Chapter 561

The baseball drew a straight white line in the air that was almost impossible for the eye to catch!

Shinohara Shingo, who had been holding a contemptuous attitude and thought Natsume Chikage could at most throw a slow ball of 110-120 km/h, didn't even have time for the thought of swinging his bat to arise.

He only felt a blurry white shadow in the corner of his eye flash past him at a speed far exceeding his expectations!

He could even feel the faint airflow of the ball’s wind brushing his cheek.

"Bang—!"

A dull and clear sound of impact came from the protective wire mesh behind him.

"Good... good pitch!!"

Aoki Masao, who was standing behind home plate acting as a temporary umpire, shouted at the top of his lungs after a brief moment of astonishment!

Only then did Shinohara Shingo react abruptly.

He turned his head sharply, his gaze casting eagerly toward the electronic speed gun screen to the side.

On the screen, the bright red numbers were clearly visible—145 km/h!

This pitch speed even exceeded the fastest record of Nakajima Satoshi in his peak state!

Shinohara Shingo was completely dumbfounded.

Impossible!

This guy... didn't he just start practicing yesterday?

A pitch speed of 145 km/h, something a first-year high school student who had only practiced for one day could throw?

Absolutely impossible!

This Natsume Chikage must have had contact with baseball before, and for no short time!

This speed, even Nakajima Satoshi at his best might not be able to throw consistently; how could he, a "novice," do it?

Thinking of this, Shinohara Shingo’s face turned red and then white, and he became even more convinced of his judgment.

This guy is definitely playing the pig to eat the tiger!

No wonder... no wonder he dared to agree to the bet so readily.

It turns out he was hiding such a trump card!!!

Damn it!!!

He had originally thought he could easily crush the opponent, but at this moment, he felt a surge of anger at being fooled, as well as a quietly rising sense of crisis.

However, his dynamic vision was also at a top level.

His best record was successfully hitting three 148 km/h fastballs within ten pitches during practice.

That pitch just now was purely because he was too contemptuous and hadn't entered his state at all.

As long as he got serious and adapted to this speed, hitting a 145 km/h ball would be no difficult task.

After all, there were ten chances in total!

Hitting three balls out of ten was completely doable!

And after witnessing this pitch speed.

The crowd on the sidelines who had originally looked down on Natsume Chikage instantly fell into a dead silence.

Many people widened their eyes, mouths agape, unable to recover for a long time.

When they did react, a huge uproar and exclamations exploded!

"Just now... Nakajima-senpai’s fastest record was 143, right? Natsume-kun broke it on the first pitch?!"

"Too terrifying... Natsume-kun actually has this kind of talent in pitching too?!"

"I said it long ago! Natsume-kun is hiding his true strength; I favored him from the start, I felt he could win!"

"Tch, it's only 145, what's there to be proud of? Shinohara-senpai is someone who has hit a 148 speed ball! He was just careless just now; once he gets serious, Natsume Chikage will have to show his true colors!"

"That's right! Don't underestimate our school's ace! Shinohara-senpai has never lost in one-on-one matches against surrounding high schools!"

The fire of hope that had just risen in the girls was dampened by these remarks, and their faces were once again shrouded in worry.

"As expected... it's still very difficult, right?"

"I feel Natsume-kun is still in danger..."

"Yeah..."

Although Yukimura Suzune, Fujiwara Aoi, and Saionji Nanase were also shocked by the strength Natsume Chikage displayed, hearing the description of Shinohara Shingo’s strength made their hearts tighten again.

Akita Sana almost jumped up the moment she saw the speed number.

"Miki! Did you see that?! 145! Natsume-kun threw a 145! He really is a genius! He can do this without having practiced much!"

Kondo Miki’s eyes flickered violently, her heart shocked beyond words.

In her inherent impression, Natsume Chikage was always that boy curled up in his room, accompanied by games.

But now... he actually possessed such astonishing athletic talent?

Why could he throw a 145 km/h ball?

No... this might just be that the speed gun is broken.

Yeah, that must be it!

Kondo Miki bit her lower lip gently, trying to calm her fluctuating emotions.

"Don't be happy too early, the match has ten pitches."

"Shinohara Shingo’s strength is very strong... he has a record of hitting three 148 km/h fastballs in a row within ten pitches."

Akita Sana, upon hearing this, instantly turned to stone and clutched her head.

"It's over... if that's true, isn't Natsume-kun in danger?"

And Ito Eiji, who had the eye of a professional baseball coach, was almost speechless after witnessing this pitch speed.

He had completely not expected Natsume Chikage to throw at this level on the first pitch.

He... really was a rare genius in a century!

But thinking that these two geniuses had to fight to the death and one had to leave, Ito Eiji felt a piercing pain.

The most shocked was none other than Nakajima Satoshi himself.

As the school’s recognized number two pitcher, second only to Shinohara Shingo, he knew the meaning of this 145 km/h speed better than anyone.

And Natsume Chikage only formally learned to pitch for the first time yesterday!

Thinking of this, Nakajima Satoshi felt the world spinning, and a sense of powerlessness bordering on despair surged from the depths of his heart.

He had always prided himself on being a pitching genius.

But now, a genius even more terrifying than him appeared before him in such an overbearing posture.

Tsukishima Rin witnessed this scene, her clenched fists loosening slightly, and bright radiance bloomed in her eyes.

She knew it... Natsume-kun promised he wouldn't lose, so he would definitely be able to do it!

And among everyone on the field.

The only one who understood Natsume Chikage’s true strength was Konoe Hitomi.

When she saw the number on the speed gun was only 145, not the astonishing 158 from yesterday’s test, her slender eyebrows arched slightly.

"This guy... what is he doing?"

At this moment.

Inside the baseball field.

Natsume Chikage looked down at his right arm and flicked it a few times.

As expected, without a proper warm-up, the muscles could not be fully activated, and the power could not be fully released.

So he was in no hurry to throw the second pitch, but instead used this brief gap to start seriously loosening his shoulders and rotating his wrists, conducting a quick and effective warm-up.

Shinohara Shingo waited impatiently, almost wanting to urge him.

He felt Natsume Chikage was deliberately stalling and playing psychological tactics.

Just as his patience was about to run out.

Natsume Chikage stopped his warm-up movements and walked toward the pitching plate again.

Shinohara Shingo could only swallow the words on his lips, his eyes becoming extremely sharp, his hands gripping the bat tightly, his center of gravity lowered, fully focused.

He analyzed quickly in his heart.

Natsume Chikage’s pitch just now must have been his limit speed.

After all, no matter how good his physical fitness was, the lack of tactical literacy would make him look like a greenhorn.

If it were him, he would never waste so much physical strength throwing a fast fastball on the first pitch.

Continuous pitching puts a huge load on the arm, and both pitch speed and control will drop accordingly.

A clever pitcher often uses breaking balls to interfere with the batter’s judgment and conduct psychological warfare.