The tense game and the lagging situation made this genius pitcher feel immense pressure at this moment. Before him was an opportunity created by his seniors. If he couldn't perform and respond to his seniors, Narumiya Mei stopped thinking and slowly raised his head, staring intently at Kanzaki Ryou's mitt.
Hit it out! Hit it out, I must hit it out!
Narumiya Mei's lips parted slightly as he silently cheered himself on.
At the catcher's position, Miyuki frowned as he looked at him, a hint of surprise in his eyes. He had never seen Narumiya Mei like this before!
Indeed, Koshien — even for a perennial powerhouse like Inashiro — was extremely coveted. When Miyuki thought about carrying the expectations of so many people, the expectations of those seniors who didn't make the first team, he suddenly felt a sense of empathy with Narumiya Mei.
I can't be careless.
Although Narumiya Mei's batting strength wasn't that strong right now, this guy always surprised people when he got serious. Miyuki took a deep breath and nodded slightly to Kanzaki Ryou.
Kanzaki frowned, then understood Miyuki's meaning.
First pitch: cutter slider! Outside corner!
Even Kanzaki was surprised to see Narumiya Mei like this. He could feel the little blond devil's momentum even from the mound.
Come on then, blondie… I'll pitch something you can hit!!
Seeing Kanzaki's expression, Miyuki's eyebrows shot up.
What is this guy trying to do?!
Then Miyuki saw Kanzaki shake his head at him. Just as he was wondering, he saw him purse his lips.
Huh?
A pitch down the middle?!
Miyuki felt his head ache. Why be so impulsive now?!
A pitch down the middle at this moment was way too reckless!
But seeing Kanzaki's firm insistence, Miyuki had no choice but to nod.
Damn pitcher… how can he be this willful…
Yet deep down, excitement surged.
A head-on clash at such a crucial moment—this was thrilling!
Kanzaki slowly lifted his leg, then unleashed a high-speed pitch right at Narumiya Mei.
Whoosh!
The ball zipped across half the distance instantly. Narumiya Mei swung—unafraid even though the pitch looked like it might hit him.
From the release, the pitch was definitely that strange ball. Narumiya Mei kept his bat flat to maximize his hitting zone.
The ball indeed shifted mid-flight. Narumiya Mei's eyes lit up—he guessed right!
Whoosh—POP!
The ball grazed the bat and drilled into Miyuki's mitt, perfectly in the strike zone!
How?!
Narumiya Mei stared back in disbelief. He had clearly judged the pitch!
Miyuki exhaled deeply and smiled,
"Impressive—you actually caught the break."
"Too bad your swing was slow."
Narumiya Mei snorted and turned his head away.
For that one minute, he absolutely hated Kazuya.
But even if he hated him, he still had to think about the next pitch. Miyuki was cunning—Narumiya Mei didn't dare take it lightly.
Just like the pitch earlier… who would expect the first ball to be that rotten, despicable pitch thrown right at the body?
Straight ball!
The next pitch must be a straight ball. Four-seam or two-seam—he couldn't guess. If it was four-seam, he might have a chance.
He would bet everything on this pitch.
As soon as the ball was thrown—swing!
Narumiya Mei made up his mind.
Kanzaki threw the second pitch. As expected, it was a four-seam fastball.
Narumiya swung.
Pop!
"Strike!"
Too slow again!
Narumiya grit his teeth in frustration.
How the hell was this bastard pitching this fast?!
Two strikes, runner at second on base. Kanzaki couldn't afford carelessness now. The pitch down the middle earlier was meant to break Narumiya's momentum.
Now he needed to finish the job.
Third pitch: inside low two-seam.
Miyuki pressed his palm down, signaling a low pitch.
Kanzaki nodded and threw without hesitation.
Blondie. Get out.
As soon as the ball left his hand, Narumiya shouted, "Yaaah!" and swung—
CRACK!
"Run!!!"
Inashiro roared.
Narumiya sprinted toward first base—
But then—
POP!
The sound of the ball entering a glove froze him instantly.
No way…
He spun around.
On the mound—
Kanzaki Ryou had caught the ball in a bizarre, almost acrobatic posture… and then fell sideways to the ground!
A moment later, he raised his left hand—
The ball was in his mitt.
"OUT!!!"
The stadium exploded.
Seidou's dugout roared. Players pounded the railing, fists pumping in pure adrenaline.
Fans stood, banners waving, cheerleaders and band igniting the entire stadium.
In contrast—
Inashiro's dugout was deathly silent.
Heaven to hell in one second.
Coach Kunitomo stood with arms crossed—seemingly calm, but clearly crushed inside.
On the field, Yoshizawa Hideaki and Narumiya Mei looked devastated. As they left, their glares toward Kanzaki looked like they wanted to tear him apart.
Kanzaki himself was stunned.
That catch… was pure instinct. He only realized what happened after the ball landed in his glove.
Of course he wouldn't admit that. Later, when bragging, he'd claim it was all calculated.
After completing three outs, Kanzaki walked off the field amid thunderous cheers.
"Kanzaki, that was a good catch just now—almost as good as mine!"
Azuma Kiyokuni, the Third Baseman, grinned.
"Haha, still a bit worse than me," Shida Shouta chimed in.
Azuma snapped, "What do you mean by that, you brat?!"
"Ehehe, Azuma, you're better than me at batting, but fielding? I'm stronger!" Shida thumped his chest proudly.
The noisy group returned to the dugout. Kanzaki exchanged a glance with Coach Kataoka—the coach simply smiled and nodded.
Bottom of the 8th—Seidou's offense!