In the stands.
"So cool!"
Owada Akiko clapped her hands excitedly. And that after she restrained herself if it were not for Fujio giving her the stink eyes that say —Be Professional! — she would definitely be cheering along with everyone else.
Around her, countless people were standing, applauding, and shouting.
It seemed everyone was cheering for Sawamura.
"The Demon King is indeed the Demon King!"
"That was amazing!!"
Fujio smirked inwardly.
'What kind of superb pitching and confidence did it take for him to play like that?'
Fujio could not speculate.
Because he was not directly involved, he naturally did not understand the feelings of the person involved.
In the Inajitsu rest area, Superintendent Kunitomo shook his neck in frustration, causing it to creak.
His carefully prepared tactics were on the verge of failure.
It was truly disheartening.
'Sawamura Eijun!'
Looking at the smiling figure on the pitcher's mound, Kunitomo wondered how things would turn out if he were guiding Sawamura.
A luxurious pitching squad of Sawamura and Narumiya!
That image was too amazing to imagine.
It was likely that they would compete fiercely, with the battle for the Ace position being a major show.
With a wry smile, Kunitomo decided not to dwell on it any longer.
'There were still opportunities. As of now, the game had at least two valid hits.'
This meant their top lineup could get another turn.
This also meant they would have one more shot at Sawamura.
"Fifth batter, catcher, Tadano-kun."
After dealing with the first four batters, Sawamura was noticeably calmer against Tadano, his pitches becoming sharper and including a couple of breaking balls.
"STRIKE!"
"STRIKE!!"
"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!!!"
Three Outs, offense and defense exchange.
Under Sawamura and Miyuki's strong leadership, they managed to get through the inning without giving up a single run.
The game moved to the bottom of the seventh inning.
Seidou High School's top lineup was up.
"Have you all remembered everything I told you before?"
Coach Kataoka asked calmly.
"Yes!"
The players nodded solemnly and responded in unison.
"Very good!"
Kataoka nodded. "Let's go!"
According to the information Seidou had gathered, there was still an unstable factor in Inajitsu: Tadano sometimes struggled to catch Narumiya's pitching.
It was impressive how the former Tokyo Prince had grown rapidly over the past two months. Even Seidou's batters found him difficult to handle.
It was understandable that Tadano might miss a catch once in a while.
However, in the actual game, this situation did not occur even once.
So far, Tadano had not made a single catching error.
'It was strange!'
Seidou's players were very aware of how strange this situation was.
But they were helpless.
The was no obvious problem with the opponent's battery, so waiting for the opponent to make a mistake and self-destruct seemed unlikely.
At this moment, Seidou had to employ other strategies.
"First batter, shortstop, Kuramochi-kun."
Before Kuramochi stepped into the Batter's Box, he deliberately glanced at the stands.
There, sitting in the front row, were the second and third-string players from Seidou High School.
The one sitting at the front was Watanabe, who gave him a nod.
This meant the timing was ripe, and it was ready to be used.
Through previous observations, Watanabe had not detected any abnormalities in Inajitsu High School's players.
In particular, Narumiya Mei's pitching and performance were consistent with the collected data.
'Although the opponent's overall strength had improved, the existing flaws had not been covered up.'
'Targeting these flaws to attack should work.'
Watanabe was confident.
Kuramochi was particularly inclined to believe him.
Consequently, he took his stance in the left-handed Batter's Box from the start.
'Is he trying to steal bases?'
Tadano couldn't help but think so. For an opponent like Kuramochi Yoichi, stealing bases was commonplace.
'Facing him, a front guard was essential.'
In this situation, Kuramochi stood firmly in the left-handed batter's box, closer to first base, which made Tadano suspicious.
Kuramochi was a switch hitter.
That is, he wasn't fixed as a left or right-handed batter.
Whether standing on the left or right, he could hit.
Given this, standing on the left seemed to raise suspicion.
Tadano shared his thoughts with Narumiya.
'That's to be expected!'
Narumiya had no doubt that Kuramochi would do this.
'Then don't give him a chance.'
Taking Narumiya's suggestion, Tadano nodded.
'Understood!'
Roaar!
The small ball flew at incredible speed.
Facing this ball, Kuramochi, who was prepared to swing normally, suddenly changed to a bunt.
'Sure enough!'
Inajitsu's players seemed unfazed by his action.
Conceivably, it was unusual for him not to do this.
But the small white ball suddenly sank just before reaching the batter.
'A forkball!'
Facing this unexpected change, Kuramochi, who was set up for a bunt, was clearly unprepared.
The white ball successfully avoided the bat and went into the catcher's Mitt.
Snap!
"Strike!!"
The result was clear.
Kuramochi's face showed disappointment.
