Chapter 262: Just the Right Amount of "Impossible to Win"
Although Furuya's breathing had become uneven,
fatigue alone wasn't enough to weaken him.
Furuya and Sendo belonged to the same category of player—even when exhausted, their explosive power did not drop.
Forget Sendo.
Back in the Akikawa Academy days, even when Furuya was completely worn out, his velocity actually increased.
That was proof enough.
Of course, what did suffer was control.
Facing Narumiya Mei this time, Seidou treated the at-bat with extreme caution.
It wasn't that Mei couldn't hit for power—it was just that earlier, Furuya's pitch quality was too overwhelming.
But now, with a runner on base, and Furuya forced into his "fixed set position," he could no longer overpower Mei by brute force.
Sendo deliberately shifted his defensive position slightly to the right.
That caught Onii-san's eye—and Kominato Ryousuke happened to notice it too, since Sendo's position was directly behind him.
Sendo met Onii-san's gaze, thumped his chest with a fist, and pointed a thumb confidently at himself.
Even though it wasn't a real signal, Onii-san understood clearly:
"Senpai, defend at full strength. I've got your back."
"What a reliable junior…"
Onii-san thought.
Right-field might not be fully trustworthy on offense or defense, and Onii-san himself was injured—but even now, injured or not, his defense was still above most second basemen in the country.
Both those "weaker" zones sat right next to Sendo's territory.
Meanwhile, Isashiki—originally a national-level center fielder—had both range and a cannon arm, even as a left fielder.
It was practically a luxury problem.
With Sendo shifting right, two elite center-field–strength defenders now covered most of the outfield.
If not for needing to give Furuya a spot on the field,
and if Shirasu were present…
Seidou's full outfield lineup would have been absurdly elite.
But with today's condition far from perfect, only Sendo's massive range could plug the gaps of his neighboring teammates.
.....
Meanwhile Narumiya Mei stepped into the box,
smiling and relaxed—which showed just how little Inashiro was affected psychologically.
After all, Mei's pitching had already crushed Seidou's lineup.
Their offense had finally started showing signs of life.
Even Seidou's two most reliable hitters—their No.4 and No.5— had been neutralized: one struck out, the other forced into a surprise bunt.
This was exactly when Inashiro's spirits were rising.
....
Whoosh!
Thud!
Ball!
Whoosh—Ping—Foul!
Ping—Foul!
Ping—Foul!
A barrage of inside pitches.
Mei stubbornly battled, fouling off everything.
At this point, Furuya's outside control had essentially vanished.
If those pitches missed inside, they were safe enough—but outside, they'd become perfect hitting zones.
And with Furuya's stamina dwindling rapidly, Miyuki could only attack the inside relentlessly.
Thankfully, Furuya's velocity and strength were still intact.
....
Ping!
Furuya put a bit too much force into the pitch—the ball rose slightly, becoming hittable—and Mei made contact.
Miyuki was shocked.
Even Mei looked surprised.
But neither stopped running.
....
"The ball flies over left field…!"
"You've GOT to be kidding me, you bastard!!!"
Isashiki sprinted backward at full speed.
"Yes!! That felt GREAT!!"
Mei shouted.
BOOM!
The ball slammed off the outfield fence and ricocheted into foul territory.
Inashiro's bench exploded—half a game's worth of frustration released in a single instant.
....
"The runner from third scores easily! That's one run back! And it's not over— Harada rounds third—he's coming home! SECOND RUN SCORED!!!"
"Third base!!"
"Baka! Idiot!!"
"CRUSH THEM IN ONE GO!!"
And just like in the original timeline—Mei got blinded by momentum and decided to try for third base.
Against Seidou's absurd outfield…
he was treating himself like Carlos.
Bad choice.
....
POP!
"Eh!?"
Mei, sliding head-first into third, saw that Yuuki was already there with the ball—and because of his own momentum, he couldn't stop and crashed straight into the glove.
His forehead bonked the mitt dead-on.
