The bottom of the fourth inning.
0 out, runners on first and second.
Hirata was standing on second base at this moment, his face solemn as he tested the sense of distance, wanting to steal a base to apply pressure.
At this time.
It was Class C's third batter Sudo's turn.
Crouching behind Hikiagaya, watching the incoming outside corner ball just entering the strike zone, the class advisor Mashima was full of seriousness.
"Strike."
Phew...
Hearing this.
Hikiagaya breathed a slight sigh of relief.
It wasn't just them who had become familiar with the opponent's pitching style; correspondingly, Class C had also gradually grasped Sumida's pitching style.
And having often seen Sudo's kind of high-speed ball, Sumida's balls should be considered slow in the eyes of the Class C crowd.
The hitting rate had increased somewhat.
Hirata successfully hit a base hit, and Miyake Akito also reached third after several consecutive fouls.
Although Sumida still had changeups, it felt a bit dangerous.
Swish.
Hikiagaya threw the ball back to Sumida and crouched on the ground again.
He glanced at Sudo Ken on his left, who was gritting his teeth, his eyes solemn and focused on the game.
As expected of a formal member of the sports club.
After adjusting his mindset, he could immediately throw himself back into the game.
To admit frankly.
His own strength as a catcher was far inferior to Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's.
Physical fitness, technique, hitting ability, and insights into baseball were all far behind Ayanokouji Kiyotaka.
But.
Hikiagaya also had his own way of fighting.
"I say..."
At this time, Hikiagaya spoke up lightly to strike up a conversation.
"Sudo-kun, surely you can't see it? Your swing just now was a bit far from the ball."
"..."
Sudo gripped the bat tightly, took a deep breath, and did not respond.
He had already learned his lesson, and had been reminded by Horikita Suzune and Ayanokouji to have less contact with Hikiagaya.
After the sports festival and culture festival.
Even though he had already made up his mind, he was still used by Hikiagaya several times in a row.
To admit frankly.
His brain was indeed not as good as Hikiagaya's; he had no idea what this guy's goal was.
In short.
Just don't have contact.
Just treat Hikiagaya's words as farts.
Hearing Hikiagaya speak, the class advisor Mashima behind him also raised his alert.
Psychological warfare in baseball is feasible.
But if it involves personal attacks or calling out the pitch, it would be considered a foul.
Being chosen as the chief umpire was naturally because of Mashima's impartial side; if any violation occurred, he would definitely not be polite.
"Did I hit the mark?"
Seeing this.
Hikiagaya made a gesture, and the corner of his mouth couldn't help but curl into an arc.
In one ear and out the other is not an easy thing to do.
The source was naturally himself.
Although he had once made up his mind not to care about the eyes of people around him, every time he heard himself being evaluated, it was still inevitably a bit saddening.
This is human nature.
Just like cursing, simple "cnm" has no meaning.
To curse, one must curse until the other person's defense is broken.
"Well, this is unavoidable."
Hikiagaya said with a tone of relief:
"After all, at the start of school, you seemed to be the last in the entire school; now you already have an academic rating close to B."
"You must have put in effort beyond what normal people imagine; being near-sighted is also unavoidable."
"Strike!"
The game still continued.
Whether this approach could be effective could be seen from Sudo's expression.
His face was dark, and he was forcefully suppressing his anger.
Even if he had learned to restrain his temper, so what?
If he should get angry, he still gets angry.
It's just that he has learned to be smart now, knowing to keep these things inside.
1 out, 2 strikes.
"Teacher."
Sudo pointed at Hikiagaya to report: "This guy is interfering with my game, can you make him shut up."
"Hikiagaya, pay a little attention."
"Sorry..."
Seeing Hikiagaya apologize so easily, the class advisor Mashima knew this guy was totally insincere, but there was nothing he could do.
As long as no personal attacks were made.
Simple psychological warfare was within the scope of the rules.
Although the class advisor Mashima also knew Hikiagaya was messing with Sudo's mindset.
Unfortunately.
One can only condemn from a moral level.
Being swayed by such a sentiment.
Undoubtedly shows.
Whether a certain part of Sudo's heart has ever felt regret about this?
Life now is very beautiful.
The evaluation within the class is gradually becoming better, and he receives the trust of the class members.
Sudo has no dissatisfaction with this.
Although becoming a professional player is obviously no longer very likely, as long as he can graduate from Class A he can enter a large enterprise to work.
The current Sudo has confidence that he can handle those clerical jobs.
Or do some basketball logistics work.
Become an excellent corporate slave.
However.
Having obtained the things he used to want, he began to drift further and further away from his original dream.
Does Sudo have that little bit of unwillingness in his heart?
Maybe he doesn't care.
Every day there is a large amount of pocket money, and he has friends to play with.
Although he was rejected.
But every day he can still see Horikita Suzune, whom he once loved, and he is deeply trusted by Horikita Suzune.
Sudo naturally wouldn't keep these worries in his heart anymore.
But.
They were pointed out.
Although he clearly knew Hikiagaya was messing with his mindset, Sudo couldn't restrain himself from thinking in that direction.
After all.
Only Sudo himself knew clearly that such a possibility did indeed exist.
Even if Sudo didn't want to think about it and chose to give up thinking.
Someone would help him think.
"That's great."
Hikiagaya threw the ball back to Sumida again, breathed a sigh of relief and smiled:
"If Sudo-kun's vision was still the same as when school started, we might have had a hard time."
"3 strikes, batter out."
Feeling the dull thud from the glove, Hikiagaya breathed a sigh of relief.
The current Sudo.
Simply cannot see those high-speed balls that are as fast as over a hundred kilometers.
He was completely swinging the bat blindly.
It's just that the strength is not fake; if it were hit, it would probably be a triple or a home run, so he still couldn't be underestimated.
"Humph..."
Sudo let out a cold snort.
Veins popped on the palm gripping the bat.
If he didn't know it would be a foul, he would have wanted to give Hikiagaya a beating.
This despicable and shameless bastard.
Only knows how to use such shameless means to mess with his mindset.
What's even more annoying is.
He would fall for it every time.
It's just that after two years of growth, Sudo would no longer attribute the fault to others, but instead felt some disgust toward himself.
After all.
If his strength were still the same as before.
With his athletic nerves, it would be possible to practice good control, and he could even master some breaking balls.
A 150KM high-speed straight ball, combined with breaking balls.
Suppressing Class B should be an easy task.
Precisely because he knew this possibility truly existed.
Thoughts involuntarily poured into Sudo's mind, such as "Yeah, it would have been better if I hadn't studied so hard," or "Maybe just studying a little bit would have been enough."
"What's wrong?"
"No, it's nothing. Sorry, Ayanokouji. I'll leave the rest to you. Give that guy a good thrashing."
Watching Ayanokouji approach, Sudo requested with a serious expression; he still had comrades he could trust.
In the past, he likely would have punched Hikigaya, or at least intimidated him. Now, he could restrain himself and rely on his teammates.
It was no longer possible to break Sudo's mental state like that.
Sudo had indeed grown.
"I'll do my best."
Ayanokouji nodded expressionlessly.