"Three consecutive strikeouts! Three batters retired on foul balls! The inning ends. As the teams switch sides, Class E begins their offense once more!"
As the teams swapped positions, I caught a glimpse of Chairman Asano whispering intently into Shindo's ear with a strange, haunting persistence.
"Let us repeat it together: I am strong."
"—I am strong."
"I will swing my arm with all my might."
"I will swing my arm with all my might."
"I will dominate them with my power."
"I will dominate them with my power."
"I will utterly break them."
"—I will utterly... break them...!"
It was a chilling sight. Whispering those words at such point-blank range wasn't coaching; it was blatant brainwashing. The Chairman's level of interference and obsession felt genuinely repulsive. I recalled then that the younger Asano had done something similar to me once when my grades slipped. Like father, like son—they were identical in every way.
While I remained lost in my fear of the Asano family's influence, the match moved forward.
"The second inning begins! The baseball team is sticking with their forward-pressing defense to counter any bunts!"
They maintained a low, aggressive defensive stance, positioning themselves so far forward it felt intentionally obstructive. Karma eventually lost his patience with the situation—or perhaps he had received an order from "Coach Koro." He spoke up, his voice loud enough for everyone to hear.
"Hey, isn't this cheating, Mr. Chairman? They're standing in spots that completely block our movement, yet the umpire hasn't said a word. Do the regular students not see how insane this is? Oh, right, I forgot—you're all too slow to understand defensive positioning."
Good grief. Was Karma being spontaneous, or was he intentionally trying to provoke them?
Boos erupted from the crowd gathered against Karma. "Shut up, you Class E trash!" and other insults filled the air.
Karma ignored the shouting and glanced toward Koro-sensei, who was hiding among the baseballs using a forced-perspective trick. It seemed Karma was acting on his instructions. For now, it looked like mere provocation of the opponent and the crowd, but I wondered what the ultimate goal could be.
Incidentally, we achieved nothing of note in that inning. Shindo, having undergone his "mental adjustment" from the Principal, managed to retire us one by one with his fastballs. Once again, we switched sides.
"We are at the bottom of the second inning! The brilliant Shindo roars on the offensive as well! Class E has committed a major defensive error, allowing a long-range hit!"
"Thanks to consecutive hits this inning, the baseball club has scored two points! The score is now three to two! They have finally cornered Class E!"
We reached the top of the third inning. Mimura and Sugaya were out on fouls, and then it was my turn at bat.
"Nozaki, an order just came from Koro-sensei."
Sugino said this as he brought me the bat. I looked at Koro-sensei and saw him frantically changing his face color, trying to convey a message. Did he want me to swing for the fences without hesitation? To be honest, I had never seen this specific code before, and the colors were changing so rapidly that the content seemed complex.
"He says: Provoke them, then deliver a crushing blow."
"Does he mean I should hit the ball directly back at the pitcher?"
"Can you do that?"
"Easily."
"—Please don't. Shindo isn't a bad person, despite what he says."
"—I have no choice then."
I had been fully prepared to drive the ball straight at the pitcher's face, but Shindo was spared thanks to Sugino's kindness.
I took the bat from Sugino and stepped into the batter's box. Simultaneously, I raised the bat high in the air for all to see.
"Oh! Nozaki is calling his shot! He's predicting a massive home run right out of the park!"
"I'll crush you... Nozaki...!"
Wasn't this the most famous and provocative move in baseball history, Koro-sensei?
I nodded toward our teacher, who displayed a red circle on his face from afar. I let two of Shindo's pitches pass without even flinching.
"What a disgrace! Nozaki called his shot but didn't even move his bat twice in a row! What is this, Nozaki? You look pathetic!"
"Shut up and leave me be. I'm sending the next pitch out of this stadium—and it won't be a foul ball."
I didn't forget the actual provocation. I ignored the boos from the crowd and entered "The Zone"—that state of absolute focus where time slows down. I needed to determine the next pitch: would it be a curveball or a straight fastball?
