Chapter 270: Brothers' Handoff
"You're not planning to just stay quiet like that, right? You brat!"
"A two-run difference. Seidou still has two innings left to attack, and Inashiro can score again at any moment. This game… is finally reaching the moment where victory will be decided."
Yang summarized calmly.
In the Seidou cheering section, the moment they confirmed they had survived the 7th inning, the atmosphere rose again — because the 8th inning would start with the top of the order.
Only one person clenched his teeth.
Returning to the dugout, Onii-san walked straight to Coach Kataoka.
"Please put in a pinch hitter next inning, Coach."
"Pinch hitter? For Kominato?"
Even Coach Ota hadn't noticed anything was wrong.
"Are you sure about this?" Coach Kataoka asked.
The unspoken question was: You won't regret it?
"Yeah. To be honest, I can't produce the performance I'm satisfied with anymore. If I stay in, I'll only drag the team down. We've got a lot of reliable juniors now, after all."
Onii-san said with his usual gentle smile.
Kominato Ryousuke's mind replayed the plays of Furuya, Sendo, Kuramochi, and the others — all those miraculous, game-saving moments.
He remembered that leaping attempt on the line-drive to second base.
The instant he landed, the pain in his leg told him: my time on the field is over.
"Call over Kominato," Coach Kataoka said.
There was no need to specify which Kominato — Oni-san was standing right there.
"Ryo-san…" Kuramochi murmured softly.
Oni-san gave him a small grin.
"I'm counting on you to take care of my little brother."
Seeing Kuramochi's face, Oni-san felt a faint sting in his chest.
Sendo, meanwhile, didn't notice any of this — he was busy controlling his breathing, heart pounding so hard it felt suffocating.
Every cell in his body felt like it was jumping.
For the first time in his life, Sendo felt grateful for his habit of spacing out.
That habit pulled his mind away from the overwhelming pressure, letting his body adjust quickly to the adrenaline flooding through him.
"Hoo…"
After steadying himself, Sendo grabbed his bat and walked out of the bullpen ahead of the others.
Seidou's players didn't even blink — they were used to Sendo's quirks.
Everyone on this team had strong personalities; Sendo was just… special.
"Kuramochi-san!"
He spotted Kuramochi stepping out as the leadoff for the 8th.
"What is it?"
"Which batter's box will you use this time?"
"Right side. What are you trying to say, huh?"
Kuramochi knew this guy — whenever Sendo asked something like that, it meant he had a plan.
And honestly, following the smartest guy in the room? Only natural instinct.
"Left side is better," Sendo said calmly.
"With Narumiya abandoning his change-up, the right box isn't as favorable. And inside-to-out sliders from a lefty pitcher are way scarier for right-handed hitters."
"…I see. You're right. Thanks. Yahaha!"
It wasn't complicated — just a matter of flipping the perspective.
Most people get stuck in habitual thinking. Sendo didn't.
He shook his head and walked back to the bullpen.
.....
Meanwhile, on the field…
"Last warmup pitch!"
Narumiya and Harada finished their mound prep.
"From last inning onward… why are all of them swinging so aggressively? What's going on?"
Harada frowned.
"Top of the 8th inning! Seidou High, top of the lineup—No.1, shortstop, Kuramochi!"
The dugout erupted with their usual chant:
"Run with everything you've got! Don't stop!
Hit it! Kuramochi!"
"Left-handed this time? Looks like you're thinking hard," Narumiya smirked.
"Trying to bunt? Well, you can't hit my pitches normally anyway."
He wasn't wrong — Kuramochi was still in that awkward "trying to become good at everything" phase.
"Guard against the bunt! Narumiya, keep it low and probe him!" Harada signaled.
Kuramochi crouched.
"First pitch outside corner! C'mon, give me a fastball!"
Memorizing Sendo's words — trusting them — Kuramochi stayed laser-focused.
Pitch.
Swing.
He stepped fully into the pitch.
He knew: This is my only chance.
Ping!
The ball shot sharply toward the ground.
Flash!
"Yoshizawa!!"
Yoshizawa dove, stretched out his left hand, stabbed the ball, and — without transferring — flicked it into the air.
A soft pop fly.
Giyose snatched it mid-motion — and without hesitation:
"Throw!"
Whip—
SMACK!
"OUT!!!"
"YOSSHAAA!"
"Toshizawa!!!"
"Perfect play between the shortstop and third baseman! An incredible showcase of Inashiro's infield defense!"
Kuramochi grimaced — one step.
Just one step too slow.
"Kuramochi-senpai! That was awesome! But I still wanted you on base!"
Sawamura shouted, trying to "comfort" him.
Especially the word "still"…
Kuramochi almost murdered him on the spot.
Meanwhile—
Harada exhaled in relief.
"He actually predicted the outside fastball…? When did Kuramochi get this smart?"
He didn't know.
He didn't realize it was the Sendo Effect™.
"That bastard? No—he's not even that type!"
Harada overthought everything for a moment, then concluded it must have been Miyuki's idea.
