Chapter 257: Now It's Your Turn
"Another foul? If only he could hit it forward… that would be great!"
As they kept pressing Narumiya Mei, Miyuki was secretly impressed by his stubbornness.
Miyuki could clearly see that Narumiya Mei was completely suppressed by Furuya's pitch power—he had no way of hitting a good ball.
Still, since the fastball was working so effectively right now, there was no need to throw breaking balls. Chasing the opponent's weakness and hammering it—that was Miyuki's style.
While everyone was cheering, the sweat-drenched Furuya stared at Narumiya Mei in the batter's box with eyes that looked gloomy… but were actually burning with fighting spirit.
"What the hell is with that look! That bastard!"
The competitive Narumiya Mei immediately grew irritated when he saw that expression.
His eyes sharpened with pride and defiance.
"He's the one guy I refuse to lose to!"
With that emotion fueling him, Furuya threw the next pitch with all his strength!
Narumiya Mei, whose mindset was shaken, could no longer keep up with Furuya's velocity and hit a high fly to third base.
Just like before Pudding-senpai retired, the third-base defense remained iron-clad.
After retiring Narumiya Mei, Furuya had completely forgotten the idea of relaxing his arm.
"Damn it!! I'm pissed off!!"
Narumiya walked off the field again with that "I'm about to beat someone up" swagger of his.
The consecutive outs of the fourth and fifth batters placed enormous pressure on Yamaoka.
"Whoosh!"
Thud!
"Strike!"
"Whoosh!"
"Strike! Two!"
Yamaoka swung through both a fastball and a splitter.
"So fast!"
Thud!
"Strike! Batter out!"
The final pitch was an outside fastball—swift and ruthless.
"On this huge stage, that's his fifth strikeout! Against the championship favorite, Inashiro Industrial! The crowd erupts in applause as Furuya delivers a performance completely unfit for a mere first-year!"
"What are you guys even doing?! I'm the only one who didn't strike out!
This is the finals, you know?! Pull yourselves together!
We're down by three runs! Do you understand that?!"
Tsundere Mei was already roasting his teammates.
Thankfully, Japanese expressions are limited—otherwise, given his personality, he'd definitely be yelling something like, "Are you all trolling me?!"
And the attention on this game was completely unlike in the previous timeline. In the past, Jingu Stadium only filled up toward the end.
But because of Mine Fujio's article, today people could only enter standing. If they allowed more in, there wouldn't even be space to stand.
Even the outfield stands were completely packed. If a home run appeared, the crowd would scramble MLB-style to catch the commemorative ball.
....
Top of the 3rd inning — Seidou's attack
"Leading off, number one! Shortstop, Kuramochi-kun!"
"We've reached the third inning! The score is still 3–0!
Seidou's top lineup is up for their second turn. Can they extend their lead?"
As the announcer finished, Kuramochi stepped into position.
"Seidou definitely wants more runs, right? Even though the game looks fully in their favor, Inashiro isn't shaken at all. Their toughness is unbelievable," Ninomiya said beside Yang.
"Of course! They're championship contenders. Their confidence, built on countless victories, won't crumble that easily. If Inashiro holds the line, Seidou can't claim to control the game. For Seidou to turn this advantage into a guaranteed win, a three-run lead isn't enough. They must keep pressuring Inashiro's defense. Whether they can… depends entirely on the top of this lineup." Yang explained.
While the leadoff batter was easy for Narumiya to handle, Seidou's second batter onward were all troublesome hitters—making this inning critical for both teams.
One side wanted runners on base so their cleanup could bat with pressure.
The other wanted the inning over before facing the cleanup—so the next inning could start with no runners on when the two most dangerous batters, #4 and #5, step in.
Against a pitcher like Narumiya—who mixed inner and outer corners with a wide range of pitches—Kuramochi could do nothing.
"Second batter! Second baseman, Kominato Ryosuke-kun!"
"Ryo-san…"
Haruichi looked worriedly at his older brother.