Based on his grip, it was a fastball. I recalled the days I spent training with Sugino and, based on that, I tightened my grip on the bat.
The pitch flew toward me, but in my eyes, it seemed to hang motionless in the air.
I timed it perfectly and swung with all my strength, snapping out of my focus. The bat hit the ball dead center. The ball rebounded with incredible force, soaring easily over the electronic scoreboard to land far outside the stadium boundaries.
"My goodness! The baseball club's forward defense has backfired! The ball isn't losing any momentum—it's going, going... no, wait, it's gone! Nozaki from Class E has hit a home run!"
I ignored the stunned silence and began walking around the bases. I moved deliberately slowly to further the provocation. Before touching home plate, I looked at the dazed Shindo and spoke with a condescending tone.
"That truly was a fast pitch! —So fast that it looked like it was standing perfectly still."
I said it with the most wicked smile I could muster. I saw Shindo's face flush with rage and shame; the provocation had worked.
After that, we were retired from the inning and moved to defense. It was the bottom of the third—the final round of this exhibition match. Despite the pressure, we were still leading four to two. However, except for Sugino, we were just a bunch of amateurs. They, on the other hand, had spent three years in grueling training. A skill gap like that could be closed in an instant.
We had to defend until the end, no matter the cost. While my teammates felt this fighting spirit, a fierce battle of wits was taking place behind the scenes between the coaches. Strategy against strategy, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth... and a bunt for a bunt.
Bottom of the third: the baseball club's attack. Every single one of their players was taking a bunting stance.
"Is this for real? The varsity team is using bunts against amateurs?"
"No, we used them first, so they have a solid excuse now. They'll claim they're 'teaching us how to do it properly'."
I answered Okajima, feeling uneasy. We had only trained to execute bunts; we had never practiced how to defend against them.
"The baseball club pays them back in kind in this bunt hell! When it comes to technical skill, the varsity team is leagues ahead! Class E's defense is as porous as a sieve! The runner is safe at the base with ease! This is how you bunt, Class E students!"
Things were looking grim. Araki's commentary regained its enthusiasm, meaning the tide was turning back toward the baseball club.
"In the blink of an eye, the bases are loaded with no outs! The situation is exactly like it was for Class E in the first inning! The only difference is this man! The next batter is our school's shining star, Shindo-kun!"
"I'm going to utterly crush you, Sugino!!"
I'm telling you, this boy is terrifying. What kind of brainwashing did Principal Asano put him through?
As I pondered this, Koro-sensei's face suddenly sprouted from the ground. At the same time, Karma approached us, and we both listened to our teacher's instructions.
"Guys, it's time to capitalize on the provocation you did earlier. Both of you, stand on the front line of the defense."
"Ah, I see what you mean."
"—Are we really doing this?"
Without wasting a moment, Karma and I moved forward until we were standing right next to the batter's box. Karma spoke, addressing the stunned Shindo.
"When your team did this a while ago, the umpire said nothing. So, there shouldn't be a problem if we do the same, right?"
Karma directed his question toward the Chairman. The Chairman feigned indifference.
"Do as you wish. The hearts of the chosen are not shaken by shifts in defensive positioning. Swing your bat without hesitation, Shindo-kun."
"Oh, really? Then we won't hesitate either."
Having received the Principal's permission, we moved even closer until we were only a single step away from the contact zone.
"—What?!"
I heard a dry laugh from Sugino, who was standing behind us due to our defensive position that defied all logic, but I chose to ignore him. When the other team did it, the umpire remained silent, and the crowd that had rejected Karma's earlier protest now had no right to object.
All of this was part of the plan devised by the "Super-speed Octopus" sitting at the back of the field quietly eating sweets. I take my hat off to him. How far ahead did he plan all this? That octopus is truly remarkable. Though Principal Asano, who matches him in this mental struggle, is no less cunning.
