"Whoa, what a scary look." Amakuhisa felt his heart sink under that gaze. Are you that excited just because you hit a Slider last time?
Of course Kōshū was excited. The state he had entered the instant he hit that Slider last time had left him yearning for more.
One more time! He recalled everything he had been thinking when he made that hit. His restless emotions slowly sank to the bottom, and amid the clamor, silence began to occupy his entire body and mind.
The home plate umpire's voice came from behind him, drifting over from somewhere far away like smoke, never reaching the batter's ears.
He held up his bat, his eyes locked tightly on the pitcher across from him. There were no unnecessary movements, nor did he spare any attention for anyone else.
Near third base, Miyuki stood two steps off the bag. Seeing the batter's current state, he raised an eyebrow, finding it unexpectedly familiar. Captain Tetsu?
It was as though the batter's presence from the Batter's Box could pressure the pitcher. That steadiness instead made Ichidai Third High uneasy.
That's impressive. If he really can become like Captain Tetsu, then maybe I won't have to... Miyuki cut off his train of thought because the pitcher looked over. He did not retreat even a step, standing two steps from third base as he confronted the pitcher.
"Haa—" Whether batter or runner, Seido's players were all unbelievably tough. Amakuhisa exhaled and calmed himself. Only now could he truly understand how Manaka had felt standing on this Pitcher's Mound before.
There's no way back. I can only keep standing here!
He selectively ignored the relief pitcher warming up in the Bullpen. In any case, he would face Kōshū with that mindset first.
To some extent, he felt that