At home plate, Miyuki wore a faint smile as he squatted behind the catcher's mask.
No matter how bad Furuya's condition was today, or how badly he got hit—
He would not give any instructions.
Although Kanzaki Ryou had already emphasized the importance of control to Furuya long before he even entered Seido, and although Furuya's pitching training after joining the team had mainly focused on control…
Simply talking about it was never enough.
Only after being truly punished in a real game—
Only after experiencing firsthand what it meant to lose control—
Could Furuya truly understand that velocity alone was not omnipotent.
Speed without control meant nothing.
On Osaka Kiryu's bench, Coach Matsumoto frowned slightly as he observed Furuya's pitching form.
This first-year pitcher…
His presence was intense.
Whoosh!
The baseball shot out of Furuya's hand.
Osaka Kiryu's leadoff batter stepped in cautiously. Before coming up, he had been specifically instructed not to underestimate this first-year.
Yet—
Bang!
The bat met the ball cleanly.
A sharp line drive flew straight into center field.
The batter blinked in disbelief as he sprinted toward first, then didn't stop, charging straight to second base.
Fast… but easy.
The pitch had almost no late movement.
It was high.
Stiff.
Like a pitching machine ball.
Did I misjudge him?
On the mound, Furuya stood frozen.
Only when the second batter stepped into the box did he finally snap back to his senses.
Miyuki's sign was simple.
Low in the zone.
Whoosh!
Bang!
Another loud crack.
A long hit to right field.
The runner from second crossed home plate.
Shirazu fielded and threw back quickly, but the second batter still slid safely into second.
Pop!
"Strike!"
"Ball!"
"Ball!"
"Ball!"
After four pitches, the third batter took first base on a walk.
Runners on first and third.
Then came the fourth batter.
Two pitches later—
Bang!
A high fastball was crushed into the corner.
Another run scored.
Runners stood on second and third.
Furuya's breathing was already ragged.
The fifth batter stepped up.
Four more balls.
Another run.
No outs.
Three runs already allowed.
Only with heavy support from the defense did Furuya finally scrape together three outs and escape the inning.
Top of the first:
Osaka Kiryu — 3
Seido — 0
Back in the dugout, Sawamura grabbed Furuya by the collar and yanked him upright.
"What the hell are you doing, idiot?!"
"What kind of trash pitching is that?!"
"If you can't handle it, get down and let me pitch!"
Furuya's body swayed limply in Sawamura's grip, his eyes unfocused.
"This kid's trying too hard," Miyuki muttered as he walked over to Kanzaki Ryou.
"The training camp fatigue hasn't faded. He knows his body feels terrible, so he forces even more power into his pitches. That just destroys his control and makes everything worse."
Kanzaki Ryou crossed his arms.
"You're really not going to say anything?"
Miyuki smiled faintly.
"No. That's Coach's instruction."
"When he understands the value of control… he'll understand it himself."
Bottom of the first inning.
Kuramochi slapped an infield single.
Kominato Ryosuke battled for twelve pitches and drew a walk.
Isashiki Jun lined a single through the infield.
Bases loaded.
No outs.
Fourth batter—
Yuki Tetsuya.
First pitch.
Bang!!
The ball rocketed into the stands.
Grand slam.
The stadium erupted.
"Captain!!"
"Home run!!"
"The Immovable Fourth Batter!!"
In an instant, the scoreboard flipped.
Seido — 4
Osaka Kiryu — 3
The momentum swung violently back to Seido.
But it didn't last.
Top of the second inning.
Furuya still couldn't find his rhythm.
His pitches were either too high or too far outside.
The rare strikes floated.
Another four runs were surrendered.
By the fourth inning:
Osaka Kiryu — 8
Seido — 5
Furuya stood alone on the mound, head lowered.
No one went out to comfort him.
Even Coach Matsumoto felt a hint of pity.
Seido's training…
Was merciless.
"This guy always wants to defeat batters with pure power," Kanzaki Ryou sighed softly.
"At times like this, he should learn to trust his teammates."
It wasn't just control.
Furuya's mentality was flawed.
He carried everything alone.
He wanted to solve every problem with his own arm.
Chris, standing nearby, glanced toward Sawamura.
A small smile appeared.
In terms of trusting teammates—
That noisy idiot did it better than anyone.
Suddenly, Furuya lifted his head.
His gaze drifted toward Kanzaki Ryou in the dugout.
If it were you…
What would you do?
Their eyes met.
Furuya's body trembled.
Senior Kanzaki's gaze was sharp.
Not angry.
But heavy.
Disappointed?
…Probably.
After pitching this poorly, of course he would be.
Furuya looked away.
Two words echoed endlessly in his mind.
Control.
Control.
Control.
My body feels terrible.
If I slow down…
Won't I get hit even worse?
But—
If I keep throwing like this…
I'll just keep giving up runs.
Furuya clenched his fist.
…Try it.
At least once.
He took a slow breath.
Miyuki noticed the subtle change.
Whoosh!
The ball left Furuya's hand.
The batter watched carefully before swinging.
Pop!
"Strike!"
The batter turned in shock.
That pitch—
It was slower.