Fine, I'll deliver the final provocation here.
"Shindo, as an apology for earlier, you can swing your bat with all your might. In fact, it's fine even if you intend to hit us."
"Yeah, swing away without a care, star player. We won't get in the way of the pitcher's ball."
Because we were standing at a distance where being hit by the bat was inevitable if he swung with full force, Shindo looked pleadingly toward the Chairman for help. The words that came back were heartless.
"Don't worry about it, just swing, Shindo-kun. Even if you shatter their bones, it's Class E who will be penalized for batter interference."
That cruelty was originally aimed at us, but it backfired. Fear appeared in Shindo's eyes: what if he actually hit them? What if he caused a permanent injury? What if he killed them?
Yes, this hesitation was exactly what we were aiming for.
Sugino threw the ball, and Shindo swung. But it was a wild, desperate swing; perhaps he thought we would flinch and back away if he swung hard. However, a move of that level was easy for us to dodge—I didn't even need to enter "The Zone."
"This isn't working. Your swing is way too slow. Next time, try to swing with the intent to kill, okay?"
"Exactly. As the Principal said, we're the ones who will be penalized for interference, so no blame will fall on you at all."
As we continued to provoke him this way, Shindo's limbs began to tremble. It seemed his body could no longer handle the psychological pressure Principal Asano had placed on him. The runners and the audience were completely captivated by this bizarre scene that bore no resemblance to baseball. The boos fell completely silent.
"Aaaaaaaaaah!!"
"The batter swings from a trembling stance!"
It was a cry mixed with fear and a weak swing. The bat clipped the ball lightly, sending it popping into the air. I caught it and immediately threw it to Nagisa.
"Third base runner is out!"
"Nagisa! Throw it to third!"
"—Right!"
Following Isogai's instructions, Nagisa hurled the ball to Kimura, who was guarding third base, retiring the second-base runner as well. Then Kimura fired the ball to Sugaya at first base, retiring the batter, Shindo, as well.
"The batter is out... They... they pulled off a triple play! The match is over! Unbelievable! Class E has defeated the baseball club!!"
Araki's stunned commentary was music to my ears.
And so, we, the students of Class E, achieved victory over the baseball club. Perhaps no one in this stadium knew the truth, except for those standing on the field. No one knew that behind the scenes of this match, a fierce battle had raged between a monster threatening to destroy the Earth and the final boss of this school.
"I'm sorry, Shindo, for playing such a messy game."
While everyone else was trembling with the emotion of victory, Sugino was the only one who rushed toward the collapsed Shindo.
"But I know the truth. As a baseball player, you are much stronger than me. I don't consider myself to have truly beaten you."
"Then... why did you go to such lengths to win? Wasn't your goal to prove you were stronger than me and get a result?"
"Well..."
Sugino looked at us—Nagisa, Karma, and me—as if finding it difficult to answer Shindo's question.
"Nagisa and Nozaki helped me so much with my new pitches, and Karma's reflexes and everyone's improvement with the bunts were amazing, right? But if we didn't get a tangible result, that strength wouldn't reach anyone. We wouldn't be able to express it..."
Sugino scratched under his nose shyly and continued.
"Basically, I just wanted to brag about my current classmates to my old teammate."
His words were enough to make anyone blush, to the point where I felt like scratching my own nose too. Perhaps moved by Sugino's words, Shindo stood up with dignity and smiled.
"Remember this well, Sugino! The next time we face each other will be in high school!"
"I promise!"
Shindo's spontaneous words left me deep in thought. It hadn't crossed these boys' minds for even a second that the Earth might disappear by this time next year. That was natural, as they knew nothing. I thought then that perhaps our assassination mission was, at its core, a way to protect these boys and their future as well.
That was how the ball sports tournament came to an end.
[Read 50+ chapters ahead on Patreon: patreon.com/Raven737]