Yabe's out marked the mont that Eijun and Miyuki had completely taken control of the ga.
Next up, the sixth batter—Inashiro's young catcher Tadano—couldn't make a dent either.
Even though he locked onto Sawamura's fastballs,
against the sharp command and variety of Eijun's breaking pitches, he stood no chance.
Even when Eijun was only using 80% of his full strength, his breaking balls had too much movent for a rookie catcher to figure out in just one or two at-bats.
...
"Whoosh!"
"Clang!"
"Swoosh!"
"Pop!"
"Out!"
After a string of fouls, Tadano barely managed to lift an outside breaking ball—but right fielder Shirasu read it perfectly and made the catch.
With that, Inashiro was shut down once again this inning.
...
"Three outs! Switch sides!"
...
"Nice pitch, Sawamura!"
"Good job, you damn bastard!"
"That's the rhythm we need!"
"Ace, we're counting on you to carry the rest!"
"Let's go, Seidou!"
...
The Seidou dugout and stands erupted, their voices shaking the stadium.
They were cheering for their ace— cheering because Sawamura Eijun was showing his true form.
Their left-handed ace—the real No. 1!
...
Yeah, this guy's pitches are different.
Every breaking ball has a unique movent.
This… this is what an ace really looks like.
In the stands, Okumura clenched his fists at his sides.
His eyes shimred with sothing new.
I want to catch for him.
I want to be on that field.
I want to catch those pitches!!
...
"Batting first for Seidou in the bottom of the 4th—shortstop, Kuramochi-kun."
...
This is it.
This is where Seidou's second turn through the top of the order begins.
This is the inning everyone has been waiting for.
Whether Inashiro could truly maintain their early lead—
would be decided here.
...
"Bunt?"
The mont Kuramochi stepped up, he took a familiar stance—showing bunt right away, just like always.
As if he were announcing: "I'm going for a safe hit."
Behind the plate, Tadano frowned slightly.
...
"Whoa, seriously? Going for it right off the bat?"
"Ha! That's Kuramochi for you—classic Seidou leadoff style."
"Is he telling Narumiya, 'I'll beat you with speed'?"
"Talk about blunt and straightforward…"
"No no, it could totally be a decoy, right? Right?"
"Hard to say. It all depends on how Seidou and Inashiro choose to play this out. The key lies in what kind of judgnt Narumiya and his catcher will make on the spot."
On the mound, as soon as Narumiya saw Kuramochi's stance, he casually adjusted his cap.
A cold glint flickered in his eyes as he tilted his head slightly upward—
as if to say: "That cheap trick won't work on ."
If you've got the guts, then go ahead—bunt for real.
...
At the umpire's signal—
Narumiya's lips curled into a twisted smirk.
"Boom!"
He drove off the rubber.
His arm swung fiercely—
"Whoosh!"
A sharp glint burst from his fingertips, a blazing pitch rocketing toward the plate.
...
"Swish!"
As the pitch neared, Kuramochi sprang into motion.
He kicked off hard, unleashing his full strength—tal bat slicing through the air.
The ball whirred forward.
At the very edge of the strike zone—bat and ball barely missed each other.
"Pop!"
"Strike!"
Damn… too slow on the swing?
Kuramochi's eyes narrowed slightly.
He exhaled deeply and reset his stance.
...
Second pitch—outside slider.
Behind the plate, Tadano flicked his fingers in a quick sign.
Narumiya nodded smoothly.
"Whoosh!"
His arm rose again—the ball streaked toward the plate, white light flashing.
"Swish!"
"Clang!"
Kuramochi's bat t the ball early—he caught it off-guard.
A slider…? At this mont?
He gritted his teeth.
With no choice, he stepped out toward the pitch—
"Whip!"
Swinging with all his might, he forced the ball into the air—
"Bang!"
"Foul!!"
That was close—way too close.
If that third baseman had gotten to it…
Kuramochi glanced at the Inashiro third baseman,
still recovering from nearly catching it.
A shiver ran through him.
...
Next pitch.
"Whoosh!"
"Pop!"
"Ball!"
...
Another pitch.
"Whip!"
"Clang!"
"Bang!"
"Foul!"
...
"Zip!"
"Clang!"
...
Every pitch Narumiya threw was precise,
powerful, ruthlessly accurate.
A battle of wills, instincts, and reflexes had begun—
and it was far from over.
It was overwhelming.
Kuramochi could feel it—Narumiya's pitches were fierce, relentless, almost impossible to handle.
But for Kuramochi, this was the mont he had to bite down and hold on.
Every pitch—he swung with everything he had.
...
"Damn fast reactions, you bastard."
"Right back at you! I'm not letting go that easy, dumbass!!"
...
Sharp eyes clashed.
Wild intensity filled their gazes.
Whether it was the proud ace or the feral leadoff panther, neither one was backing down here.
...
"Whoosh!"
The white light streaked across the sky—fierce and sharp.
This… was an ace's pitch.
And in that mont—
Prince Narumiya stood tall above the rest, looking down from the mound like a king.
...
Kuramochi's eyes locked on the blazing pitch.
In his mind's eye, he saw it—
That blond-haired figure standing tall on the mound,
jaw clenched with that familiar look of defiance, his smile bright, yet hiding imnse pressure.
A junior—but soone Kuramochi trusted with his life.
Their pride. Their ace.
...
How can I let you lose here?
How can I keep depending on a first-year when he's out there giving his all like that?!
...
"I've got a reason I have to get a hit here—right now, at this mont—our ace is out there fighting with everything he's got!!!"
...
"Swish!"
"CLANG!!!"
The bat t the ball—a violent collision that rang through the air like a beautifully fierce note.
...
"Whoosh!"
The ball soared into the sky—a white arc climbing toward the heavens.
That flight—was the embodint of both sides' beliefs.
----------------
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