Chapter 291: That Guy Isn't Very Reliable
"I won't fall here, aibo!"
Before he realized it, Sawamura had called out aibo in his heart.
It formed a loop with that aibo Miyuki had spoken back when they first came to watch—almost like a conversation carried across time.
"Count on you, aibo!"
"I won't fall, aibo!"
"You said it, didn't you? That you'd draw out my power to the fullest, so all I have to do is trust your mitt and throw my best pitch. Then—here it comes! My best pitch right now!"
His supple whole body whipped like a lash as he hurled the ball!
"Whoosh!"
The rapidly spinning ball screamed toward home plate, carrying Sawamura's will with it.
"What a nasty fastball! A diagonal fastball—ah!"
Sawamura's diagonal fastball already skimmed the strike zone at an angle, making it exceptionally tricky.
And on top of that, the cutter bent as if it refracted mid-flight.
"Pshh!"
After hitting the ground, the ball practically died right in front of home plate. Miyuki reacted instantly, dashing forward and casually flipping the ball to third.
"Pop!"
"Uga!"
Pudding-senpai, stepping on the bag, relayed it immediately to Kuramochi, who had covered second.
"Pop!"
In that instant, Sawamura thrust out his left arm, striking a bow-drawing pose as he shouted.
Miyuki, holding his mask in his left hand, stretched out his right arm in a pose straight out of a superhero scene while moving toward the dugout.
Almost everyone—except Sendo—was screaming at the top of their lungs.
Captain Ota raised his arms in a victory pose, Chris-senpai clenched his pen-holding fist so tightly it looked like it might snap, and even Coach Kataoka clenched both fists and shouted.
But no one could hear them.
Their voices were completely swallowed by the roar of the crowd.
Seidou's fielders left the field, leaving only the Inashiro Industrial players standing there like wooden statues.
"Aaah!!!"
"Ohhh!!!"
"A double play!!! With no outs and runners on first and second—one hit away from a walk-off—first-year relief pitcher Sawamura Eijun recorded three outs in just five pitches, completely freezing the runners!!! No waste pitches at all—straight-up confrontations every time!!!"
"Aaah!!!"
"Ohhh!!!"
"Uraaa!!!"
In the end, even the commentators' voices were drowned out by the crowd's roar. The game had to be paused until the spectators finally calmed down.
"That angle bent even more…Was that first-year intentionally throwing a cutter?"
Bon replayed the pitch in his mind, frustrated.
Just how perfect was that pitch?
Narumiya Mei on second and Yamaoka on first hadn't even made it halfway before they were erased by the double play. Their baserunning felt utterly powerless.
"Yes!!!"
Azuma shouted, his big belly jiggling.
But thinking back to that pitch, his stomach started to hurt again!
"Hahahaha! After that, I forgive you for hitting me completely!!!"
There wasn't a trace of regret on his face—only rising excitement.
Because he realized something he never even dreamed of: he had truly helped his juniors. If he'd known, he would've stuck with it longer!
Even if it killed him—as long as it helped the team, he would've welcomed it!
"So? How was that pitch just now? I felt great throwing it!"
Sawamura pressed Miyuki for feedback.
"Should I say he's incredible at improvising… or just insanely bold?"
Miyuki thought.
"So far, it's the best pitch—absolutely flawless."
Sawamura froze.
"Eijun-kun! That was beautiful pitching!"
Haruichi ran up from behind.
Then he saw the blissful look on Sawamura's face.
"What… that expression…!"
Haruichi was speechless.
And then Sawamura ran off….
"Yes!!! Yes! Yes yes! Yes! Yes yes! YES!!!"
Near the dugout, at last close enough, the cheering section and bench finally heard Sawamura's shouts.
But just as he took a deep breath to let out one final roar, Kuramochi cut him off with a kick—
Almost sending him headfirst into the ground.
"The runners didn't even move and the inning was over! Even giving up one run wouldn't have been surprising!"
Owada Akiko covered her mouth in disbelief.
"And it took just five pitches! Inashiro Industrial never imagined an outcome like this! The feeling of victory slipping right out of their hands! And the one who created this turn of events is without question—
In a single-elimination game like this, it's not rare for a reliever to come in with perfect form. Though the type is completely different, the impact he's having is just like Narumiya-kun, who stood in Seidou's way last year…"
Even the veteran Mine Fujio was just as shaken as his junior.
