Chapter 299: Pitcher and Batter
"Safe!"
"Yoshi!"
Even Tetsu—who usually treats extra-base hits and home runs like they're nothing—roared after a single. That alone showed how fired up he was.
"Yoshi!"
"Alright!"
"Yoshi, yoshi, yoshi!" Ota, the team manager, was beside himself with excitement.
"Huh? That was my line!" Sawamura complained indignantly.
The Seidou bench celebrated as if Tetsu had blasted a double. Everyone knew just how precious that hit was.
If Sendo had arrived in this world a few years later, his anime-fan self would have instantly recognized those two changeups just now—the very ones thrown by third-year Narumiya Mei, the pitch that once made Miyuki drop the ball.
Even though they were balls, Tetsu—seeing them for the first time—was clearly shaken.
But the most shocked person wasn't Tetsu or the spectators.
It was Narumiya Mei himself.
Even he hadn't expected that, in this godlike state, his changeup could evolve to this level.
Of course, the tsundere ace wasn't about to admit it was because he was in the zone.
Despite earlier trash-talking Sawamura's cutter as "just a coincidence" and mocking him for missing Koshien—Reality had other plans.
Narumiya didn't know that Sendo wasn't just interested in that pitch—Sendo himself was in peak condition too.
Just in case, Harada called a mound visit.
....
"Narumiya."
"Hm?"
Narumiya looked up, smiling blissfully—nothing like the rage Harada had expected.
"Never mind." Realizing he'd picked the wrong moment, Harada was about to leave.
"Yassan!"
"Hm? What is it?"
"You saw that pitch just now, right? How was it?"
"It was just a ball."
"What?! You dropped it! Liars have to swallow a thousand needles, you know!"
"…Are you in elementary school?"
Harada knew better than to argue with him.
"Geez, Yassan, that's your bad habit—too serious!
I'm in perfect condition right now! Since you're already here, at least praise me!"
Narumiya looked like a kid showing off his favorite toy.
"…From the pitch itself, yeah—that was a monster pitch. Your old changeup was already nasty when it sank, but this one's on another level."
Narumiya's eyes sparkled.
"But if it can't consistently hit the strike zone, it won't finish batters. That'll be your assignment next year.
Once your condition normalizes, you probably won't be able to throw it like this anymore."
"Who says?!" Narumiya snapped.
"For now, this is enough. But we'll need to clearly separate this pitch from your old changeup.
Let's use it to take down that monster together."
"…Got it."
"Don't underestimate him. His condition is incredible right now—his body control is completely different from earlier at-bats."
"As if I would! I'm furious already!"
Kids really do change moods fast.
As Narumiya glared toward the on-deck circle, he finally exploded.
Sendo, still waiting to bat because of the mound visit, had his eyes closed, calmly resting.
Narumiya mistook that for disrespect.
Combined with the earlier home run and the "provocative" look during the intentional walk, Narumiya now wanted to tear Sendo apart.
"Calm down," Harada warned.
"He might just be adjusting… or he might be trying to provoke you. That guy's been sharp since he was little."
"…Since he was little?" Narumiya grinned.
"…Anyway, don't underestimate him."
Harada left quickly.
....
"All right… How should I deal with you?" Narumiya muttered, regaining his emperor-like composure.
The umpire signaled play to resume.
....
"Fifth batter! Center fielder—Sendo!"
The moment his name echoed through the stadium, the neutral crowd erupted.
It was as if everything that had tilted toward Inashiro moments ago had never happened.
The stadium instantly became Sendo's stage.
Sendo slowly opened his eyes, as if he hadn't heard the crowd at all.
"…Strange. Really strange. Could that kid actually be feeling nervous?" Coach Nakanishi murmured.
Sendo's father, Ichirou, could only stare in awe—
countless neutral fans cheering for a single player.
That's my son…
Even the umpire gave a bit of extra time before resuming, effectively giving Sendo a longer pause.
"Give it everything, Sendo!" Sawamura shouted, fists clenched.
"Ad—" Furuya tried to cheer too, but was cut off.
"Go warm up your throws," Kuramochi snapped.
"Don't let your body cool down."
"Becoming a man—chance~! A home run's fine too! Yeah! A homer!"
Sawamura was completely ignored.
"Get out there and warm up, idiot! Weren't you the one saying Sendo wasn't reliable earlier?!" Kuramochi kicked him.
"…Who?" Sawamura blinked innocently.
"…YOU!" Kuramochi dragged him away by the collar.
"His memory's seriously broken," Jun muttered, laughing.
"Ugga." Masuko agreed in his universal language.
"Sendo! Hit it!"
Even while being hauled away, Sawamura stretched his arms out like a fanboy.
Some spectators were genuinely moved by their bond.
"He's an idiot. Don't mind him," Narumiya muttered, clearly annoyed.
By sheer coincidence, the two looked at each other.
"…Hmph."
Both turned away at the same time.
Sendo and Miyuki are a case of like attracting like—they get along because they're cut from the same cloth.
These two, on the other hand, are the opposite: like repels like, at least while they're still unfamiliar with each other.
If you really look closely at their personalities, you'll notice something interesting: Sawamura's personality is basically a fusion of Narumiya Mei and Todoroki Raichi.
