Chapter 243: The King Wants to Execute Someone
Miyuki felt utterly helpless after hearing Sendo's words and was momentarily at a loss for how to respond.
Sendo's remark was clear: he mocked Narumiya Mei's thick skin while taking a jab at Miyuki's thin-skinned nature.
Along the way, he even made a lighthearted joke about Chris-senpai.
Although Narumiya had a thick skin, he was currently enjoying a top-notch gameplay experience—how could an all-star lineup not be enjoyable?
Miyuki's thin skin, on the other hand, only managed to attract two junior pitchers to his side. However, the impact of Mine Fujio's reports also played a big role.
As a result, while Miyuki's gameplay experience wasn't bad, he still had to taste the bitterness of defeat.
Similarly, Chris-senpai, aside from recruiting Miyuki, wasn't as thick-skinned as Narumiya. If he had had the chance to recruit Zaizen to Seidou, it wouldn't have been impossible. In that case, neither of them might have suffered physical setbacks.
These two geniuses teaming up to dominate the country wasn't just a dream—after all, back in the day, they stood unmatched, making even players like Narumiya look inferior.
Chris-senpai earned his spot as a first-string catcher through sheer skill. Zaizen, as a first-year, became the ace and cleanup hitter of the prestigious Kurodokani. And this was as a first-year.
Their talent and technique put them on a different level compared to Miyuki and the others.
Miyuki's notebook documented Chris-senpai's stats: batting A, power A, speed B, arm strength A, and defense A, along with an exceptional knack for clutch plays (having an unbeatable sense of game flow).
It's worth noting that the evaluation scale only went up to A, without an S. The only exception was Kuramochi's special A-grade speed.
And Miyuki made these assessments based on the highest standards for junior high school players. Chris was in his second year at the time—his overwhelming talent was simply despair-inducing.
After losing in his first year, Miyuki summed up Chris-senpai with three comments:
A batter who could crush a pitcher's spirit,
a pitch-caller who brought out a pitcher's full potential, and someone whose sense of the game's flow never missed a beat.
This paints a picture of just how formidable third-year Chris must have been.
Coach Nakani once said that the current A-rating system, even with added pluses, wasn't enough to reflect Sendou's physical talents, so he introduced S-rank.
No one doubted Coach Nakani's judgment, and the reasoning behind it would be revealed in time.
Unfortunately, Miyuki and Chris-senpai weren't the type of people to take advantage of such situations.
Yet Sendo's comment was an indiscriminate jab that affected several people at once!
Shirakawa and Narumiya Mei, standing nearby, immediately felt a wave of displeasure. Sendo's sharp tongue was almost magical in its reach.
"Thick-skinned? What's that supposed to mean?" Narumiya asked.
"???" Sendo looked utterly innocent.
"What thick skin? I don't recall saying anything like that!"
Narumiya, however, couldn't hold it in.
"That's clearly what you meant!"
"If you say so!" Sendo shrugged.
"He's completely playing us like kids!" Carlos, the most level-headed among them, sighed. Still, he couldn't hide a hint of amusement.
It was the first time their "king" had been roasted so thoroughly.
"I am a kid—high schoolers are still kids!" Narumiya, his mental state already on edge, snapped back at Carlos without distinction.
"Tell me! Where did I go wrong? All I did was team up with players I respect." Narumiya didn't care about being labeled a kid. He just wanted to settle things with Sendo.
What started as a casual conversation was now completely forgotten, thrown out like garbage.
"I didn't say anything at all!" Sendo replied.
Narumiya, left with no other recourse, could only rage impotently, unsure of what else to say.
"You're really insufferable! A horrible personality, arrogant, and completely disrespectful to your seniors…" With no way to continue the previous conversation, Narumiya Mei, true to his straightforward nature, resorted to berating Sendo to regain some ground.
"Arrogant? You've got no right to say that!"
"Yeah!" Narumiya, like Sawamura, bared his teeth at Carlos, as if he were a little dog ready to snap.
But…
Sendo wasn't taking the bait. No matter what Narumiya said, Sendo simply stared at him in silence. That kind of personality clash was unbearable for someone like Narumiya.
Although Sendo had long forgotten the events of his past life, the few interactions he'd had with Narumiya had already taught him all he needed to know about the other's character.
