"Whoosh!"
"Clang!"
Another sharp cutter aid at the inside corner.
Yamada, batting eighth, couldn't get the barrel on the ball.
He barely managed to pull it, lofting it into the air.
"Left field!"
Miyuki called out loudly from ho plate.
Asou was already in position.
He caught the ball at the peak of its arc.
"Pop!"
Securely caught in his glove.
"Out!"
After striking out Tadano, the sixth batter, Eijun faced a different situation in this inning compared to the last.
Now, he had fully grasped the condition of his arm and found a balanced rhythm that suited him.
With just two pitches, the seventh batter, to ground out to the infield— a play Haruichi fielded and threw to first for the out.
The following eighth batter, Yamada, flew out to left field and was easily caught.
The struggles from the previous inning were nowhere to be seen.
A clean, dominating fra.
Ace pitcher Eijun secured the three outs smoothly, finally allowing the Seidou bench to exhale in relief.
Even the doubts lingering in Miyuki's mind vanished.
Ah, just a slow engine at the start. Nothing unusual.
Perfectly normal.
That was the sentint shared by more than 99% of the audience at this point.
Except for a few—
Kuramochi and Haruichi, who knew the truth.
Ochiai, with his razor-sharp observation, still caught sothing off.
Wakana, childhood friend, remained sowhat anxious.
And most of all, Narumiya i, who was watching from third base with a sharp, skeptical gaze.
There was sothing… unnatural about Eijun today.
Narumiya couldn't explain it exactly, but the sense of discomfort lingered.
A destined rivalry.
A connection that seed almost fated between Narumiya and Eijun.
...
"Bottom of the second inning! Seidou High School at bat. Batting fourth — pitcher, Sawamura-kun!"
"It's starting! Our cleanup batter is up! Let's go, Ace!"
"Get a hit! Make up for that run — that's how you've always been, Ace!"
"Narumiya-kun, strike him out!!"
"Sawamura-kun, hit him hard!!"
"Crush him!!"
"One solid hit, Ace!"
"i-san, we're counting on you here!"
"Attack, attack, attack, Narumiya-kun!"
Bottom of the 2nd — the second showdown between the two aces.
This ti, they've switched roles — offense and defense reversed.
Eijun stepped into the batter's box with calm, determined steps, bat in hand.
His eyes glead with an unusual glint as he stared back at Narumiya on the mound —who returned his gaze with a cold intensity.
Ace vs. Ace.
The two cornerstones of their teams, eting once more.
Behind the plate, Tadano pursed his lips, eyes flashing subtly.
He signaled a breaking ball to the outside corner—
But—
"No."
On the mound, Narumiya decisively shook his head.
"You don't understand, Itsuki," his eyes seed to say.
This guy—Sawamura—won't be taken down with a pitch like that.
You can't dodge him. You have to face him head-on!
Only a direct confrontation could truly subdue him.
With real power.
This wasn't pride.
It wasn't arrogance.
It was the pure conviction born from Narumiya's understanding of Eijun— a sixth sense honed by countless battles.
Inside pitch!
Only a fierce fastball on the inside corner could showcase Narumiya's aggressive style.
He couldn't retreat here.
No—he wouldn't.
As Narumiya's will burned bright, Tadano was montarily stunned.
Since they had beco a battery, this was the first ti he had seen Narumiya this serious.
"Narumiya-san… he's more intense than I've ever seen him."
Looking at Narumiya's slightly hunched form atop the mound, feeling the aura surging off him—
Tadano understood.
Eijun was no ordinary opponent.
He was Narumiya i's destined rival.
...
"Alright! Inside fastball — we'll open with this one!"
Almost instantly, Tadano nodded firmly and shifted slightly, setting his mitt firmly on the inside corner.
Unlike the more indecisive catcher he was at this point in the original story, the current Tadano displayed clear decisiveness.
His quick and confident target setup made Narumiya i's lips curl into a sharp, satisfied smile atop the mound.
"Boom!"
With a powerful push-off, his left arm rose high—
"Whoosh!"
A flash of white light streaked through the air,
a blazing gleam darting toward ho plate.
In the batter's box, Eijun's expression instantly turned serious.
Gazing at the straight, cutting pitch heading his way,
he could feel the sharp intensity riding on the ball.
Eijun's eyes narrowed as he tracked the ball, his left leg stepping out with force—
"Swish!"
He swung with all his might.
"Clang!"
At the plate— bat eting ball.
A heavy, echoing crack rang out.
But the mont the bat struck the spinning ball,
Eijun's face tightened.
His left arm felt weak.
He couldn't channel his full strength into the swing.
"Thud!"
The weakened hit was suppressed—the ball bounced hard off the ground.
"Bam!"
"Pop!"
A quick hop— Yabe scooped it cleanly into his glove,
then made a swift turn—
"Whoosh!"
"Pop!"
Throwing to Yamaoka at first.
"Out!"
One pitch — pure dominance.
The Prince's intimidation on full display.
...
"Sigh..."
Though his expression didn't show it, Eijun let out a quiet sigh deep inside.
With his current left arm condition, he couldn't swing at full power — and more importantly, he didn't dare to.
Because between pitching and batting, pitching mattered more.
He had to prioritize not allowing runs on the mound.
To risk worsening his arm injury for a hit would be a terrible tradeoff.
...
"Fifth batter — catcher, Miyuki-kun."
As they crossed paths, Miyuki asked quietly,
"How was it?"
"Heavy pitch. The angle was nasty. But since it's still early, Narumiya might've held back a little,"
Eijun replied in a low voice.
"Or maybe he's still adjusting to the catcher. That might be sothing we can take advantage of."
Miyuki gave a small nod, then confidently strode toward the batter's box.
...
Sawamura Eijun. Miyuki Kazuya.
If Eijun represented Narumiya's new sumr rivalry,
then Miyuki was his old grudge.
Of course, that "old grudge" ca from the prince's classic tsundere frustration—
From back when Miyuki rejected Narumiya's invitation.
Narumiya never forgot.
He once said he'd make Miyuki regret it.
And so, this ssy, fated connection between them still lingers to this day.
----------------
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