6 Chapter 06 : Haruichi's Debut! Hiroto Steals the Limelight!

"WHOAAA!!"

"This is the first runner the newcomers have had today!"

"The loudmouth is so lucky!"

Furuya who was about to get out of the field froze for a second before turning his head toward the field once again. When he saw Sawamura's exhausted state after running desperately onto the base, he snorted disdainfully before walking toward the first team members where Miyuki sat.

"Hey, Mr. Genius pitcher!" Miyuki grinned playfully at him. "So, what happened with 'I will not let anyone touch my pitch.'? All of your pitches were hit by Hiroto and Masuko-senpai."

"Gyahaha!" Kuramochi laughed at Miyuki's teasing tone. "You think a firstie could get away from Hiroto? What a joke!"

"And what is it about not letting anyone touch your pitch?" Kominato Ryousuke suddenly chimed in, sending his usual creepy smile to Furuya. "Do you think the second team who had already experienced sweat and blood in an attempt to climb to the first team is easy to beat?"

A silence dropped as the atmosphere suddenly got heavier. The other third-year senpai also had their eyes on Furuya, looking at him with hostility. Miyuki had sweat dropped on his face at the sudden tension.

'Oi, oi! What happened here? Are we really going to bully a first-year?'

However, he didn't voice that thought. He knows his senpai were all dissatisfied with Kataoka-sensei's decision to put Furuya on the first team besides his bad result. It was like saying to the second team that their effort was futile in the face of talent like Furuya. Having been dubbed as Seido's worst generation and managed to climb up high with their effort, this decision is indeed an insult to their hard work.

Miyuki himself could understand those feelings. Even he and Chris-senpai who were dubbed as the most talented catchers of their generation need at least 6 innings guiding Kawakami and Tanba who were mediocre in their first year to face their monstrous senpai just for the coach to be satisfied with them, and even after that, they still received hostility from their senpai. It is not easy for a first-year player to climb up too fast, and whether he can adapt to the team situation depends on his performance on the field and social skills off the field.

Unfortunately, the rookie Furuya had no social skills and didn't know how to read the atmosphere.

"Well…" The first-year pitcher pondered for a moment. "I saw all of them on the box, and I just think they are not good enough to touch my pitch. Those two senpai caught me off guard, and that's all."

"HA?!" Ishashiki roared angrily. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT, BASTARD?!"

"JUN!" Tetsu suddenly raised his voice. The atmosphere is getting heavier, and even the clueless social idiot like Furuya knows there is something wrong with this situation. "Sit down!"

They both had eye contact for a couple of seconds, causing everyone to hold their breath nervously. After a while, Ishashiki finally relented, huffing dissatisfiedly while turning his attention back to the field, not wanting to bring back the last conversation.

Even though he really wanted to beat Furuya up, he still respected Kataoka-sensei's decision and Tetsu's position as the captain. Moreover, as someone who worked harder than anyone else, he knew Tetsu was angrier than him right now. However, as the captain Tetsu still had to handle things carefully, especially for a genius who was recognized by the coach. That's why, if the one who deserved to be angry the most still could hold his emotion, Ishashiki would also try his best to do the same.

"Well.." Miyuki hummed for a second, trying to lighten up the mood. "What do you think about the new development of this game?"

"Oh, the loudmouth is interesting!" Ishashiki suddenly brightened up as if there was nothing wrong a few seconds ago. "Even though he depended on luck, he had the right spirit and always managed to cheer up the dugout! He is worth cultivating!"

For Ishashiki, Sawamura is the same type of player as him. Loud, aggressive, and would always shoulder the mood of the team even in a crucial condition. It doesn't matter if Sawamura's ability is terrible. He also joined Seido with no skill at first, and with his hard work, he triumphed over all the challenges in front of him. Ishashiki did not doubt that Sawamura could do the same.

'And I know Hiroto took a fancy to that kid. If he was mentored by me and Hiroto, the kid would be an absolute monster whether as an outfielder or as a hitter.'

However, being a socially clueless person, Furuya once again poured the cold water into the enthusiastic Ishashiki. "Well, no matter what he does, it is useless.."

