"Huh?"
Owada Akiko's eyes widened as she stared at the scoreboard.
"Yakushi changed their batting order again?"
She covered her mouth in surprise.
"I didn't expect that at all."
Beside her, Mine Fujio adjusted his glasses and carefully studied the lineup.
"You're right."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"Coach Todoroki moved faster than I expected."
His eyes narrowed with interest.
"Just as unconventional as ever."
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"Now I'm curious to see how Kaidou responds."
The spectators quickly noticed the adjustment as well.
Excited discussions spread throughout the stands.
Some fans eagerly analyzed the change.
Others simply looked forward to the clash between two powerhouse lineups.
The atmosphere inside Koshien continued to rise.
Then the stadium announcer's voice echoed across the field.
"Top of the first inning."
"Yakushi High School will bat first."
"Lead-off hitter, pitcher, Kitamura Kou."
The crowd instantly erupted.
Cheers thundered through the stadium.
Amid the deafening noise, Kitamura calmly picked up his bat and stepped out of the dugout.
His pace remained steady.
His expression remained composed.
The excitement of the crowd seemed unable to affect him in the slightest.
Step by step, he walked toward the batter's box.
"Kahaha! Amazing!"
Raichi's eyes sparkled.
"I want to be just like Kitamura!"
For once, Todoroki Raizo didn't argue with his son.
Instead, he focused on Kaidou's dugout.
A faint smile appeared beneath his beard.
You have plenty of pitchers, don't you?
Let's see how many can withstand Kitamura's bat.
Whether you challenge him directly or pitch around him, we're taking the initiative today.
His gaze shifted back to the batter's box.
Confidence filled his eyes.
Meanwhile, inside Kaidou's dugout, Naoki Enomoto let out a dismissive snort.
"Hmph."
He looked down at Kitamura from afar.
"Trying to act calm already?"
His lips curled upward.
"I'll let you enjoy yourself for now."
A cold gleam flashed in his eyes.
"When it's my turn to pitch, you'll learn what real despair feels like."
Unlike Enomoto's open arrogance, Kaidou's catcher remained cautious.
Sato Toshiya crouched behind home plate, carefully observing Kitamura.
The longer he looked, the more uneasy he became.
Kitamura's stance was completely ordinary.
Nothing stood out.
His grip was normal.
His posture was relaxed.
There wasn't even the intimidating presence expected from a feared slugger.
Yet that was precisely what made him dangerous.
A batter who had already produced such terrifying results should not look this ordinary.
The unknown was always the most troublesome.
Still, Sato quickly reached a decision.
The game had only just begun.
Avoiding a confrontation now would only boost Yakushi's momentum while damaging Kaidou's confidence.
Besides, if they could retire Kitamura immediately, the initiative would shift to their side.
Even if they surrendered a run, Kaidou possessed enough offensive firepower to recover.
After weighing the options, Sato flashed his signs.
On the mound, Sakuraba's eyes immediately brightened.
Good.
They weren't backing down.
A powerful aura erupted from him as he stared toward home plate.
Yet when that pressure reached Kitamura, it seemed to vanish without effect.
The batter remained completely unfazed.
Sakuraba narrowed his eyes.
Then he delivered his first pitch of the game.
Whoosh!
The baseball shot toward the outside corner.
Inside the batter's box, Kitamura remained motionless.
His mind calmly processed the information.
Around 140 kilometers per hour.
Low and away.
Just outside the strike zone.
At the start of the game, against a team with Kaidou's pitching depth, forcing an early pitching change would be ideal.
Even if he couldn't do that immediately, gathering information was equally valuable.
So he made his decision.
Watch it.
Pop!
The ball settled cleanly into Sato's mitt.
"Ball!"
The umpire's voice rang out.
The first pitch of the semifinal belonged to Kaidou.
But for both sides—
The battle had only just begun.