<269> What's Furuyu's Top Pitching Speed?

Chapter 269: What's Furuyu's Top Pitching Speed?

The noise from the outside world was loud...

But the players of Seidou knew it well.

If it had been before, they might have been swept away by the media's praise—heads held high, floating on air.

They might've even gotten completely carried away.

But now, after going through the Kanto Tournament and regional qualifiers, the players of Seidou were no longer the same green rookies they once were.

Rather than sit around basking in empty praise, they knew exactly what mattered most right now:

The next game!

The baseball field is ruthless—winners are hailed, losers forgotten.

People only remember champions.

No one cares who lost.

As long as Seidou kept winning, the cheers and the spotlight would only grow louder.

But once they were defeated?

Even the most enthusiastic reporters would quickly move on and forget them.

In light of that, chasing after empty fame was meaningless.

What the players truly cared about was their future—and the future of the team.

And both were tied to the only thing that mattered: winning.

"Do we know who we're playing in the second round?"

"It's Saint Dorf High."

It was a name most of the players hadn't heard before.

Everyone looked a little surprised.

"They had a bye in the first round," Chris explained.

"So this will be their first game."

"Tough luck for them," muttered Jun Isashiki with a grin.

Normally, drawing a bye is considered lucky.

And Saint Dorf High had that luck—at first.

But now, facing Seidou in their first official match?

They might as well have drawn the short end of the stick.

There were plenty of teams in Koshien, but only a handful could truly pose a threat to Seidou.

To be blunt, apart from a select few, no team was likely to fare much better than Ichizen.

And Ichizen, despite being a top-tier powerhouse, was soundly crushed.

Sure, there were stronger teams in the tournament than Ichizen.

But there were just as many—if not more—who were weaker.

"Don't underestimate them," Chris warned. "Saint Dorf is a dark horse. It's a private school, and apparently their principal heavily invests in the baseball team. Some of their starters were even sent to North America to study the sport. They also have several international players."

"Time was tight, so I couldn't dig up everything. But I did find out that their head coach is named Mizuki, a 29-year-old Gemini…"

At that point, the Seidou players all rolled their eyes.

He said his intel was limited…

But he even found out the guy's astrological sign and blood type.

That level of research deserved a round of applause.

"That's so Chris-senpai—amazing as always!"

While they were analyzing their next opponent, the team was also working behind the scenes to secure a training field.

Having information was one thing, but getting in targeted practice was another.

Of course, it wasn't easy.

Thankfully, Seidou had strong connections, and they managed to secure a spot.

"The field's confirmed. Everyone keep it low-key—we're going in quietly."

They were borrowing the baseball field of a high school in Hyōgo Prefecture.

The school was on break, so the field was available.

With two days left before the second game, the team gathered to run specialized drills.

"Ahh, I can smell that sweet scent of the diamond again!"

Kuramochi spread his arms wide, as if embracing the field itself.

Sure, this school's field didn't compare to their home turf.

But just stepping back onto the dirt felt like coming home.

A teacher from the school, likely connected to the baseball team, approached them with an apologetic look.

"Sorry about the poor conditions, juniors. This field's nothing like the one at your alma mater."

Apparently, he was a Seidou alumnus.

"Senpai, you're being too polite! We're already incredibly grateful just to have a place to practice!"

Coach Kataoka gave a slight bow.

The rest of the Seidou players followed his lead without hesitation.

"Alright, everyone—let's get to work!"

As an alumnus of Seidou, the teacher clearly understood what was going through their minds.

"Let's go!!"

With the signal given, the players excitedly headed to their positions.

The pitchers and catchers naturally gathered over at the bullpen.

"Make sure you keep warm and don't let your shoulder go cold," Chris instructed.

"Yes, sir!"

At this point, Chris was basically acting as the team's assistant coach—not by title, but because every teammate sincerely trusted and respected him as such.

The teacher chatting with Kataoka kept glancing toward the bullpen from time to time.

Kataoka smiled knowingly.

Back in school, this senior of his had been a die-hard speed-obsessed pitcher.

Now, with a chance to watch Furuya's pitches up close, how could he possibly resist?

"Would you like to go take a look, Senpai?" Kataoka offered with a smile.

"Wouldn't I get in the way of their practice?" the teacher asked hesitantly—though his feet were already moving toward the bullpen.

"It's no problem. Our Seidou players aren't that fragile," Kataoka said firmly.

On that point, the teacher wholeheartedly agreed.

They reached the bullpen just as Furuya picked up the ball.

Behind the plate was the team's backup catcher, Miyauchi—known for his notably large nose and stubborn personality.

"Bring it on!"

He crouched down and opened his glove.

"Here it comes, Senpai!" Furuya called out.

As he spoke, he set his stance—lifting one leg high before slamming it down.

As his weight shifted, the baseball rocketed from his hand like a thunderbolt.

"Boom!!"

The sound of the pitch slicing through the air was deafening.

The teacher watching was stunned.

"So fast! So powerful!!"

It wasn't his first time watching Furuya pitch—he'd seen him before from the stands at Koshien.

But watching from the stands and seeing it up close were worlds apart.

Now, seeing it firsthand, his blood was boiling.

This was the kind of pitch he had once dreamed of throwing in high school.

Unfortunately, he had never achieved it.

