No outs, runner on first. A strategic decision lood—should they adopt a balanced defensive positioning or aim to secure the out with a sacrifice bunt?
The mont Eijun stepped into the batter's box, he glanced back at the dugout.
Coach Kataoka lightly stroked his chin, signaling his decision.
Eijun's lips curved into a subtle, confident smile.
Free hitting.
That was Coach Kataoka's instruction.
Unlike the original tiline, where Eijun primarily relied on bunting during the sumr gas, it was evident that in this lifeti, Coach Kataoka trusted Eijun's hitting ability to so extent.
Moreover, it was only the second inning—a chance to be a bit more aggressive.
Establishing Seidou's offensive dominance early, even with the lower part of the lineup, was the ideal approach.
Eijun set up his batting stance, his bat poised for the swing.
On first base, Miyuki fidgeted with intent, creating pressure on Seihou's catcher, Misaki.
In this pivotal inning, where taking the lead was crucial, Seihou High desperately needed to shut down Seidou's attack.
Even against the lower part of the lineup, caution was necessary.
Wait… what's this? A bunt?
Misaki froze montarily as Eijun openly displayed a bunt stance in the batter's box.
The move caught him off guard, causing a flicker of hesitation.
At the sa ti, Miyuki, standing on first, narrowed his eyes and smirked slightly.
This kid…
In the batter's box, Eijun exuded a calm deanor as if openly declaring his intent to bunt.
His subtle play was designed to plant doubt in Seihou's minds.
Even a sliver of confusion in the opposition would serve his purpose.
But what was Eijun's true intention?
Simple—no fixed intention.
He planned to read the pitch and adapt his response on the fly.
Lacking overwhelming power or refined technique, and with far less experience compared to seasoned sluggers, Eijun wasn't a conventional threat.
He also lacked Furuya's natural brute force, capable of landing a lucky ho run.
What Eijun did possess, however, was a keen sense of the ball, exceptional judgnt, and an unconventional talent: the ability to seamlessly switch between bunting and a normal batting stance.
This unique skill allowed Eijun to react faster than most batters in either approach.
This flexibility was the root of his current relaxed deanor.
...
"Overthinking it will only backfire," Misaki thought. "Infield, be ready for a bunt or a steal. Narakoshi, focus solely on the batter; leave the runner to ."
The first pitch was decided: an inside fastball.
Misaki signaled to Narakoshi with a sharp gesture.
Narakoshi nodded and took a breath. His stride kicked up dust as his hand released a blazing white pitch toward ho plate.
Whizz.
Eijun's expression sharpened as the ball approached, his pupils flickering with determination.
He adjusted his stride mid-step, seemingly switching to a normal swing.
Yet at the last mont, his bat dropped into a bunt stance.
Ping.
The ball and bat connected, sending the ball skimming toward the third-base foul line.
Thud.
"Foul ball!"
"As I suspected, this guy is trying to bunt—and even using a normal swing stance to confuse us!" Misaki concluded internally, his eyes narrowing.
This single pitch confird Eijun's strategy, but it also underscored the challenge Seihou High faced.
Dealing with this unconventional batter required every ounce of focus and strategy.
It was clear to Misaki now—this left-handed batter from Seidou High was using a tactic to mask his true intentions.
"Hmph. Trying to bunt and advance the runner? Let's see if you can actually pull it off!"
Misaki subtly signaled to the pitcher, Narakoshi, who imdiately adjusted his positioning slightly.
At this mont, all four infielders from Seihou High moved forward in anticipation, fully prepared for a ground ball aid to advance the runner.
Even the shortstop shifted slightly to the right, positioning to counter both a steal and a bunt.
The second pitch: a fastball on the outer corner. This placent would force a bunt attempt to result in a grounder toward first base—an easy play for the defense.
Misaki signaled the pitch with a slight motion of his fingers.
What he didn't know was that Eijun's lips had curled into a confident smile.
Even without seeing Misaki's signals or the infielders' communication, Eijun could sense the subtle shifts in the atmosphere.
The infielders' forward positioning had increased the gap between them and the outfielders.
"This is it—an opportunity!"
...
The mont the white ball streaked through the air toward ho plate, Eijun's eyes sparkled with focus.
At the sa ti, as if connected by instinct, Miyuki began sprinting from first base.
"This ball is mine!" Eijun thought, stepping into his swing. The bat whirled through the air, eting the pitch with a thunderous crack.
PINGG!
...
"Ohhh! The Seidou runner is on the move—it's a hit-and-run!" The announcer's voice rose, charged with excitent.
Misaki's face paled as the sound of the bat connecting reverberated through the field.
"We've been tricked!"
The ball soared low over the infield, clearing the gap between the first and second basen before landing in shallow right field.
Thud.
Because of the infield's forward positioning, no one could intercept the ball in ti.
The right fielder, positioned deep, sprinted forward but couldn't retrieve the ball quickly enough.
By the ti the outfielder secured it, Eijun had reached second base, and Miyuki had safely made it to third.
...
"Hahaha, Sawamura! You nailed it!"
"No outs, runners on second and third. We're going for the tie—or better yet, the lead!"
"Let's go, let's go, Seidou!"
"Eijun-kun, that was a brilliant hit!"
Standing on second base, Eijun clenched his fist in triumph.
"If I had more power, that ball could've gone even farther—maybe Miyuki would've made it ho!" he thought, vowing to dedicate more ti to improving his batting.
...
With back-to-back hits from Seidou's pitcher-catcher duo, the team now had a golden opportunity: no outs, runners on second and third, and a pri chance to tie or even take the lead.
Coming up next was Seidou's heavyweight slugger, Furuya—a batter who had already hit a ho run in the first ga of the tournant.
With his unpredictable explosiveness, the potential for a big play was undeniable.
"Batting eighth, pitcher, Furuya-kun."
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