"Lead-off batter, pitcher, Ushijima Wakatoshi!"
At the top of the third inning, Seido's offense began once again.
Meanwhile, inside a small restaurant nearby, the players from Ichidai Third High were gathered around a television watching the match.
"Yo, how's the game going?"
Hirakawa, Ichidai Third's second baseman, hurried inside while holding his dead phone.
"I was trying to watch the game on my phone, but the battery died halfway."
"Oh? So you still rushed over anyway?" one of his teammates teased.
Hirakawa casually exchanged a few words before immediately turning toward the television screen.
"Huh?!"
"Inashiro's losing?"
"And Seido already scored two runs in the first inning?!"
His eyes widened in surprise after seeing the scoreboard.
Leaning quietly against the wall, Manaka Kaname explained calmly:
"Seido adjusted their batting order."
"Kominato, who originally batted second, was moved down to eighth."
"Kuramochi moved up to second."
"And Ushijima Wakatoshi became the fifth batter."
Hirakawa blinked.
"That lineup created enormous pressure around Ushijima's at-bats," Manaka continued.
"Right from the beginning, he directly confronted Narumiya Mei."
"Although Narumiya managed to suppress him eventually, Ushijima still reached base through pure speed and physical ability."
"And those first two runs came from Isashiki's timely hit combined with Ushijima's aggressive baserunning."
"Then Yuki bunt in the second run with runners on third."
Hirakawa looked stunned.
"Wait… Yuki bunt the run home?"
"The cleanup batter?"
"Yeah."
Manaka nodded slowly.
"Just like last year's Seido versus Inashiro game."
"Inashiro's cleanup batter bunt in the deciding run back then."
"This year…"
"Seido returned the favor."
Hirakawa sucked in a breath.
"These guys are insane…"
"Their obsession with winning is unbelievable."
Then he quickly asked:
"What about Inashiro's offense?"
"Ushijima started exactly the way he always does," Manaka replied while staring at the screen.
"Three strikeouts in the first inning."
"Then two more strikeouts in the second, plus Narumiya getting retired."
"You could say Ushijima's opening performance has been nearly flawless."
"His suppression is overwhelming."
Hirakawa immediately clenched his fists excitedly.
"Awesome…"
"In this game, Seido and Inashiro are completely relying on their aces."
"These are the two best pitchers in West Tokyo."
"When kings face each other…"
"It always turns into a pitcher's duel."
"And in a game like this…"
"The first team to give up runs usually loses."
He narrowed his eyes.
"At this rate, Inashiro's chances don't look very good unless something unexpected happens."
Those words caused Manaka's expression to darken slightly.
Unexpected accidents…
Unexpected turning points…
Those were exactly what had destroyed him during his own game.
A single injury had ended everything.
"…That's the theory," Manaka said quietly.
"But until the final out is recorded…"
"No one can say for certain."
Then he turned his full attention back toward the television.
"It's the third inning now."
"This is Ushijima's second at-bat."
"Let's see how he handles Narumiya after he's fully settled in."
—
Back at the stadium—
Ushijima Wakatoshi stepped into the batter's box carrying his bat calmly.
Narumiya Mei had been waiting for this moment.
During Ushijima's previous at-bat, he had reached base and eventually scored, directly contributing to Seido's two-run lead.
But now—
Narumiya had completely entered his rhythm.
"Hmph!"
Narumiya exploded forward and fired a blazing fastball.
CLANG!!
Ushijima swung aggressively, but the timing was slightly off.
The bat barely clipped underneath the ball.
The baseball soared high into the air before slicing foul into the fencing.
"Foul!"
Narumiya caught the return throw from Harada and arrogantly tilted his chin toward Ushijima.
But Ushijima's expression didn't change at all.
Whoosh!
The second pitch came screaming in at 148 km/h.
"Strike!"
The umpire's call rang out sharply.
Then came the third pitch.
A sharp slider.
The ball curved temptingly toward the strike zone before breaking outside.
But Ushijima never moved the bat.
"Ball!"
The umpire spread his arms.
Clearly, Narumiya had tried to bait him into chasing.
Unfortunately—
Ushijima's eyes were too sharp.
"So calm…"
"He didn't bite at all…"
Harada narrowed his eyes thoughtfully behind the plate.
"Then there's only one option left."
He quietly flashed the next sign.
Narumiya's lips curled upward slightly.
That tiny expression—
Ushijima caught it instantly.
Narumiya puffed out his cheeks slightly before violently throwing his most confident pitch.
At the exact same moment—
Ushijima swung.
But midway through the swing—
His expression changed.
The ball was slower than expected.
"Tch!"
Ushijima clicked his tongue in irritation.
SNAP!
Only after his swing had completely finished did the baseball settle into Harada's mitt.
"Strike!"
The entire stadium froze.
"!!!"
Even Seido's dugout was stunned.
"Changeup!!"
Narumiya Mei had finally revealed his signature pitch.
And Ushijima—
Had completely swung over it.
"That actually made Ushijima miss?!"
The Seido players stared in shock.
After all, Ushijima's batting ability was already considered among the best on the team.
Yet even he had been completely disrupted by Narumiya's devastating changeup.
Inside the batter's box, Ushijima frowned slightly.
"So this is Narumiya's changeup…"
He had already guessed it might come the moment he saw Narumiya's subtle smile.
Even so—
Guessing and reacting were two entirely different things.
It was his first time ever facing a true elite-level changeup.
The drastic difference in velocity completely ruined his timing.
And Narumiya Mei was far from an average pitcher.
"That pitch probably won't come again immediately…"
"If he throws another one now, I'll have already seen it twice."
"And once I adapt…"
"The effectiveness of the changeup will decrease sharply."
"Against a batter like me, there's no way he'd casually reveal it repeatedly."
Ushijima calmly analyzed the situation in his head.
Meanwhile, Harada gave the next sign.
The count was now even.
Narumiya twisted his body sharply and delivered the fifth pitch with full force.
WHOOSH!
The baseball rushed toward home plate at incredible speed.
And at the exact moment Narumiya released the ball—
Ushijima reacted instantly.