The so-called strike zone refers to the area above home plate from the batter's knees to the chest. It is also the area where the batter is easiest to hit.

No wonder it is said that a good pitcher is often the soul of the team. After all, it is not easy to eliminate hitters under such restrictions.

With a lot of emotion in his heart, Kato Yusuke's hands were neat and tidy.

With a "pop" sound, the baseball fell into the catcher's glove.

"A good shot!" the referee shouted.

"Okay, okay!" Yamaguchi shouted in the audience and clenched his fists.

Takei next to him said: "Well...but Ishikawa, he didn't swing the bat just now, right? Was he observing the ball path?"

The boy's ball just now was probably parallel to the thug's abdomen.

"Straight ball, the ball went low." Ishikawa murmured, with the expression on his face still calm.

The catcher on the side looked at him and then threw the ball back.

Yusuke Kato catches the ball thrown back by the catcher.

The sun is shining brightly and the cicadas are chirping loudly.

Seeing that the opponent was ready, the boy raised his hand and threw the baseball again.

Ishikawa swings.

"boom!"

The baseball fell into the glove and made a dull sound.

The catcher took the baseball out of his glove and couldn't help but move his slightly numb palm.

"...Two good shots!" There was a slight hesitation in the referee's eyes.

What was the speed of the ball just now?

Ishikawa's expression was slightly solemn, and he muttered silently: "140km/h?"

Kakakakakaka——

Members of the photography department standing behind tripods recorded this scene truthfully.

"Are you familiar with baseball? Kato-san." Shiyu asked the girl beside her.

"Hmm...hmm." Hui nodded slightly and responded: "Well, if only a little, Kasumigaoka-senpai."

"Just call me senior, so what are they talking about now?" Shiyu said casually.

"Hmm~~ Although I don't know very well..." Hui thought for a while and said, "But it should be that Kato-kun's ball speed was faster just now."

"Um, Kato-kun..."

"What's up?"

"Are you familiar with Kato-kun?"

"Well, after all, we are classmates, so I guess it's not unfamiliar, right?"

"I'm not talking about the kind of familiarity." Shiyu looked at the other person's profile and opened his red lips lightly: "So... you trust him very much?"

"Huh? Trust Kato-kun? Why?" Hui turned around, with no flaws in his eyes.

The two looked at each other.

After a long time, Shiyu looked away and said it was nothing.

The atmosphere suddenly became quiet.

Seeing Shiyu like this, Megumi said aloud: "However, I didn't expect that senior would actually know Kato-kun. I feel a little surprised."

"I don't think I've done anything to surprise you."

"Well, after all, Kasumigaoka-senpai is like a legend among the junior students, and I have only heard rumors..."

While the two were chatting.

"boom--!"

A crisp sound of blows came from the training ground, and the ball was hit by the bat and flew high.

"oh--!"

The audience let out a burst of exclamation.

"Is it a home run?"

"I don't know, it's still flying..."

Eventually, the baseball landed in the center field area of ​​the field.

"Ah, it's an inbounds ball."

"pity."

Although he hit the ball, Ishikawa's face didn't look very good.

By now, he was very sure: the ball thrown by Kato Yusuke was definitely 140km/h, or even higher.

It's still the not-so-standard posture, but the ball speed has reached a professional level.

In other words, the opponent's physical fitness alone is almost close to his own.

"No, not yet." Ishikawa shook his head, took a deep breath, and his eyes became firm again.

At least my best record is 150km/h! There are still three balls left, let him see it later!

While he was thinking about this, a boy from the baseball club suddenly ran to the referee and handed him an instrument that looked like a code scanner.

Then he ran back to the auditorium.

Glancing at the object in the referee's hand, Ishikawa recognized it at a glance as an instrument usually used by the team to measure ball speed.

Seeing this, his eyes couldn't help but move, but he didn't say anything.

So the game continued.

Looking at Ishikawa's serious expression, Kato Yusuke, who was standing on the pitching base, slightly raised the corners of his mouth, and there seemed to be mockery in his eyes.

Under everyone's gaze, the boy stepped on the pitching plate with one foot.

Raise your hand, shake your arm.

The muscles of the forearm swelled in an instant.

Ishikawa swings the bat.

"boom--!"

The catcher grunted and the baseball fell into his glove.

"Beep! 151km/h!"

The referee's pupils were slightly dilated, "A good shot!"

The place suddenly became quiet.

The catcher clasped his hands, twitched the outside of his glove, then endured the pain and threw the ball back to the boy.

Glancing at Ishikawa who was a little lost, a touch of joy flashed in the catcher's eyes.

Kato Yusuke took the baseball and waited quietly.

It wasn't until a while that Ishikawa reacted.

"Teacher Hirakawa..." He looked at the referee behind him, with some hope in his eyes.

The referee slowly shook his head at him and said nothing.

The darkness swallowed up hope in an instant.

"Senior Ishikawa." The young man on the pitching plate asked leisurely: "Do you want to continue?"

Ishikawa immediately clenched his back molars and shouted loudly: "It's just a goal, don't let me be so proud! I'm a first grader!"

"Come again!" He adjusted his fighting posture.

Kato Yusuke nodded and said okay.

Then came the second ball.

The boy placed his fingers on the side of the ball, close to the line.

Still in the same posture as before, Yusuke raised his arms and shook them.

A rapid sound broke through the air.

‘Too, too fast!’ Before he even had time to react, the catcher just raised his hand based on instinct.

"Snapped--!"

"Hiss..." Amidst the sound of the leather tearing, the baseball penetrated the glove directly.

Calfskin gloves, which are usually extremely tough, are now as brittle as a piece of paper.
To be continued...