Only Sendo and Kuramochi knew the truth: Onii-san could no longer run bases at full speed.
His defensive movements looked normal, but his reaction speed clearly wasn't keeping up. It was only a matter of time before the coach noticed the injury.
So unlike what Yang assumed—Seidou's No.1 struggled with Narumiya's pitching, and No.2's offense was severely weakened by injury.
Even though Onii-san punched the ball through the infield, Shirakawa cut it off instantly. In pure speed, he had no chance.
Jun-san made contact with a fastball—but unfortunately, it went straight to Carlos' territory.
Back in junior high, he was ranked top five among Kanto outfielders defensively. Considering his speed, top five was actually an understatement.
(Carlos's dad was Brazilian… I think? I don't remember…)
"Whew… thank goodness the cleanup didn't come up this inning," Harada sighed during the switch.
"What are you saying, Yassan? Seidou still doesn't know I'm holding back! Even Tetsu-san couldn't hit in this situation!" Narumiya, overhearing this, immediately protested.
"You're talking big for someone who gave up an inside-the-park homer in the first inning."
Hit straight in the soul, Narumiya had no comeback and stomped back angrily.
Harada didn't want Mei relaxing at a time like this.
And just as Mei said, Seidou's bench actually thought his inconsistent speed was due to him being out of rhythm.
They were even shouting things like, "We're starting to catch up to him!"
In reality, although Narumiya wasn't in peak form, he was far from weak.
....
Bottom of the 3rd — Inashiro's attack
The inning opened with their technical hitter, Hirai Tsubasa.
With no runners on base, Furuya was a nightmare matchup—sheer brute force was enough.
Hirai hit a fly to center, easily caught by Sendo.
Both Ban and Fujikawa were struck out.
Furuya was burning through the fuel in his tank without restraint.
"That's the seventh strikeout! He's a monster!"
"He's pitching amazingly! Furuya!"
"He didn't let a single runner on!"
"Take deep breaths and reset yourself! Next inning, the top of their order comes around again!"
Sendo reminded Furuya as they walked back.
Although the inning ended smoothly, the opponent had clearly been using foul balls to drain Furuya's stamina—a known tactic mentioned in scouting reports.
"How many pitches?"
Coach Kataoka asked Chris, watching how much Furuya was sweating and considering a possible reliever.
"Fifty pitches! Thanks to Sendo's early inning, he saved Furuya a lot of pitches and stamina."
Chris also pointed out that Inashiro had been deliberately exhausting Furuya.
"Go change your undershirt," Miyuki said once they returned to the bench.
Furuya had sweated so much that his shirt was completely soaked. Changing would lighten the load on his body.
After all, every pitch a pitcher throws is a full-body explosive movement—basically anaerobic—putting a huge burden on the body.
Sawamura handed him water like a devoted butler, monitoring him carefully—"only drink half"—then wildly fanning him like a human electric fan.
But his frantic back-and-forth actually boosted the whole team's morale.
Inhale~ Exhale~
"Let's go, Tetsu-san!"
After two deep breaths, Sendo spoke to the captain.
"Yeah."
....
Top of the 4th — Seidou's Attack
"Top of the fourth inning! Batting fourth! First baseman—Yuki-kun!"
"Every man! Has his own world! If you compare it! It is the star that streaks across the sky—!"
"AHHH shut up already!"
The cheering section had no idea… that their singing completely awakened Narumiya Mei's true form.
And behind Yuki was the guy Narumiya absolutely wanted to settle accounts with!
"Whoosh!"
Pop!
"Ball!"
"Whoosh!"
Ping!
"Foul!"
Mei's first two pitches were an outside ball and an inside slider—using the full width of the strike zone.
No—he was using the entire strike zone and the ball zone.
Sendo stared at Mei's pitching with miraculous focus.
The Seidou bench also began noticing something odd.
It happened every time—starting from the cleanup spot—Mei's velocity suddenly spiked.
It would be strange not to notice.
But with just one fastball, they couldn't confirm yet.
