"Well done, you little rascal!" Isashiki jumped up, unable to contain his excitement.
"Beautiful," Yuki Tetsuya said with a satisfied smile.
"Haha! That guy's got some nerve—stealing like that?" Kuramochi laughed as he watched Ushijima return.
Kominato chuckled softly. "He's going to get ridiculed to death… Two at-bats, two runs—all by himself. That's just outrageous."
"…"
Miyuki, Furuya, and the others could only force out bitter smiles.
They hadn't even managed to get on base—
—and yet Ushijima had already scored twice.
A blatant slap in the face.
Inside Seidou's dugout, players and coaches alike leapt to their feet, cheering wildly at Ushijima Wakatoshi's unbelievable play.
No one had expected something this bold.
From first base… all the way home.
"Are you kidding me?! You can score like that?!"
In the stands—
"Harada-senpai, that's practically a foul!" Narumiya Mei snapped, clearly irritated.
"…"
The rest of Inashiro fell silent.
They weren't just watching a game anymore—
—they were witnessing a future nightmare.
Ushijima Wakatoshi wasn't just strong.
He was complete.
Batting, pitching, base running—
—and above all, decisiveness.
"If he gets on base… it's basically over," someone muttered.
Shirakawa, his bangs casting a shadow over his eyes, spoke calmly.
"It's no exaggeration to say this guy is… unfair."
"He has pitching power comparable to Narumiya, batting ability on par with Harada, and speed equal to—or even faster than—Carlos."
"…He's basically cheating."
Silence fell over Inashiro's players.
"So this is how strong Seidou can be… with a pitcher like him?" someone whispered.
"Strong?" Narumiya scoffed.
"I won't deny that first-year is incredible—strong enough to put real pressure on me."
His gaze sharpened.
"But so far, he's the only one in Seidou's lineup making an impact."
"Even their cleanup is still being suppressed by You Shunshin."
There was arrogance in his tone—
—but also a clear, cold assessment.
At that moment, Inashiro's captain, Masatoshi Harada, spoke.
"If Seidou's lineup is being suppressed…"
"…then ours could be too."
Narumiya fell silent.
"Don't forget," Harada continued, "You Shunshin isn't weak."
"The problem is his catcher."
"He's carrying the entire game-calling by himself."
Pitch selection. Strategy. Execution.
Everything rested on You Shunshin alone.
The catcher merely received the ball.
Narumiya's eyes narrowed.
He had already realized it.
"You Shunshin's ability to influence the umpire's perception alone shows how skilled he is," Harada added.
"His only real weakness… is his pitch variety."
"Fastball and curveball. That's it."
"If he had a slider… or a changeup…"
Harada's tone grew heavier.
"…combined with that level of control…"
"Even with Akikawa's current lineup, they could push us to the ninth inning."
Shirakawa continued calmly:
"If he adds just one more pitch—slider, changeup, cutter—"
"With his control…"
"He'd easily rank among the top three pitchers in high school baseball."
Narumiya said nothing.
He wanted to refute it—
—but couldn't.
Because he understood.
As a pitcher, he knew exactly how dangerous You Shunshin was.
And then—
Those words resurfaced in his mind.
[Narumiya Mei… if you didn't rely on your team, you wouldn't even make it to Koshien.]
Before entering high school, he had gathered his teammates—
Carlos from Seonan, Shirakawa from Marugame, Yamaoka and Shirobe from Takadaira—
and together, they chose Inashiro.
Those words… had come from Ushijima.
What if—
He hadn't done that?
What if he had gone to an ordinary school—
with weak teammates—
like You Shunshin?
Could he have carried them this far?
Narumiya had asked himself that question before.
And deep down—
He already knew the answer.
No.
That was why he didn't argue against Harada and Shirakawa's praise.
Because under the same conditions—
You Shunshin would be just as strong as him.
…At the very least.
Of course, Narumiya still had the edge in velocity.
His fastball topped at 148 km/h, averaging 145.
You Shunshin's maxed out at 142, averaging 140.
A difference—but not an overwhelming one.
What You Shunshin lacked in speed—
he made up for with precision.
And more importantly—
his composure.
Narumiya clicked his tongue.
Unlike You Shunshin, his own temperament was volatile—arrogant, emotional.
Without a catcher like Harada to rein him in—
he would easily lose control.
And he knew it.
"…Tch."
"Idiot… If we'd chosen different schools, we might've faced each other sooner."
He muttered under his breath.
No one replied.
Their eyes remained fixed on the field—
watching Ushijima return to the dugout.
After his daring run, Ushijima simply smiled, looking toward the mound.
"I told you…"
"I'd pay you back tenfold."
On the field—
You Shunshin stared back at him in silence.
He had lost both of their matchups.
And this time—
There were no excuses.