Even though Narumiya Mei belittled Zhang Han with his words, Harada still noticed something was off.
This wasn't how Narumiya had looked when he faced Azuma Kiyokuni and Yuuki. There was no doubt about it. This guy had definitely suffered at Zhang Han's hands back in middle school.
As both teams took their positions, Harada began sizing up Zhang Han from behind the plate.
From a distance, he'd only been able to make out a rough outline. Back then, Zhang Han looked well-built but not bulky. In fact, he'd even seemed a little thin.
Harada knew better.
That was just an illusion. Someone who could hit home runs consistently couldn't possibly be slender.
Now that he was seeing him up close, it was obvious. Beneath Zhang Han's uniform, his muscles were clearly defined. This man was extremely well-trained.
And on top of that, he was good-looking.
No wonder Narumiya found him annoying. Narumiya Mei had never liked people who were more handsome than him. Not to mention that they were both first-year players, naturally competitors.
There could only be one best newcomer in West Tokyo.
Harada realized that Narumiya had probably already marked Zhang Han as his rival.
After a brief pause, Harada squatted down and gave a signal.
No matter what Narumiya Mei was thinking, Harada would support him. If this was a battle for best newcomer, then as his catcher, he would help Narumiya defeat Zhang Han.
Narumiya glanced at the sign and nodded slightly.
Right now, he was burning with excitement.
The memory of that middle school game replayed endlessly in his mind. The hit Zhang Han made back then had cost him the match.
Now, he finally had his chance for revenge.
Narumiya gripped the ball with two fingers and fired.
"Whoosh!"
The ball screamed through the air, reaching Zhang Han in an instant.
But Zhang Han showed no intention of swinging.
He calmly watched the ball break, watched it pass through the strike zone.
"Thwack!"
"Strike!"
Harada's eyes lit up.
As a catcher, he was sharp. From Zhang Han's reaction alone, he could already tell something important.
Zhang Han hadn't been shaken at all by that breaking ball.
Harada wasn't one hundred percent certain, but his instincts were clear.
Zhang Han had decided not to swing at breaking balls.
He was waiting for a fastball.
Inashiro had studied Zhang Han thoroughly. Their conclusion was simple.
Zhang Han was best at hitting fastballs.
He could hit other pitches too, but his success rate dropped noticeably. That was exactly why Kameshima and Nishimonji had relied heavily on breaking balls against him before.
The results had been decent. At the very least, Nishimonji had handled Zhang Han in their previous two encounters.
If Zhang Han was stubbornly waiting for a fastball now, could they use the same strategy again?
Harada hesitated briefly.
Then he decided.
"Whoosh!"
"Thwack!"
"Strike!!"
Two pitches.
Two strikes.
Zhang Han was backed into a corner.
In Seido's dugout, the upperclassmen were already grumbling.
"He's being way too obvious. Who doesn't know he's waiting for a fastball now?"
Their frustration was obvious.
At this point, not only Harada but everyone on Seido understood Zhang Han's intention.
He was openly waiting for a fastball.
Yes, Zhang Han's fastball-hitting ability was terrifying.
But Inashiro wasn't stupid either.
If everyone knew he was waiting for it, why would they throw one?
Unless they'd lost their minds.
The seniors were baffled. Zhang Han was usually clever. Why would he make such a basic mistake now?
Only Miyuki looked thoughtful.
He recalled his own encounter with Narumiya Mei and began to understand Zhang Han's plan.
But Narumiya was a freshman now.
Did he really have that kind of nerve?
That seemed unlikely.
Coach Kunimoto was famously strict.
As everyone watched tensely, the fastball Zhang Han had been waiting for finally came.
After getting two strikes, Narumiya threw a fastball, but it was outside the strike zone.
Zhang Han swung anyway.
"Ping!"
The ball was fouled off weakly.
It looked rushed, almost sloppy. There was barely any power behind it.
Zhang Han grimaced, clearly dissatisfied, and raised his bat again, locking his gaze onto Narumiya.
In Seido's dugout, hearts clenched.
This was reckless. Childish, even.
Was he not worried about getting scolded by Coach Kataoka later?
Everyone knew the director's temper.
Final pitch.
Harada signaled for a forkball.
This was Narumiya Mei's most destructive pitch. Seido's players were deeply wary of it.
Now was the perfect time to reinforce that impression. Later, when they faced the lineup again, switching to sliders would catch them completely off guard.
Harada had thought it through carefully.
But for the first time, Narumiya Mei shook his head.
Harada's heart skipped.
From his experience, this only meant one thing.
Narumiya's stubborn streak had flared up again.
If that was the case, things could get troublesome.
Sure enough.
Narumiya rejected every breaking ball and insisted on a fastball.
He was like a child throwing a tantrum for candy.
Even knowing Zhang Han was waiting for it, he still wanted to beat him with a fastball.
If it were anyone else, Harada would've thought they were insane.
But this was Narumiya Mei.
That was simply who he was.
"If it gets hit, it's not my problem," Harada muttered inwardly.
He didn't argue. Instead, he went along and signaled for a fastball.
Narumiya's fighting spirit surged.
In the batter's box, Zhang Han's eyes flashed.
Just like before. One little provocation, and he took the bait.
The next pitch would be a fastball in the strike zone.
That weak foul earlier hadn't been a mistake. Zhang Han had deliberately held back his power to sell the act.
Now, there was no reason to hold back anymore.
This time, he would swing with everything he had.
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