Then Mei threw the third pitch.
Stride—release!
Pop!
"Strike!"
Yuki stopped himself mid-swing and watched it pass.
"A changeup! He threw that here?!"
"Whoosh!"
Pop!
"Strike! Batter out!"
The final pitch was a high-velocity fastball at the inside corner.
His pitch sequence was:Outside ball → Inside slider → Outside changeup → Inside fastball.
He used spatial variation and speed differences perfectly.
Yuki had no problem with Mei's fastball normally—but a diagonal changeup right before it made the next fastball look even faster.
The moment Yuki struck out, the previously loud Seidou cheering section fell into a stunned silence.
Even the reporters were shocked—though Mine Fujio immediately sensed what was happening.
At that moment, Seidou's bench fully understood.
"What's going on… leader…? Is he in bad form?"
Sawamura whispered to Haruichi with innocent confusion.
"No… I don't think that's it…"
"That bastard—his pitching is clearly better than—"
Before Haruichi could finish explaining, Jun-san was already about to explode.
Being underestimated like this was something his hot temper would never tolerate.
Yuki and Mei exchanged a fierce stare as the captain walked back calmly—his aura fully unleashed.
Pudding-senpai, who was about to leave the bench, froze in surprise.
And once Yuki left and turned away, Narumiya Mei's lips finally curled into a grin—his gaze tinged with cruelty.
"Now… it's your turn, you first-year brat. Let's settle the score from your last at-bat!"
His heart was burning with vengeance, combined with the thrill of striking out the cleanup.
One could imagine how terrifyingly sharp his condition was now.
"That's how it should be," Sendo murmured, resting the bat handle on his shoulder.
He hadn't heard Mei's words, but he could guess them perfectly.
....
"Fifth batter! Center fielder—Sendo-kun!"
Just as Yuki reached the bench, the announcement rang out.
Hearing it, Sendo stood up, walked forward, and bumped shoulders with the fired-up Yuki.
Neither said a word.
Yuki knew Sendo didn't need advice.
Sendo knew Yuki wouldn't accept defeat just like that.
The two men—dubbed the strongest batting duo in the nation by Mine Fujio—passed each other like warriors switching shifts.
Yuki's expression was deadly serious.
Sendo's lips curved in a confident smile.
Seeing that smile, Narumiya's brief satisfaction instantly evaporated.
He remembered again… that conversation they had in front of the restroom two days ago.
If they were alone and Mei had a bat in hand, he would've definitely smashed Sendo's grinning mouth.
"OOOOHHHH!!"
The moment Sendo stepped up to the plate, the entire stadium erupted.
Since his debut, his powerful swing had gathered countless fans.
Pitchers were popular—but sluggers with endless extra-base hits were adored even more.
"I came just to see you!"
"Crush it, Sendo!"
"Sendo-kun!"
The cheering section revived, and with the brass band's performance, the shadow of Yuki's strikeout was blown away.
"See? Unless you suppress both of these guys at once, Seidou's momentum won't drop.
Now the real match begins, Mei.
Don't get reckless—if you throw easy fastballs at this guy, no matter how fast they are, he'll blast them out.
You understand that, right?"
Harada said firmly to the mound.
"Yassan worries too much! One long hit from him was already enough! I've still got plenty of anger to vent!
No way I'm giving him anything he wants to hit!"
Their chemistry—and Harada's understanding of Mei—was so deep that one glance was enough to convey everything.
"What's going to happen this at-bat…This is murder on my heart…"
Ota clutched his chest, anxious before the duel even began.
This at-bat would determine the entire flow of the game.
If Sendo, after Yuki, also struck out—Seidou's two strongest batters would be defeated in absolute terms.
The message would be clear: Inashiro will no longer give up runs easily. It's their turn to chase and possibly overturn the score.
And Seidou would be forced into desperate defense.
Though Japan had no proverb for "defense lasting too long will crumble," the logic was the same.
Their pitching staff was not without weaknesses.
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