"What unbelievable guts—that first-year brat!"
In front of the TV, Manaka couldn't help but exclaim.
"Yes, yes!"
"That's enough already!"
Back at the dugout entrance, still not inside, Sawamura seemed unsatisfied and tried to rush out again—only for Kuramochi to haul him back.
"Sawamura!"
Tanba-senpai warmly extended his left fist, matching Sawamura's left-handedness.
"!"
Tanba nudged his fist forward again.
"Yes!!!"
Sawamura happily bumped fists with him.
"Eijun!"
From behind, Sendo reached out with his left hand (huge hand) and grabbed Sawamura's head.
"Heh heh! Of course! I protect, you score—that's the soul of Akagi Middle School!"
Sawamura spun around, smugly flashing a thumbs-up.
"Oh?"
Isashiki-senpai wore a dangerous smile.
"Next it's your turn to score, Sendo! A home run would be fine too!"
Overflowing with spirit—and just as annoying.
"Drop dead."
Sendo shoved him aside.
"If hitting home runs were that easy, we wouldn't be suffering like this!"
Sendo snapped back.
"Sawara~!"
Isashiki enunciated Sawamura's name one syllable at a time.
"Don't get carried away! If you screw up later, I won't forgive you!"
Isashiki wrapped Sawamura in a headlock, just like he once did to Sendo.
He absolutely wouldn't admit that part of the reason he was lecturing Sawamura was because he'd been ignored.
"Tch!"
Narumiya Mei clenched his teeth, glaring furiously at the scene unfolding in Seidou's dugout.
"The ones going to Koshien… are us! Don't get in our way!!!"
He roared each word in his heart.
Victory had been right within reach.
Kawakami had already collapsed.
And yet a single first-year brat was standing in their way!
Feeling resentment in a situation like this was only natural.
Narumiya Mei never once considered that, last year, he himself had been that very wall standing in Seidou's path.
"That pitch just now…?" Coach Kunimoto asked.
"It was a cutter—no doubt about it!" Bon answered.
In that instant, only heaven knew how despairing he'd felt.
"A cutter? That's not in the data!"
Captain Rindai said to Coach Kunitomo.
"Did that battery really dare to use a pitch they'd just learned in that situation? And that ball…"
Carlos recalled the landing point after Bon made contact.
Honestly, if there hadn't already been one out, that spot could've even resulted in a triple play!
"It just happened to land in a good spot! You don't get to Koshien by relying on luck!"
Narumiya Mei cut in arrogantly.
"Perfect—then let's see who's better! Three batters or four, it doesn't matter. I won't lose to you!"
With that thought, Narumiya tossed his bat aside, picked up his glove, and headed for the field.
Bon quietly picked up Narumiya's bat and put it away.
Now wasn't the time to talk to him.
"And with that, the bottom of the tenth inning comes to an end. The score remains tied at eight to eight!This game—already approaching three hours and twenty minutes—will continue!"
"Top of the eleventh inning! Seidou High's turn to bat!
Eighth batter! Right fielder, Shirasu!"
"Shirasu-senpai!"
"Shirasu!"
"Shirasu!"
"Go for it, Shirasu-senpai! Hahahaha!"
Sawamura couldn't hold back his laughter.
After bottling things up for hours, then coming in with a clutch performance and getting praised nonstop—today's script was just perfect.
Shirasu-senpai smiled faintly at Sawamura.
What Sawamura had just done could honestly be called saving Seidou.
It was fair to say that today, Sendo and Sawamura—the two guys from Akagi Middle School—had stolen all the spotlight.
But no one objected.
In fact, they hoped those life-saving spotlights would be stolen as much as possible.
And besides, Sawamura was the team's beloved mascot.
"Narumiya's pitch count is already at 126! But don't let your guard down—he's fast, and his hitting is precise. He's Seidou's most well-balanced batter!
(Just ignore Sendo, that stat-breaking six-sided monster—Harada already has! If max stats are eight, Kuramochi's speed is Special A—nine—and Sendo's six sides are all ten!)"
