A crisp metallic sound rang out, and the white ball soared high into the sky, shooting towards center-field.
"What?!"
Narumiya Mei turned around, staring blankly at the baseball speeding through the sky.
"It's out!!"
"It's flying out!"
"Home run!"
In the Seido dugout, everyone was yelling, leaning over the railing. Just one run— as long as they could get one run, they believed that was enough for Kanzaki Ryou.
Azuma Kiyokuni quickly ran the bases, and just as he passed first base, the baseball flew out of the fence!
"Wow!!"
"Home run!"
"Bottom of the seventh inning, Seido's cleanup hitter, the monster batter Azuma Kiyokuni, blasted a home run off Inashiro's first-year pitcher Narumiya Mei, changing the score to 4:3, Seido is leading!"
A tsunami-like roar erupted in the stadium. Seido supporters in the stands screamed, waving banners like mad, while the Seido dugout boiled with excitement because of Azuma Kiyokuni's home run.
"Haha, Azuma-senpai hit must have stunned that kid," Isashiki Jun said, pointing at Narumiya Mei, who looked dazed on the pitcher's mound, and laughed.
"It seems so; being hit for a home run as the game approaches its end must be a huge blow," Yuki said.
As several seniors discussed beside him, Kanzaki Ryou turned to look at Miyuki; undoubtedly, the person on the field who understood Narumiya Mei best was Miyuki Kazuya.
"No, although Mei's personality is a bit erratic, even a little childish, he would never be defeated by just one home run. Moreover, he pitched that last ball very well; it's just that Senior Azuma's batting was stronger. It's not his fault."
"I think so too," Kanzaki Ryou said.
Narumiya Mei, described as the strongest pitcher of his generation, was indeed very strong. One home run wasn't enough to break him; his heart wasn't fragile.
However, Kanzaki Ryou still looked at Narumiya Mei with some sympathy. After all, it was because of his own appearance that Narumiya Mei entered Inashiro's first team early, facing Azuma Kiyokuni a few months sooner.
Normally, Narumiya Mei would have faced Azuma Kiyokuni during the semi-finals of the summer qualifiers, and even then, he would have only allowed a single hit. The early confrontation was clearly disadvantageous, so this outcome was understandable.
The cheers gradually subsided, and Narumiya Mei on the field came back to his senses. He turned his head and glared at the Seido dugout, grinding his teeth angrily.
"Heh, that Little Blondie is angry," Kanzaki Ryou said with a smile. Narumiya Mei, still a first-year, had obvious flaws in his personality. Once he gave up a hit or allowed a run, he could lose control of his emotions, leading to inaccurate pitching.
Unlike the joyful atmosphere on Seido's side, the Inashiro dugout was dead silent. The home run had put them one run behind Seido, and in a final against a team like Seido, one run often determines the outcome.
Could Inashiro's super rookie handle this? Could he recover from this setback?
Kunitomo also regretted it at this moment. He knew he shouldn't have let Narumiya Mei play so early. The Spring Tokyo Metropolitan Tournament wasn't a critical game anyway; they had already secured their Kanto Tournament qualification and a seed spot for the summer qualifiers.
The main reason for putting Narumiya Mei in was to train him after Kanzaki Ryou's appearance. The outcome of the game was secondary; if anything happened to Narumiya Mei, Kunitomo would regret it for the rest of his life.
Fortunately, Narumiya Mei, having regained composure, looked toward the Inashiro dugout and nodded at Coach Kunitomo, signaling that he was still capable.
The proud Narumiya Mei would never allow himself to be taken out of the game at this point. Although his performance fluctuated afterward, he still managed to get two outs and end the inning.
Then, in the eighth and ninth innings, Kanzaki Ryou went all out, not allowing Inashiro to score a single run, while Narumiya Mei also fought tenaciously until the end. The final score settled at 4:3.
"Spring Tokyo Tournament, Finals."
"Seido High School VS Inashiro Industrial High School, score 4:3, the final champion is Seido High School!"
The stadium erupted in enthusiastic applause and cheers.
Kanzaki Ryou and his teammates came to the center of the field and lined up, looking at Narumiya Mei, who stood opposite him with a face full of unwillingness. Kanzaki Ryou extended his right hand.
"Come on, Little Blondie, don't be angry. It's just a game."
"You damn Chestnut Hair Monster!"
Narumiya Mei's eyes were red, and his tone wasn't very good, but he still extended his hand and shook Kanzaki Ryou's.
"Next time, I'll win!" Narumiya Mei said fiercely.
"I won't lose," Kanzaki Ryou replied.
After the two sides finished their greetings, it was the awards ceremony. Although it was only the Spring Tokyo Metropolitan Tournament, the Seido team was overjoyed. The principal had reportedly ordered the cafeteria to prepare a large amount of delicious food for their return.
Before leaving the stadium, Narumiya Mei quickly ran back to the dugout amidst everyone's puzzled gazes, then rushed out again, heading straight toward Seido.
"Wait, Chestnut Hair Monster!" Narumiya Mei shouted.
Kanzaki Ryou, holding an ice pack, turned around. "What's wrong, Little Blondie?"
"Let's exchange contact information!" Narumiya Mei said.
"Oh?" Kanzaki Ryou curled his lips into a mischievous smile. "Were you conquered by my heroic demeanor? What a pity, although you're quite cute, you're a boy."
Narumiya Mei listened to Kanzaki Ryou's nonsense and instantly flushed red with anger, panting and glaring like a puppy, even exhaling white mist from his nostrils.
"Bastard! Fine if you don't want to exchange!"
Narumiya Mei roared and turned to leave, but a hand reached out and grabbed his collar.
"Don't be angry, it was just a little joke." Kanzaki Ryou pulled Narumiya Mei back.
"Hmph, let go of me!" Narumiya Mei shook off Kanzaki Ryou's hand but didn't leave.
Kanzaki Ryou waved his phone in front of Narumiya Mei. "Come on, let's exchange."
Narumiya Mei said nothing, just continued to glare.
After exchanging contact information, Narumiya Mei said nothing, gave Kanzaki Ryou and Miyuki Kazuya a final glare, and left.
Looking at Narumiya Mei's departing back, Kanzaki Ryou suddenly felt that after this failure, Narumiya Mei might become even stronger and more formidable than in the original timeline.
This would be a great enemy for Kanzaki Ryou and Seido for the next two and a half years!
------------------
Support me at patréon com/DaoOfPeeking