"Zhou-san!!!"
In the dugout, Kuramochi jumped up in excitement.
If Zhou Hao wasn't still in the game, he would've rushed over and hugged him.
"What happened?"
"How did the ball get hit out?"
"It must have been a fluke..."
"Definitely. You all saw Zhou Hao's batting power just now, right?"
Some players who didn't think highly of Zhou Hao began whispering. But compared to before, their confidence clearly wasn't as firm.
After all, Zhou Hao's performance was right there for everyone to see. No matter how it happened, he managed to hit the ball.
And the pitcher just now was Kawakami, a first-year.
Kawakami had performed flawlessly today.
His sidearm pitches didn't just have tricky angles; his control was excellent too...
And on top of that—breaking balls!
Even though his personality wasn't overbearing, his pitching was the real deal.
Even the stronger players among the first-years couldn't gain any advantage against Kawakami.
The few hits he gave up earlier were all due to defensive errors.
In other words, Zhou Hao might be the only one today to get a hit off Kawakami.
"When did his batting become this strong?"
It wasn't just the players—even the two managers of the baseball club were surprised.
But since the game was still ongoing, they couldn't call Zhou Hao over to ask in detail.
The game continued.
After giving up a run, Kawakami quickly settled back in while batting. Though he didn't look like a dominating pitcher, he had fighting spirit deep in his bones.
As long as he stood on the mound, he wouldn't give hitters any easy chances.
One out. A runner on first.
Maezono, a powerful hitter, was subbed in by Takashima Rei.
Compared to last year's second-years, this year's roster didn't just have the genius Miyuki.
Several promising players had also emerged.
These guys could all become key members of Seidou High's baseball team in the future.
Maezono was one of them.
He was a burly teenager. When he stepped into the batter's box, he raised his bat high—looking like he could send the ball flying at any moment.
But even against someone like Maezono, Kawakami didn't back down.
He wound up fully and pitched decisively.
Whoosh!
The white baseball roared past. Maezono didn't swing.
Pop!
"Strike!"
For the second pitch, Maezono swung—but the ball didn't enter the strike zone at all. Naturally, his swing missed entirely.
"Two strikes. The batter is in a tough spot."
"Kawakami's control is just too good today. The batters can't find any opportunities…"
"Even the ones who manage to make contact aren't hitting it well."
Those who liked Kawakami whispered excitedly.
But as they talked, they instinctively looked toward Zhou Hao.
The better Kawakami performed now, the more impressive Zhou Hao's earlier hit seemed.
"How did he even manage to do that?"
Even if no one said it out loud, the question surfaced in everyone's hearts.
While everyone was murmuring, Zhou Hao, who had been quietly standing on first base, suddenly started moving.
He began edging toward second.
"He's just trying to distract you. Don't pay attention,"
The catcher, clearly aware, casually gave Kawakami a signal.
Kawakami nodded.
Then he wound up again for the third pitch.
Seeing this, Zhou Hao suddenly sprang into action.
He had already been inching forward. Now that Kawakami had fully committed to pitching and couldn't make a pickoff throw, Zhou Hao made his move.
Without hesitation, he dashed toward second.
"That timing?!"
Takashima Rei, watching from the dugout, widened her eyes in astonishment.
She could hardly believe it—Zhou Hao burst forward at exactly the right moment.
Just based on timing alone, Zhou Hao was even better than the first-string player most skilled at stealing bases.
He had completely seen through Kawakami's intention.
As Takashima Rei focused her full attention on Zhou Hao...
Zhou Hao got out.
Even though he picked the perfect moment, his speed was just too slow.
The catcher, seeing him steal, immediately moved aside and signaled Kawakami to throw a ball outside the zone.
Kawakami, mid-pitch, forcibly altered the ball's trajectory and threw it out of the strike zone.
Maezono tried to swing to interfere but couldn't even reach it.
Pop!
The catcher caught the ball and quickly threw it to second base.
Pop!
The shortstop, already prepared, caught the ball and grinned as he watched Zhou Hao still five or six meters away.
"Junior, you're too slow!"
If it were another runner, that timing would've given them at least a 50% chance of stealing the base.
But clearly, Zhou Hao didn't fall into that category.
Even among the third-string players, his speed was considered slow.
The game continued, but Zhou Hao had already left the field, dejected.
He had originally wanted to showcase himself more and hopefully get promoted to the second string with this opportunity.
He never expected that even the third-string players had such great awareness and coordination.
"Zhou-san, you'll definitely make it to the second string! Even if not this time, next time for sure!"
Kuramochi rushed over and gave him a big hug.
"Next time, huh…"
Given Seidou High's selection system, their next opportunity probably wouldn't come until the Autumn Tournament.
Falling behind like this… Zhou Hao would be way behind the others in his year.
"If you don't have the ability, don't show off!"
"With your turtle-like speed, you really thought you could steal a base?"
Besides Kuramochi's support, Zhou Hao also heard mocking voices around him.
"Instead of criticizing others here, why not think about how you performed on the field? When you actually help the team score, then you can talk about who's worthy of credit."
At some point, Takashima Rei had walked over to Zhou Hao—clearly standing up for him.
The players who had been mocking Zhou Hao immediately shut up.
If they left a bad impression on the higher-ups, their future prospects might take a serious hit.
Takashima Rei ignored them and looked at Zhou Hao.
"When you were batting earlier, did you predict where the ball would land?"
Not just the final hit—even Zhou Hao's second swing had been right on target.
He was just a little slow on the timing.
Once might be luck, but twice in a row…
"It was a coincidence! Sometimes I can see it."
Zhou Hao didn't dare to fully admit it.
After all, unlike other naturally talented players, his vision came from a skill.
And this skill had a heavy energy cost, making it impossible to train in normal ways.
If Takashima Rei wanted to test him, Zhou Hao wouldn't be able to provide a satisfactory result.
"Only under specific conditions, right? Like when you're highly focused—especially during matches—you get that sense?"
She put it so well, Zhou Hao couldn't think of a way to refute her.
"…Yeah."
"That's super dynamic vision! Zhou-kun, come train with the second string tomorrow."