Arrogant and overconfident, yet constantly striving to turn that arrogance into true confidence. At the same time, Narumiya was obsessed with comparisons—always looking to measure himself against others in every possible way.
He was like a child, wanting everything all at once.
Coupled with other indescribable traits, he was overall a straightforward and fun personality.
Sendo's purpose was clear: to poke at Narumiya, using his amusing nature as a source of entertainment.
Besides, their upcoming match gave him every reason to rattle Narumiya's cage. His opponents at Inashiro Industrial were stunned, watching in awe as a few words from Sendo completely got under their king's skin, leaving him bristling with irritation.
Miyuki, too, was visibly surprised. He wasn't impressed by Sendo's psychological acumen, but by how uncharacteristically talkative he had become.
Normally, Sendo kept a distant and reserved demeanor toward strangers.
Unless there was a common topic of interest or the other party needed help and he could assist without much effort, he rarely said a word. When he did speak, it was succinct and direct—almost painfully so—giving the impression of someone who measured his words carefully.
So Miyuki's surprise wasn't at the mind games, but rather at Sendo's decision to engage. "Why provoke him at all?" Miyuki thought, perplexed.
He didn't want to have too much back-and-forth with an opponent he'd be facing in the finals. Besides, he doubted a few words would throw Narumiya off so much that it would affect his performance—otherwise, Narumiya wouldn't have made it as an ace.
"Hmph!" Defeated in the verbal exchange, Narumiya could only vent his frustration with a heavy snort. Turning to Miyuki, he shifted the topic.
"Only one person rejected Inashiro Industrial's invitation! But even without you, this year's team is still the strongest! I won't let you take Koshien!"
"I've known about Inashiro's overall strength for a long time. We'll only find out who's the strongest after we play! Koshien tickets aren't handed over; they're taken!" Sendo interjected again.
While Sendo's words lacked any respect for his senior—since they were opponents in the next match—what he said wasn't exactly out of line.
Unfortunately, by this point, just hearing Sendo's voice was enough to set Narumiya off.
"Fine! Let's settle this! Bring it on!"
"Hey, don't go stirring up his fighting spirit," Miyuki thought to himself.
"Just don't walk me when the time comes!" Sendo added fuel to the fire.
"What did you say? Who'd walk you?!" Narumiya fumed, his temper boiling over. "You just wait—I'll strike you out so hard you'll be crying!"
The people around him started to step in, trying to prevent a full-on fight. After all, comparing their physiques alone would make it clear who'd come out worse.
"Good, that's all I wanted to hear," Sendo concluded simply, before continuing, "By the way, Inashiro's complete lineup is only guaranteed for this summer. Come fall, do you have anyone who can replace that catcher?"
"I mean the guy who hit a pop fly that turned into a home run today and then struck that ridiculous pose? He's the real cornerstone of your team, isn't he? There's no way you, with your short fuse, could handle all those complex strategies, scouting reports, and tactical analysis, right?"
Sendo's knack for unsettling people's mental state was truly unrivaled. Once a psychology expert understands their opponent's mind, all it takes is a few well-placed comments to shake them to their core.
"What are you saying? Our… our catcher is also amazing!" Narumiya blustered.
Normally, he wouldn't care. Although Narumiya was both arrogant and easy-going—happy when treated with respect, yet unbothered by casual nicknames—this time was different.
Even when Sawamura called him "White-haired jerk," he usually showed no reaction, but internally, his nerves were completely frayed.
The blush came because he knew, deep down, that Itsuki couldn't truly replace Harada's role.
"Hey, hey! Is that really the point?" Carlos muttered, exasperated.
He was clearly talking about Harada-senpai, so how could Narumiya just brush that aside? Though Carlos didn't say it outright, from Sendo's perspective, Narumiya's reaction did seem pretty embarrassing.
Carlos, after all, was generally the most composed and sensible one, apart from his tendency to streak. That incident with Kamisaka? It was just that his build happened to resemble Harada's; in reality, Kamisaka was more of a show-off, the kind who'd strike a home run, pose ridiculously at the plate, cross his legs, wiggle his hips, and pull some sort of bull-footed stunt. It was completely outrageous and hardly the mark of a grounded individual.
"Ahh, much better!" At that moment, Sawamura and the others showed up.
"Hm? White-haired jerk! What are you talking about with them?"
"Humph! I'll teach you a lesson during the game. See you on the field, Miyuki! And you—I'll make you cry for sure!" Narumiya snapped one last remark at Sendo, said goodbye to Miyuki, and left without looking back.
