Chapter 741 - 741: Next Captain

Azuma Kiyokuni was very angry.

Although he successfully hit the ball into the outfield, everyone around him was cheering for him.

But he still couldn't be happy at all; he even felt insulted.

"Zhang Han!"

Azuma Kiyokuni stared at Zhang Han with furious eyes, wanting to get an answer from him.

Zhang Han smiled and gave a thumbs up.

"Rising, falling, change-up... I didn't expect that after so many variations, you could still hit the purest Fastball, Azuma-senpai! Impressive!"

"You brat, are you trying to fool me?"

Azuma Kiyokuni obviously didn't believe him.

"Azuma-senpai, you don't think I went easy on you, do you?"

Zhang Han was stunned for a moment, then asked with a wry smile.

"I..."

Azuma Kiyokuni opened his mouth.

He did have that feeling just now.

However, what Zhang Han said wasn't entirely unreasonable.

Perhaps it really was a coincidence, you never know.

"But how could there be such a coincidence?"

Azuma Kiyokuni stared at Zhang Han with a grim expression.

Clearly, he couldn't convince himself that nothing had happened.

"Did anyone have a speed gun just now?"

Zhang Han also understood that no matter what he said at this moment, it would be difficult to gain Azuma-senpai's trust.

Instead of wasting his breath here, it would be better to provide some concrete evidence.

"I have one here."

Watanabe was the first to run out.

"Thank you!"

Zhang Han politely took it.

"See for yourself!"

Zhang Han didn't even look at the number on the speed gun; he handed it directly to Azuma Kiyokuni.

Azuma Kiyokuni took it and saw 141.

"You scoundrel, are you trying to fool me here? Was the speed of that pitch just now 141?"

The speed of that pitch, even now, was deeply etched in Azuma Kiyokuni's memory.

Although he couldn't accurately judge the pitch speed by sight alone like those extremely experienced veterans, he could generally estimate it.

How could such a fast pitch be only a mere 140 kilometers per hour?

"This is for the first pitch. I didn't see the first round of the matchup, but these are the four pitches from the second and third rounds."

Watanabe quickly explained.

As a second-year player, when he first joined the team, he had personally witnessed how Azuma-senpai disciplined his juniors.

Although Azuma-senpai had already left Seido High School Baseball Team, that impression remained in his mind.

So much so that when facing Azuma-senpai, Watanabe was as obedient as a good child.

Azuma Kiyokuni also knew how to operate the speed gun, and after understanding, he pressed the button twice directly.

Immediately after, two pitch speeds of around 150 kilometers appeared.

This was pretty much what he had imagined.

The baseball was really fast; even if the spin was increased or decreased, the pitch speed wasn't affected too much.

It still maintained a level of around 150 kilometers per hour.

This brat, Zhang Han, has really grown now. So much so that even he, as a senior, couldn't help but secretly give a thumbs up after seeing it.

The last pitch.

"158.5!"

This is?

When Azuma Kiyokuni saw this number, his pupils widened instantly.

Although he had guessed that the speed of this last pitch would be quite fast.

But he never expected the pitch speed to be this fast.

By the Summer Tournament, or at the latest, the Autumn Tournament, Zhang Han should be able to take that step.

By then, he would have created yet another record.

Zhang Han, standing nearby, also saw the displayed number.

He silently nodded.

"Azuma-senpai, do you think I went easy on you with this pitch?"

Going easy, of course, was impossible to go easy. Azuma Kiyokuni was already convinced of this after seeing the pitch speed displayed on the speed gun.

"Why would you use it?"

But he still had a question: if Zhang Han continued to use those spatially changing pitches, he could clearly defeat him easily.

Why did he specifically use a Fastball right down the middle?

Zhang Han subconsciously directed his gaze towards Miyuki.

Miyuki quickly shook his head like a rattle-drum.

"Don't blame me, I'm also curious why it was a Fastball right down the middle in the end?"

After hearing Miyuki's words, Azuma Kiyokuni almost pressed his head close to Zhang Han's face.

Although he seemed to have successfully convinced himself on the surface, he probably still had considerable doubts in his heart.

After all, no matter how you looked at this matter, there was something incongruous about it.

"I thought my previous pitches had successfully interfered with Azuma-senpai, so I deliberately used it. I really didn't expect... Did Azuma-senpai guess that I would use this pitch in the end?"