"Ugah…?"
Even Pudding-senpai looked stunned by what he'd just witnessed.
Mei lay flat on the ground, limbs spread in the shape of a 大, expression dead inside.
...m
"Three outs—side retired! Seidou High School's outfield defense is flawless!"
"Don't you dare underestimate us, bastard!!"
Isashiki growled, swaggering off the field.
Sometimes, Mei was adorable.
Stupid and adorable.
....
The fourth inning ended.
The score: 4–2.
Seidou's four-run lead had been chopped in half in one blow.
....
"What the hell were you thinking!? Why would you EVER try for third!?"
Yabe scolded instantly as Mei returned.
Of all the second-years Mei had dragged into this team, Yabe was the one whose mouth never rested.
Shirakawa talked a lot too, but only in repetitive nagging.
He wasn't chatty by nature.
Mei, clearly guilty, lowered his head—
"A–are you trying to act depressed to get away with it!?"
Yabe instantly exposed him.
"I—I thought I could make it!"
Mei snapped back.
"Don't give me that crap! Left field is Isashiki, idiot!
You were just going berserk!"
"Kura! Narumiya—he ran away!!"
Mei bolted to escape further scolding.
....
"If this happens again, I WILL bench you."
"…!!"
Everyone froze.
No one could tell if the coach was serious or not.
"Yassan! Coach said he'll bench me!!"
"Of course he's angry, you idiot! If you hadn't tried for third, we might've crushed Furuya that inning! We might've tied the game already!"
"I get it, okay!? I was just trying to press the momentum!!"
"So it WAS a berserk moment…"
Harada sighed.
"What's that sigh supposed to mean!?"
Mei protested.
....
"Anyway, what a shame. Furuya only loses velocity when there's a runner on base. Next inning, we can keep pressuring him—assuming Seidou doesn't switch pitchers."
Harada was still lamenting the missed opportunity.
....
"Even though your pitch floated a little, the ball itself wasn't bad,"
Miyuki told Furuya after they returned.
"How many pitches?"
Coach Kataoka asked.
"After four innings—65 pitches,"
Chris answered.
"Tell Tanba: he's pitching next inning. Make sure he warms up thoroughly."
"Yes!"
Shirakawa sprinted off.
"Sawamura, Kawakami—you warm up too. Be ready at any moment."
"Yes, sir! ×2!!
BOSS!!" (Sawamura-speak)
Furuya's fixed set had been punished repeatedly—
they had to switch pitchers.
And with only two runs of cushion left, they couldn't afford more risks.
.....
"How is Narumiya's pitching?"
Kataoka asked the lineup.
"His fastball has power! But it's not unhittable,"
Isashiki said.
"He'll use breaking balls to get ahead. If you get behind in the count, it's trouble."
"Mm."
Captain Yuuki's presence alone was an answer.
"I understand,"
Kataoka said to him.
"What do you understand…?"
Sendo wanted to ask—but didn't dare.
Kataoka's gaze shifted toward him—after all, Narumiya only pitched at full strength against Yuuki and Sendo.
"He's strong. Strong enough that…it almost feels unwinnable."
"Sen—!"
Ota panicked—not sure what to say.
"Sixty-forty. He's sixty, I'm forty. Or maybe seventy-thirty. But the fact that he isn't completely unbeatable—that degree of 'can't win'…is just right."
Sendo couldn't help smiling.
"So he's enjoying it. Then there's no problem,"
Kataoka thought.
"Although I hate to admit it…that guy's been holding back since the first inning. If you want to measure his real strength, look at his duels with Yuuki and Sendo."
Hearing that, Isashiki was practically baring his teeth like a furious terrier—the same frustrated resentment every senior felt.
Angry at themselves.
Angry that they couldn't even force the opponent to show full strength.
"Frustrated, huh? … I'm the same as all of you. Even if you swing and miss—swing with full strength and zero hesitation! Even if you get out—bite down and attack his pitch anyway! Again and again—use your swings to press them, to pressure them, to shake them!! That's the kind of player I raised you to be!
