0 lead.

This decision caused an immediate uproar.

While a substitution had been expected, no one could have predicted the timing.

First, given the nature of their ace, it was best not to have him pitch the entire game if it could be avoided.

Second, and equally important, was the need to give other players some game experience.

If you didn't let your backups adapt to the rhythm of summer tournaments now, how could they be expected to step up in critical moments later?

Based on these considerations, Seidou was bound to make substitutions.

But to make a change at this particular moment was something no one had anticipated.

After all, the next batter was none other than Raichi, the so-called monster hitter!

If Furuya stayed on the mound, that would have been fine...

Switching to Sawamura might not necessarily be the best choice to handle the situation.

"Just thinking about it makes me worry!"

"If we lose any runs, Seidou's advantageous position could crumble..."

The crowd found this decision baffling.

On the other side, Yakushi High School's Coach Raizou was so elated that it seemed he might burst into laughter.

"This must be heaven answering my prayers! That's the only way to explain this gift!!"

Although Raizou constantly encouraged his precious son and his team, to be honest, the chances of a comeback had looked slim.

The reality of the matchup left Yakushi High School with nearly no opportunities.

This wasn't an exaggeration—just a statement of fact. Their chances were minuscule, barely visible!

Under such circumstances, how could Raizou not be anxious? But worrying didn't help.

Against a pitcher like Furuya, any team with weaknesses would struggle to compete with Seidou High School.

Who would've thought Seidou would make such a bizarre move in the final stages of the game?

Raizou couldn't understand the reasoning behind this decision, but one thing was clear to him:

Their chance had come!

"If they're going to serve up a golden opportunity like this, can you really bear to let it slip away?" Raizou said aloud.

Hearing their coach's words, Yakushi High School's players were visibly stirred.

He was right!

Their opponents had practically handed them an opening. Could they really afford to let it go?

"Although I'd love another face-off with Furuya..."

Raichi muttered to himself, his gaze locking firmly onto Sawamura.

"But it can't be helped. I'll have to take you on now! Don't think I'll underestimate you, though. I paid close attention to you when watching game footage, Sawamura!"

His eyes burned with determination as he prepared to face Seidou's new pitcher.

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