At the top of the third inning, Seido came up to bat.
The first batter was the eighth hitter, Shirasu Kenjirō.
Standing in the batter's box, Shirasu's face remained expressionless, but inwardly, he was on high alert against Narumiya Mei.
This pitcher's growth had already exceeded far too many expectations.
Tightening his grip on the bat, Shirasu focused entirely on the mound, waiting.
"Play ball!"
The umpire's call rang out.
After exchanging signals with Harada Masatoshi, Narumiya wasted no time. He lifted his arm and fired.
Whoosh!
Swish!
Bang!
"Foul!"
Shirasu swung at the first pitch a fastball with heavy movement—but the ball jammed him badly. The compressed swing sent the ball slicing out of bounds.
His brows furrowed.
That inside pitch had completely cramped his swing.
And on top of that… the changeup.
Even though the coaches had repeatedly told them not to worry about it, his body reacted on its own, subconsciously guarding against it. That hesitation threw off his timing.
Be more aggressive. Swing earlier.
Shirasu subtly adjusted his stance, stepping slightly closer to the mound.
Behind the plate, Harada narrowed his eyes.
Planning to intercept the pitch early?
He flashed the sign.
On the mound, Narumiya delivered without hesitation.
Whoosh!
The white blur tore through the air.
Just as it neared the plate, Shirasu's bat cut forward decisively—
—and the ball vanished.
Thwack!
"Strike!"
Forkball.
Shirasu froze for a split second.
He had anticipated the forkball—that was exactly why he swung early. But this one… dropped sooner, and sharper than before.
Narumiya's forkball had evolved.
Before Shirasu could fully process it, the ball was already back in Narumiya's glove. Without even three seconds passing after Harada settled, the next pitch came flying.
Shirasu's eyes sharpened.
He leaned forward slightly and angled his bat out in front of the plate—
Bang!
A bunt.
The ball trickled toward third base.
Shirasu dropped the bat and exploded toward first.
The sudden bunt caught Inashiro off guard.
"Yoshizawa!" Harada shouted.
Yoshizawa Hideaki charged in, scooped up the ball, and fired to first in one motion.
"Shirasu!!"
"Run!"
Voices erupted from Seido's dugout.
Shirasu dove—
"Safe!"
His hand slapped the base just ahead of the throw.
No outs. Runner on first.
Narumiya exhaled quietly, resetting himself for the next batter.
"Sakai-senpai, you've got this!" Sawamura shouted from the dugout.
The ninth batter, Sakai Ichirō, stepped up.
He knew the reality.
Facing Narumiya head-on was nearly impossible for someone like him. But that didn't mean he would back down.
Hit whatever comes.
That was his resolve.
He swung—
Crack!
He made contact.
But it was a forkball.
The ball bounced weakly along the ground toward second.
Hirai Tsubasa fielded it cleanly, stepped on second for the force—
—and fired to first.
Double play.
In an instant, Seido's opportunity vanished.
Sakai clenched his fists in frustration as he jogged back.
If I'd just gotten under it a little more…
"Next one's mine," Kuramochi said as he brushed past him.
"Yeah… good luck."
Two outs. Bases empty.
Kuramochi Yōichi stepped into the box.
"Kuramochi-senpai, it's all on you!"
"Speedster, get on base!"
"Cheetah!!"
All eyes turned to him.
The double play had crushed Seido's momentum—now everything rested on Kuramochi to restart the offense.
On the mound, Narumiya's gaze sharpened.
"I won't let you bunt. Don't even dream about getting on with your speed."
A cold, suffocating pressure radiated from him.
Kuramochi's expression hardened.
I have to get on base.
As long as he reached base, the lineup behind him would capitalize.
"Play ball!"
The pitch came immediately.
Whoosh!
Thwack!
"Strike!"
An inside cutter jammed his swing.
The next two pitches followed—
A swing and miss.
A foul ball.
Just like that, Kuramochi was driven into a corner.
These pitches… they were too sharp, too tricky. Even when he connected, it was nothing but fouls.
Damn it…
The fourth pitch came.
Kuramochi committed early, locking onto the trajectory—
His bat sliced through the air—
But the ball lagged behind.
Thwack!
"Strike three! Batter out!"
Changeup.
Kuramochi clicked his tongue, glaring at the mound.
Then his gaze shifted to Harada.
So it was you…
They had seen through his tension.
That was why they dared to call a changeup in that moment.
And he fell for it completely.
Seido's attempt to rebuild momentum ended just as quickly as it began.
Top of the third inning—
Scoreless once again.
Back in the dugout, Kanzaki Ryō frowned as he stared at Narumiya's back.
"…Does this guy have some kind of secret weapon?"
Miyuki turned his head. "What do you mean?"
Kanzaki shook his head slightly.
"Don't you think he's pitching a bit too aggressively today?"
Miyuki followed his gaze toward the mound, thinking for a moment.
"…Yeah. A little."
He adjusted his gear as he continued:
"Mei's being more aggressive than usual. And he's using his changeup much earlier… almost like he doesn't care if we get used to it."
Kanzaki's eyes narrowed.
"If that's the case… then this blond brat is definitely hiding something."
Miyuki chuckled.
"Quit guessing. You won't figure it out like that."
He stood up, fully geared.
"We'll find out in the later innings."