Chapter 242: We Won! Let's Talk About It Later!
"What's going on?"
"You're back!"
"Just as you said: a defensive error let a runner on base, who then stole a base, kept the defense under constant pressure, and finally caused the pitcher to miss their pitch…!"
"I didn't expect Narumiya to start off throwing full power from the first inning, but that was his intention all along!"
"And to think you figured it out so early!" Miyuki replied.
"Of course. Inashiro Industries obviously knew they'd be facing a knuckleball pitcher, as well as the opponent's defensive and offensive capabilities."
"They were well aware that a knuckleball pitcher's mental toughness is crucial."
"Coming up with this kind of game plan makes sense."
"The white-haired pitcher throwing full power paired with a knuckleballer, combined with their defensive strength and offensive capabilities—it all adds up. You can easily guess what they're trying to do."
"Otherwise, Coach Kunitomo wouldn't have allowed that guy to burn through his stamina so recklessly!"
"Speaking of the knuckleball pitcher's wild pitch… I can't believe he still managed to strike such a dramatic pose afterward! What nerve!" Miyuki explained, shooting a disdainful look at Harada, who had struck an over-the-top pose earlier.
To Sendo, a knuckleballer missing a pitch was nothing more than a thrown-and-caught ball.
Not hitting a ball like that would actually be more concerning.
"Well, well! It's a rare home run!" Miyuki chuckled.
"You think everyone can hit a home run every game like you, huh? By the way, you haven't hit one yet in today's game, have you?"
He said that, but inwardly, he was muttering complaints about Sendo. He didn't want to get into a spat and end up feeling miserable from losing the exchange.
"Ah! I'm almost out of juice. I'll go grab another bottle!" Sendo said, looking at the one-third of juice left in his bottle.
"He's running away!" Kawakami said.
"That guy drank it so fast on purpose! I mean, he just got back," Jun-san grumbled through clenched teeth.
"Not much we can do. This inning's attack from Inashiro Industries is likely to drag on!"
"Sendo must've realized this and used it as an excuse to leave."
"For him, the real target is Narumiya's pitching!"
"I bet once he's bought his drink, he'll wait for their offense and find a spot to watch the pitching from a good angle!"
"Maybe even buying a drink was just a pretext," Chris said, seeing through Sendo's plan. He analyzed and explained Sendo's intentions based on his personality and typical behavior.
When it came to analyzing and leveraging psychological and strategic aspects of the game, Chris and Sendo were the best on Seidou. Even Coach Kataoka's strategies in the psychological realm were relatively shallow by comparison.
"Just say it outright already! Seriously!" Jun-san complained.
"When he first joined, he kept claiming he didn't care much for baseball. He probably just doesn't want others to see him putting in effort or taking it seriously."
"Let him be!"
'This is the first time he's really cared about an opponent," Yuuki said, glancing over at Miyuki.
Miyuki was the same type—troublesome, always causing issues.
Chris wasn't entirely right this time. Sendo really did go to buy a drink. But instead of juice, he bought a cola.
Even though he knew that as a player, drinking too much of that stuff could affect his body, he still wanted to indulge once in a while.
After all, his current goal wasn't to become a professional player.
Pop! Next to the stadium's vending machines, Sendo cracked open a can of cola.
"Those baseball fools, staying outside watching the whole game in this heat! Just how much do they love baseball?" he muttered, throwing himself onto a bench and closing his eyes.
All of Narumiya's pitch types that he'd seen earlier replayed in his mind.
Sendo was a greedy one. This opponent, who had sparked his competitive spirit, wasn't someone he wanted to give up on. He wanted to keep every type of pitch Narumiya had shown him.
However, without the perspective of a catcher, the effect wasn't as strong—he could only approximate speed changes and had a hard time fully recreating them.
"Something about today's changeup feels different from what I saw at the start," he thought. Initially, his focus hadn't been on discerning pitch speeds, as he'd been confident in his ability to judge them.
But something seemed off today. The truth was that Narumiya's changeup against the Sakurazawa team had been held back—he wasn't letting it drop as sharply. Even in their earlier practice matches, his changeups had had a break more like a screwball's downward motion.