Wherever you are—you can absolutely do it!!!"
"YES SIR!!!"
The seniors roared, ignited to the bone.
Watching them, Sendo felt his own heart catch fire—
not just because of Coach Kataoka's speech, but because…
"I'll crush you. Let me taste the real joy of victory."
Sendo's gaze locked quietly, intensely, in Narumiya Mei's direction.
In that moment, he forgot the team score.
Forgot the inning.
Forgot everything except: his duel with Mei.
But this mindset didn't hinder him—if anything, it sharpened him.
Even if he obsessed over personal victory, he would still swing correctly, still hit correctly, still perform correctly.
Kataoka wasn't planning any tactical plays involving him anyway.
The team's victory couldn't be decided by one person.
But his personal victory could.
If he crushed Mei—even if Seidou lost—the individual duel was his win.
If Mei beat him—even if Seidou won—the personal loss remained.
Team victory was decided by the team.
His duel was his alone.
....
"Mei! Third time through the order— I'm increasing the ratio of changeups. Once the count gets deep, changeups tend to rise—so before the late innings, I'll force them to keep that pitch in mind!"
"Oh? So you do think about things. Pretty sly of you."
Mei teased.
"Shut up! Be quiet! Or I'll punch you!"
Mei ignored him and jogged off.
....
Top of the 5th — Seidou High School on Offense
"Eighth batter! Pitcher — Furuya-kun!"
"Top of the fifth—leading off for Seidou, the fireballer Furuya!"
Whoosh!
PING!
Fwoosh—!
"Through the gap! A deep left-field drive!
A long hit from Furuya—as if shouting: I'll take back the runs myself!!!"
This was Seidou's fourth hit of the day.
Aside from Isashiki's hit in the 1st, the rest were Sendo's inside-the-park homer and his earlier bunt hit.
Power hitting and small-ball both had the same truth—a few well-used hits can produce more runs than the number of hits you have.
....
"Ninth batter! Right fielder—Itaru-kun!"
"Infield, be ready for the bunt! They won't let Seidou freely execute their strategy!"
With no outs and the No.9 hitter up, the chance of a bunt was too high.
Getting at least one out was necessary.
....
Ting!
"One out, runner to third!"
Just as Harada anticipated, Seidou used a sacrifice bunt. Aggressive baseball didn't mean brainless baseball—pressure was pressure, whether by power or technique.
One out, runner on third.
And the pressure kept tightening on Inashiro.
....
"First batter! Shortstop—Kuramochi-kun!"
"Run full speed—don't ever stop!!"
The bench shouted the cheer.
"Hit it out, Kuramochi! Once more!"
Sawamura yelled, looking oddly stern and worried.
....
"Third time through the lineup, Mei."
Seeing Harada's steady eyes, Mei nodded slowly.
....
"One out, runner on third—Seidou in a perfect scoring situation!! A wild pitch, a slow throw, an error, a balk, a fly ball to the outfield, a bunt—ANY of these will score a run!! How will Inashiro respond!?"
The commentator laid out the crisis in detail.
To prevent a run, they could not make mistakes.
Could not throw slowly.
Had to watch every scoring play.
But Inashiro's choice stunned everyone.
.....
Step—Swing!
POP!
"Strike!"
"First pitch—outside splitter! Kuramochi swings and misses! Now the second pitch—!"
Whoosh!
PING!
Foul!
"Inside fastball! Just two pitches and he's cornered!"
"YOSSHAAA!!"
Mei pumped his fist, unable to resist.
"Kuramochi-senpai—watch the ball!!"
Sawamura yelled.
But the way he said it—as if everything was easy—
only made Kuramochi angrier.
"All I feel right now is murderous intent! Even if I see the ball clearly, my body can't keep up! That BASTARD! When I get back to the dugout I'm gonna teach him a lesson!!"
Kuramochi seethed internally.
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