Chapter 211: Shocking Pitch Speed

“Three outs! Change sides!”

The fourth inning came to an end.

Under Kitamura Kou’s overwhelming performance, Yakushi High School successfully shut down Kaidou High School’s terrifying batting lineup.

The current score was:

Yakushi High School 2 – 0 Kaidou High School.

During the brief break between innings, the spectators took the opportunity to discuss the incredible duel they had just witnessed.

Everyone was excitedly sharing their opinions.

“What a shame! That final pitch was clearly outside the strike zone. I never expected Sato to swing at something like that!”

A young man wearing a baseball cap shook his head with regret.

The middle-aged man beside him immediately nodded.

“Exactly! It’s fortunate that the catcher reacted quickly enough to stop it. Otherwise, that could have easily become a wild pitch.”

“Just imagining the possibility is terrifying.”

Another spectator with thinning hair joined the conversation.

“In my opinion, Kaidou High’s batting lineup has finally forced Kitamura Kou into a corner.”

“You have to understand, I’ve watched many of Kitamura’s games before, and I’ve never seen him throw a pitch that far outside the zone before.”

A spectator nearby sighed.

“Although watching a one-sided victory can certainly be satisfying…”

“A close battle like today’s, where both sides are evenly matched and every moment is full of uncertainty, is much more exciting.”

“I really hope the following games can maintain this level of competition.”

Everyone around him nodded in agreement.

Indeed.

This kind of intense confrontation was what made baseball truly fascinating.

However…

The bald middle-aged man suddenly noticed something strange.

His friend sitting beside him, who normally would have been enthusiastically discussing every detail of the game, had surprisingly remained silent.

Not a single word.

This immediately aroused his curiosity.

After all, he knew this friend very well.

He was a complete baseball fanatic.

Whenever there was a game to watch, this guy would become unstoppable, constantly commenting and analyzing every play.

But now…

He was strangely quiet.

Unable to hold back his curiosity, the middle-aged man slowly turned his head.

Then—

He froze.

His friend’s mouth was wide open.

His eyes were stretched as wide as possible, staring toward a certain direction.

His entire body was completely motionless.

It was as if he had been struck by lightning.

“What happened to you?”

The middle-aged man followed his friend’s gaze.

And then…

He froze as well.

His mouth slowly opened.

His eyes widened.

His expression became one of complete disbelief.

His lips trembled.

He wanted to speak.

But no words came out.

At another section of the stands, a sharp-eyed spectator suddenly noticed something.

His expression changed dramatically.

“Hey!”

“Everyone, look at the speed display!”

His voice was so excited that it almost became distorted.

The sudden shout attracted the attention of nearby spectators.

They curiously turned toward the scoreboard.

Then…

One by one…

Their expressions changed.

The number of shocked spectators rapidly increased.

More and more people looked toward the speed display.

And more and more people became frozen in place.

The entire scene became strangely quiet.

Almost comical.

On the electronic scoreboard used to display pitch velocity…

A number was flashing.

A number that shocked everyone.

For a moment…

Time seemed to stop.

The entire stadium fell into silence.

Finally, a spectator with stronger mental endurance managed to recover first.

His mouth opened slightly.

His voice trembled.

“One…”

“One hundred…”

“Fifty-nine?!”

The weak and shaking voice was like a stone thrown into a calm lake.

Instantly…

The entire stadium exploded.

The stands erupted.

Cheers.

Shouts.

Exclamations.

Everything mixed together.

“159 km/h?!”

“Impossible! That’s actually 159 km/h?!”

“How can this be?!”

Even though the number was displayed clearly in front of them, many spectators still struggled to believe it.

“Are you kidding me?”

“A first-year high school student just threw that?”

Another spectator shook his head in disbelief.

“Not even professional baseball has many pitchers capable of throwing at that speed.”

An experienced baseball fan sighed.

“This kid is unbelievable…”

The commentator’s excited voice echoed throughout the stadium.

“Kitamura Kou has once again broken his personal record for fastest pitch!”

“It’s truly incredible!”

“Unfortunately…”

“This pitch did not reach the Light Speed Ball!”

“Although it was only one kilometer per hour away…”

“It still failed to break through the 160 km/h barrier!”

The commentator’s words reminded everyone.

Immediately, sounds of regret came from the stands.

“Ahhh! So close!”

“Only one kilometer away!”

“What a pity!”

“If he had pushed just a little harder, maybe he could have reached 160 km/h!”

“But even so…”

“For a first-year high school pitcher to achieve this is already unbelievable!”

The Four Tsukishima Sisters’ Area

Tsukishima Wakaba, Tsukishima Momiji, and Tsukishima Ichiyo had already shouted themselves hoarse.

Their voices were almost gone.

Their throats hurt.

Their bodies were exhausted.

But none of them cared.

They continued cheering alongside the passionate crowd.

“Kou!”

“Keep going!”

Their excitement couldn’t be contained.

But what about Tsukishima Aoba?

Unlike her sisters…

She was completely silent.

She simply stood there.

Her eyes remained fixed on Kitamura Kou’s figure on the field.

Her expression was blank.

Her body didn’t move.

It was as if she had been frozen in place.

She just stared at him quietly.

Without saying a single word.