"I'm not going to cry, win or lose. But you? You'll definitely cry—no matter the outcome." Sendo's light comment as Narumiya walked off quickened the ace's steps.
Despite Narumiya's effort to appear unfazed, his teammates, having watched the previous exchange, couldn't help but feel like he was fleeing. If their ace was running, all they could do was follow.
Shirakawa had initially intended to grumble at Miyuki, perhaps trying to make him regret not joining their side. But after witnessing Sendo's verbal prowess, he lost his nerve.
"You're Sendo, right? See you at the game," Carlos said before leaving, clearly pleased to see someone capable of reining in their king.
"What were you all talking about?" Sawamura's trust in Sendo was unshaken, but he began to doubt Miyuki.
"Nothing," Miyuki said.
"Nothing, my foot! They're our opponents for the next game!" Sawamura exclaimed.
It was only after hearing this that Furuya, the ever-oblivious one, realized Inashiro Industrial was their next opponent. He stared after them, as if firing up some kind of mental burner.
"Furuya-kun! The game hasn't started yet!" Haruichi tried to calm him down.
"Sendo! Why did you have to mess with his mentality? Even if you provoked him today, it won't affect his performance during the game!" Miyuki questioned.
"That's where you're still too green," Sendo replied.
"Did you already teach him a lesson with your words? You unstoppable loudmouth monster!" Sawamura chimed in, giving Sendo a spontaneous, albeit likely temporary, nickname.
"Shut up!" Sendo, having said enough already, had no desire to spar with Sawamura verbally or physically, so he ended it with a curt command.
Years of established authority meant Sawamura obediently shut his mouth, though he still mumbled something under his breath.
"It's not about affecting his performance overall," Sendo explained. "It's about making sure that every time he sees me, he remembers my voice and the emotions tied to it. Even a small distraction can be fatal. Otherwise, why do you think I went to all that trouble, wasting my time and words on him?
"Let's go, Eijun." He patted Miyuki's shoulder and walked away.
"So that's the idea. If Narumiya only struggles mentally when facing Sendo, then, given his personality, it could definitely happen. If his control falters under such circumstances—and especially if it's against Sendo—then…!"
Miyuki paused. "Narumiya is a solid ace. Sure, he'd probably snap out of it after being hit once, but that single opportunity…" His voice trailed off. "And as long as Sendou doesn't manage to hit the ball, that opportunity will always be there."
One single comment from Sendo, and Miyuki had already unraveled the strategy. He swallowed hard, at a loss for words.
"Ah! Wait, does this mean my information—our opponent—" Sawamura suddenly had a revelation.
"Why would I do something like that?" Sendo's voice cut through.
"I didn't expect you'd still remember the way! Did you actually find the route this time?"
Miyuki ignored Sawamura's outburst and turned his usual sharp wit toward Sendo.
"No! You're here, so I didn't bother looking. I just followed where you walked." Sendo shrugged.
"Then why so determined to take this path?"
"Because it's cooler this way."
"…Huh?"
"They went that way, so if we go this way, doesn't it feel more like a cowboy standoff?" Miyuki, one half of the infamous "reckless duo," knew full well that Sendo was in one of his eccentric moods, though the reasoning still puzzled him. (Yes, they already had a reputation.)
"So you just stuck with this route because of that?"
"Yup. If it was the wrong way, you'd have said something. Plus, there's no one around, so no one will see how awkward it would've been if we were wrong. And you didn't say I was going the wrong way…"
Sendo left the rest unsaid.
"Let's just keep moving," Miyuki sighed, feeling thoroughly drained. For the first time, he truly empathized with how their seniors must have felt when dealing with the pair of them.
Back at the bus, Sendo, now silent, closed his eyes and leaned back, much like the third-year seniors. He looked as if all the verbal sparring earlier had drained him. (In reality, he was just lazy, a bit tired, and feeling the summer heat.)
Meanwhile, Sawamura remained suspicious, pestering Miyuki with accusations of espionage.
Honestly, it wasn't like this was some high-stakes league with actual spies infiltrating teams and becoming star players. Yet somehow, Sawamura had blown it up into the "most critical issue Seidou had ever faced."
Even so, the situation was quickly resolved by Kuramochi's booming voice, which put an end to any further questioning.
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