CH 96.4

「I’m going to take the mound today as Raimii Zarkudo bats. Can I trust second lieutenant and sergeant to take care of the rest of the innings?」

「Affirmative!」

「Ma’am, yes, Ma’am!」

As I watched her drag Sawadi Slayra off to the bench, East and I brought our faces together so close that others couldn’t hear us and had a meeting while the wind was blowing around us.

East’s hair had grown long and was tied back to a bun while his face had darkened by the sun.

I’ve been sunburned a lot too but this guy’s tan seems to have accentuated the frivolous atmosphere he originally had.

Well, I know now that he’s not really a frivolous person……

「So, Robos-dono, are you going to use it today? You know, “that”.」

「About that……I decided to call that knuckle ball.」

「Nakel…..? What does that mean?」

「I don’t really know but that’s what Sawadi Slayra calls it. Calling it like that would surely hide its trick.」

I’ve always used ciphers in my secret agent assignments.

There’s nothing wrong with using it in my baseball mission.

「I guess you’re right.」

「So, I’m going to use knuckle and I’m going to give it my all.」

It won’t make sense to not utilize it and regret it later.

Of course, I know that after a while, it will be hit…..however, that means I just need to make a new technique then.

For military people, what is important is always the mission and that’s what I’m facing now.

「Well then, I’ll just have to knuckle down the zarkudo style.」

「Ah……yeah, beat them down and don’t let them run if you can.」

「You’ve got to trust me a little more.」

「Okay.」

I tapped East’s chest with my fist and prepared.

The battle I could not afford to lose was about to begin.

-0-

Boom boom boom! Boom boom boom!

Boom boom boom! Boom boom boom! Boom boom boom! Boom boom boom! Boom boom boom! Boom boom boom! Boom boom boom! Boom boom boom!

The music played by the band sounds rather loud.

The Slayra family’s…..no, they should be the Schenker family’s.

On this day, the cheering band, which was formed by slave volunteers, had started playing at the same time as the game began.

-0-

It is currently the third inning and the Zarkudo style is at the offense.

Raimii Zarkudo was the 4th batter so former Major Slayra held her off in the first and second innings.

If all goes well, I’ll pitch in the next two innings but that won’t be the case if they hit a lot of pitches.

I have to get myself together.

I slapped my cheek with my right hand and turned to face the batter.

「Here it goes!」

The first pitch I threw was a magic ball that rotated to the upper right corner to the lower left corner as if to gouge out the ball.

It is rotating more than before, probably because the knuckleball practice had strengthened my magic control…….

The range of change was unmanageable unless you were a very good batter.

「Foul ball!」

However, the zarkudo style guys are no joke.

The magic ball that traveled from one end of the strike zone to the opposite end was properly scratched by the bat.

Lately, those guys have even started reading the wind in my hand.

I was amazed that they could read the wind coming from me.

I checked my grip on my glove and this time, I threw it without using magic.

It was the magic ball without magic that I learned from the wingkin Vongo.

「Strike!」

The bat did not hit the magic ball, which fell three pitches down from its straight trajectory.

Good, good, I’m doing well.

However, I can’t let my guard down under any circumstances. I’m facing a zarkudo after all.

They combine their reading of the enemy pitches with their swordsman intuition and swing at the spot where the ball is likely to go. And it’s pretty effective.

The problem with the magic ball that doesn’t use magic is that they change rotation with the grip so the types of balls that can be thrown are limited.

While I was checking the grip of the ball, I received a trump card sign from East.

He’s still the first batter……

Yes, I know. I can’t afford to not use it today.

I changed my grip, swung as hard as I could, and threw.

I stopped the rotation of the ball using wind from two directions.

I can’t say it myself but, to put it bluntly, it’s divine.

And from that point on, the trajectory of the ball distorted away, just as planned.

「Strike! Batter! Out!」

The zarkudo style battle looked at me as if he saw something strange.

It’s extremely difficult for a swordsman to read it.

No, I’m not sure but, perhaps there is no way to read it. The no rotation ball(knuckleball) crushes those who can read balls.