Rinichi was surprised. "That last pitch wasn't in the strike zone, was it?"
Sitting next to him, Miyuki replied, "Doesn't matter how the mitt's placed—he hits the target every ti. The ump's getting pulled in."
That was the first ti Rinichi realized: even umpires could be influenced.
By the end of the second inning, neither team had scored.
It was frustrating for both sides.
Top of the third inning.
Still only nine pitches thrown so far.
But the inside pitches were even nastier than before.
The batters had no choice but to flinch and back off.
The top of the third ended.
Ti to switch offense and defense.
Rinichi was the leadoff batter in the bottom of the third.
He switched into his batting helt, grabbed his bat, and stepped into the batter's box.
He settled into his stance, eyes locked on the pitcher, You Shunshin.
Gotta read the pitch before swinging…
He exhaled deeply.
He replayed every little movent of You Shunshin's chanics in his mind like a fra-by-fra film.
Gripping his bat tightly—he swung.
"Foul ball!"
He caught it.
Rinichi let out another breath, loosened his grip, then reestablished his stance.
That outside pitch—even if he scooped it, it probably wouldn't be a solid hit.
But this pitcher only ever threw to the corners.
Should I wait for an inside pitch?
Doesn't feel like I'll get one.
Can I pull off a series of foul balls like Kominato-senpai to wait for a better pitch?
Probably not.
So no matter what, I should just try to make contact.
The second pitch—he hit it.
Rinichi instantly dropped the bat and sprinted.
"It's between center and right field!" soone shouted.
And it dropped in.
Rinichi's eyes sharpened.
Faster. Gotta go faster—before the throw cos in!
"Safe!"
A double.
But the next batter, Furuya, struck out.
Back to the top of the order—Kuramochi.
Kuramochi-senpai can definitely get a hit.
That's what Rinichi thought as Kuramochi connected with the ball, and he imdiately dashed for third.
Another bunt—this ti toward first.
But the first baseman made a fielding error, and You Shunshin ca over to cover.
"Out!"
Rinichi advanced to third.
Next up: Kominato Ryousuke.
If he got out too, they'd go into the next inning empty-handed.
Rinichi stood on third—there was a chance to score.
"Strike!"
Kominato didn't swing. His expression turned grim.
Here it ca again: the massive strike zone.
If even that gets called a strike, he'd have no choice but to swing at everything on the corners.
Pitch released.
A breaking ball?!
Go for a fly ball? But this pitch won't fly.
Even a bunt wouldn't be enough to bring Rinichi ho.
He gritted his teeth and swung—only for the ball to go straight into You Shunshin's mitt.
Bottom of the third inning ended.
Rinichi adjusted his cap brim and turned back toward the dugout.
That inning was brutal—three innings, still no runs.
You Shunshin's gaze fell on Rinichi.
That kid's batting stance—he had a feeling his pitch would get hit.
And it was.
His control might've been slightly off, but his pitch quality was overwhelming. Like a giant pressure bearing down. His hitting was strong too.
Besides that, none of Seidou's batters hesitated to swing.
As expected of a prestigious school.
Whoever scored first would tip the montum.
Rinichi picked up his glove and walked toward the mound.
The sun felt like it was targeting him—hotter than ever.
"Play ball!"
With smooth motion, Rinichi delivered his pitch.
And just then—the batter shifted into bunt position.
The infielders began creeping forward in anticipation.
But the pitch went straight into the mitt.
"Strike!"
Rinichi was probably the only one who wasn't nervous—he hadn't even moved off the mound during the fake bunt.
In the dugout, You Shunshin's expression grew more serious.
Could it be this pitcher didn't even care about defense?
The batter looked up in surprise toward the mound—and t Rinichi's cold, arrogant gaze.
It was a look that made him feel like sothing insignificant, utterly beneath notice.
The entire posture radiated one ssage: "There's no way you can hit my pitch."
Rinichi had already made his judgnt about Akikawa's lineup from their previous footage and these first three innings.
If you can't even see the ball clearly, how could you ever hit it?
This team's entire strength ca down to one pitcher—You Shunshin.
Break through him, and the whole team would collapse. Nothing else about them was particularly threatening.
To Rinichi, every batter on that team stepping up to the plate was just overestimating themselves.
Score a run?
As long as he was on the mound, they wouldn't score a single one.
Even Miyuki wiped a bit of sweat from his brow.
This lineup, score on Rinichi?
He almost wanted to laugh.
It was so pathetic it wasn't even funny.
With a fluid motion, Rinichi threw a pitch—his first curveball of the ga.
And he aid it right at the batter's head.
The batter instinctively jerked back, and Miyuki barely managed to catch the ball.
He clenched his teeth.
That guy… how petty can he be?!
Also—wasn't he not supposed to know how to throw a curveball?!
"Ball!"
"Ah, my bad," Rinichi said with a grin, clearly mocking.
The batter burned with frustration.
"What just happened? Was that a mistake by Kamishiro?"
"He threw a curveball—straight at the batter's head."
"Just because the batter faked a bunt?"
The spectators buzzed with speculation.
"Strike!"
"Strike! Batter out!"
The next two pitches were both inside, and the batter flinched without swinging.
The next two batters? Struck out in three pitches each.
"Don't throw pitches I didn't call for again," Miyuki said as he approached Rinichi on the field.
Rinichi didn't show a shred of remorse. "Got it."
Then he bead. "Watching them flinch like that felt great."
Miyuki: "…"
Suddenly, he rembered what Narumiya said about Rinichi having a terrible personality.
"So are you gonna do that every ti soone fakes a bunt?"
"No." Rinichi answered flatly.
If it were a strong lineup, then sure—he'd treat it like part of their tactics. But against a weak team like this, it just ticked him off.
Miyuki exhaled. "When you pitch, do you think about the team?"
That made Rinichi pause slightly.
What's the point of pitching selfishly if you're not thinking about the team?
But even if he hit that batter with a pitch and gave up a walk, there was no way he'd let the next guy make contact anyway.
He thought for a mont.
"I do."
Well, Miyuki's question clearly ca from a place of distrust.
And it wasn't just him—probably the seniors too.
Makes sense. He'd barely joined the team.
He was a first-year who struck out most batters with three pitches. If he suddenly gave up a hit, it'd be even harder for them to accept.
Rinichi stopped walking and turned to Miyuki. "So this is how you all see ? You don't trust at all?"
They'd just reached the dugout entrance.
His words were heard by everyone.
Rinichi's expression was calm. There was no emotion in his eyes.
His clear gaze felt like it could see right through them.
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