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TL Note : I'm not familiar with baseball.
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Pesky Batting Style
「I guess it’s time to go to Koryatt village」
I close the book I’ve been reading while lying down with a snap.
Now that I’ve returned from the royal capital and spent some time resting and relaxing to some extent, it seemed to be a good time to go out for a bit.
I shouldn’t miss this opportunity.
「Let’s go see Torr and Asmo after a long time not seeing them」
I return the book I read back to the bookshelf using Psychic, change into winter clothes, and head for the front door.
The scenery that can be seen from the corridor’s window, it is just snowing lightly, so I put on my snow boots, securely tie them up, and step outside.
「Un, it’s not that cold」
The air is chilly, but it’s not to the point of cold that it stings the skin.
It won’t be a problem as long as I properly bundle up in something like a muffler.
Gray clouds are drifting when I look up, with snow falling softly.
I guess it’s because it continued to snow yesterday and also today, there is now thick snow piled up around the entrance.
Just as I’m about to step outside to take a walk for the first time in a long while, there is suddenly a sharp whiz.
I deploy a Shield in the direction the sound is coming from, and a snowball collides with it.
「Seriously. To think you can block it at such a timing.....」
Looking in the direction where the snowball was coming from, I see Bartolo with a dumbfounded expression on his face.
Behind her are Mina and Sara, who seem to be clearing the snow.
Fufufu, how naive to think you can catch me off guard.
「I got ambushed just as I left the entrance recently so I’m being cautious against it」
「Just what kind of life do you lead in the Duke House’s mansion to lead to that?」
That’s upsetting. It’s like he’s saying I’ve done something wrong.
Even though I was asked by Schugel to teach his son Gideon how to do chantless casting.....
「Well, since you’ve hit me with a snowball, I should also return the favor, right?」
「Oraaa!」
I immediately create a snowball using Ice Magic and shoot it at him, and at that, Bartolo picks up the shovel next to him that was sticking to the ground and makes a full swing with it like a batter.
「Ooh, you can keep up with the speed, that’s amazing」
「You can go even faster, y’know?」
Bartolo says as if to provoke me while readjusting the shovel in his hands.
It’s like a batter’s provocation to the pitcher.
「Sure. Then let’s set some rules and have a match!」
「Rules?」
I deploy the Non-attribute Magic Shields beside Bartolo’s body.
「Uohh? What?」
「As the pitcher, I will only throw the snowball within the Shield’s range. As the batter, Bartolo will stand next to that and hit the snowball」
With the batter assuming their batting stance at the home plate, the official strike zone extends from the midpoint between the top of their shoulders and the top of their uniform pants down to the bottom of the kneecap.
Besides, I try to visualize the strike zone in an easy-to-understand manner using the Shield.
The image I have in mind is like a single at-bat match in baseball.
「I see. So it’s like a personal version of throwing target, huh! Fine! Let’s do this!」
It seems Bartolo can easily understand it since he had played the Throwing Target game back at the Harvest Festival. It looks like the Kick Target and Throwing Target are popular with the men in the village.
「It’s easy to hit since the shovel has a wide surface, so use that long and narrow bat instead」
「Nuoohh!? This is quite thin, isn’t it!」
As expected, the pitcher will be at a disadvantage if he uses a shovel so I create a bat using Earth Magic. I have Bartolo use it instead of the shovel.
「Oh? This is surprisingly not bad once I try swinging it」
Bartolo grips the bat with both hands and swings it vigorously.
It makes quite a good sound in his hands.
I’m just recreating a baseball tool from my previous life so I think the feel for the grip and swing is pretty good.
「So what are the specific rules for the match?」
「How about the pitcher will lose if he gives up even once and the batter will lose if he swings and misses 3 times?」
「What happens if the pitcher throws a snowball outside the range of the Shield?」
「If the snowball goes outside the Shield’s range, the pitcher will lose a point. Four times miss will be considered a loss for the pitcher. But, even if it goes outside of range, but the batter still swings the bat, it will be counted as a swing and miss」
「I see! So that’s where the mind games come in! Sure, alright, let’s do this!」
It seems Bartolo has already figured out the main points of the match.
There is a fearless smile full of motivation on his face.
「……men really like this kind of game, don’t they? 」
「I think it’s amazing that Alfried-sama can come up with such rules in an instant like this」
While Bartolo and I are full of motivation, on the other side, Mina and Sara look at us with a slight wry smile on their faces.
No matter how old he gets, a man will never forget the heart of being a child.
「Yosh, around this spot, I guess」
The distance between the pitcher and the batter is around 18.44 meters in baseball. I stand in a position following that rule.
「Isn’t that a bit far? Can you really throw from such a distance?」
「It’s fine. But, I will make the place incline a little to make the throw stable」
In baseball, the mound is slightly inclined towards the home plate.
This will allow the pitcher to demonstrate their abilities to their full potential.
If the mound is flat, it will end up adding a burden to the elbow and shoulders, and it will also be difficult to throw a fastball. On top of that, it will make it difficult to have a smooth match because the control becomes unstable.
However, it will give the pitcher too great an advantage so you could say that this distance has been established to maintain fairness.
「Can I throw one ball to try?」
「Aah, sure」
I played Throwing Target many times but it’s been quite a while since throwing as a pitcher at an angle from a mound like this.
