It was dusk, and the sea breeze was gentle.
Yoshida Shin had a solid build and a determined gaze.
His white baseball uniform, striped with black vertical lines, was smeared with dirt and sweat. But that didn't make him look scruffy. Instead, he seemed to radiate the burning spirit of youth.
He had to admit, standing on the pitcher's mound with his teammates watching, Yoshida Shin looked incredibly cool—like the hero of a shonen manga.
Gotō Mari didn't like Yoshida Shin, but she'd always acknowledged that he had a unique charm. But now...
Gotō Mari turned to look at Lin Baici.
He wore casual clothes and had struck a batting stance without much effort, his expression relaxed.
By all rights, the shonen manga hero should have outshone him. But for some reason, Gotō Mari thought this big brother from the Nine Provinces looked cooler.
Wait, weren't there always upperclassmen in shonen manga who were stronger and more talented than the protagonist?
The kind who stepped in to save the protagonist's athletic career when he hit a rough patch.
Gotō Mari felt Lin Baici was that sort of person, except...
He didn't seem to play much baseball, while Yoshida Shin—
was genuinely strong!
When Lin Baici saw Yoshida Shin still hadn't pitched, he gave the bat a little swing.
Yoshida Shin took a deep breath, lifted his left leg, and held his right hand inside his glove. Then he raised it over his head. The next moment, his right arm whipped forward like a lash.
There!
Feeling the ball slip from his fingertips, Yoshida Shin smiled confidently.
That pitch—
was powerful enough to make the stands erupt at Koshien.
The next second, Yoshida Shin heard a sharp crack, then saw the baseball he'd thrown fly back at him even faster.
Whoosh!