Chapter 474: Seiko Match – An Unexpected Turn
After striking out Tamaki, the No. 5 batter, Furuya gave Seiko High's remaining lineup no breathing room.
He aggressively attacked No. 6 Nishijima with three straight fastballs, then finished him off with a sharp splitter, securing another strikeout. It was yet another perfect 1-2-3 inning.
Furuya's stellar performance kept Seidou firmly in control from the very start of the game.
"Nice pitch, Furuya!"
"Good stuff, Furuya-kun!"
"Keep up that rhythm, Furuya! Yahaha!"
"Shut them down completely, Furuya!"
From the stands and Seidou's dugout, loud cheers and support rang out.
Furuya, rarely expressive, allowed a small smile to slip onto his face.
For the first time, he truly felt the pride and honor of fighting for his team—for Seidou's glory.
...
At the same time Furuya was shining, Seiko's pitcher Ogawa Tsunematsu wasn't backing down either.
"Bottom of the 2nd inning, Seidou High's turn at bat. Batting 7th, pitcher, Furuya-kun."
The inning began with Furuya at bat.
Seidou maintained their approach from the first inning, especially now that they had the momentum—there was no need to hold back.
However...
Just like in the original story, Ogawa Tsunematsu pitched as if possessed.
Humming his favorite songs as he threw, as if the music itself gave him strength—
"Whoosh!"
"Clang!"
Ouch!
In the batter's box, Furuya could feel it—the bizarre uniqueness of this pitcher.
His pitches lacked control—wild and erratic.
But the sheer velocity and weight of the ball made it hard to ignore.
Unless it was clearly a ball, Seidou's hitters had no choice but to swing.
"Whoosh!"
"Smack!"
"Strike! Batter out!!"
Riding his momentum, Tsunematsu got Furuya out with just four pitches.
"Batting 8th, center fielder, Toujou-kun."
Heavy ball weight. Blazing speed. And a spiral pitch as his out pitch.
Even with poor control, Ogawa Tsunematsu completely suppressed Seidou's batting line through two innings.
"Whoosh!"
"Clang!"
His fastballs felt like they were made of lead.
Toujou couldn't redirect the force or fully connect with them.
Tsutematsu's pitching seemed wild and messy at first glance.
But that unorthodox style made it difficult for batters to track the ball's path—let alone hit it squarely.
Especially those inner-corner fastballs from a lefty like Tsunematsu—
Combined with his pitch weight, they made it extremely hard to swing at.
"Whoosh!"
"Clang!"
"Thud!"
"Smack!"
"OUT!!"
Toujou Hideaki was quickly pressured, and facing an outside fastball, he had no choice but to swing. He managed to send a hard grounder into the infield, but it was fielded cleanly, and Seiko secured the out at first with ease.
Toujou's out only fueled Ogawa Tsunematsu's growing momentum.
Next up was Kanemaru Shinji's turn at bat.
Ogawa didn't bother with subtlety—he went straight at Kanemaru with three consecutive inside fastballs, overpowering him to record the third out.
Kanemaru, who always prided himself on being able to hit fastballs, was left fuming, his expression dark with frustration.
"Out! Three outs! Change sides!"
"That pitcher... he's a bit more than I expected."
In Seidou's dugout on the first base side, Miyuki was suiting up in his catcher's gear as he watched Ogawa effortlessly shut down three batters in a row. His expression was serious as he commented.
"Yeah, he is," Eijun nodded, outwardly agreeing.
But inwardly, he wasn't all that surprised.
Ogawa's dominance came a little earlier than expected, but in the original timeline, he had suppressed Seidou's lineup for nearly the entire game.
So far, this was still within Eijun's expectations.
Or rather—
Given the current flow of the game, things were still manageable.
...
"Not sure why, but it feels like you're pretty hung up on that guy over there."
Just as they were about to take the field, Miyuki's voice suddenly reached Sawamura's ears.
"Huh? Not really."
Snapping out of his thoughts, Eijun quickly shook his head.
"It's just... he's a fellow lefty freshman pitcher. I'm just a bit curious, that's all."
Eijun pressed his lips together, replying in a low voice.
"Heh... I see."
Miyuki's eyes sparkled with clear disbelief, but he didn't press any further.
After all, it was just a casual question born of curiosity.
What mattered most now was the game in front of them.
...
As Miyuki glanced toward the field—
A sharp glint flickered deep in his eyes.
"Top of the 3rd inning, Seiko High's offense. Batting 7th, pitcher, Ogawa-kun."
"Let's go, Ogawa!"
"Get a hit here!"
"Charge, charge, charge, Ogawa!"
"Time to put on a show!"
"Tsunematsu, you've got this!"
With an air of absolute confidence—Ogawa Tsunematsu stepped into the batter's box like he owned it, radiating a "who else but me" attitude.
His round, chubby face and pudgy, stout frame—
The moment he planted himself at the plate, he looked like a towering mass of raw power.
Even Miyuki felt the sky darken for a second.
Pure physical strength.
Just looking at his build, Miyuki could tell—this guy's power was no joke.
A glint of cold calculation flashed through Miyuki's eyes as he thought to himself:
"First pitch—splitter. Let's test this guy's reaction speed."
From behind his gear, Miyuki subtly signaled the pitch with his right hand.
On the mound, Furuya gave a solemn nod, slightly crouched as he gripped the ball between his fingers.
His figure burst into motion—
Arm whipping forward—
"Whoosh!"
A flash of white light streaked across the field—
Sharp and fierce, it tore through the air, racing straight toward the batter's box.
Ogawa Tsunematsu stood firm, unfazed by the chilling pressure surging toward him.
Without hesitation, he stepped forward.
His thick arms swung the bat with all their might.
"Swoosh!"
The sheer force of the swing sliced through the air, causing a sonic boom to ring out.
As the ball neared—
The bat came crashing forward.
At the last possible moment—
The ball suddenly dipped.
But just then—
Ogawa's bat, which had originally swept high, sharply dropped.
The cold gleam of steel—
Met the descending pitch head-on.
In Miyuki's sharply contracted pupils—
"PING!!"
Bat and ball collided with perfect timing.
The thunderous crack roared across the stadium like a lightning strike.
On the mound, Furuya's expression changed drastically.
"Whoosh!"
The ball shot skyward from the batter's box—
Blazing with a terrifying, gleaming intensity.
As everyone looked on in disbelief—
"BOOM!!"
A deep, heavy thud echoed throughout the stadium.
The white streak had slammed violently—
Right into the electronic scoreboard.
The entire crowd erupted in a stunned uproar!
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