"Hey!"
"Why are you running penalty laps too?"
Kuramochi and the others stared at Ushijima Wakatoshi in surprise as he jogged alongside them.
Scratching the back of his head awkwardly, Ushijima laughed.
"Ah... hahaha..."
"This is a little embarrassing."
"After the August practice games, Sawamura's pitches became even sharper."
"Furuya also gained a lot of confidence after pitching at Koshien, and his control has become much more stable."
"So when both of them pitched to me today..."
"I couldn't reach the required batting average."
"..."
Everyone fell silent.
As strange as it sounded...
It was true.
Sawamura and Furuya had both improved significantly.
Compared to before, they were now much more reliable pitchers.
Shirasu looked over curiously.
"So..."
"What's your batting average?"
"Less than sixty percent."
"If it were sixty percent or higher, I wouldn't be running laps."
Ushijima sighed.
"The frustrating part is..."
"I used a wooden bat."
"If I'd used a metal bat, I probably would've reached sixty percent."
Kuramochi immediately rolled his eyes.
"You idiot."
"When you use a wooden bat..."
"All you ever try to hit are home runs."
"Every at-bat is the same."
"Either you hit it over the fence..."
"Or you mishit it and get caught."
"Or you break the bat."
"I seriously don't know what's wrong with you."
Ushijima smiled helplessly.
Because...
Kuramochi wasn't wrong.
When using a wooden bat, his only high-level batting skill was Gold Home Run.
His metal bat skills were completely different.
With a metal bat, he possessed Gold Infield Hitting and Gold Long Hitting.
Even if he couldn't drive the ball deep...
He could still beat out an infield hit with his speed.
But with a wooden bat...
Everything revolved around hitting home runs.
Sometimes...
That actually lowered his batting average.
He had hoped to obtain a skill like Silver · Wooden Bat · Infield Hitting or Silver · Wooden Bat · Long Hitting from the treasure chests.
Unfortunately...
His luck simply wasn't that good.
Thinking about it now...
Maybe he should change his strategy.
If there were runners on base...
Using a metal bat might actually be the smarter choice.
A metal bat would greatly increase his chances of getting a clean hit and driving runners home.
A wooden bat, on the other hand...
Required perfect timing, perfect contact, and a favorable pitch location to produce a home run.
It wasn't something he could force.
And if he failed to homer...
The runners might never score.
With a metal bat, even if the ball wasn't struck perfectly...
His speed alone often allowed him to reach base safely.
"Ushijima."
"What do you think of my batting?"
Maezono suddenly asked.
"You?"
Ushijima glanced at him.
"Your swing is too stiff."
"You have the build of a power hitter."
"Anyone can tell at a glance that you love hitting fastballs."
"And your swing makes that even more obvious."
"Once the pitcher and catcher notice that..."
"They'll attack your weaknesses immediately."
"During those thirty pitches just now..."
"I could've prevented you from putting a single ball into play."
"I only gave you a few pitches you liked because I didn't want you finishing with zero hits."
"Otherwise..."
"I wouldn't have held back."
Maezono's expression immediately darkened.
Only then did he realize...
His miserable 13% batting average existed only because Ushijima had intentionally gone easy on him.
"Don't take it too hard."
Ushijima continued.
"Kuramochi also had plenty of zero-hit sessions when we first started."
"Back in May..."
"There were five or six practices where he couldn't put a single ball into play."
"It took him nearly two months just to raise his batting average to sixteen percent."
Hearing that made Maezono feel slightly better.
"What about Haruichi?"
Kuramochi suddenly asked.
"What do you think of his batting?"
Ushijima smiled.
"If Haruichi had your height..."
"And your physique..."
"Honestly..."
"Even a pitcher like me would feel tremendous pressure facing him."
"His batting average would probably surpass even his older brother's."
The entire group fell silent.
It was true.
Kominato Haruichi stood only 164 centimeters tall.
Yet despite his small frame...
His batting technique was already exceptional.
If he were 175...
Or even 180 centimeters tall...
How terrifying would he become?
More importantly...
He had been Seido's first player to regularly practice with a wooden bat.
Only after Ushijima had spoken with him did Haruichi fully commit to using one.
Among all the first- and second-year players...
Only Ushijima's batting was clearly better.
Now that Haruichi occupied the third spot in the lineup...
No one questioned the decision.
Even before Koshien...
Although his opportunities in official games had been limited...
He had frequently practiced against Ushijima's pitching.
Those countless repetitions had rapidly elevated his batting ability.
If the infield positions hadn't already been occupied...
He probably would have become a starter much earlier.
When Kominato Ryosuke suffered his injury...
Haruichi stepped in immediately.
That alone proved his ability.
"By the way..."
"How's Toujou's pitching?"
Shirasu suddenly asked.
Ushijima answered without hesitation.
"Kawakami is probably under the most pressure."
Those simple words immediately silenced Kuramochi.
"I've noticed it too."
"It doesn't seem like pitching at Koshien helped Kawakami improve much."
"And lately..."
"He looks pretty down."
Kuramochi had noticed the change as well.
Ushijima nodded.
"From what I've seen..."
"He's even considered leaving the team."
Everyone froze.
"The pitching staff has become too competitive."
"Sawamura has improved."
"Furuya has improved."
"And now Toujou has returned as a pitcher."
"Among the first-year pitchers, Toujou may rank fourth..."
"But his fastball is already approaching 140 km/h."
"And his slider is excellent."
"So Kawakami probably feels..."
"That he won't get another opportunity to pitch."
"He's wondering whether he should leave before that happens."
Ushijima had already noticed everything.
Unfortunately...
He didn't know how to encourage Kawakami.
Kawakami's personality was simply too sensitive.
Shirasu frowned.
"So..."
"How do you think he should improve?"
Ushijima answered immediately.
"He thinks too much."
"His sidearm delivery is already intimidating."
"But he's too hesitant."
"He refuses to fully develop it."
"Especially his sinker."
"He learned the sinker during his first year."
"But then he sealed it away because he didn't want to become a pitcher who relied on only one weapon."
"But that's exactly the wrong approach."
"For a sidearm pitcher..."
"The sinker is the signature pitch."
"The horizontal movement becomes even more pronounced."
"It naturally runs away toward the outside corner."
"That makes it incredibly difficult for hitters to square up."
He paused before continuing.
"And if he developed a slow sinker..."
"Thrown at around one hundred kilometers per hour..."
"It would become even more dangerous."
"For a sidearm pitcher..."
"A slow sinker is practically the equivalent of a changeup."
"Kawakami already knows how to throw a sinker."
"He just hasn't realized how much potential it still has."
"If he fully developed both versions..."
"His presence on the mound wouldn't be any less intimidating than Furuya's."
"He's simply trapped by his own thoughts."
Kuramochi, Shirasu, and the others looked at one another in surprise.
None of them had expected the biggest obstacle holding Kawakami back...
Was himself.