It was natural that Sendo couldn't quite recall it. The senpai on the team were in the same boat—back then, they'd been so stunned by the changeup that they hadn't seen another pitch to compare it to.
As the simulation in his mind went on, the visualization of the pitch trajectory became increasingly vivid. Apart from the horizontal movement of the slider, which he could only imagine, he managed to recreate all the others.
Eventually, as time passed, the stadium's sounds started to fade away.
Clang!
Sendo casually tossed the empty can into the trash.
"It's over. Inashiro's attack is done," he murmured to himself, glancing toward the field, and then headed back.
By the time he returned, Narumiya was already practicing his pitching, clearly ready for the bottom half of the inning. The scoreboard now showed a staggering 8-0.
Sendo made his way to a spot behind the backstop netting to watch, though the place was packed. He stood there, observing.
Pitch after pitch, Narumiya continued to demonstrate the disparity in skill between himself and his opponents. Meanwhile, Sendo kept adjusting the mental image of Narumiya's pitches in his head.
By the fifth inning, Inashiro extended their lead to eleven runs. The opposing pitcher finally regained some composure and managed to end the inning, but the score had already reached the threshold for an early conclusion.
In the bottom of the fifth—essentially the final pitches of the game—Narumiya walked toward the mound and looked back at the dugout.
"Finish it," Coach Kunitomo commanded with a nod.
"Heh!" Seeing his coach's approval, Narumiya's smile turned both radiant and ruthless.
As he prepared to throw his first pitch, arms raised, Narumiya's eyes inadvertently caught sight of Sendo behind the plate. Among the Seido players, that spiky-haired guy was unmistakable.
"Sendo, huh? Trying to watch my pitches from that angle? Then watch all you want."
Smack!
"Strike!"
Narumiya was the kind of player who didn't mind showcasing his skills in front of a worthy rival—though not without holding back some of his true strength. His special changeup, for example, had been fully unleashed only once, during a practice game. This level of intensity wasn't something he often displayed.
In his previous life, Narumiya had done this more than once.
Even players like Yuuki and Furuya had experienced a strong competitive urge to take him down.
This time, Sendo was added to that list. From the spring games right after entering school to the Kanto tournament, Narumiya had established himself as a remarkable presence. His extraordinary talent had been evident ever since that unforgettable freshman spring.
Narumiya had always been particular about his perceived position. In the previous timeline, when a freshman pitcher took the mound in spring, Narumiya had famously clashed with Coach Kunitomo over it.
Now, Narumiya seemed to be putting on a deliberate display. He shook his head at Harada multiple times, intentionally relying on fastballs and supplementing them with changeups. He was showcasing the difference in velocity for Sendo to see.
However, what Narumiya didn't realize was that Sendo was more interested in seeing his slider.
Of course, Sendo understood that Narumiya was trying to show off. The white-haired pitcher probably assumed Sendo was eager to see more changeups. If only he knew what Sendo really wanted.
After securing the final out, Narumiya fixed his gaze on Sendo. Although the distance made it impossible to see Sendo's expression, Narumiya let his imagination fill in the gaps. It might not have been accurate, but that didn't matter to him.
"Sure, keep telling yourself that," Sendo muttered under his breath. He had already figured out that Narumiya would probably imagine something dramatic.
Both Seidou and Inashiro players noticed Narumiya's gaze. Tetsu and Jun smiled knowingly. On the other hand, Inashiro's players glanced toward the same direction with a much heavier look. Then came the sound of footsteps as everyone began to move, heading back to rejoin their respective teams.
"Game over! An overwhelming 11-0 victory in five innings! Inashiro Industries advances to the finals!"
As the teams lined up near the plate—just a short distance from where Sendo stood—they exchanged respectful bows.
"You can walk away with your head held high!" The voice caught Sendo's attention, though it didn't stop his steps. The sounds gradually faded until he could no longer make out what was being said. If he had tried, his sharp ears could have caught the words. But it wasn't necessary.
One particular line echoed in his memory.
"Because you were crushed by the best team in Japan this summer!" Narumiya's lighthearted yet taunting voice seemed to ring directly in Sendou's ear.
In his past life, Sendo might have laughed it off. But now…
"Japan's best… huh," he muttered softly.
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