Under the watchful eyes of everyone in the stadium, the home plate umpire spread his arms wide and shouted at the top of his lungs—
"Safe!!!"
"Woooooah!!!"
Kitamura Kou slammed his hand against the ground and roared, a rare, unrestrained outburst as he celebrated his daring success.
That single roar set the entire stadium ablaze. Cheers surged like waves from the stands.
"Nice play!"
"Seriously?! They actually stole home? That's insane!"
"Not just that, they pulled it off!"
"That makes it a four-run gap!"
Yakushi High School Dugout
"See? Don't think you're safe just because you walked Kitamura." Todoroki Raizo cackled, clearly enjoying himself far too much. "You still gave up a run in the end quack quack quack!"
"You seem to be in a great mood," Sanada Shunpei remarked dryly, towel draped over his head.
"We're already down by four runs! Shouldn't we sub Kawakami in now?" Ota urged anxiously.
Coach Kataoka said nothing. Arms crossed, he simply watched the field with a sharp, unwavering gaze.
"Sawamura!"
Kazuya Miyuki's voice finally snapped Sawamura out of his daze.
"I'm sorry. That run just now that was completely on me," Miyuki said with a calm smile.
"Don't worry about it, Sawamura!" Yuki Tetsuya added.
"It's only four runs. We can take that back in the later innings," said Kominato Ryosuke.
"Even I'm embarrassed by my speed. That guy's just a monster," Kuramochi Yoichi muttered.
"Just keep pitching!" Masuko Toru encouraged.
"If there are no runners, there's no problem. Focus on the batters!" Isashiki Jun added.
"…Don't worry," Furuya Satoru said quietly.
But none of it reached him.
Sawamura Eijun stood there, head lowered, his usual energy completely gone.
"You were so fired up just a moment ago… and now look at you."
Todoroki Raizo's sharp eyes caught everything, his familiar wicked grin creeping back.
"Everyone comforting you just makes it worse, doesn't it? You swallowed your pride and walked Kitamura… and still gave up a run. And not just any run, a steal at home."
"That's gotta sting."
"Sawamura," Miyuki's tone turned firm, "that run had nothing to do with you. You did your job. Don't let it get to you."
But even Miyuki knew—
This was something Sawamura had to overcome himself.
"Clang!"
The sharp crack of the bat cut through the tension.
The ball shot past the shortstop and into the outfield.
"Nice!"
"No problem his pitches are fast, but we can handle them!"
"Use the thicker bats!"
Watanabe Tatsuya reached first base cleanly.
"Heh… you're still too green."
Todoroki Raizo smirked to himself.
"I can see right through you."
"Smack!"
"Ball four!"
"Four straight ball?!"
"Looks like that lefty's falling apart!"
"That Yakushi batter is terrifying…"
"He's already crushed three pitchers!"
"At this point, we should just call him a pitcher killer."
Coach Kataoka finally stepped forward.
"That's enough. Substitution Kawakami, you're in!"
With two outs and runners on first and second, the pressure shifted instantly.
At the plate stood Sanada Shunpei.
"Smack!"
"Ball!"
"Nice eye!"
"Don't miss the next one!"
"Bring them home!"
Yakushi's bench roared with confidence.
"Kawakami's being too cautious," Hirakawa Takahiro observed.
"That's expected—he entered with runners on base," Omae Takahiro replied.
"But more importantly…" Hirakawa narrowed his eyes,
"If they don't stop them here, the next batter is Todoroki Raichi."
"…And once momentum snowballs, it's hard to stop," Manaka Kaname added quietly. "This could get out of hand fast."
"Clang!"
Sanada connected cleanly.
The ball split the infield—
"Run scores!"
Yakushi added another point.
5–0.
"It's happening!"
"A five-run lead!"
"They're unstoppable!"
"And next—Todoroki Raichi!"
"Runners on second and third!"
"Let's crush Seido in one go!"
The crowd had completely shifted.
"Yakushi! Yakushi! Yakushi!"
Their chants echoed throughout the stadium, overwhelming everything else.
"Tch… they switch sides real fast," Hirakawa muttered, clearly annoyed.
"If this keeps up, the game might end early," Omae said grimly.
"The crowd's energy affects the players too…" Manaka clenched his fists.
"Hang in there, Seido…"
He looked toward the field, concern flashing in his eyes.
"Koichiro… what are you doing? If you don't step up now… is this really how your last summer ends?"
At that moment—
Coach Kataoka gave a subtle signal.
Miyuki immediately understood.
He stepped out of the batter's box and signaled Kawakami.
"Ball!"
"Walk!"
"Todoroki Raichi takes first!"
"Move up! Infield, come forward!" Miyuki shouted.
Bases loaded.
And a forward defensive shift.
Seido had no choice but to gamble.
One mistake now wouldn't just cost a run—
It could break the game wide open.
"I have to stop them here…"
Kawakami Norifumi steeled himself.
Miyuki's eyes sharpened behind the mask.
"Keep it low. Force him outside… then cut it off at home."
This time… we won't let them score.