"Oh?" Now, instead of Ishashiki, it was Ryousuke who replied to Furuya's words. Even if he smiled, the dark aura flared from his tiny body, scaring the shit out of the people who didn't know him. "Why do you think so?"

"Well, if you are not a pitcher, baseball is not a game that could be changed by one person. One safe hit wouldn't change anything, especially if it was based on luck. They would be crushed in the next inning."

Well… Even though they all are furious at Furuya, they couldn't deny his words. In baseball, the pitcher is the one who touched the ball the most, so he would be the one who could influence the game the most too. Even if one player had a good offensive run, if there was no one following him, there was no chance for the team to win, especially when they were down in the score like the newcomer team.

And it was proven right in front of their eyes when the eighth batter was sent out by just three pitches.

"STRIKE! STRIKE! STRIKE! BATTER OUT!"

A silence once again befell among them as the atmosphere turned gloomy. They wanted the second team to succeed, yet they didn't want Furuya's words to be proven true. But right when they faced this dilemma, the smile on Ryousuke's face suddenly brightened once again as if he was delighted by something, frightening Kuramochi who had never seen the second baseman so happy like this before.

"Well, Mr. Genius. No matter how bad the score is, as long as there are players who are willing to fight, the game won't end that easily. The next batter would prove you that."

At this, everyone suddenly turned their eyes on the next batter, looking at the newcomer's dugout curiously. When their eyes found who was it, they widened their eyes in shock as they found out a pink-haired boy who had a pretty similar figure to Ryousuke was swinging a wooden bat, warming up for his chance next.

"This boy…. As long as there is one player who hasn't given up yet, he will also keep fighting until the end. That loudmouth brat is the best partner the boy could ever think of.."

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Hiroto who was on the right field turned his eyes on the movement in the newcomers' dugout and smiled a bit at the excitement down there.

'So, that is Ryousuke-senpai's brother, huh? He was also the one who shouted before and reminded Sawamura of the catcher's mistake. Well, he had a keen observation skill, and if the statistic that Rei-san said about his batting average is true, then the next round will be interesting. Let's see what would he do….'

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Kominato Haruichi walked calmly toward the batter box, and just like his brother, he had that default smile expression that could hide all of his emotion, making it hard for the others to read his thoughts. Coupled with the bang that hides his eyes pretty well, he radiated a mysterious aura that would frighten everyone who doesn't know him well. However, that wasn't enough to hide his excitement as he stood on the batter box.

At first, no one thinks about him as a threat to the second team. That is understandable, considering Haruichi is an introverted boy with a petite body, a type of player that wasn't built to intimidate the opponent. However, after realizing it was him who reminded Sawamura before, all the players of the second team decided to treat him carefully.

After all, seeing the catcher's small mistake from the dugout showed Haruichi's keen observation. If that could be translated into his offensive game, getting a hit would be easy for him. However, after seeing Haruichi's petite body, the pitcher decided to take a bold decision and signaled the outfielders to come forward.

'Oh?' Haruichi raised his eyebrows slightly. 'It seems I am being underestimated here.'

Yeah, by asking the outfielders to come close, the pitcher thought he wouldn't be able to hit far and decided to focus on the infield hit. If the one who stood there was not Haruichi, this was indeed the correct decision. However, Haruichi came prepared.

"Well…" Haruichi suddenly pointed his bat toward Sawamura before shouting with an unusual confidence. "I am gonna make it back home! Let's both get runs!"

This!

Sawamura was stunned by Haruichi's bold declaration. He thought that Haruichi was just a quiet boy with good eyes. It never crossed his mind that the pink-haired boy would be ambitious enough to get a run and still not think that the game was already over. This ignited spirit inside him, as he gave a big thumb up toward the batter.

"GOOD! JUST DO YOUR BEST, AND WE WILL MEET AGAIN AT THE HOME PLATE!"

Seeing those two not respecting their senpai, the atmosphere there started to get lively again.

"OOH! Another one who is not respecting their elders!"

"This is the third one, right?!"

"Yeah! Besides him, there is also that loudmouth brat and that monster pitcher! It seems Seido got a couple of interesting brats this year!"