Zhang Han also put on a bewildered expression.

Logically speaking, after being interfered with by his previous pitches, Azuma Kiyokuni should not have aimed for a Fastball again, no matter what.

"That, that's of course. Haha, hahaha..."

Azuma Kiyokuni finally seemed to have resolved his inner conflict.

The matchup ended just like that.

Azuma Kiyokuni drove away from Seido High School in his small car, feeling satisfied.

"The game is tomorrow, everyone go back and rest early."

All the preparations that needed to be made, the members of the Seido High School Baseball Team had already completed.

At this moment, they were wholeheartedly waiting for the upcoming Summer Tournament.

During his matchup with Azuma Kiyokuni, Zhang Han appeared very relaxed on the surface, with not a single drop of sweat on his face.

But in reality, during the recent matchup, Zhang Han was under immense pressure.

So much so that he felt his undershirt was about to be soaked through.

It was sticky and uncomfortable against his body, to an extreme degree.

Zhang Han took the lead and ran towards the bathroom.

He wanted to take a shower first, and then go eat.

He wasn't the only one with this idea; many people did the same.

Miyuki, as always, stood with Zhang Han; very few players of their same grade could strike up a conversation with the two of them.

Instead, the two of them had a good relationship because they had both joined the First string early on and fought side by side for over a year.

"In that situation just now, you went easy, didn't you?"

In the final stage of the matchup, the signal Miyuki gave was not for a normal Fastball down the middle.

But Zhang Han's pitch speed was so fast that it was really hard for him to guess.

Zhang Han glanced at Miyuki Kazuya.

He said nothing and ran off.

Coach Kataoka watched Zhang Han run back; he wasn't disheartened.

The matchup just now, if it were an ordinary person, having suffered such a great indignity, would definitely show it on their face.

But Zhang Han, from beginning to end, said nothing.

"When Yuuki and the other players of his generation graduate, Zhang Han might be the most suitable candidate for captain."

He has a strong sense of responsibility, and most importantly, he can bear responsibility.

The next day.

Miyuki always had doubts about whether Zhang Han had gone easy.

Seeing such a fast pitch, he almost believed that Zhang Han had gone all out.

Later, however, he heard a remark from Watanabe that suddenly gave Miyuki a feeling of enlightenment.

"Why would this pitch be placed here?"

A pitch approaching 160 kilometers per hour.

No matter how you looked at it, it was pleasing to the eye.

"It shouldn't be placed here, so where should it be placed?"

Upon hearing Watanabe's murmur, Miyuki proactively struck up a conversation.

"It should be placed at the very beginning!"

The answer Watanabe gave made Miyuki's eyes light up.

That's right, it was exactly what he had thought.

If this last Light Speed Ball was truly meant to disrupt Azuma Kiyokuni-senpai, then it shouldn't have been placed at the very end.

By the time it was the end, Azuma-senpai had actually started to adapt to Zhang Han's pitching.

That's why he was able to keep up and hit the ball out beautifully.

If this pitch were placed at the beginning, at that time, Azuma-senpai wouldn't have seen it yet, and it would be even less possible for him to keep up.

He would subconsciously think that the pitch speed far exceeded his imagination.

He would definitely hold back during his matchup with Zhang Han...

Thinking of this, Miyuki finally understood why he had been so fixated before.

He was simply standing in Zhang Han's position, believing that as a pitcher, one should never go easy, no matter what.

That was the greatest respect for the opponent.

However, nothing is absolute.

Sometimes, it's necessary to analyze specific situations.

Just like Zhang Han before, he deliberately designed it so that Azuma-senpai would hit the ball out.

His purpose was simply to not want Azuma-senpai to dwell too much on this game.

Azuma Kiyokuni, who had just joined a professional team, now faced many challenges. He had to climb diligently, step by step, to go further and further on the professional path.

If, during this process, Azuma Kiyokuni's mind was filled with Zhang Han's pitches, and why he was struck out, then his life in the professional team would certainly not be good.

This would not only affect his condition but even his future.

In his rookie year, every bit of his performance could determine his future direction.

If these factors were taken into account, then Zhang Han deliberately going easy could be explained.

"I never thought this guy could be so powerful."

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