Chapter 254: Stirring Emotions
Time rewinds a little.
....
"Now that we've got that lead, it should be easier to pitch, right? Do your best out there."
Back in the dugout, Sendo pointed his thumb toward the scoreboard behind him as he spoke to Furuya.
Furuya nodded obediently, his expression a little innocent.
"You should understand by now from the previous games, right? For pitchers like us, as long as we find the right rhythm, we don't need to force power. Adding too much strength just makes your control unstable. Don't forget that feeling, okay?"
"Mm!"
"Us?" Miyuki's ears perked up immediately.
"I'm not saying you'll master it right away," Sendo continued. "But you just need to try to control it consciously. Even if they hit the ball, it's fine — our fielders can be trusted."
He said that, then casually took the banana from Furuya's hand, peeled it, took a bite, and went back to the bench.
....
"I didn't expect you to hit that ball out," Miyuki said. "From what I saw, Harada's pitch-calling was flawless."
"It was," Sendo agreed. "It was an ideal sequence. That hit was mostly luck — the ball wasn't perfectly placed. Narumiya just wasn't in full form yet. But if that last pitch had been a change-up…" He smiled faintly. "I'd probably have been finished."
"Change-up… ah, right! If it had been that, it would've been a perfect call!" Miyuki froze for a moment, then nodded with a face that clearly said, I learned something new.
Just then, the announcement for the inning change echoed through the stadium.
"Slider?" Kuramochi asked to Pudding-senpai (Masuko).
"Ugah," Masuko nodded.
"So in the end, he threw a change-up to both Yuuki and Sendo?" Chris muttered, falling into thought.
Tetsu's expression burned with fighting spirit, his aura so intense that it made Isashiki flinch.
"! We've already scored three runs! Time to switch gears — let's focus on defense!"
"Sawamura! Don't say something so reasonable! How are we supposed to joke back?!"
"Yeah! Eijun, just stay on the bench and be our mascot!"
"Mascot? What's that?"
"Hm?"
"…No, nothing!" Sawamura immediately went quiet after seeing Sendo's sharp gaze.
....
"Your shoulder feels tight?" Sendo turned toward Furuya.
Furuya shook his head wildly.
"Elbow pain?"
Another shake.
"Then… go slaughter them."
Furuya's expression brightened — he nodded furiously, almost comically.
Seeing that, Sendo couldn't help but laugh.
....
Meanwhile…
"It's just the first inning. Why are you so worked up?" Harada asked.
"Do I look worked up? Why would I get angry just because we lost a few runs? It's not like I'm trying to set some no-run record!" Narumiya snapped back — which, of course, was the complete opposite of the truth.
"And besides, that kid hit a perfect shot. What else can I say? If they score on us, we'll just take it back. That's all there is to it!" By the end, his temple veins were bulging.
"…You are angry," Harada sighed. He didn't say what he was actually thinking — that if Narumiya had been calmer, maybe Sendo wouldn't have hit that ball so far, or maybe they could've gotten the out. That thought stayed buried forever.
"I'm looking forward to your performance, cleanup hitter."
"Shut up."
....
Bottom of the first inning — Seidou takes the field.
"Standing on the mound, wearing number 11 — the first-year pitcher, Furuya!"
"He's here! The Monster Kid!"
"Furuya!"
"Furuya-kun!"
A group of girls shouted in unison. If Kuramochi and Isashiki had seen that, they'd be green with envy.
"With the lead secured, this inning's defense will be crucial, right, Takako-senpai?" asked Haruno from the stands.
"That's right! If they can hold Inashiro here, they'll seize complete control of the game!"
....
"Furuya! Did you drink enough water? Did you bring your towel?" Sawamura fussed like an overprotective mom sending her kid off to kindergarten.
"…Mom?" Kominato muttered dryly.
"Feeling nervous? Just pitch like you always do," said Kuramochi reassuringly when he saw Furuya's quiet face.
"Yeah! One batter at a time!" shouted Sendo.
"Hey, Sendo! This guy's not nervous at all!" Isashiki growled, glaring suspiciously.
Sendo didn't respond. Honestly, he wasn't sure either — but judging from their talk earlier, this guy wasn't nervous. He was just naturally… Furuya.
Furuya looked around the defense, recalling what Sendo told him — and yesterday's memories.
"What's wrong?" Sendo asked.
"When the ball gets hit… I'll leave it to you guys!"
"Eh? What's with that all of a sudden? Creepy!" Isashiki said, shivering.
"No… I just thought about how much you senpai have gone through…"
"You— what do you know about me?!"
"Pfft. I get it now," Sendo chuckled.
"You! You knew something too, didn't you?!" Isashiki turned his glare toward him.
"No, no! I just heard about your first-year stories yesterday. When Furuya said that, I couldn't help but laugh."
"Eh?" Kuramochi's face turned red.
The moment the words 'first-year days' came up, all the seniors looked away awkwardly — except Tetsu, the natural airhead, whose memory of that year was that he was "perfect."
In truth, Tetsu had been strong even in middle school — often clutch in key moments — but his small frame kept him under the radar.
Everyone looked at Furuya with softened expressions.
"That kid…" Sawamura murmured, dazed.
"Yeah. Don't forget that humble attitude, Furuya!
Before you get hit, make sure you thank everyone properly!" Sendo said with a grin.
"Too ominous, Eijun-kun!" Kominato said, though deep down he was thinking, Is this guy imitating Sendo now?
Lately, Sendo had been saying all kinds of unlucky things — well, Sendo's lines were way more ominous, actually…
"You hear that, Furuya?" Sawamura ignored Kominato completely.