I said before that I could reach it at such a distance, but I wonder if my seven-year-old body can do it? Feeling uneasy while standing on the mound, giving a full wind-up, and trying to throw the snowball the same size as a baseball.
The snowball I threw off flies straight and hits the center of the home-Shield - instead of the home plate - 18 meters away.
Yosh, it hits without any problem. And it’s right in the strike zone.
「……hee, that’s a good throw, isn’t it」
「Well」
Bartolo - watching from the batter's box - lets out a cry of admiration.
Although I pretend to say something tough, even I’m surprised at how fast that pitch comes out, it was faster than I expected.
After all, this is still the body of a 7-year-old kid so I thought I wouldn’t be able to throw a fastball just like the ones thrown by a beginner high school student. I think it’s probably around 80km/h?
Normally, kids my age will not be able to throw a ball that fast, but it’s probably because I’m practicing swordsmanship - even to some extent - that it has improved my body coordination, it just seems to flow together naturally. And I obviously feel like I was using my energy more effectively than back in my previous life.
If I were to return to my previous life with this body, I might be able to dominate the Little League.
「Are you ready now?」
「Un, ready」
I actually want to throw 5 more balls, but I feel like it won’t be good if the batter - Bartolo - sees too many balls I throw.
「Alright then, let’s go?」
「Ou! Come at me anytime!」
After I tell him I’m ready, Bartolo steps into the batter's box.
He’s standing with one leg in front and the other behind, grasping the bat with both hands.
Although his stance is not exactly refined since he has no experience in baseball, he probably knows somehow how to hit the swing of the bat easily and how to stand. I can’t be careless.
While Mina and Sara are watching us with bated breath, I draw my arm back to make a large windup and hurl the snowball straight in the middle.
――*buun*!
Bartolo swings the bat at a high speed that it slices the air and makes a noise.
However, it didn’t hit the snowball I threw.
The impact of the snowball left a clear mark at the home-Shield.
「Yosh, striーー」
「Uooohh! The bat you made is so amazing! It’s amazing how it feels when swinging it!」
Bartolo suddenly raises his voice in excitement just as I’m about to announce the strike count.
Apparently, the bat I made using Earth Magic really impressed him with how comfortable than expected it felt when he swung it.
「Boy, give me this bat! As long as I have this, I can easily defeat monsters even without carrying an axe around」
「E, eeh? Well, sure.....」
「Yosshaa!」
It was made using Earth Magic in the end. I can make as many of those as I want to.
Though I have a mixed feeling that the tool I made to use to play is being put to use as a weapon.
「Anyway, you swing and then miss, so that’s a strike for you」
「Strike? Aah, a miss, huh.....understood. I swung the bat so smoothly and completely that my timing was off earlier. But, I will hit it this time」
After swinging the bat as if to get the feel for the bat, Bartolo steps into the batter's box with a daring smile on his face.
Indeed, Bartolo was being thrown off by the good performance of the bat earlier. But, based on the full swing and the trial swing earlier, Bartolo should have understood the rough estimate of the bat’s performance now.
He probably won’t show an unsightly appearance like before this time.
For this second throw, I don’t aim in the middle of the plate, but slightly lower and outside part.
With that decision made, I throw the second snowball.
「Nuooh!」
And, Bartolo swings the bat despite having lost his posture a little.
A high-pitched kiin rings out as the bat connects, but instead of flying forward, the snowball shoots off diagonally behind Bartolo.
「Oi, boy! It flew diagonally backwards, but how does it count then?」
「It’s a foul since it’s not flying forward. It counts as a strike but it’s a foul ball so it doesn’t count as an out no matter how many of them you hit」
「This is also considered a strike!? But, since it’s fine to have a foul many times, then it’s a relief. If I can’t hit it forward, then I’ll just foul it off!」
That’s just in theory in the end. It’s impossible for him to pull that off.
I get ready for the third ball and throw the ball to the inside part of the plate as far inside as possible.
Then, the snowball flies off backward with another high-pitched sound.
Quickly getting into position for the fourth ball, this time I throw at the inside and upper part, but Bartolo delays his swing slightly and the snowball drifts back and to the side.
「Uーwa! Bartolo! You’re really using that kind of pesky swing strategy!」
「Pesky swing strategy? That’s an unpleasant way of saying it!?」
This pesky swing strategy is a persistent and continuous way to swing the bat by grazing every ball coming into the strike zone to make it foul balls without swinging and missing the ball, which wears down the pitcher.
「Call it a clever tactic to exhaust the opponent instead!」
「Aren’t you ashamed of using such a sneaky tactic despite being a mature adult!?」
「Hahahaha! Did you forget already? I’m a former adventurer! I’ll do whatever it takes to win!」
Despite being verbally blamed right in front of him like this, Bartolo still spoke loudly without showing any sign of embarrassment.
「Why are the adults around me all so immature?」
I’m just, a seven-year-old kid, you know? I think they should have just take that into consideration.
「You’d better act the part if you want to be doted on」
「I know. It’s because when interacting with Alfried-sama it’s like with someone the same age――no, it feels like interacting with someone older」
「You act like your age when playing innocently like this.....」
The ones replying to my muttering are not Bartolo, instead it’s Mina and Sara, who are watching us.
Well, if you consider my age in my previous life, I’m around the same age as Bartolo, but I can’t explain that fact, obviously. www.ihavesinnedtranslation.com
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