"The pitcher was scared?"
In Seido's dugout, the players exchanged uncertain glances.
A moment ago, they had already resigned themselves to a cruel reality. It had felt as though fate had slapped them across the face, pushing them toward inevitable defeat. Yet just when they thought Heaven had turned its back on them, it seemed to kick their opponent instead.
They truly had not dared to imagine such a favorable turn.
The pitcher of Osaka Kiryuu High School Baseball Team had just collapsed in front of their eyes?
A Homerun was undoubtedly a devastating blow to any pitcher. But to be shaken so thoroughly after a single swing? That was hard to accept. This was still a pitcher representing the Cosmic Team, one of the most powerful schools in the country.
If he crumbled so easily, wouldn't that be unreasonable?
Even Seido's players felt awkward about it. The twist was too dramatic, almost miraculous.
As for how they judged that Tachi Hiromi had wavered, it was painfully obvious.
He was not a person who concealed his emotions well. His thoughts were written clearly across his face. The terror in his eyes had not been subtle. He had even taken two unconscious steps backward.
That retreat alone said everything.
Even Tanba, whose mental resilience was not considered outstanding, would grit his teeth and put on a fierce expression when challenged. At the very least, he could maintain a façade.
Tachi had not even managed that.
"There's hope."
"There's really hope now."
The words spread like sparks in dry grass.
No one in Seido had expected fortune to favor them at this stage. But if such a chance appeared, they would never fail to seize it.
Osaka Kiryuu might have a deep foundation, but there were only so many pitchers who could truly suppress Seido. All three of their main options had already taken the mound today. All three had been struck hard in some form.
If this replacement pitcher wavered too, then perhaps the impossible was not impossible after all.
The final result remained uncertain.
But for the first time since the deficit widened, Seido's players truly believed they could still win.
Just as their morale surged, a player sprinted out of Osaka Kiryuu's dugout toward the mound.
He leaned in and delivered a message.
"The Director said it was just an accident. The opponent just got lucky. Your pitching is effective. You can suppress them. The mission is to win the game. Even if they score two or three more runs, that's acceptable as long as the overall situation is under control. The Director trusts you. We trust you too."
His eyes shone with conviction.
It was not the look given to a disposable substitute.
It was the gaze reserved for someone expected to carry the future.
Tachi's expression transformed almost instantly.
The fear that had clouded his face faded.
His eyes sharpened.
Then that familiar, unsettling smile returned. The smile that resembled a demon stepping out of the Hall of Asura.
The Director trusts me.
My teammates trust me.
He might not yet be the official Ace, but after this Koshien, perhaps that title would belong to him. He would stand on the mound as the one who protected everyone's backs.
The malice returned to his eyes, darker than before.
In Seido's dugout, several players felt a chill.
They realized they had misjudged him.
Tachi had not been weak. He simply possessed volatile emotions. He reacted intensely to stimuli. A Homerun shook him. A few words of trust steadied him again.
That did not make him fragile. It made him dangerous.
A pitcher capable of wearing the Cosmic Team's uniform would never be useless.
Now there would be no easy advantage.
If they wanted runs, they would have to earn them.
Behind Home Base, Yuuki Tetsuya remained unchanged.
Whether Tachi had been shaken or restored, Yuuki's expression was steady.
When Tachi had retreated, Yuuki stepped forward half a pace.
When Tachi regained composure, Yuuki calmly withdrew that half step.
Nothing more.
"So troublesome," Shibata muttered inwardly.
Yuuki's stance felt custom-built to disrupt pitchers. His balance was flawless. His posture revealed no weakness. Even when adjusting, he did not expose the slightest flaw.
Shibata had faced Yuuki before and believed he understood him.
Yet at this moment, he could not identify a single clear vulnerability.
Annoying.
Very annoying.
Still, annoyance changed nothing. He crouched, set his glove, and focused.
Tachi inhaled deeply on the mound.
Based on their observations, Seido's batters had not been swinging at first pitches recently. Against unfamiliar pitchers, they preferred to observe the initial offering.
That tendency could be exploited.
Shibata and Tachi had prepared a trap.
The first pitch would appear tempting, but carry hidden bite.
Tachi delivered.
But the instant the ball left his hand, something changed.
Yuuki moved.
Since Tachi entered the game, none of the previous batters had swung at the first pitch.
Yuuki Tetsuya did.
"Ping!"
The sound was clean and decisive.
The ball traced a beautiful arc over the infield and dropped into the outfield grass.
For a moment, Osaka Kiryuu's players were stunned.
The pitch had not been careless.
It had been deliberate.
Yet Yuuki struck it as if he had anticipated everything.
By the time the outfielder retrieved the ball, Yuuki had already reached Second Base.
No outs.
Runner on Second.
The pressure shifted once again.
In Osaka Kiryuu's dugout, confusion flickered across faces.
They had attempted to outthink Seido.
Instead, they had walked straight into Yuuki's calculation.
In the stands, Fujio adjusted his glasses and shook his head.
Those inside the game were often blinded.
From the outside, it was clear.
Osaka Kiryuu believed they were setting a trap for Yuuki.
What they did not understand was that Yuuki had already grown beyond the stage where simple traps could contain him.
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