"HEY! Miyuki, you jerk! Why would you tell a junior about that stuff?!"
"Well… haha… we were just chatting casually?"
Miyuki scratched the back of his head with an innocent grin.
"Don't 'casually' my ass!"
Narumiya puffed up like an angry pufferfish.
Then he crossed his arms and glared at Ushijima.
"Fine. Forget that."
"What's your top speed?"
"Did you really break 150?"
Ushijima nodded calmly.
"So far… 155."
"…Huh?"
"…One… five… five…?"
Even Harada blinked.
For a second, the air froze.
Ushijima tilted his head slightly.
"Oh dear… really?"
"The great King of Inashiro can't even hit 150?"
"…How disappointing."
"PFFT—"
Miyuki and Kuramochi exploded laughing.
Narumiya's cheeks puffed out.
"Coo— Coo—!!"
"Oh no," Ushijima continued smoothly, deadpan,
"What do we do? Our mighty emperor only throws 150?"
"Maybe he's just keeping a low profile?"
"Maybe it's actually 160 and he's hiding it?"
"Hahaha—!!"
Miyuki dropped to his knees laughing.
This was the first time they had ever seen Narumiya get bullied like this.
"STOP TALKING NONSENSE!!" Narumiya roared.
"With my talent, 150 is easy, okay?!"
"So what's your current speed?" Ushijima asked.
"…148," Narumiya muttered.
Then immediately crossed his arms again.
Ushijima gasped dramatically.
"Ahh, I see."
"So you're saying 148…"
"…but it's secretly 158?"
"That must be it."
"Only that speed fits the King of Inashiro."
Narumiya's chest puffed up instantly.
"Right! Exactly! You get it!"
Harada facepalmed.
"…You idiot."
"So," Ushijima continued casually,
"What new pitch did you learn recently, Narumiya-senpai?"
"Changeup," Narumiya answered instantly.
"HEY—!" Harada shouted.
Narumiya froze.
"…Ah."
Too late.
Ushijima sighed dramatically.
"Changeup, huh… that's rough."
"That's a genius pitch. I can't learn it at all."
"So unfair… I'm jealous…"
Narumiya straightened immediately.
"Haha~ it's not that big of a deal. Talent, you know?"
"How's the movement?" Ushijima asked smoothly.
"It sinks a bit, kinda like a—"
Narumiya stopped.
"…Wait."
"…Why am I telling you everything?!"
"You bastard, are you tricking me?!"
Ushijima blinked innocently.
"Tricking you?"
"You asked me questions. I answered."
"I asked you questions. You answered."
"That's called… conversation."
"…Really?"
"Really."
"…Oh."
Harada:
"…I'm surrounded by idiots."
"Wow…" Ushijima continued.
"A 148 km/h fastball, slider, forkball, and now a changeup…"
"Scary."
Narumiya grinned proudly.
"Heh. Third best in the country."
Everyone:
"…Who ranks themselves like that?"
But Miyuki and Kuramochi weren't laughing anymore.
They knew.
Changeup + 148 fastball = nightmare combo.
Same arm swing.
Same trajectory.
20–30 km/h difference.
Batters would swing way too early.
Troublesome.
Very troublesome.
Narumiya pointed back.
"Your turn. What pitches do you throw?"
"Four-seam. Two-seam. Cutter. Sinker."
"…WHAT?!"
Both Narumiya and Harada shouted.
"Four types? As a first-year?!"
Kuramochi panicked.
"Oi, Ushijima, don't just reveal that—"
"It's fine," Ushijima said calmly.
"When we meet Inashiro, it'll be semifinals or finals."
"By then, they'll already have scouting reports."
"No point hiding it."
Miyuki nodded.
He was right.
This guy was annoyingly rational.
Ushijima continued.
"Your style mixes fast and slow speeds."
"Mine relies on movement at similar speeds."
"Your fork drops. Slider breaks sideways."
"My cutter drifts left. Sinker drifts right and down."
"Your changeup messes with timing."
"My two-seam looks like a fastball but shifts at the last second."
"In the end…"
He looked directly at Narumiya.
"Our pitching levels are about the same."
Silence.
"So when we meet…"
"It won't be pitcher vs pitcher."
"It'll be…"
"Which lineup breaks first."
Narumiya clenched his fists.
His competitive fire flared.
"…Hmph."
"I bat fifth in Inashiro's cleanup lineup."
Ushijima smiled.
"Same here."
"…WHAT?!"
"You're a first-year cleanup?!"
Ushijima scratched his head lightly.
"…Guess I'm just talented."
"YOU'RE SO ANNOYING!!!"