In high school baseball, middle school achievements are nothing more than a piece of scrap paper.
Over the years, countless middle school prodigies had stepped into the high school stage, only to fade into obscurity and vanish from the spotlight.
However, when it came to Narumiya Mei, hailed as the strongest pitcher of his generation, few believed he would suffer the same fate.
Instead, everyone was eager—eager to see what kind of performance this prodigy would deliver.
After all, before him, a completely unknown freshman had already stepped onto the mound and stunned the nation with a flawless display.
With Kanzaki Ryou as the precedent, expectations for Narumiya Mei soared even higher.
In the stands, many of Mei's middle school fans waved banners and chanted his name with unrestrained excitement.
Wearing a bright, boyish smile, Mei bounded toward the mound like a kid about to open his birthday present.
Then, as he turned to face Harada Masakatsu's serious expression behind the plate, his grin disappeared instantly—replaced by sharp focus.
And from that moment, the strongest of his generation stepped into game mode.
It had to be said—Narumiya Mei truly lived up to his title.
Against Teito High's heavy hitters, he pitched three innings, gave up just two hits, and didn't allow a single run.
His 145 km/h four-seamer and biting slider made it nearly impossible for Teito's lineup to mount an effective offense.
Watching from the stands, Coach Kataoka stole a glance at Kanzaki Ryou.
At this point, both Kanzaki and Mei were already complete enough to serve as key pitchers in any rotation.
Their only real weakness was stamina—neither could yet last a full nine innings in the intense world of high school baseball.
Not long after, the game ended.
There was no dramatic comeback—Inashiro Industrial advanced to the finals with ease.
As the teams lined up to bow, Narumiya Mei turned his head toward the stands—toward where Seidou's players sat.
"He's looking at you," Kanzaki said quietly.
Miyuki scoffed. "No, he's looking at you."
"I'm not even acquainted with him."
"Not acquainted, yet you call him Little Blondie?" Miyuki said dryly, slinging his bag over his shoulder.
Kanzaki chuckled and glanced once more toward the mound before following his senpai out of the stands.
Back at Seidou High, the mood was bright.
The principal and director came by to offer congratulations, but Coach Kataoka politely shooed them away, reminding them that the Capital Tournament wasn't over—tomorrow's final still awaited.
Inside the meeting room, the atmosphere turned serious again.
For tomorrow's showdown with Inashiro, Coach Kataoka and Chris began their detailed analysis of the opposing team's first-string lineup.
"Finally," Chris began, flipping open his notebook, "we need to pay close attention to Inashiro's pitchers: their ace, Matsumoto Takumi, and the freshman southpaw, Narumiya Mei, who's the same year as Kanzaki."
He continued, "Matsumoto Takumi, third-year. Fastball tops out at 146 km/h. His arsenal includes a four-seam, a fast forkball, and a high-speed slider. He's an aggressive pitcher who loves attacking the inside corner."
"Based on his recent games, Matsumoto most frequently used breaking pitch is the fast forkball," Chris explained. "That pitch makes it incredibly hard to drive the ball deep—it usually results in weak grounders. We need to be especially alert for that."
Everyone nodded in understanding.
A forkball's trajectory closely resembled a straight fastball until it suddenly dropped right before the plate—deceiving even experienced hitters.
After Coach Kataoka wrapped up his notes on Matsumoto, Chris turned the page.
"Next, the one we really have to prepare for—Narumiya Mei."
He shot a glance at Kanzaki.
"That's the kid they called the strongest of his generation in middle school, right?" Isashiki Jun-senpai asked.
"I remember Takashima-sensei tried to recruit him, but he turned her down," said Yuuki-senpai.
Takashima Rei sighed, smiling wryly. "He'd already made up his mind to go to Inashiro. There was nothing I could do."
Talking about recruitment made Takashima chuckle.
At least when she'd met Miyuki, he was still a middle school first-year—young, impressionable, and easy to lure in.
"Well, Rei-chan," Miyuki said with a grin, "even if Narumiya went to Inashiro, we've got Kanzaki."
Everyone turned to look at Kanzaki.
Indeed—who cared about Narumiya Mei?
They had their own super rookie.
"Why are you all looking at me? We're supposed to be talking about Narumiya Mei here," Kanzaki protested.
"We're saying you're amazing!" Miyuki laughed. "You had no achievements in middle school, but now people are comparing you to him!"
Kanzaki shot Miyuki a glare. "Cut it out already, Miyuki. Let's just let Chris-senpai finish—I'm starving."
The mention of food made everyone's stomach growl.
They hadn't eaten since returning from the game, coming straight to this strategy meeting.
Chris chuckled and continued, "Narumiya Mei—left-handed pitcher. Current top speed, 145.
"In today's game, he threw three innings, a total of 32 pitches. Nearly half were sliders. Both of the hits he allowed came from his four-seamer."
He paused before adding, "And that's only what he showed today. Based on his middle school data, he also throws a forkball."
Listening intently, Kanzaki nodded to himself.
At this stage, for a first-year to already have two usable breaking pitches and throw at 145 km/h—Narumiya Mei was undeniably strong.
But Kanzaki knew better.
In the near future, Mei would master the cutter and later, the circle changeup.
Once fully developed, Narumiya Mei would become one of Japan's top pitchers.
Even now, Seidou's lineup would struggle to score off him easily.
Judging by how much emphasis Coach Kataoka and Chris-senpai placed on preparing for Mei, Kanzaki could tell—they were taking him very seriously.
"In tomorrow's final, Narumiya Mei will most likely come in during the later innings," Coach Kataoka warned. "When that happens, swing boldly. Don't underestimate him just because he's a freshman."
"Yes, sir!" everyone shouted in unison.
After the meeting ended, the players practically bolted to the cafeteria.
Kanzaki devoured three full bowls of rice before heading to the dorms to find Miyuki.
"Wanna play catch?" Kanzaki asked, holding up his glove.
"Yeah, let's go."
He figured the bullpen would be empty—it was supposed to be time for individual training.
But when they arrived, several senpai were already there:
Nanjo Taishi-senpai, Tanaka Wataru-senpai, Tanba Koichiro-senpai, and Miyauchi Keisuke-senpai—two pitcher-catcher pairs, training diligently under the fading light.
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