"I wasn't planning to let them hit anything," Furuya muttered quietly, "and I definitely don't plan to let them score. Sendo-san knows me best."
That san…!
"Let's just focus on pitching today," Furuya said, clenching his fists. "Like Sendo-san said—let's crush them!"
As the defense got into position, Furuya's expression was practically glowing—like a total fanboy.
....
"The starting pitcher for the finals sure looks calm. Impressive nerve for a first-year," said a voice from the stands. "Still, Sendo must've talked to him a lot, huh? No wonder he's in such good shape—he worships Sendo after all."
"With all the encouragement Sendo gave him—whether it was genuine or not—this airhead must be fired up. Maybe he'll even surprise me today…"
"But how effective will Furuya's pitching really be against this lineup?"
....
"Up to now, he's allowed runs in about half of his first innings," said Inashiro's No. 3, Yoshizawa, discussing Furuya's data with his teammates.
"A straight fastball that rides high, and a sinking fast forkball," Harada explained precisely. "Those two are his lifeline."
"If you don't swing at the high fastballs and instead focus on the hittable ones in the zone, you'll get your count advantage easily."
"He's got limited stamina, but he gives off this impression that he grows as the game goes on," added Hirai.
"You're giving him too much credit, Tsubasa," Narumiya snapped. "A person can't change that easily! A pitcher with bad control is still a pitcher with bad control. He'll self-destruct before we even have to hit."
"Says the guy who walked the first batter of the last inning," Harada deadpanned.
"And remember," Harada continued, "avoid hitting toward center field. You saw that speed, didn't you?"
The Inashiro hitters all nodded gravely. They were thankful for Carlos—but far more wary of Sendo.
If Carlos was fast, Sendo was terrifying. Faster reflexes, faster acceleration—he was like an upgraded version of Carlos. Or maybe Carlos was just the budget Sendo.
And not just in fielding—his batting had already shown why the Yuuki–Sendo duo was ranked Japan's No.1 two-man lineup by Baseball Kingdom magazine.
Just watching him once was enough to make your hair stand on end.
"By the way, that Sendo guy doesn't have any record of bunting, right?" Yoshizawa suddenly asked.
"Right," Harada replied. "Not a single one in official matches. But he never needed to bunt—his average is already sky-high. Judging by his swing, he's more of a raw athlete than a trained technician. My guess is Seidou focused on speed training and power, skipping the finer techniques."
"Phew. If that guy could bunt like Carlos, his threat level would double."
"Not just double," Harada said seriously. "If we had to guard against his safe bunts, we'd have to tighten our infield range—and that would make him even more dangerous."
"What are you talking about, Harada-san?!" Narumiya interrupted, irritated. "I'll shut him down before it even comes to that! I don't need the defense's help!"
Having just been blasted by Sendo's home run, the last thing Narumiya wanted was to hear more about him.
"Says the guy who just got crushed—where's that confidence coming from? I could punch you right now," Harada muttered.
....
Bottom of the 1st inning — Inashiro's offense.
"Leading off for Inashiro Industries — center fielder, Kamiya-kun!"
"Unorthodox batting and lightning speed — that's Kamiya's trademark!"
Just like Sendo, Miyuki thought. "That guy's odd swing patterns and timing are freaky too. Like that relaxed stance against the knuckleball the other day — he almost turned it into a long hit! They're really similar. Hitting, running, defense—Kamiya's like a downgraded version of Sendo."
He smirked. "Still, I bet they're just as worried about Sendo as we are about him."
"Alright, infield! Watch for the bunt!" Miyuki called out.
"With that kind of speed, even a weak grounder could turn into a hit. If he gets on base, it'll be a headache. I'm kinda looking forward to seeing their faces if Sendo ever tries to bunt himself… He'd probably still make it to base even with a bad touch, hahaha."
He remembered yesterday's extra training session with Chris and Sendo—specifically, Sendo practicing bunts for the first time—and grinned mischievously.
(Grounders with no power meant ones that barely rolled, like Sawamura's weak grounders. The "powered" ones bounced several feet off the ground and could fly past infielders' heads. Naturally, powerless grounders were the hardest to defend.)
....
"Alright then! Let's see what you've got, Golden Rookie!" Kamiya focused entirely on the pitcher's mound.
"The first pitch is the most important. Follow through completely," Miyuki called out, worried that Furuya might get overexcited.
Don't force the power—focus on rhythm. Let it explode from your fingertips.
"Shoo!"
The white ball streaked through the air like a flash of light.
"Ping!"
"Clang!" The ball smacked into the backstop net with a thunderous echo.
Carlos visibly flinched, reacting instinctively with a late swing.
"Kurra! Carlos, why'd you swing at a high ball way out of the zone?!" Narumiya barked, clearly annoyed.
"Huff… that pressure! My body just moved on its own! It's like losing control… That's what a first-year should feel like!" Carlos grinned, shaking his head.
"Still, he made contact at least…"
"But damn, his condition scared me for a second," Harada admitted. "Carlos couldn't even keep up. That bastard's really good at stirring a pitcher's emotions."
No wonder that former Major League strategist, Coach Nakanishi, saw so much potential in him.
"Now that Furuya's fired up like this, he's not gonna throw anything easy," Miyuki said with a sly smile, raising his glove.
"Shoo!"
"Clap!"
"Ball!"
An inside pitch — way off the plate.
"Shoo!"
"Ping!"
This one nearly turned into a catcher's pop-up—Miyuki could've caught it by just lifting his hand.
Good thing it was fast—no one could react in time.
------------------
If you want to read 20 chapters advanced.
Visit my patreon: patreon.com/Shu_21