For the second pitch, Narumiya Mei threw with a smooth, flowing motion.
Kanzaki Ryou's eyes narrowed—then he swung!
Bang!
The baseball soared high toward the left-field foul area.
"Foul Ball!"
"He swung decisively—that should've been targeting the forkball!"
Harada Masatoshi instantly made a guess, but quickly shook his head. If it were anyone else, maybe. But Kanzaki Ryou was too cunning. It could just as well be a trap.
Harada Masatoshi called for another forkball—this time on the outer edge.
Narumiya Mei nodded and threw. Kanzaki didn't swing.
"Ball!"
"Damn it, this guy reads pitches way too clearly."
Harada Masatoshi clicked his tongue in frustration as he returned the ball. He had already thrown two consecutive forkballs. A third would be too risky, so he signaled for a slider.
At the batter's box, Kanzaki immediately recognized the slider's trajectory. He focused on the outside corner and swung with full force.
But just as the ball reached the plate, it suddenly dropped—slipping past his bat.
Another ball!
And this slider dipped? It never did that before!
"Strike!"
Strikeout—Kanzaki Ryou is out!
The entire Seidou side went silent.
Since Kanzaki joined the first team, this was his first time being struck out. Not only the spectators—but even his teammates were stunned.
None of them realized when it happened, but their expectations toward Kanzaki's batting had already surpassed even Azuma Kiyokuni's. That was the kind of security his 100% batting rate had brought them.
"Tsk…"
Kanzaki stepped out of the batter's box and glanced back at Narumiya Mei.
The blond pitcher wore a triumphant smirk.
"Heh. You're not the only one with a trump card."
That was the message in Narumiya Mei's eyes.
"Just you wait, you smug blond brat."
Kanzaki returned to the dugout, annoyed. It was already the bottom of the 7th inning—he didn't know if he would even get another chance to bat.
But if he got on the mound again, he'd definitely strike out that blond brat!
"Don't overthink it—it happens."
Miyuki stepped forward.
"Yeah, it's normal," Kuramochi added.
"Hit it next time," Yuki encouraged.
"Hahaha! This is part of growing up!"
Azuma Kiyokuni laughed loudly and slapped Kanzaki's shoulder.
Kanzaki exhaled. "Narumiya's slider changed. The drop isn't big, but the movement's different. Keep an eye on it."
"We know."
"Leave it to us."
At that moment, Shida Shota stepped into the batter's box. After missing the first pitch, he unexpectedly bunted the second. The ball rolled toward shortstop—high quality, perfectly placed.
Using his speed, Shida barely reached First Base safely!
The Seidou fans erupted. After Kanzaki's out, Shida's successful bunt was like a ray of hope.
On the mound, Narumiya Mei glared furiously.
A bunt?! Seriously?!
Shida simply shrugged. His job was to get on base. How he did it didn't matter.
Next up was Kominato Ryosuke.
Perhaps angered, Narumiya's pitches grew sharper. Kominato barely made contact—a grounder to Third Base. Hada Kazuki grabbed the ball and prepared to throw to Second Base to get Shida—
—but a figure slid headfirst into Second Base before he could release the ball.
A stolen base!
Hada Kazuki panicked and quickly threw to First Base instead.
"Out!"
Kominato was out, but he had successfully advanced Shida to Second Base.
Narumiya Mei gritted his teeth. He hadn't even noticed Shida leaving the base—and neither had the rest of Inashiro.
Frustration boiled inside him.
But with two outs, one more would end the inning.
Narumiya quickly steadied himself as Yuki entered the batter's box.
With a runner in scoring position, Harada Masatoshi and Narumiya dared not get careless.
Narumiya gave a subtle signal.
Harada shook his head.
Not yet.
Narumiya pouted but obeyed.
Snap!
"Strike!"
A low forkball. Yuki stayed still.
Second pitch—Narumiya didn't hesitate.
Snap!
"Strike!"
Straight fastball.
Harada frowned.
"He's not swinging? Is he waiting for a slider?"
"…Let's try one."
Narumiya nodded. His current slider had two versions—the normal one, and the new one with a distinct downward drop. Both mastered specifically to surpass Kanzaki and Miyuki after losing to them in the Spring and Kanto tournaments.
A slider came.
Yuki swung with force.
Bang!
The ball dropped—but not cleanly into the dirt. Yuki's bat clipped the top, sending it rolling past the mound toward Second Baseman Hirai Tsubasa.
Hirai caught it and fired to First Base—
"Out!"
Three outs.
Seventh inning—over.
The score remained 2–1. Only one run apart. No one dared relax.
Inside the Inashiro dugout, Coach Kunitomo addressed his players.
"Next inning—swing aggressively. Don't aim only for long hits. As long as we get runners on base, scoring chances will naturally increase. Understand?"
The Inashiro players nodded firmly.
They knew exactly what Coach Kunitomo meant:
Get on base. Advance the lineup. Create opportunities.
The heart of the order needed the chance to strike.