Narumiya Mei's words enlightened the players of the Inashiro Industrial High School Baseball Team.
They had felt something was off before.
Even if a first-year kid was incredibly strong, he couldn't be entirely without flaws.
Now, they understood.
The opponent's strength was real, but to say he had no flaws was clearly not the case.
Narumiya Mei was the first to step into the batter's box.
As the one who proposed the solution, he had to lead by example — to give his teammates confidence.
"Wait until the baseball is close before swinging, wait until the baseball is close..."
Wait until you fully see the baseball's movement before deciding how to swing?
That would definitely be too late.
If that were possible, the Inashiro Industrial High School Baseball Team wouldn't have struggled this long with Zhou Hao's Straight ball.
They had to swing their bats based on instinct.
Rely on muscle memory to hit!
Once you spotted the ball, you couldn't hesitate.
Narumiya Mei cleared his mind, ignored everything around him, and stared intently at Zhou Hao.
How sharp was Miyuki Kazuya, the Seido catcher?
With a single glance, he understood Narumiya Mei's plan.
"As expected of the Tokyo Prince, he figured it out so quickly."
Solving Zhou Hao's Straight ball was simple and not simple.
It had to be done with instinct, not thought.
If you hesitated, if you tried to decide what kind of swing to use—
You'd never hit the pitch.
Zhou Hao had the terrifying ability to read hearts with his eyes.
Miyuki knew that if Inashiro's players had truly understood the Straight ball, they wouldn't be smiling with confidence.
Even if they had found a method to counter it, their success rate would still be terrifyingly low.
"The magic has been seen through by the opponent... Now we'll have to rely on our own methods."
Miyuki Kazuya decisively gave his signal.
They had expected this moment.
They were prepared.
Zhou Hao nodded calmly from the mound.
He, too, was ready to go head-to-head with Inashiro Industrial's powerhouses.
Miyuki recalled Narumiya Mei's batting tendencies.
"He swings actively. As long as the ball is hittable, he won't hesitate!"
With that, Miyuki gave a specific signal.
Isashiki Jun, seeing it, groaned and stepped back more than ten paces into the outfield.
"Tch... a first-year junior barking orders at his seniors like it's nothing. What is that Miyuki guy even thinking?"
"A Straight ball slightly below the center — he'll hit it to center field."
Zhou Hao pitched.
Swish!
The baseball cut through the air with speed and purpose.
The target was Miyuki's glove — exactly where he wanted it.
Not even a centimeter off.
Narumiya Mei had accurately judged it.
He swung his bat directly.
Ping!
The ball flew out to the outfield.
The crowd roared with excitement.
Hit! It was a hit!
In the Inashiro dugout, players stood up.
It looked like Narumiya's approach was working.
But…
The ball flew precisely to where someone was waiting.
Isashiki Jun stepped forward calmly, adjusted his stance, and caught the ball.
Thwack!
"Out!!"
One out. No one on base.
A wave of disappointment rolled through Inashiro's dugout.
Narumiya's swing had been powerful and clean.
It just… didn't result in anything.
Some players began to sweat nervously.
Now came the ninth batter — Carlos.
A talented first-year with both power and blinding speed.
Although young, his presence in the batter's box was as threatening as any third-year slugger.
The Inashiro players watched him closely.
Zhou Hao's pitch came again.
Swish!
Carlos's muscles tensed.
He focused, waited, then swung with full force.
Ping!
The baseball flew high.
Everyone in Inashiro's dugout watched its arc.
But it was Yoshida in the outfield who barely moved.
He'd already been standing exactly where the ball would land.
He caught it effortlessly.
Thwack!
"Out!!"
Two outs. No one on base.
Silence fell across the Inashiro dugout.
Once might be coincidence.
But twice?
Both batters hit clean outfield fly balls.
Both were caught — without the fielders even needing to move.
That wasn't luck.
Zhou Hao and Azuma Kiyokuni's outfield hits earlier were also caught, but that had seemed like a matter of good defense or misfortune.
This… this felt calculated.
The Seido outfielders had prepared for it.
It was as if they knew where the ball would go before it was even hit.
"It's like they predicted the landing spot!"
"Zhou Hao… does he have that kind of ability too?"
The fear of Zhou Hao grew larger in the Inashiro players' hearts.
He was already a monster — and now this?
"No!"
Coach Kunimoto stood up suddenly, eyes sharp.
"This isn't the pitcher's trick!"
He looked toward the Seido catcher's position.
Though it pained him to admit, the answer was clear.
"The man truly in control of all this..."
"Is Seido's first-year catcher — Miyuki Kazuya!"
Anticipating Inashiro's hits.
Calling the exact pitches.
Positioning the defense ahead of time.
In just two pitches, Miyuki helped secure two outs.
He even helped Zhou Hao conserve stamina.
Killing three birds with one stone.
It was no longer just a battle of pitchers.
This was a battle of brains.
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