'Does having all your thoughts written on your face still count as a good baseball skill?'
Narumiya smirked and threw the small white ball in his hand.
Roaar!
Kuramochi clenched his teeth tightly.
As the lead-off hitter for Seidou High School, Kuramochi fully understood the situation he was up against.
Despite facing an opponent as formidable as a monster, he had no option to retreat.
To execute the strategy devised by Watanabe, he first needed to get on base.
'Only by getting on base could Seidou have a chance to score.'
'Don't mess up now.'
Grimacing, Kuramochi pulled his bat back and took another swing.
Ping!
The small white ball hit the bat, and Kuramochi felt as if his hands might split apart.
'Heavy!!'
The bat nearly slipped from his grip and flew away.
This is it!
At that moment, Kuramochi felt utter despair.
Watanabe had devised a brilliant strategy, and Kuramochi had been fortunate enough to make contact with the baseball.
But the reality was harsh.
He couldn't even get a hit off Narumiya's pitch.
The ball hovered directly into the third baseman's mitt.
Snap!
"OUT!!"
One Out, no one on base.
On the pitcher's mound, Narumiya's eyes were sharp, as though he was ready to tear his opponent apart.
'Eight Outs left!'
At this moment, Mei's resolve was unshakable.
The impressive performances of Eijun and Kazuya had successfully blocked Inajitsu's offense.
After they secured three Outs, the crowd collectively shifted their support to Seidou High School.
Not only the spectators but even the Inajitsu players were affected. Their initially high spirits had waned, and they were now subdued and silent in the dugout.
"One point is enough!"
At this moment, Narumiya Mei, the Ace, stood up decisively and said.
Everyone turned their attention to him.
"One point is enough. We're leading now. Don't make us look stupid. Seidou should be the one feeling the pressure. I won't let them score another point. It's up to all of us."
Narumiya was rarely this serious.
His teammates were inspired.
"Okay let's do it!"
"We will support you."
"Don't go and fail now after all of this talk!"
"I won't! Don't jinx me!"
They rallied, preparing to give their all.
With their Ace being so serious, how could they not rise to the occasion?
They had a plan, and they executed it swiftly.
The team entered the field with high spirits.
They had already secured one out.
One out, no one on base.
Just eight Outs left to secure victory.
"Second batter, second baseman, Kominato-kun."
Now it was Haruichi's turn to bat. To some extent, Kominato was quite a counter to Narumiya.
If their levels were comparable, Kominato might actually have a chance.
But that was clearly not the case, at least not as it appeared.
Narumiya's strength was overwhelming, leaving no opportunity for the younger Kominato.
Roaar!
The baseball flew in like a laser beam.
Facing this blatant strike, Kominato wasn't about to let it pass.
He immediately took his stance, ready to swing.
But the moment he moved, Kominato sensed something was off.
Though this game was intensely competitive and the pitchers were exhausted, neither side showed any weakness.
'Narumiya and Eijun-kun maintained their stamina remarkably well. How could he pitch such a ball?'
Kominato was baffled.
He couldn't understand what the opponent was trying to do.
But it didn't affect his decision.
He decided to let the ball pass.
'Even though the pitch seemed very hittable, there's no such thing as a free lunch.'
'The more tempting something appears, the greater the risk it may carry.'
Kominato's on-field persona, especially compared to his usual demeanor, was far from easygoing.
Realizing the potential danger, Kominato let the ball go.
Snap!
"STRIKE!!"
Catcher Tadano, who had just scored a strike, didn't look pleased.
'It's tough!'
Tadano had expected Kominato to swing at that pitch.
Instead, Kominato's calmness suggested he had seen through the pitch.
It was improbable, but Tadano knew it wasn't impossible.
'Still, the outcome was unfavorable.'
They needed a new plan.
Tadano frowned, quickly devising a strategy.
'Will this work?'
He eagerly shared his thoughts with Narumiya.
'It is okay. He is not as scary as his brother, Ryosuke-san was way scarier!'
Roaar!
Paak!
The ball was struck and soared high, landing right above the second baseman's head.
The Inajitsu second baseman effortlessly caught the ball.
Snap!
"OUT!!!"
Their hard work paid off.
After their combined efforts, they finally secured an Out against Kominato Haruichi.
With that, Seidou had two Outs in this inning.
Narumiya was now facing Seidou's lineup for the third time.
Both sides were familiar with each other, and they quickly took their places on the field.
Two Outs, no one on base.
Now, it was Sawamura Eijun's turn.
right now, he was obviously not ready, and the 'state' he had been begging for had never appeared.
With the help of that state, now he is absolutely confident that he can hit Narumiya's pitch.
'Now, what should I do?'
…