But Miyuki's pitch-guessing style was totally different — Miyuki predicted from the pitcher's patterns, not by reading the catcher's personal tendencies.
This felt like someone had read Harada himself.
"Announcement: Seidou High School substitution!"
"Huh?"
The stadium broadcast snapped Harada out of his spiraling thoughts.
"A pinch hitter? Now? Next is their good hitter, Kominato, right?"
Not only Harada — the entire stadium froze in confusion.
Why substitute here?
And why replace someone from the top of the order — and from the tightly coordinated double-play duo?
Even Seidou had someone completely stunned.
Sendo.
"...Onii-san."
Sendo glanced toward the on-deck circle and saw Ryousuke Kominato standing there.
He understood immediately:
Oni-san must have requested this himself.
"This must hurt so much… he definitely didn't want to come out. But baseball really is that cruel sometimes."
Sendo exhaled deeply.
"Replacing No.2, Kominato Ryousuke. Pinch hitter — Kominato Haruichi."
"Go all out on the first pitch! With your swing, you can hit it!"
Despite the bitterness, Ryousuke still forced out encouragement for his younger brother.
As the two brothers passed each other, the elder could no longer maintain his usual smile.
"Big brother…"
Haruichi walked toward the batter's box without hesitation — not courage, but resolve.
The commentators began introducing him as the "Seidou Lucky Boy", famous for his uncanny results.
"Go all out, Haruichi!!"
Sawamura practically climbed halfway over the railing.
"First pitch!—"
Furuya tried to shout something cool, hesitated, then—
"This is your chance to become a real man!"
Sawamura cut him off before he could finish.
Furuya shut his mouth, defeated. (Tragic and helpless.)
"Replacing Seidou's most troublesome batter with… a first-year?"
Shirakawa frowned.
He clearly respected Ryousuke deeply — his reaction showed it.
"They trust this kid that much?"
Yamaoka grew solemn.
Even without the showy home run trot earlier, Haruichi's posture and expression gave off a reliable aura.
(Knowing him, though… he's still kinda goofy.)
"This batter…"
Carlos also narrowed his eyes.
Their tension made sense:
It's the 8th inning.
Seidou trails by two.
Their offense has been silent.
And now… they substitute a rookie at a critical moment.
To Inashiro, that could only mean one thing:
This first-year is someone Seidou trusts to break open the game.
"Maybe he is trustworthy. But can a first-year handle playing defense afterward? Are they really ready to burn the bridge behind them?"
Coach Kunimoto tilted his head.
A coach of his caliber could see the huge strategic risk instantly.
Without knowing about Ryousuke's injury, he assumed Seidou was gambling recklessly.
If they don't blow the inning open right here, the substitution is a net loss.
"If he gets a hit here, the bench morale will explode.
Finish him, Narumiya."
Harada decided.
If they crushed the pinch hitter here and then stopped Seidou's core lineup in the last two innings, the momentum would be entirely Inashiro's.
He didn't know that Seidou's bench had their own "portable morale generator" — Sawamura.
(Who had already revived their spirits by yelling nonsense and getting punched for it.)
"Narumiya-kun… wood bat."
Most of Inashiro looked cautious.
Narumiya looked furious.
"Tch! That wooden bat? Are you begging me to snap it?"
Yes — Narumiya was officially triggered.
For him, Seidou was the worst possible matchup:
Four ultra-annoying first-years.
One irritating genius catcher.
And Sendo, whose existence alone was already a provocation.
(He hasn't even met Sawamura's changeup yet — soon he'll learn what true irritation means.)
Seeing Narumiya steaming, Haruichi stepped so close to the plate his chest nearly touched it.
"He's standing really close… Is he prepping for a hit-by-pitch to get on base?"
Ninomiya wondered.
Haruichi's stance did look like that — an outside-ball friendly stance, risky for inside pitches.
But—
"He's baiting them into pitching inside."
Yang muttered, remembering when Haruichi used this on him.
The perfect counter:
Throw hard inside and force him to dodge.
Haruichi had succeeded many times like this.
Harada's call was simple: Full-power inside fastball to the chest. Even if it's a ball — fine. Just make him dodge.
As Harada signed, Haruichi's mind flashed back to childhood training with his big brother — and his brother's unwillingness to give up today.
The long bangs hid his eyes, but behind them burned pure determination.
"Dance out of the way if you can!"
Narumiya snarled.
Pitch.
PING—!
A sharp, clean sound.
The moment you hear it, you know the ball wasn't hit on the sweet spot.
Harada and Narumiya's eyes widened at the same time.
"Bang!!"
The wooden bat shattered.
But—just like in the original timeline—
Even though the bat broke, the ball STILL carried into left field.
Shirakawa retreated.
sprinted in.
The ball landed between them.
"It drops!! Left fielder Ban tried desperately, but he couldn't reach it! Pinch hitter Kominato Haruichi!
Bat shattered — but he still muscles it into left field!!!
And coming up next… Seidou's deadly heart of the order! And this inning will DEFINITELY reach the clean-up hitter!!!"
The stadium roared as the big screen highlighted three faces—
Isashiki.
Yuki.
Sendo.
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