"Yohoho~! He's back! Two of the first three batters have already returned to home plate!"
"Is this for real? That's way too terrifying!"
"It's only the first inning, and Manaka from Ichidai San has already lost his composure."
"Yeah, Seido's opening is insanely strong."
Inside Seido's dugout, cheers erupted nonstop.
Meanwhile, Ushijima Wakatoshi stood calmly to the side, stopwatch in hand, recording the timing of every pitch with unwavering focus.
When Kominato Ryosuke learned what Ushijima was doing, a chill ran down his spine.
"What a terrifying first-year…" Ryosuke muttered as he removed his glove.
On the other side, Ichidai San High was suffocating under pressure.
Coach Tahara, especially, couldn't understand what was happening.
"Manaka," he called out, trying to stay composed, "I know you're tired, but this is only the beginning. Calm down."
"The runs we gave up—we'll take them back."
Though anxious, Coach Tahara still chose to trust his ace.
Manaka Kaname lifted his head and looked toward the batter's box.
There stood Seido's captain, Yuki Tetsuya, radiating an overwhelming presence.
The pressure intensified instantly.
Bang—!!!
A deafening crack echoed through the stadium as Yuki smashed the ball straight into center field. It slammed against the wall and bounced back.
Thankfully, Ichidai San's outfielders had been positioned deep.
Otherwise, Yuki would've easily reached third base.
Even so, the hit allowed Isashiki to dash home.
"Yaaaahhh—!"
Isashiki roared in excitement as he stepped on home plate.
Three runs scored.
No outs.
Runner on second.
When Seido's fifth batter, Masuko Toru, stepped up, his weakness showed.
Unable to handle breaking balls, he popped the pitch into the air.
Out.
"One out! Come on, come on—let's get another!"
The Ichidai San players shouted desperately.
But next was Seido's sixth batter—
Catcher Miyuki Kazuya.
With a runner on second, he stepped into the batter's box wearing a mischievous grin.
"Hehe~"
Bang—!!
The ball shot toward right-center field.
Yuki sprinted home without hesitation.
Four runs.
First inning.
Miyuki stopped safely at first base.
On the mound, Manaka Kaname felt time stretch endlessly.
Hadn't the game just started?
Why did his body already feel so heavy?
Why did every single out feel impossible?
"Strike! Strike! Strike!"
"Strikeout!"
At last, Manaka struck out Seido's seventh batter, Shirasu.
The shout snapped him back to reality.
Then—
Seido's eighth batter stepped up.
Ushijima Wakatoshi.
"Hey, hey—Isn't that their ace?"
"That's right. Seido's number one pitcher this year."
"And he's only a first-year!"
"Seriously? Becoming ace just half a month after enrolling—how abnormal is that?"
"No idea. Let's see."
Ushijima glanced toward third base.
During Shirasu's at-bat, Miyuki had stolen a base and advanced to third.
A simple single would bring him home.
Manaka stared at Ushijima, anger boiling in his chest.
"Tanba… I don't know what happened to you."
"But as a third-year, letting your ace number be taken by a first-year…"
"You've disappointed me!"
Fueled by resentment, Manaka unleashed his full-strength winning pitch—
A high-speed curveball.
The instant the ball left his fingertips, information flashed through Ushijima's mind.
Velocity: 130.
Curveball?
No—this wasn't a normal curve.
More like a vertical slider.
A slurve.
If it were under 120, he could predict the timing.
If it were a fastball, he'd swing without hesitation.
But at this speed—and without knowing the drop point—
He couldn't.
Pop.
The ball slammed into the catcher's mitt.
Ushijima could only watch.
The curve's arc wasn't as dramatic as Tanba's, but its speed made it lethal.
Manaka's breaking ball exceeded 130.
Tanba's large curve topped out at only 121.
"Strike!"
The umpire's call echoed sharply.
From third base, Miyuki muttered,
"He's not gonna get struck out in three pitches, right…?"
"If that happens, I'll be stranded here."
"First official start, facing a breaking-ball pitcher—how pitiful."
"Fastballs are your specialty, but once the breaking ball gets too fast, your average drops."
Ushijima, of course, heard none of it.
Instead, he smiled faintly.
Then—
He shifted into a bunt stance.
Manaka clenched his teeth.
A sacrifice bunt? To score the runner?
The catcher set his glove.
"Hmph!"
Manaka began his pitching motion—
Then Ushijima suddenly pulled the bat back.
Fake bunt!
Manaka reacted instantly, forcibly altering the pitch mid-throw.
Velocity: 139.
Fastball.
Low and outside—ball.
Ushijima stepped forward.
No hesitation.
Boom—!!!
His swing tore through the air like lightning.
Bang—!!
The bat clipped the ball cleanly.
Not perfect—but enough.
The ball shot into the infield, racing forward at terrifying speed.
The moment Manaka released the pitch, Miyuki sprinted for home.
Because he knew—
Ushijima would connect.
"Throw to first—!" the catcher shouted.
But before the words finished—
A blur crossed the base.
Ushijima Wakatoshi had already arrived.
The second baseman froze, ball in hand.
Too late.
"Oh ho ho ho—so fast!"
"Is that real?! That speed—faster than Kuramochi's!"
"He reached first in the blink of an eye!"
"And the runner on third scored!"
"Five runs—Seido scores five runs in the first inning!"