"First pitch—high and outside, just slightly off the mark, a foul ball down the third-base line!"
Was his reaction just a little slow?
At ho plate, Tadano's brows furrowed slightly. He gave a sharp, calculating glance toward Eijun standing beside him.
Eijun's expression remained composed, but inwardly, his heart tightened. The angle, the force he'd used on that swing—he hadn't chosen the best approach. It pulled at the injury in his left arm.
After all, with pitches on the outside corner, if you're not crowding the plate, reaching them ans extending the bat farther or stretching your swing path.
Normally, this would've been no problem for Eijun.
But now... it was.
That mont nearly made him cry out.
The pain, the sudden numbness—it wasn't sothing you could just shrug off.
If not for his iron will—and the fact that he could clearly feel Tadano's gaze locked on him—Eijun might've faltered. That catcher was definitely watching for any sign of weakness.
So he couldn't show even the slightest oddity. He had to maintain the most normal posture possible.
Eijun gritted his teeth. No matter what, I can't let them notice…
Second pitch: outside slider.
Tadano, perhaps sensing sothing was off, called for another outside pitch—this ti a breaking ball with a tricky trajectory.
"Whoosh—"
The flash of white streaked toward the plate.
Eijun's pupils narrowed sharply. That radiant streak seared into his vision.
His face grew cold with determination.
"Boom—"
He stepped forward, body stretching open.
A sharp ball edge, low and away.
"Swoosh—"
The tal bat sliced through the air, casting a large dark shadow over the plate.
"Pop!"
But Eijun didn't swing with full force—he couldn't.
And he missed. The violent spin of the slider slipped right past and dropped clean into Tadano's mitt.
"Strike!"
Damn… just a little off.
His expression darkened.
This injury—it wasn't just limiting his pitching. It was affecting his hitting too.
Damn it. Damn it all!
Frustration welled up inside him.
anwhile, Tadano—watching closely—only grew more suspicious. Not necessarily because he thought Eijun was injured (after all, he'd seen him pitch these past few innings).
But sothing felt off.
Slightly slower reaction ti, clear difficulty reaching outside pitches. He'd sensed it vaguely in Eijun's last at-bat, but now, with the first two pitches, it was becoming more and more certain.
"Ah, he moved."
Within his field of vision, Tadano noticed that Eijun had subtly edged a bit closer to the plate.
That confird it—Tadano was sure now.
Next pitch: inside changeup. But don't throw it too hard, Narumiya.
Tadano's sign made Narumiya purse his lips. But then, as if understanding Tadano's thinking, he smirked.
"This guy…"
"You're really starting to click with , huh?"
Narumiya's grin widened into sothing wild and cocky.
"Whoosh!"
His arm snapped forward, releasing a dazzling white flash.
"Here it cos!!"
Inside!?
That bastard!
Eijun clenched his teeth.
Eijun took a slight step forward, shifting his stance and tightening his grip on the bat, swinging toward the left side.
"Whoosh!"
Right near ho plate, the blazing white ball suddenly lost speed and dropped sharply.
Eijun's eyes flickered with a troubled glint.
"A changeup!!"
But with his imnse control and self-discipline…
He forcefully stopped his swing in the nick of ti.
"Fwip!"
The sneaky ball slipped past, flying behind him.
"Thud!"
As always, Narumiya's changeup was a pitch even Tadano struggled to handle.
The ball deflected off Tadano's glove—he didn't catch it cleanly.
But—!
"I'll never let the ball get past !!"
He quickly twisted his body, using it like a wall to block the ball directly. As he turned his head sharply, his eyes locked on—
—Haruichi on first base froze mid-motion, instantly abandoning the idea of stealing.
A perfect visual deterrent.
From the batter's box, Eijun couldn't help but admire him.
Damn... who said this little catcher was weak?
Sure, compared to guys like Miyuki, Harada, or Inui, he might not seem top-tier… but to be scouted by Coach Kunimoto and play like this on the finals stage?
Tadano is definitely a capable catcher.
...
"He actually held back his swing… this guy..."
As Eijun was ntally praising Tadano—
Tadano was quietly whispering to himself with a trace of disappointnt.
"As expected… he noticed it."
Eijun pursed his lips. A faint sense of unease welled up inside.
He knew full well—if the enemy realized his condition, the consequences could be dire.
But there was no retreat now.
Only forward.
Forward—forward was the only option left to him.
Eijun once again assud his stance at the very front of the batter's box.
"Fourth pitch: inside fastball!"
Perhaps due to Narumiya's influence, Tadano's ga-calling on this finals stage had begun to show its own aggressive edge.
"Whoosh!"
The mont Narumiya raised his arm, the glint of white light burst from his fingertips—
"Boom!"
Suddenly—Haruichi bolted from first base.
"A steal?!"
Yamaoka shouted in alarm.
But it was already too late for Narumiya to stop his pitch—or maybe they simply didn't expect a runner to steal with two strikes on the batter.
The ball scread toward ho, fierce and sharp.
In the batter's box, Eijun's eyes widened in shock.
But now—there was no turning back. Not for him.
"Fwoosh!"
The ball closed in.
He didn't have ti to react perfectly, only relying on experience, stepping out decisively—
"Whoosh!!"
The bat moved, almost on reflex.
"PING!!"
A fierce clash erupted.
The vibration running through the bat made Eijun grimace.
His clenched teeth held back the pain radiating from his injured left arm.
"Hmph!"
With a grunt, he forcefully flung the bat aside.
My teammates said it—
We're going to win this ga!!!
"Whoosh!!"
The compressed ball shot out like a bullet.
That shining arc in the sky reflected across everyone's eyes—
And every spectator widened their gaze in awe.
"Center field!!!"
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