Miyuki Kazuya watched Furuya Satoru from behind the plate, a spark of excitement in his eyes.
Even he hadn't expected this.
At such a critical moment—
Furuya had evolved.
He rose, tossed the ball back, and settled into his crouch again. Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at the batter.
His excitement gradually cooled.
That was a great pitch… but we can't relax.
And this batter—he didn't react at all.
Is he really that calm… or just pretending?
Miyuki narrowed his eyes.
Either way… that pitch should've left an impression.
Let's be safe.
Furuya received the sign.
No hesitation.
He delivered the second pitch.
BOOM!
The ball shot out—
A forkball.
Forkball.
Kitamura Kou recognized it instantly.
The speed wasn't overwhelming.
The power wasn't at its peak.
It was a hittable pitch.
But—
He didn't move.
SMACK!
The ball settled cleanly into Miyuki's glove.
"Strike!"
"Nice pitch!"
"That's it!"
"You've got him on the ropes!"
"Finish him, Furuya!"
Cheers erupted from Seido's side.
"Kitamura! That wasn't even that fast!"
"Wait for your pitch!"
"Crush him!"
Yakushi answered just as loudly.
Two strikes. No balls.
Todoroki Raizo said nothing.
Only—
Smiled.
Behind the plate, Miyuki's thoughts sharpened.
Two strikes.
He still hasn't swung.
I don't get it—but it doesn't matter.
His eyes hardened.
Furuya's on fire right now.
Even his fork is landing.
No need to get dragged into this.
He raised his glove.
End it.
Overwhelm him with your best pitch.
Furuya saw the sign.
And grinned.
A faint blush crept across his cheeks—
Pure excitement.
Same motion.
Same rhythm.
Step—
Drive—
Release—
BOOM!!!
The pitch exploded forward.
Faster.
Sharper.
More violent than before.
Behind the plate, Miyuki's eyes lit up.
Perfect.
This is his best pitch yet.
Even if it misses the zone—it'll force him back.
But—
Kitamura didn't move.
He watched.
Closely.
Calmly.
The ball approached—
Blazing white.
Roaring through the air.
Then—
Just before reaching the plate—
It began to rise.
Now.
Kitamura swung.
CLANG!!!
A deafening impact.
For a split second—
Everything froze.
Then—
BOOM!!!
A violent gust erupted at home plate, kicking up dust as the ball launched skyward.
It tore across the field—
Over the mound—
Over second base—
Over center field—
Even the towering scoreboard—
Couldn't stop it.
It vanished.
Silence.
On the radar—
A number flashed.
153 km/h
"…What…?"
"HO—HOME RUN!!!"
The commentator's voice cracked mid-sentence.
"A monstrous hit from Kitamura Kou! A pitch clocked at 153 km/h—driven clean out of the park!"
"In the very first inning—two home runs from Yakushi High School!"
"What an unbelievable start!"
The stadium erupted.
"That cleared the scoreboard?!"
"I came all the way for THIS!"
"153 km/h—and he hit it?!"
"The pitcher's insane—but the batter's even worse!"
"Yakushi! Keep going!!!"
Behind the plate—
Miyuki stared into the distance.
…That pitch…
He hit it perfectly…
His expression darkened.
This guy is dangerous.
That swing speed… that power…
He's on the same level as the very best.
In the stands—
Chris leaned forward, stunned.
"That kind of swing… doesn't come from talent alone."
His voice was low.
"That's built through relentless repetition."
"…And yet we've never heard of him before."
On the field—
Yuki Tetsuya's eyes burned.
Even he—
Felt the challenge.
Yakushi's dugout exploded.
If not for a few players holding them back, they might've stormed the field.
Meanwhile—
Kitamura Kou simply ran.
Steady.
Calm.
A small smile on his face.
He circled the bases—
And stepped on home plate.
The moment he returned—
He was swallowed by his teammates.
"Kou! Nice one!"
Nakanishi Daiki rushed forward and pulled him into a tight hug.
"Hahahaha! Kitamura-sama! How did you hit that? Like this? Or like THIS?!"
Todoroki Raichi wildly mimicked the swing then suddenly tried to rush toward the field again.
"I'm going up next! I want another shot!"
"Oi! It's Yamauchi-senpai's turn!" Mishima Yuta grabbed him from behind. "Wait your turn!"
Amid the chaos—
Todoroki Raizo watched quietly.
A satisfied smile spread across his face.
Good thing…
I went to watch that random sandlot game that day.
Because that moment—
Had changed everything.