"But that was a bold declaration! No matter what, he doesn't have the build of a long-distance batter, right?"

"Yeah! He won't be able to hit far!"

Unlike the lively atmosphere outside of the field, all of the second-team players were looking at the small boy with furious gazes as if he had just stolen their cookies. However, it was what Haruichi aimed for. He wanted to aggravate his senpai more so they chose to do a bold play just to show off their strength. If this play happened as he expected, he would be able to send Sawamura back home easily.

And just like dancing into his palm, the pitcher threw the ball into the course that Haruichi expected from the start.

'An outside pitch! As expected, he wanted to force a double play. However, this kind of pitch is the easiest!'

In a last second before the ball could pass him, Haruichi suddenly slides the grip to the bottom of the bat to get the most power for the hit. And with one powerful and fast swing, he hits the ball easily, shocking everyone who watched the game.

*CLANK!*

"OH! He hits it!"

"That's a good line drive! The speed is good too!"

 "The center is way too close to the infield! He is not ready to get the ball!"

Yeah, due to the pitcher's misjudgment, Maezono Kenta who guarded the center field was way too advanced to guard Haruichi's long-range hit. And this kind of long-range hit is the most troublesome kind to anticipate for an outfield player like him.

Just like its name, a line drive is when the batter hits the ball in a nearly straight line not far above the ground. The batter usually aimed this kind of hit between the infielders and the outfielders. However, that was the textbook definition. With enough power, the batter could aim far to the edge of the field. Even though it wouldn't be high enough to be a home run, it would be hard for the outfielder to recover, and this kind of hit is the one that usually sends the batter directly into the third base.

And that was what Haruichi did. By sliding the grip far into the bottom of the bat, he hits the ball high enough to pass Maezono's head, and if the center didn't do anything, it would be hard for him to recover the ball.

Realizing that, Maezono gritted his teeth and jumped, trying to intercept the ball before it could go far away from him. Unfortunately, the exit velocity of the hit is fast enough for the ball to just brush Maezono's glove and still fly far to the edge of the field at a high speed.

"OOH!"

"Maezono-kun missed the ball!"

"Look at those firsties! They are so fast!"

"Yeah! The loudmouth had already passed the third base and the shortie is not that far behind! If no one recovers the ball, it would be an infield home run for that shortie!"

Sawamura grinned when he heard the noises outside. He could see from the corner of his eyes the pink-haired boy followed him not far away. To be honest, he didn't expect Haruichi to hit the ball this quick. At first, he just wanted to steal a base to distract the pitcher and ease Haruichi's pressure. However, once the ball was hit, he speeded up with all his strength, trying to go back to the home plate as far as possible.

The same thought was shared by Haruichi. He didn't expect Sawamura to run before he could even hit the ball. But it was a good play, and now, they both were a few meters away to get two runs in one sweep.

Unfortunately, right before Sawamura could avoid the catcher and touch the plate, the ball that was supposed to be far on the edge of the field suddenly went at high speed, passing Sawamura who was about to arrive at the home plate. The catcher caught it, tagging Sawamura quickly before he threw the ball again to the third base without waiting for Haruichi to react.

And in a second, they could hear the referee shout, "8-2-5 DOUBLE PLAY! THREE OUTS! CHANGE SIDES!"

Silence befell once again onto the field as everyone turned their head toward the outfield, wanting to see who was responsible for initiating double play. There, they could see Hiroto standing up proudly, smiling at Sawamura and Haruichi who were too stunned to react and wiggled his point finger. It was as if he warned the two newcomers, they wouldn't be able to do that on his watch.

And right after that, the roar exploded once again on the field, as Hiroto stole the newcomers' limelight with one laser bullet from afar.

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Author note :

Hey! I have written a few next chapters of this new story and posted it already on my patreon account. If you want to read it in advance, you can visit patreon(.)com/ZetaFaes .

You can read this story up to chapter 12, and I will try to update it faster. 

You can also read my other fanfiction, Kuroko no Basket: The Sixth man of Seirin Basketball Team up to chapter 152 on that page.

Thank you for your support! I appreciate it! :)

-Zeta Faes-