Chapter 98: Masked Hero

“Nice pitch, the batter is out!” the umpire shouted loudly on the field.

Watching as Fukuoka Masato struck out three consecutive Asakura batters, Coach Tanimori finally smiled.

“Truly an ace,” he thought. “Even those two earlier runs were thanks to him.”

With only two innings left, it would soon be time for a good rest. As Coach Tanimori mused over this, he rubbed his lower back absentmindedly.

Compared to the coach’s relaxed demeanor, Fukuoka Masato’s expression was much more serious.

Standing in the batter’s box was a substitute player with the brim of his cap pulled low and a mask covering his face. Something about him felt strange to Masato.

Though his stance and grip on the bat were completely unconventional, there was an inexplicable sense of pressure emanating from him.

“Maybe it’s just my imagination,” Masato thought. To test him, Masato threw a bad pitch.

“Foul ball,” the umpire declared.

“Is this guy even a real player? Swinging at such an obvious bad pitch,” Masato thought, his unease growing.

Frustrated, he decided to throw a fastball.

“Foul ball.”

Masato’s wariness increased. It was still a foul, but the batter had hit it. By all accounts, that pitch shouldn’t have been hittable.

Refusing to back down, Masato threw another fastball.

“Foul ball.”

“Foul ball.”

Two more consecutive foul balls. By now, even the spectators started to take notice of this strange batter.

“Coach, who is that guy? He’s amazing—he’s hitting Fukuoka Masato’s pitches!” Rumi, who had firsthand experience with Masato’s pitch speed, asked in amazement.

“A freak,” the bearded coach replied with conviction.

“Foul ball.”

Masato, now slightly out of breath, stared at the batter. Was this guy a monster? How could he keep hitting every pitch?

Masato had already noticed his coach signaling from the sidelines and understood what it meant. Yet, he was reluctant to follow the directive.

Ultimately, Masato decided to obey, if only because his arm was starting to feel strained—a sensation he hadn’t experienced in a long time.

“Ball!”

Thankfully, the batter didn’t swing this time.

After several intentional bad pitches, the masked man was finally walked to first base.

But he didn’t move. Standing motionless in the batter’s box, the “Masked Hero” prompted the opposing catcher to say, “Hey, why aren’t you moving?”

“He hasn’t pitched yet,” came a deep voice from beneath the mask.

“Are you kidding? You’ve been walked to first base,” the catcher replied, incredulous.

“Does that mean I can’t hit anymore?”

“Look, buddy, even jokes have limits. If you don’t leave, I’ll have to call this a violation,” the umpire interjected from behind.

“Complicated rules,” the masked man muttered, slinging his bat over his shoulder as he finally walked away.

“Does he really not understand the rules?” the catcher wondered. But he quickly dismissed the thought. How could someone who hit so well not know the rules?

By the eighth inning, Kawaki High still led 2–1. As Kawaki took the offense again, they accelerated their attacks, aiming to widen the score gap.

This time, both players and spectators witnessed another terrifying aspect of the “Masked Hero.”

No matter what kind of hit—grounders or fly balls—anything directed toward center field was inevitably caught by him, resulting in outs.

As a result, Kawaki’s batters started deliberately avoiding his fielding zone.

From defense to offense, the entire game had become subtly bizarre due to the appearance of this enigmatic figure.

“I never imagined Asakura High would have such a monster hidden among their ranks. Hopefully, we won’t face him in the Koshien qualifiers,” Coach Tanimori silently prayed on the sidelines.

Crack!

Fukuoka Masato finally managed to hit a clean base hit, bringing the score to 3–1, with Kawaki leading by two runs.

After the switch, it was Asakura’s turn to bat.

Though Asakura had strong fielding players, including three outstanding outfielders, a second baseman, and a pitcher, their offensive capabilities were severely lacking.

The only ones who could reliably make contact with the ball were Rumi, the center fielder Yamaguchi, and the later addition of the “Masked Hero.” But Rumi, lacking strength, couldn’t hit far, resulting in no successful base hits so far. Meanwhile, Yamaguchi had been forced to leave the game due to injury, leaving everyone’s hopes pinned on the “Masked Hero.”

“Ball!”

Masato opened with a bad pitch.

Not wanting to stir up more trouble, Coach Tanimori instructed Masato to walk the batter. Reluctantly, Masato complied.

“Ball!”

As Masato prepared to throw a third bad pitch, he caught sight of the masked man’s eyes.

He was smirking.

An intense anger surged through Masato. How dare this guy mock him?

Ignoring his coach’s instructions, Masato unleashed the fastest pitch of the entire game.

Crack!

A sound unlike any other echoed as the ball soared into the distance.

For a brief moment, Masato felt as though a bucket of cold water had been poured over him.

