Chapter 289: Is the Outcome Already Decided…?
That ball Narumiya Mei hit—no matter who you brought in, it couldn't be stopped.
Sendo is human, not a god. For a hit like that, even if you brought Bolt himself, it wouldn't have mattered.
In fact, Bolt's height actually exceeds the so-called "golden height" for sprinters, and when it comes to pure acceleration over the first twenty meters, he might not even be faster than Sendo.
Of course, that doesn't mean Sendo's start speed is among the absolute fastest in the world. There's real data on this—the fastest belongs to a world-class football star, whose first twenty meters take just 1.5 seconds: the first ten meters in 0.6 seconds, the second ten in 0.9 seconds.
Because the first few steps at the start are extremely explosive, that initial ten meters—if you use the 100 meters as a reference—is actually the fastest phase before reaching full speed in the latter half.
"Nori!"
After calling for a mound visit, Miyuki walked up to the mound and spoke in a low voice.
But Kawakami seemed not to hear him at all, staring straight ahead at Yamaoka near home plate.
"This is bad… Is Nori's mind still replaying Yamaoka's earlier home run?"
Seeing Kawakami's condition, Miyuki sensed trouble.
"Nori!!"
Miyuki raised his voice.
"Huh?"
Kawakami responded as if waking from a dream, as though he hadn't even noticed Miyuki's presence and had been startled by the sudden sound.
"You okay?"
"Yeah."
"Don't worry about it! That last pitch was my mistake in calling the game! Trust the defense behind you—take them down one by one!" Miyuki reassured him.
"Yeah! I got it! I'll do my best!"
Even as he said that, Kawakami still looked distracted.
But Seidou couldn't afford to abandon Kawakami so casually at a moment like this.
"Are you scared?"
"Huh?"
"Scared that you'll get hit again and lose just like this?" Miyuki clarified.
"..."
Kawakami fell silent.
"I'm the same."
"Huh?"
"Just now, for the first time, I really felt how scary baseball can be. I'm terrified right now. But even so, I still have to keep fighting! The game isn't over yet!
Let's do this together, Nori!"
"Yeah!"
"..."
Miyuki glanced at Kawakami.
"His expression is so stiff…"
Then he turned and looked toward the dugout, only to find no reaction.
"No response from the bench… so that means I'm supposed to decide on my own? Man, that's a heavy responsibility. Well, there's no way we can just give up on Nori this easily in this situation."
With that thought, Miyuki turned back to Kawakami.
"Anyway, let's attack with tricky pitches! Believe in yourself!"
After patting Kawakami on the shoulder, he returned to home plate.
"Huff… so then! Continuing with Kawakami—will it be fortune…? Or misfortune…?"
Back at the plate, Miyuki muttered to himself as he began flashing signs.
"Let him hit it, Nori!"
"One by one!"
"Hit it to me! I'll stop it for sure!"
"Let's go, Kawakami-senpai!"
"Take them down one by one!"
"Let them hit it!"
Seeing Kawakami's stiff expression, Pudding-senpai spoke up first, and the others joined in, encouraging him together.
"We… have no way back anymore! ×3"
The three third-year seniors on the field all thought the same thing at once.
"Believe in yourself!"
Seeing Miyuki set his glove on the outside corner, Kawakami tried to attack.
"Pop!"
"Ball!"
"Pop!"
"Ball!"
"Pop!"
"Pop!"
"Four balls!"
"Ah!"
A look of pure panic appeared on Kawakami's face.
Fear. Helplessness. And a slight tremble.
Kawakami realized that the seniors' summer might end in his hands.
"Seventh batter! Second baseman, Hirai!"
At that moment, the announcer's voice struck like a death knell.
"The game is already decided… Seidou played so well! In the end, did they lose because of their pitching staff? So now, am I really going to become the head coach after originally being invited just as an advisor?"
On the sidelines, Coach Ochiai pinched his small mustache, thinking to himself.
To be honest, he didn't feel much joy at the prospect of becoming head coach—more than anything, he felt it was a shame for Seidou.
And looking at Seidou's fielders made him incredibly envious.
With a reliable pitcher, dominating the nation wouldn't just be a dream!
...
Seeing Kawakami's face, on the verge of tears but unable to cry, Miyuki once again looked toward the dugout.
Coach Kataoka was showing a troubled expression—rare for him.
"First-year…"
That term usually meant immaturity, lack of experience, and weakness.
And Sawamura—aside from his fighting spirit and his limited weapons—was practically an amateur!
Whether to stake everything on someone like that was a century-long dilemma for anyone.
And even though Sawamura usually had nerves of steel, could he really bear such a heavy burden at this moment?
Letting Sawamura take the mound might be the hardest decision Kataoka would ever make in his life.
Honestly, if Sendo had even a single real pitching duel experience within the team, Kataoka wouldn't hesitate for a second to send him to the mound.
And he believed that for just this one game, Sendo wouldn't refuse—but Sendo had no experience at all.
Even if he had a strong heart, if a pitcher doesn't even know his own condition, no coach would let him pitch.
In just a few seconds, Kataoka made a decision that even surprised himself—he turned his gaze toward Sendo in center field.
At the moment Miyuki left the judgment to the bench, Sendo also directed his gaze toward the dugout.
When Sendo saw Coach Kataoka looking at him, he knew it wasn't to ask for his opinion.
So Sendo gave the bench a small smile.
How much infectious confidence was in Sendo's smile today?
Anyone who saw it would unconsciously choose to believe in him.
Seeing that smile, Kataoka recalled last night's conversation between the two of them.
"What decides victory is the strength of the heart… and the decision of the leader… huh? Heh…"
"We lost our way back a long time ago already."
Recalling his own murmured words from the night before, Kataoka let out a self-mocking smile and nodded to Miyuki.
"Call Sawamura over!"
Coach Kataoka's voice rang out from the dugout.
"Time out requested! Pitcher change!"
"Huh?"
The most shocked person was Hirai Tsubasa standing in the batter's box.
"A pitcher change? Does Seidou really have a pitcher they can trust in this situation?"
"There's only one left—a first-year left-hander!"
"A first-year? Seriously? Has Seidou given up on the game?"
"But Kawakami's condition…"
The stands buzzed with chatter as well—until a single realization silenced them.
Seidou's supporters all understood: they had already lost the right to choose.
"Seidou High School! Player substitution notice! Replacing the ninth batter, Kawakami, is Sawamura!
Pitcher—Sawamura! Ninth batter! Pitcher, Sawamura!"
After warming up in the bullpen for three hours and thirteen minutes, Sawamura finally took the field!
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