"Ah, both teams had their aces starting!"
"Seriously."
"The Final Battle is the day after tomorrow, and they're already bringing out their Trump Cards."
Most of the spectators were marveling. After several days of buildup, Koshien was packed full of people everywhere.
In a sense, the Final Battle had already begun.
"Whew—" Kōshū drew the sweltering air deep into his lungs. Perhaps because his body was even hotter, the air somehow felt cool.
The Air Raid Siren sounded. With its blare echoing through the stadium, Kōshū threw his first pitch.
A faint puff of dust rose before his eyes.
The sensation of pitching etched into his subconscious.
The muscular force that erupted in that instant.
And, most importantly—
"Kyoma University's leadoff hitter should be their Steady First Batter. He's calm by nature and extremely patient. In twelve plate appearances at Koshien, aside from four hits and five strikeouts, he also has three walks. He draws a four-ball walk one-third of the time."
When Miyuki had begun discussing countermeasures yesterday, starting with the first batter, his brows had already furrowed.
But there was a way to crack the problem.
"Inside Changeups are his Batting Cold Zone."
So while you were sick, they would finish you off.
Kōshū drew his entire body taut like a fully pulled bow, waiting only for the ball to reach its release point.
"Whoosh—" The more focused he became, the clearer the sound of the air splitting beside his ears grew.
Filled with all the pitcher's strength, the white ball shot toward the Outside Corner the instant it left his hand.
It squeezed through the air resisting its advance, compressing the distance within the batter's vision. In the end, the bat twitched once, then held back.
It was not because he had judged it to be a