SWOOSH!
A grin spread across Miyuki Kazuya's face as he swung decisively.
Boom!!
The sharply breaking spiral pitch that Mukai Taiyo had revealed for the first time that game was smashed cleanly by Miyuki.
The white ball rocketed toward center field on a low, blistering line.
"Go! Go! Go!"
Without slowing down, Miyuki sprinted straight into second base.
"Safe!"
Double!
"Yahaha!"
"Mukai Taiyo, did you see that?! That's our cleanup batter!"
"Miyuki!!!"
"Nice hit!"
Cheers exploded from the stands as Miyuki stood on second base with one hand raised high, deliberately looking toward the pitcher's mound.
Meanwhile, Mukai Taiyo still wore a stunned expression.
His spiral ball…
Had been hit the moment he revealed it?
How was that even possible?!
While Mukai was still doubting reality, Inui Kengo had already begun regretting the pitch call.
Throwing a breaking ball after getting ahead in the count was one of Mukai's habits. Using it as a put-away pitch with two strikes was perfectly reasonable.
But this time, that habit had backfired badly.
Judging from Miyuki's decisive swing, it was obvious the Seido catcher had been waiting specifically for the spiral ball.
No wonder he had swung so aggressively at the first two pitches…
He'd been manipulating my judgment from the start.
Just then, an even louder wave of cheers erupted from the stands.
Inui turned his head and saw Kanzaki Ryou walking toward the batter's box with his bat resting on his shoulder.
Headache.
Inui frowned deeply.
Runner on second. Two outs. And now this monster was stepping up to the plate.
As much as he hated admitting it, he had to prepare himself to concede a run.
Mukai Taiyo was undoubtedly a genius, and his pitching talent was exceptional. But Inui understood clearly that, on the national stage, the current Mukai still wasn't among the elite.
Teito had high hopes for his future.
But right now?
Getting an out against Kanzaki Ryou felt harder than reaching the heavens.
Turning slightly, Inui glanced toward the dugout.
Their coach was signaling him.
Intentional walk.
Should they intentionally walk Kanzaki Ryou?
By then, Kanzaki had already entered the batter's box, looking completely eager for the challenge.
With a runner on second, this was a golden scoring opportunity. One clean extra-base hit and Miyuki could easily score.
Looking at the smile on Kanzaki's face, Inui hesitated briefly before finally giving Mukai the signal.
Intentional walk him.
What?!
Mukai Taiyo's pupils shrank instantly.
They actually wanted him to intentionally walk Kanzaki Ryou?
Then wouldn't all the provocation from earlier become a complete joke?!
Clenching his teeth, Mukai stared at Inui, desperately hoping he would reconsider.
But Inui merely shook his head firmly.
Unless there was already a runner on third, no matter the situation today, he had no intention of pitching to Kanzaki Ryou directly.
That was also the coach's decision.
Damn it…
In the end, Mukai forced himself to accept it.
He was proud. He was a genius.
But more importantly, he was the ace.
And the team's victory came first.
Whoosh!
Mukai deliberately threw a wild fastball far outside the zone.
"Ball!"
"Heh…"
Kanzaki Ryou chuckled softly.
Four-pitch intentional walk?
Honestly, it was the smartest decision they could make.
The moment the crowd realized Teito intended to walk Kanzaki, Seido's supporters immediately erupted into boos.
In their eyes, the intentional walk meant Kanzaki had been robbed of another chance to add to his home run total.
Soon, Mukai lifted his leg again to deliver the second pitch.
But at that exact moment—
Everyone's attention was focused on the mound.
No one noticed that Miyuki, standing on second base, had quietly edged farther off the bag.
The instant the ball left Mukai's hand—
Miyuki exploded toward third base!
"Third base!!"
A steal?!
Inui reacted instantly the moment he heard the movement.
At this timing?!
The entire stadium was caught off guard by Miyuki's sudden dash.
This catcher…
This Miyuki Kazuya…
Really knew how to seize opportunities.
Smack!
Inui caught the pitch cleanly and immediately fired toward third.
But—
"Safe!!!"
The umpire's call rang loudly across the field.
Miyuki slid into third base just ahead of the throw.
Successful steal!
"OHHHHHHHHH!!"
"Miyuki!!!"
"That was awesome!"
"Hahaha! Teito, go ahead and intentionally walk him now if you dare!"
"With Seido's Twin Stars on base, you can't focus on only one of them!"
"Miyuki, your timing is insane!"
"See that?! That's the catcher's love for his ace!"
The stadium erupted completely.
Everyone had to admit it—
That was a beautiful stolen base.
Just as Teito prepared to intentionally walk the cleanup hitter, Miyuki stole third and completely destroyed their plan, forcing them to pitch to Kanzaki instead.
Inside Seido's dugout, the players exploded in celebration over Miyuki's brilliant play.
Even Coach Kataoka Tesshin nodded quietly in approval.
With two outs, Miyuki still dared to steal—and at such a perfect moment.
Bold, yet incredibly meticulous.
"As expected of our champion catcher," Ochiai Hiromitsu commented calmly.
"Though it was risky, reaching third base here dramatically increases Teito's pressure."
Of course, he would never admit that he had nearly jumped out of his seat watching Miyuki's steal succeed.
"Haha, Miyuki is amazing!"
Ota once again displayed his painfully limited vocabulary.
"…Mm."
As always, Takashima Rei remained composed.
On the field, Kanzaki looked toward third base and gave Miyuki a thumbs-up.
Not bad, huh?
Miyuki flashed a smug grin, his face practically screaming for praise.
Chuckling softly, Kanzaki finally turned his gaze back toward the mound.
Two balls.
Runner on third.
Teito had completely shot themselves in the foot.
And Kanzaki Ryou had no intention of wasting the opportunity his catcher had fought so hard to create.
This was his chance.
At this point, Inui wouldn't dare aim too close to the corners. One mistake and the intentional walk would become official.
In other words—
This next pitch would be extremely hittable.
Once again, Kanzaki silently praised Miyuki in his heart.
Meanwhile, seeing the faintly mocking smile on Kanzaki's face, Mukai Taiyo became so furious his expression nearly twisted.
Under Inui's guidance, Mukai finally suppressed his frustration and threw the third pitch.
The trajectory wasn't perfectly straight—
—but it absolutely wasn't far enough outside to avoid danger.
And that kind of pitch was well within Kanzaki Ryou's range.
His bat blurred through the air.
BOOM!!
The baseball exploded backward off the bat like a cannon shot, leaving behind a blazing white streak across the sky.
The violent gust generated at the moment of contact made it feel as though the ball had been launched by an explosion itself.
The sharp crack echoed endlessly in Mukai Taiyo's ears.
Slowly, he turned his head.
Then stood there blankly—
watching the baseball soar deep into the stands.