Disadvantage

That speed... it dropped? Tojo stared at the Fast Forkball settling into the mitt, an incredulous cry rising in his heart.

He looked up at Hongo Masamune and found him utterly calm. Hongo even glanced toward Seidou's bench, clearly not taking him seriously at all.

Tojo naturally knew who he was looking at, and he understood that the first-pitch Fast Forkball had not been a change in pitch selection because Hongo valued him.

He was simply showing Sendou his strength, as if saying, "Now I'm qualified to be your opponent!"

"He's incredible! And they're both players from the same year!" Tojo gritted his teeth and readied himself again. He knew the previous pitch had merely been a warning to Sendou. The fastball was coming now.

"Pff!"

"Yah!"

"Piu!"

"Thud!"

"Strike!"

Tojo swung almost the instant he saw the ball, yet he still failed to touch it.

Tojo could only grit his teeth and decide to swing based on prediction.

"Thud!"

"Strike! Batter out!"

Reality was brutal. The previous pitch had been high and inside; this one was low and outside on the diagonal.

In truth, even if he anticipated the release and swung early, he still could not catch up to Hongo's fastball.

Hongo had not even thrown diagonally against Tojo because Tojo was particularly strong. He simply did not want to throw a fourth pitch!

"Strikeout!!! Seidou's powerful lineup has suffered back-to-back strikeouts!!! Up next is Seidou's first round through the center batting lineup!!"

"I'm up!" Sendou tugged down his cap and headed toward the on-deck circle.

"Third batter! Second baseman, Kominato-kun!"

Huh? He isn't looking at me at all! Kominato, standing in the Batter's Box, was deeply shaken when he saw that Hongo Masamune's eyes contained only Sendou.

He's looking at me. What terrifying eyes... This guy! Sendou