"Side-arm pitcher… top speed around 120 km/h. Tricky trajectory."
Standing in the left batter's box, Ushijima Wakatoshi watched the pitcher on the mound.
A faint smile curved his lips.
But the aura around him was anything but gentle.
Mishima's catcher felt it instantly.
This isn't someone you challenge head-on.
He quickly gave a sign.
"He's just as dangerous as the fourth batter. He's a power hitter."
"Don't hesitate. If needed—walk him."
"But make it look competitive. Not an obvious four-pitch walk."
The pitcher nodded.
He bent low and delivered from the side.
The ball left his hand.
Ushijima's eyes sharpened.
Slider.
Low outside corner.
Around 125 km/h.
…Too slow.
For most hitters, 125 with movement was respectable.
For Ushijima?
It was readable.
As both a pitcher and a hitter, he understood release angles instinctively. He could see the spin. Predict the break.
The pitch was headed outside the zone.
But—
The defensive shift was stacked heavily to the right.
Left field was wide open.
He had already noticed.
If they were gambling on him pulling—
Then he would send it the other way.
"BANG!!!"
He swung.
Clean.
Violent.
Precise.
The ball rocketed toward deep left field.
"What?!" Mishima's bench erupted.
The catcher turned—
"Left field—!"
Then he froze.
Because the defense had been shifted.
Left field was exposed.
The ball slammed off the wall near the foul line—the deepest part of that side.
By the time the left fielder reached it, the damage was already done.
Yuki had scored easily from second.
But Ushijima wasn't slowing down.
He tore past first.
Hit second at full speed.
The crowd rose.
"He's not stopping!"
The left fielder finally grabbed the ball and turned—
And saw Ushijima already rounding third.
The third-base coach windmilled his arm.
Go!
Ushijima accelerated.
The entire stadium roared.
He crossed home plate standing.
Inside-the-park home run.
Seido dugout exploded.
Except—
Three people stood stiffly.
"…Hmph."
Isashiki folded his arms.
Kuramochi clicked his tongue.
Kominato smiled faintly but said nothing.
They were still sulking from earlier.
On the field, Ushijima fist-bumped Yuki.
"Nice read," Yuki said calmly.
"You too."
Back in the dugout—
Miyuki whistled.
"Inside-the-park home run? In high school ball?"
"That's rare," someone muttered.
Coach Kataoka finally spoke.
"Do you think that was luck?"
Silence.
Rei Takashima adjusted her glasses.
"His batting percentage against breaking balls under 120 km/h is extremely high."
"For speeds above 120, it depends on the pitch's sharpness."
"If the break is simple and he reads it… he can hit it."
Chris nodded.
"They misjudged him."
"That defensive shift works against most hitters."
"But not against someone who can intentionally place the ball."
"Add national-level speed to that…"
He exhaled.
"It was inevitable."
Miyuki smirked.
"They shifted right to avoid Captain Yuki."
"And handed the left field to a monster."
Across the field, Mishima's coach stood frozen.
It wasn't the pitcher's fault.
The pitch wasn't terrible.
The angle wasn't disastrous.
The problem was simple.
The hitter was too good.
He read the pitch.
He read the defense.
And he punished both.
The stadium was still buzzing.
Even the commentators were breathless.
"Incredible!"
"An inside-the-park home run!"
"And by a first-year ace!"
On the mound, Mishima's pitcher swallowed hard.
Now he understood.
The fourth and fifth batters of Seido—
Weren't just dangerous.
They were game-changers.