After two balls, Masatoshi Harada still chose to probe carefully, calmly signaling to Narumiya Mei on the mound.
Narumiya's expression didn't change.
He already understood Kuramochi's intentions.
You want to bunt? Then try it.
Whoosh!
Narumiya lifted his arm and fired another pitch toward home plate.
The ball came in straight—
Kuramochi moved again.
This time, the motion was bigger.
But at the last moment, he held back, watching the ball settle cleanly into Harada's glove.
"Ball!"
"…Still not swinging?"
A hint of unease crept into Harada's mind.
What was this guy planning?
Two hittable pitches—yet no swing?
Too steady.
On the mound, Narumiya was starting to lose patience.
Is he bunting or not?!
Just do it already!
Originally, he had intended to bait Kuramochi into bunting.
But after two failed attempts, it was clear—
If this continued, he would be the one walking the batter.
Enough.
Harada made the same decision.
His sign came quickly—
Inside high fastball.
A direct challenge.
Narumiya smirked.
Now that's more like it.
In the batter's box, Kuramochi understood as well.
The mind games were over.
Both Narumiya and Harada had seen through him.
But he had already achieved his goal—two balls.
From here on, the pitcher would naturally be more cautious.
Which meant—
Fewer tricky pitches.
A perfect chance to bunt.
Whoosh!!
Narumiya's arm whipped forward like lightning.
Kuramochi reacted instantly, extending his bat to deaden the ball—
Thwack!
"Strike!"
The bunt failed.
Kuramochi's heart dropped.
Too close!
That pitch had nearly jammed into his chest.
Even knowing he might bunt—
Narumiya still dared to throw inside.
Wasn't he afraid of hitting someone?
Kuramochi looked up.
On the mound, Narumiya stood tall, chin slightly raised.
His gaze was sharp.
Cold.
Oppressive.
Heh…
Kuramochi let out a dry laugh.
No wonder they called him the Prince of Tokyo.
Count: 1 strike, 2 balls.
On paper, Kuramochi held the advantage.
But only he knew—
The momentum had already shifted.
In Seido's dugout, Ochiai Hiromitsu's earlier smile had faded.
Small tricks worked only when the opponent was unprepared.
Against a true Ace—
Once they decided to confront you head-on,
You either rose to the challenge—
Or got crushed.
Fortunately, Kuramochi had never intended to reach base through tricks alone.
The real battle—
Started now.
Whoosh…
He exhaled slowly, tightening his grip on the bat.
That last pitch still lingered in his mind.
Narumiya delivered again—
Kuramochi read it.
Swung!
Bang!!
Damn it!
The moment he made contact, Kuramochi knew.
Bad hit.
The ball shot toward the gap between first and second.
Inashiro's second baseman, Hirai Tsubasa, moved quickly, fielded it cleanly, and fired to first.
"Out!!"
Kuramochi sprinted, but it wasn't enough.
The ball hit Yamaoka Riku's glove well before he reached the base.
I got played…
He had tried to bait Narumiya into throwing bad pitches—
Only to be lured into swinging at one himself.
How embarrassing.
Back in the dugout—
"Tsk, you got fooled," Kanzaki Ryou teased.
"Must be a difference in intelligence," Miyuki added casually.
Kuramochi snorted, ignoring them, and leaned over the railing.
"Ryosuke-san! You're up!!"
"Stop yelling," Kanzaki said lazily. "Ryosuke-san won't go down that easily."
On the field—
Narumiya was already in motion.
Second batter: Kominato Ryosuke.
First pitch—
Outside low fastball.
No swing.
Second pitch—
Outside high.
Still no swing.
Two strikes.
The crowd erupted.
"Strike him out!!"
"Nice, Narumiya!!"
But in the batter's box—
Kominato Ryosuke still smiled.
Calm.
Unshaken.
Narumiya frowned.
Still smiling…?
Let's see how long that lasts.
Behind the plate, Harada observed carefully.
No flaws.
No openings.
If they kept going outside, he would eventually swing.
But if they went inside—
With his technique, it could turn into a drawn-out battle.
Then let's test him.
Signal:
Outside high fastball—ball.
A pitch difficult to handle.
But—
Will you really let it go?
Narumiya hesitated for a split second.
He wanted to challenge him head-on.
To overpower him.
To strike him out clean.
But—
This wasn't about pride.
This was about Koshien.
He nodded.
Whoosh!!
The pitch flew.
Perfect location.
Got him.
Harada felt a flicker of confidence.
But then—
A flash.
Bang!
Kominato extended his bat with one hand—
Barely reaching the ball—
And tapped it weakly toward the space between second and third.
"Run!!"
Seido's bench roared.
Kominato sprinted toward first.
"Not happening!"
Narumiya reacted instantly.
Spinning off the mound, he charged forward and cut off the ball himself.
Whoosh!!
A laser throw—
Straight to first.
"Out!!"
Two batters down.
And Narumiya Mei—
Was just getting started.