Luck?

"Boom!" The tremendous sound slammed into the backstop beside the Batter's Box, completely pulling Sendou out of his nostalgic memories and back to reality.

"Whoa!" Sendou's friends behind him and the Wildcats teammates cried out in alarm!

"Th-That's terrifying! How many kilometers per hour was that?!!!"

"So fast! I only saw a white streak and couldn't see the ball at all. And Sendou-san, it should look even faster from where you're standing, right?" a Wildcats player said at that moment!

(In baseball, the perceived pitch speed is completely different depending on whether you are several meters behind the Batter's Box, viewing from the side, from the pitcher's perspective, from the Batter's Box, or from the catcher's actual perspective.

The fastest views are from the Batter's Box and the catcher's perspective. A few meters behind the batter, it still feels fast, but it is much slower than standing directly in the Batter's Box. The side view and pitcher's perspective are about the same—even at 160 kilometers per hour, you can clearly see the ball's trajectory and it does not feel that fast. I once saw a real catcher-perspective video of a 160-kilometer Fastball, filmed with a Camera mounted on the catcher's head. Honestly, I only saw the ball when it hit the Camera. Before that, I couldn't see it at all.)

"Yeah, that was 140 kilometers per hour. If anything, it was obviously even faster than that—at least 145!" another player added.

"No elementary schooler—no, not even a middle school student—could hit a pitch like that, right?"

"What is Coach doing? Even Sendou-san can't do it, can he? Hitting a pitch like that and all!"

That startled me! Sendou's pupils merely contracted as he thought to himself, but nothing showed on his face.

"Hehe, Sendou, that was a 150-kilometer Fastball. Even you definitely can't hit it. With your incredible Dynamic Vision, your eyes can keep up, and your reflexes are far beyond those of ordinary people, but your body itself can't keep up with your Dynamic Vision and reflexes. Show some surprise like a child! How boring is it to act like an adult all day?" Coach Nakanishi watched the scene and thought wickedly. That was right—his reason for setting the pitch speed so high was that childish.

Hah!!! This Coach is at it again. I always thought this old man had a few days every month when he went crazy and did utterly incomprehensible things. Did I just have bad luck today and happen to catch one? Sendou rested the bat on his shoulder and looked at Coach Nakanishi.

That was quite a misunderstanding. Sendou had always thought Coach Nakanishi had a few days every month when he was mentally unstable! In reality, the man had simply worried himself sick over this kid who did not act like a kid at all.

You won't be smiling in a moment. Show all sorts of expressions like a child! Coach Nakanishi thought as he watched Sendou, whose tightly closed lips made him look as though he were smiling.

He had even begun imagining the look on Sendou's face when he got angry and questioned him.

If Sendou found out, he would surely say, "You have delusions. When have I ever had that kind of personality?"

Amid that strange atmosphere, the simulated pitcher's pitching animation for the second ball appeared on the screen.

"Click! Click! Click! Click!"

"Whoosh!"

"Bang!" The huge roar of the hard ball striking the backstop rang out again, making everyone wonder whether the board would break. The hard ball was filled almost entirely with wood shavings, making it nearly no different from a solid wooden ball.

Sendou observed this pitch very seriously!

At this speed, there's absolutely no way I can hit it normally right now...! Sendou immediately made an accurate judgment!

*Well, in the end, this was something that old man did because he was acting crazy today, so it's normal enough!

But... that only means I can't hit it normally. He seems to have forgotten that a Pitching Machine throws at a constant speed.

Still, even if I start my swing early, hitting it on the first try is unlikely. I'll probably have to start swinging early at timings like one, two, three! Starting early is a little difficult, but it's fine if I can't hit the next ball. I can take a few more swings then!* Sendou muttered to himself during the pause between pitches as he compared the timing of his swing.

(Just in case, a little explanation—though most people probably know this—even a Pitching Machine has a fairly long interval between pitches. That is true.

At a casual batting center, the pitch speed is slower, so the interval might be shorter. I worked that out myself; I have never been to one.)

In the end, even Sendou himself did not realize that his competitive nature had been laid completely bare. Originally, he had only agreed to take one turn at bat, meaning his first swing would have been his last, though no one had said it aloud.

"All right, bring it on!" This time, Sendou said it out loud without realizing it. Though his voice was low, the people behind him could still hear it.

How rare, Akila. Did he get serious?! Furuhashi Fumino thought to herself.

The familiar sound of the machine rang out once more!

Anyway, swing with everything I have! Try to hit the ball! For this pitch, the rest is up to luck. As the machine began clicking, Sendou told himself.

"Clang!!!"

In the quiet room, the sound of the bat meeting the ball was especially piercing, and everyone's hearts immediately tightened!

For an instant, apart from Sendou, who looked completely calm despite his inner surprise, and Furuhashi Fumino, who wore a faint smile and an almost imperceptible look of pride, everyone stared blankly as the white ball soared into the sky!!!

"Smack!!!"

"..." Other than Sendou and Fumino, nearly everyone remained stunned, their thoughts unable to catch up!

Fumino had only glanced at the ball before immediately turning her gaze to Sendou. To others, his expression, posture, and movements showed no change at all, but only Furuhashi Fumino, who had watched Sendou since childhood, could see it. Facing her direction, he gripped the bat again in his right hand, while his left hand, lowered at his side, lightly clenched—a tiny, nearly invisible celebratory gesture that revealed its owner's mood.

At that instant, Furuhashi Fumino's smile blossomed, as though the entire world had been captivated by it. (Some scenes of Fumino in the anime really were so beautiful they took your breath away, while also making you feel incredibly at ease.)

For Fumino, that was enough. Unfortunately, no one saw that beautiful smile. Everyone remained dazed, staring at the white ball that had just struck the marker signifying a Home Run.

Fumino had looked away as soon as the ball began flying. Perhaps because she understood her childhood friend so well, she had seen what she most wanted to see. Yet no one saw her beauty. Sometimes, a girl's wishes were just that simple.

To make a long story short, I have already forgotten what I wanted to tell everyone before I started writing. Anyway, please recommend and bookmark it, guys!