"How could I let my guard down?! I'm boiling with nowhere to vent it right now!"
"Whoosh!"
"Pop!"
"Ball!"
"First pitch inside!!!
Just missed—ball!"
"You're seeing it well, Shirasu-senpai!"
Kanemaru's booming voice was stealing plenty of attention today too.
"Fastball!"
Shirasu locked onto the fastball, completely discarding any thought of breaking balls.
"Second pitch!"
"Fastball!"
"Whoosh!"
"Second pitch—a slider! Strike!"
For left-handed hitter Shirasu, a lefty's slider broke from inside to outside—like the ball was being pulled away from his hands.
And Narumiya's slider bent close to ninety degrees.
It wasn't something an ordinary batter could hit—especially not someone who'd already committed to ignoring breaking balls.
Shirasu swallowed hard.
"So Sendo hit this pitch for a home run? What a monster… I'll just do what I'm supposed to do! Give me a fastball!"
Shirash's stubbornness wasn't unfounded.
Narumiya's pitches looked downright inhuman—if anything, even fiercer than when he was fresh.
But his body couldn't be free of fatigue.
Considering the pitch count, Harada would inevitably reduce the use of breaking balls.
After all, with a first-year reliever suddenly in perfect form, no one knew whether Seidou's core lineup would come around again.
They had to conserve the ace's stamina—saving breaking balls and the last of his strength for those monsters.
Batters like Captain Tetsu and Sendo—just their presence—forced massive preparation and drained the opponent's resources.
That alone greatly restricted the opponent and opened chances for the rest of the lineup.
"Whoosh!"
"There it is! Fastball!"
"Ping!"
"Thud! Pop!"
The ball hit Yamaoka's glove.
"He hit it!"
"Damn it! Was he aiming for that from the start?! They really won't let us through easily!"
Harada ground his teeth.
"Mei!"
Hirai barehanded the ball and threw it to Narumiya covering first.
"Too late at first!"
"Pop!"
"Safe!"
"Yes!!!"
Shirasu roared as he stepped on the bag.
"Oh!!!"
"Yo!!!"
The crowd once again erupted into incomprehensible noises.
"That makes it no outs, runner on first!"
"Yes!"
Shirasu still wasn't satisfied—after settling on the base, he quietly yelled again and struck a pose.
"Shirasu… yelled?"
Maezono was stunned.
"Shirasu…?"
Future backup catcher Ono also stared wide-eyed.
"Shirasu…! The bow-drawing celebration!"
Then came the trio of third-years.
"Shirasu…!"
The cheering section was shocked one after another—though not by the hit itself.
"Yes! That… that…"
"It's Shirasu,"
Sendo said from near the on-deck circle.
"Oh! Shirasu-senpai! …Next, leave it to me! Hahahaha!
I'll definitely hit it! Ahahahaha!"
"Sawamura!"
Captain Ota called out at that moment.
"Hahaha… huh?"
Sawamura turned around when he heard his name.
"Come~ here~!"
Both Captain Ota and Coach Kataoka waved him over with exaggerated motions.
They were genuinely afraid this idiot would rush up and yell "hui xiu" three times.
Even Chris-senpai had sweat forming on his brow.
"Boss! You called me?"
Sawamura obediently walked over, causing a large group in both the dugout and cheering section—people who knew him too well—to collectively sigh in relief.
"Ah! That guy Sendo isn't very reliable!"
Sawamura said with sudden realization.
"Hey!"
Sendo snapped.
He really wanted to say: "I'm right next to you! After all these years of getting beaten up, how do you still not remember?"
"Do you want me to hit it? …A home run."
Sawamura completely ignored Sendo and stared intently at Coach Kataoka.
"Uh…!"
Coach Kataoka broke into a sweat at those words.
The seniors nearby were just as tense—each one sweating bullets.
Collectively thinking: "Thank god we called this kid over. Otherwise, this would've been a disaster."
At this moment, Inashiro definitely didn't want Seidou stacking runners.
Otherwise, they might end up facing Seidou's cleanup hitters with the bases loaded.
Just imagining that was terrifying.
So there was no way Seidou would let this guy charge in recklessly and throw everything away.
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