Akikawa's fifth batter—
You Shunshin—
stepped up for his second at-bat.
On the mound, Ushijima Wakatoshi didn't hesitate.
From the very first pitch—
He unveiled a rarely used weapon.
You Shunshin saw fastball—
and swung without hesitation.
"Clang!"
The moment the bat made contact—
His expression changed.
"…Damn."
He could feel it instantly.
That wasn't a normal fastball.
"Sinker…?"
Dropping his bat, he looked toward the mound, clearly displeased.
The ball rolled weakly along the infield dirt.
Because of the sinker's downward drop and slight run, his swing had gone over the top—
Driving the ball straight into the ground.
Kominato Ryosuke charged forward, fielded it cleanly, and fired to first.
"Out!"
Another one-pitch out.
"…So he's using a sinker now."
Shirakawa's expression darkened.
"The velocity isn't even 140… but it's close."
"With that kind of late drop… it's a nasty pitch."
Nearby, Masatoshi Harada was already thinking ahead.
We need to train for this.
Sinker. Two-seam. Moving fastballs.
If we face Ushijima in the finals…
We'll be in trouble.
The next batter didn't fare any better.
A combination of fastball and sinker—
Cleanly shut him down.
In the fifth inning—
Akikawa's core lineup was retired with just six pitches.
"Nice pitching, you little rascal!"
Isashiki slapped Ushijima on the back, grinning.
"Five innings straight—they haven't scored at all."
Kominato nodded in approval.
Ushijima simply gave a quiet nod in return.
Bottom of the Fifth
Seidou went back on offense.
Kominato stepped up for his third at-bat—
But after a brief exchange, he sent a line drive straight into the shortstop's glove.
Out.
His third failed attempt to reach base.
"…Tch."
Clearly frustrated.
Next was Isashiki.
After reaching base in his first two at-bats—
He was shut down this time.
Two outs.
Now—
Yuki Tetsuya stepped in.
After two unlucky at-bats, he was determined to change things.
"Bang!"
A clean, powerful swing.
He lifted a curveball into center field—
and sprinted all the way to second base.
A scoring opportunity.
Now—
All eyes turned to Ushijima Wakatoshi.
Two at-bats.
Two runs.
First, a long hit turned into a run.
Second, a ground ball turned into a full steal sequence.
You Shunshin stared at him from the mound.
"…Let's see what you do this time."
Ushijima clicked his tongue softly.
Tch.
With Yuki on base—
Things were different now.
Even if he reached base—
He couldn't just steal all the way home again.
Unless—
He drove the ball deep enough.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
Five consecutive fouls.
The duel intensified.
Pitcher versus batter—
Neither giving an inch.
From second base, Yuki could feel it.
He's getting better…
After losing runs earlier—
You Shunshin had actually become sharper.
More focused.
More dangerous.
Even if you get on base…
You won't bring that runner home.
With that thought—
He threw everything into his next pitch.
"Bang!"
Ushijima connected.
The ball shot forward—
Landing in the infield before bouncing into shallow outfield.
The moment he hit—
Ushijima sprinted.
The second baseman rushed in, fielded it, and looked toward third—
—but it was too late.
Yuki had already committed.
Throw to first?
Too late as well.
Ushijima reached safely.
Two outs—
Runner on third—
Runner on first.
Seidou had another chance.
"This is a huge opportunity," reporter Fujio said, watching closely.
"They might even score two here," Owada Akiko added eagerly.
Fujio shook his head slightly.
"…Not necessarily."
"This might be You Shunshin's last Summer."
Owada blinked in surprise.
"He's a second-year… but because he studied in China before coming here—"
"He won't be eligible next year."
In other words—
This was his final Summer Tournament.
Owada fell silent.
If this was truly his last chance—
Then every pitch now carried a different weight.
On the mound—
You Shunshin stared at the next batter.
Masuko Toru.
A straightforward hitter.
Strong against fastballs—
—but weaker against breaking balls.
Two outs…
No need to rush.
Even if the bases are loaded… it doesn't matter.
Because in this situation—
Only one thing mattered:
The batter must reach first safely.
Otherwise—
Even if the runner crosses home—
It doesn't count.
With two outs, there are no sacrifice plays.
No shortcuts.
Everything—
Came down to this at-bat.
You Shunshin tightened his grip on the ball.
As long as I don't let him reach base…
This inning ends.
His gaze sharpened.
This was his final Summer.
And he had no intention—
of letting it end here.