“Home run! It’s a home run!” someone in the crowd suddenly shouted loudly.

It was indeed a home run. The ball soared far past the outfield fence and continued flying outward.

For a moment, everyone erupted in cheers. Not just Asakura’s players, but many spectators went wild in excitement.

A home run of such incredible distance was rare—even professional players would struggle to hit one like that. Yet, here in this unassuming practice match, someone had done it.

It felt like the impossible had happened, as though someone had broken a world record during a school gym class.

After calmly rounding the bases and returning to home plate, the “Masked Hero” casually placed the bat back on the rack, as if it were just another regular stroll.

Thus, the eighth inning ended amidst the astonishment of the crowd.

When the ninth inning began, all of Asakura’s players seemed to be on adrenaline. By the time the third batter finished, Kawaki had yet to score another run against Asakura.

Soon, it was the turn of Fukuoka Masato, Kawaki’s ace. He glanced briefly at the “Masked Hero” standing in center field before walking with an impassive expression to the batter’s box.

Rumi knew this was a critical moment. If Fukuoka didn’t manage to hit, there was a good chance they could win, thanks to “that guy.”

So, she made a surprising decision—she walked Kawaki’s ace with four straight balls.

Up until now, everyone had seen the Asakura pitcher consistently use fastballs to challenge any batter. The fact that she was using a walk here meant she had a strong confidence in the “Masked Hero.”

After being walked, Fukuoka Masato snorted and left the batter’s box.

When it was Asakura’s final turn to bat, everyone hoped that the preceding players would be quickly struck out. All eyes were on the “Masked Hero.”

Finally, the moment everyone had been waiting for had arrived.

As soon as the “Masked Hero” stepped into the batter’s box, the crowd erupted into applause, the atmosphere electric.

Fukuoka Masato, standing on the mound, looked visibly unsettled. Did he really need to follow the coach’s advice and walk him again with bad pitches?

Honestly, he was torn. The previous home run had crushed his pride, and subconsciously, he felt that walking the batter might be the best choice. But he couldn’t let go of his pride.

He was Kawaki High’s ace and considered a prodigy who might lead his team to a better finish than third place in the Koshien. If he kept throwing bad pitches in a practice match, it would severely damage his reputation.

As he struggled, he noticed Coach Tanimori gesturing at him from the sidelines.

“Got it, troublesome old man,” Fukuoka thought, his frustration mounting. He decided to throw a pitch, albeit a clearly bad one.

But even though it was a bad pitch, the speed at which it was thrown by an ace was beyond what most players could handle.

Crack!

Unexpectedly, the familiar sound of the ball being struck echoed again, sending a chill down Fukuoka’s spine.

“Home run! Another home run!”

If the previous eruption from the crowd had been wild, this time it could only be described as madness.

A home run from a bad pitch? No one could believe their eyes.

Unlike the youthful enthusiasm of the young players, the bearded coach’s thoughts were more grounded. He imagined seeing a group of beautiful women dressed as sexy bunny girls bowing to him at the gates of Koshien, welcoming him with open arms.

※※※

“Sorry, my stomach’s a bit upset. How’s the game going?” Masashi asked, returning to Kazumi’s side.

Kazumi looked at him strangely before responding, “It’s tied, 3–3. The game’s over.”

“I see,” Masashi nodded, not saying more, his gaze focused on the Asakura players huddled together.

Kazumi glanced at him again before lightly saying, “Brother, do you need to wear a mask when your stomach hurts?”

Hearing her, Masashi gave a bitter smile. “Can’t you be a little less sharp and just act like a normal girl?”

Kazumi didn’t respond directly, instead asking, “Where did your mask come from? You don’t carry it around, do you? People might think you’re some kind of weirdo.”

“I got it from the infirmary here. Hey, don’t tell anyone—especially not Rumi, she can’t keep her mouth shut,” Masashi replied with a chuckle. Ever since he had defeated the former Kendo team captain, Ogata, with a single strike, he had been frequently called by the Kendo club’s advisor, Omura, to have talks. The topic always circled back to trying to get him to join the Kendo team. If the baseball club’s coach knew that he was the “Masked Hero,” he might be hounded by both of them.

“Brother, you’re becoming more and more like a monster. Is there anything you can’t do?” Kazumi sighed.

“Hey, is that supposed to be a compliment from a younger sister to her older brother? To be honest, I really don’t understand baseball. There are too many rules—it’s exhausting.”

The previous owner of this body, Hirota Masashi, had only ever played video games and piloted planes, never played baseball.

“Brother, I’ve realized that you really spoil Rumi,” Kazumi said with a smile.

“Heh, well, I kind of want to try it out. I’ve never played before, but it’s actually pretty fun once you get into it.”