Bottom of the second inning.
Two strikes.
Batter—Narumiya Mei.
Seeing Miyuki signal for an inside pitch, Kanzaki Ryou couldn't help but twitch his brow.
You really trust me, huh…
With him standing that close, aren't you afraid I'll hit your "old flame" straight into the hospital?
After a brief moment of internal grumbling, Kanzaki spun the baseball in his hand.
To hit Miyuki's target precisely, he knew he had to reduce the pitch speed.
Looking at Narumiya, Kanzaki sighed inwardly.
As a pitcher—and an Ace at that—choosing such a dangerous stance in a real game…
This guy was insane.
And so was Inashiro.
Wasn't Coach Kunimoto worried about his prized player getting injured?
Or had their obsession with reaching Koshien already driven them past rational thought?
He stopped thinking about it.
Whatever Inashiro chose to do—
was none of his concern.
Kanzaki gave a slight nod.
Then—
he moved.
His raised arm whipped forward, and the white ball shot out.
Whoosh!
In the batter's box, Narumiya's timing was perfect.
The moment the ball left the hand—
he recognized it.
Inside pitch.
In the next instant—
he adjusted.
Miyuki's expression changed.
That's—
A bunt?!
Bang!
Narumiya shifted his body slightly, creating space as he deadened the ball perfectly in front of the plate, guiding it toward the gap between second and third.
"Kuramochi!!"
Kuramochi Yoichi had already been moving the moment Narumiya showed bunt.
Like a cheetah, he charged forward.
Scooping the ball cleanly on the run, his eyes flicked toward Narumiya—
Already halfway down the line.
No time to stand and throw.
Then—
Throw on the move!
Kuramochi lunged forward, releasing the ball from an awkward posture.
"Mei!!"
"Get on base!!"
"Faster!!"
Inashiro's fans clasped their hands in prayer.
The throw—
was fast.
And precise.
It reached Yuki's glove—
just as Narumiya was two steps away.
"Out!!"
A collective sigh erupted from Inashiro's stands.
Narumiya turned back, clenching his fist toward the sky.
So close!
When did that shortstop move in?!
"Nice play, Ace!"
"Kanzaki!!"
"Speedster—amazing!!"
"Kuramochi is so cool!!"
"Seido! Seido!"
"Two outs!!"
Amid the roaring cheers, one particular voice reached Kuramochi's ears—
A girl's voice.
Kuramochi immediately looked around, trying to find the owner of such excellent taste.
Seido Dugout
The moment Narumiya was tagged out, Sawamura and Arima Kazusa were already leaning over the railing, shouting excitedly.
Kominato Haruichi, meanwhile, stared intently at Kuramochi.
A shortstop like that…
I want to play beside him.
Furuya, as usual, showed little emotion but the flicker in his eyes betrayed his desire to take the mound.
After Narumiya left, the next batter stepped up.
"Sixth batter, first baseman—Yamaoka!"
Yamaoka Riku reviewed everything he knew.
Terrifying velocity.
Precise control.
A wide arsenal—breaking balls, changeups…
So tense…
Sweat formed on his palms.
As part of the core lineup, expectations were high.
But against this opponent—
Winning head-on felt nearly impossible.
All he could do…
was wait for a mistake.
Whoosh!
Thwack!
"Strike!"
Whoosh!
Thwack!
"Strike!"
Whoosh!
Thwack!
"Foul!"
Whoosh!
Thwack!
"Strike!"
"Batter out!"
Despite everything, Yamaoka only managed to foul off one pitch.
Damn it…!
He clenched his fists.
What absurd pitching.
Three normal fastballs—
One that suddenly accelerated.
Inside high.
Inside low.
Outside high.
Outside low.
And the inside pitches were slower—
while the outside ones were blazing fast.
He used the entire strike zone—
width, height, depth—
combined with shifting speeds.
Yamaoka had never felt this helpless.
And this was just…
fastballs.
With heavy thoughts, he walked off the field.
Inashiro—three up, three down again.
Kanzaki Ryou had completely suppressed the lineup.
"Hahaha! If not for me, that kid Narumiya would've been on base!"
Kuramochi ran up, laughing loudly as he took credit.
Kanzaki smiled.
"Yeah… thanks."
"That play was insane," Miyuki added.
"I didn't even react, and you already had the ball," Masuko said.
"Your throw was perfect," Yuki nodded.
Praised from all sides, Kuramochi grinned triumphantly as he returned to the dugout.
"Senpai… Inashiro's batters are all standing really close to the plate today," Arima Kazusa suddenly said.
Kanzaki nodded.
"Yeah. They're trying to shut down my inside pitches."
"Too bad, Senpai—you're both bold and precise. Their plan didn't work," Arima said.
Kanzaki chuckled.
"When did you learn to flatter people?"
He sat down as Arima naturally moved behind him, massaging his shoulders.
Inashiro Dugout
"Damn it! How are we supposed to hit that guy's pitches?!" Narumiya shouted in frustration.
"Honestly… if he keeps it around 150 km/h, it's actually similar to your fastball, Mei," one teammate said.
"And since you're left-handed, you should even have the advantage."
"But his sudden bursts of speed make timing almost impossible."
The players exchanged opinions.
At that moment—
Coach Kunimoto spoke.
"In these two innings, you've experienced his pitching firsthand."
"It's not just the pitcher."
"That catcher—his unpredictability must not be underestimated."
"From pitch selection to trajectory… he uses every condition on the field to maximize the pitcher's effectiveness."
He paused, his expression serious.
"From the third inning onward, don't overthink pitch types."
"Just like before—stand close, apply pressure, and block inside pitches."
"Focus on one pitch type."
"And if an inside pitch comes into a hittable zone—"
"Don't hesitate."
"Swing."
"YES!!"
The roar of Inashiro's players echoed through the stadium—
carrying their resolve to the stands.
This was a do-or-die match.
No second chances.
Even against a powerhouse like Seido—
They would never back down.