Sawamura has Narumiya's tsundere arrogance, pride, and shamelessness in all kinds of situations—like ignoring the catcher's wishes and forcing him to catch anyway.
At the same time, Sawamura also inherited Todoroki Raichi's airheaded innocence and goofy charm.
Just from that alone, isn't it obvious who the protagonist is?
Split that personality apart, and you end up with two insanely popular characters.
....
"How rare," Jun said thoughtfully.
"Normally, when Sawamura's being that noisy and constantly trash-talking him, that guy would at least glance over—even if he doesn't talk back. After all, his lack of focus is practically instinctual."
"This just shows how concentrated he is right now," Jun continued.
"Tetsu was right—if even he can't hit it, then we'll have no regrets."
"Yeah," the remaining third-years on the bench nodded in unison.
"Keep this up and hit it out, Sendo! ×n"
....
Sendo stepped into the batter's box.
He straightened his right arm, holding the bat so that it formed a ninety-degree angle upward.
With his left hand, he lightly touched his right arm—as if measuring something, or perhaps adjusting his sleeve.
Then, he returned to his batting stance.
From start to finish, Sendo said nothing.
His eyes were locked in, his breathing almost imperceptible—as if the game had just begun.
Silence.
A silence so complete it felt ghostly.
That silence, however, placed immense pressure on Harada.
Every cell in his body was screaming the same warning:
This batter is dangerous.
Harada had known from the start just how terrifying Sendo could be when he was in peak condition.
That was why, in the previous at-bat—before Narumiya reached his absolute peak—they'd stood up and intentionally walked him.
It was the first time in Harada's entire catching career that he'd issued such an intentional walk.
His right foot barely touched the edge of the batter's box, while his left foot was almost stepping across into the opposite side—a humiliating posture for a student baseball player.
But everything was for the sake of victory.
.....
Sendo, at this moment, had entered a state of emptiness.
To put it simply, he truly couldn't hear the cheers from the stands.
He couldn't hear Sawamura's shouting either.
Unlike usual, he wasn't even consciously thinking about what he should do.
For most people, not hearing anything would mean extreme tension.
Narumiya Mei, for example, judged his own calmness by whether he could still hear the cheers around him.
But Sendo was different.
He simply stood there, like a piece of air itself.
So much so that he could barely feel his own existence.
It was a strange sensation—he couldn't feel the weight of his body, yet it was as if his awareness extended outward, clearly sensing the outline of his form.
There was even a surreal feeling that he could sense the condition of every cell in his body.
And within his vision, there was only one thing that existed—
Narumiya… Mei.
One thing Sendo knew for certain:his condition had never been better.
It was an addictive feeling—his entire body felt right, overwhelmingly comfortable.
All previous fatigue had vanished.
His sense of touch was so sharp that it felt as if the bat were an extension of his own hand.
His vision was clearer than it had ever been before.
He didn't know exactly how far this state could take him, but Sendo was certain of one thing:
Right now, he could truly fight the man in front of him head-on.
.....
"Even though he already saw the evolved changeup in the on-deck circle," Harada thought,
"it's better to burn it deeper into his memory first."
"Even balls have their uses. And this batter doesn't seem to swing at bad pitches. If he gets used to this pitch, our follow-up will be much easier."
Harada pulled his gaze away from Sendo and began giving signs.
His reasoning was flawless.
After dropping the first one earlier, he'd decisively changed the game plan and ended up suppressing Tetsu.
Luck had intervened, but if not for that, Tetsu would've been retired cleanly.
Now, he applied that same logic to this at-bat.
At this stage of the game, no one had the luxury to worry about pitch count, stamina, or risk.
What mattered now was pure strength—willpower, hunger for victory, and finally… whether the goddess of luck chose to smile on them.
Ever since Inashiro failed to capitalize on their last chance to overwhelm Seidou, this game had become completely uncontrollable.
....
"Throw it with everything you've got," Harada thought.
"I'll catch it—no matter what."
"Let this pitch's trajectory burn itself into his mind."
"Take him down."
"Let's go to Koshien—together."
Narumiya Mei raised both arms, like a god descending upon the mound.
"…Hm?" Tetsu sensed it too.
The true battle was about to begin.
Narumiya's posture completely ignored the runner on first—or rather, because of Sendo's presence and their accumulated grudge, Narumiya had already forgotten about Tetsu.
As long as he shut down Sendo, the game would effectively be over.
…Not immediately, perhaps—but inevitably.
As Narumiya completed his pitching motion, Harada saw that Sendo still hadn't moved at all.
Like a statue.
No tightening of the grip.
No visible preparation.
Not even the slightest sign of tension or power.
Harada didn't understand it—but there was no turning back now.
....
"Whsh!"
"Whoosh!"
His arm whipped forward, fast enough to sound like it tore through the air.
"Ch—Changeup!!! That pitch again—right on the first pitch…!"
The Seidou bench collectively sucked in a breath when they saw it.
"But Sendo probably won't swing, right? He didn't swing at the earlier changeups either—"
Yet before they could finish that thought, a white flash exploded at home plate.
BOOM!
"Thud! Smack!"
The ball bounced and settled into the catcher's mitt.
"Strike!!"
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