His fastball never broke 150 km/h.

And because of that, he was forced to give up his ace status to a younger teammate—

That teammate was none other than Seidou's current coach, Kataoka.

Back at the plate, Miyauchi's eyes flashed with seriousness as he saw the thunderous pitch flying his way.

Any catcher would have a hard time with a throw like that.

Miyauchi was no exception.

But he knew he had to catch it—no matter what.

Even though he'd lost the battle for the backup catcher spot to Miyuki, he was still the first in line as a reserve.

And if anything happened, he'd need to be ready to catch for their ace.

As the ball approached, he made a slight adjustment with his glove.

"Smack!"

The pitch landed with a crisp snap.

"Nice!!"

Several players in the bullpen cheered at once.

Even the teacher watching couldn't help but clap.

Only, their cheers were for different reasons—

The players were cheering for Miyauchi's successful catch.

In practice, Miyauchi finally began to handle Furuya's pitches with something that resembled ease.

Compared to how he used to struggle, it was like night and day.

Meanwhile, the teacher who had been watching was still awestruck by Furuya's pitching.

Watching from up close was a whole different experience.

He thought, If I had thrown that fast back in the day, there's no way I would've lost the ace position to my junior…

As he was lost in that thought, he heard Miyauchi grumble,

"Don't hold back!"

Clearly, Miyauchi didn't believe that Furuya was throwing at full power.

"Is something wrong with his form?"

Even Miyuki, who was about to catch for Sawamura, chimed in with concern.

Both catchers raising the same question made it obvious to everyone—Furuya didn't seem to be in peak condition.

"No, I'm fine. Just warming up," Furuya said coolly.

At that, Miyauchi and Miyuki backed off.

Everyone else let out a quiet sigh of relief.

This was only the second round of the tournament.

Even though Seidou was riding high, losing Furuya now would be a massive blow.

They could all feel it.

To them, it was just a casual conversation. But to the teacher on the sidelines, it was like thunder exploding in his brain.

What did they just say?

That was just a warm-up?!

He turned toward Kataoka in disbelief.

It wasn't that he didn't trust the kids, it's just that what they were saying was unbelievable.

"Just a warm-up," Kataoka confirmed with a faint smile.

To Seidou's players, this was nothing new.

But to the teacher, it was mind-blowing.

His curiosity now fully ignited, he looked expectantly at Kataoka.

He didn't even need to ask—Kataoka had already guessed the question.

"You're wondering if any pro teams have approached Furuya, right?"

Kataoka replied, "So far, four professional teams—scouts or coaches—have reached out expressing interest."

The teacher nearly rolled his eyes to the heavens.

Furuya was only a freshman. Normally, pro teams wouldn't be this eager over a first-year player. He wasn't even physically developed yet, and his future still had plenty of unknowns.

But Furuya wasn't just any freshman.

If he were a team manager, he would've already called Furuya himself.

Honestly, he was surprised it was only four teams. He wouldn't be shocked if MLB scouts came knocking.

"That's not what I meant," the teacher said, "I meant his fastest pitch. You guys must've measured it, right?"

Kataoka nodded. Of course he knew what his senior really wanted to ask.

But even he didn't have a concrete answer to that.

"In official games, Furuya's fastest pitch has clocked in at 159 km/h. That's his top recorded speed in a real match."

"I know that. I mean in practice—he's thrown even faster, right?"

Kataoka chuckled wryly.

"Of course we've recorded higher speeds in training…"

That response was so casual, the teacher found himself nodding automatically—until the words fully registered.

Then his eyes went wide.

"What!?"

Furuya hit 159 km/h in a real game, and Kataoka says that's not even his fastest?

Does that mean… he's already thrown over 160 km/h in private?

Kataoka seemed to read his former senior's mind and gave a wry nod.

"We've recorded him throwing faster than 160 km/h—more than once, actually. But he's never hit that speed in an official game. There's always a chance it was a slight measuring error, or maybe the staff wasn't precise."

Even within the team, opinions on the matter varied.

Some believed it was accurate, others had their doubts.

"And what do you think?" the teacher asked, cutting straight to the point.

Though he'd always held a bit of a grudge about losing his ace spot to Kataoka back in the day, he trusted his junior's judgment and sharp eye for talent.

"I'm certain," Kataoka said firmly, "that this kid has already surpassed 160 km/h. And it won't be long before the whole country sees it on the field."

Upon hearing this, the former Seidou ace smiled with a deep sense of pride.

"Never thought our school would end up with this kind of ridiculous blessing…"

Seidou was already one of the most prestigious baseball programs in the country.

But prestige wasn't everything. They weren't the only powerhouse, and their reputation still didn't match the so-called 'universe teams.' In West Tokyo alone, they weren't even the uncontested number one.

But a pitcher like Furuya?

He was a once-in-a-generation talent. The kind that even elite schools couldn't manufacture.

In the hundred-year history of Koshien, only two players had ever reached that kind of speed.

And yet, here was a freshman… already knocking on that door.

They all believed it: this boy would surpass the legends before him.

He'd become the one—the pitcher that stood above them all.

"I'll definitely be watching the next game too."

And it wasn't just Seidou's players—this teacher, and baseball fans across the nation, were already waiting.

Waiting to see what Seidou would show them next in their second match.

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