Sawamura, who had already reached first base, didn't look the least bit pleased.
On the contrary, his face displayed an expression of sheer disbelief as he looked at Narumiya on the pitcher's mound. Given his mental maturity, there were few things that could leave him like this.
But now, something like this had happened.
Tokyo Prince Narumiya Mei, the man who had been called the best southpaw pitcher in Kanto since childhood.
He had Walked Sawamura?
No matter how Sawamura thought about it, this matter felt odd.
It completely caught him off guard.
After being Walked, Sawamura stood on the base as the batter's turn came to Miyuki.
Sawamura still couldn't believe what had just happened.
If someone had told Sawamura before today's game that Narumiya would Walk him during the match, Sawamura would have laughed in their face.
He might not have known about everyone else, but Narumiya? He knew him too well.
Anyone else might Walk him, but Narumiya was someone who would never do that.
Yet, fate seemed to be playing a joke on him. Narumiya Walked him.
And not only did he Walk him, but after the Walk, he started acting.
His acting was so superb that he could win an Oscar.
At this moment, Sawamura even started to question himself.
'Had he lost his mind? Or had Mei been replaced by someone else?'
No matter how he looked at it, this situation was suspicious.
If something is unusual, there must be a cause.
Before his regression, someone once told Sawamura during a conversation that the world was harsh. If something good suddenly fell from the sky, it was likely not a good thing.
Had Narumiya Walked Sawamura because he was scared of his pitching? Or had something else affected him?
It was impossible to be sure.
Not understanding the other side's plan made the situation a bit troublesome.
But no matter how you thought about it since they had made such a big sacrifice, there must be a bigger plan behind it.
'What could they be plotting?'
What could possibly be so scary about the Seidou High School baseball team that it would make them plot against it?
Once analyzed, the answer became very clear.
The only reason Narumiya would throw away his pride and intentionally Walk Sawamura was to prevent Seidou High from scoring.
No matter what their plan was, or what their designs were, the ultimate goal must have been this.
In that case, Seidou High's next move should be very simple.
No matter what, they couldn't let them have their way. Whatever dreams they were having, they had to crush them.
Without hesitation, Sawamura made eye contact with Miyuki, signaling him. Then, he assumed a stance, looking as though he was about to steal the base.
Narumiya, from the mound, didn't pay any attention to Sawamura's stance.
He knew too well about Sawamura's abilities. With his turtle-like starting speed, how could he possibly steal a base in front of Narumiya and Tadano?
It was a fantasy!
If Sawamura dared to do it, they would immediately, without hesitation, take care of him.
And they were confident that Sawamura wouldn't be that reckless.
They had been in contact for a long time, and everyone knew each other's habits.
The reason Sawamura had assumed this posture was simply to distract Narumiya.
How could they let Sawamura have things his way?
Knowing that Narumiya didn't even try to keep an eye on Sawamura while pitching.
He was certain that Sawamura wouldn't dare to move.
The catcher, Tadano, although thinking the same, didn't let his guard down against Sawamura.
There was no way around it—fame and reputation.
Anyone who was familiar with Sawamura's past achievements knew that he was infamous for playing by his own rules.
The more people believed something was impossible, the more Sawamura might actually try it.
So, even knowing that Sawamura wouldn't try to steal the base, Tadano still remained cautious.
With all preparations done, Tadano was ready to catch the ball.
After Walking Sawamura, Narumiya seemed to have released some kind of internal restraint, letting go completely.
Facing Miyuki, he threw his pitch with calm confidence.
And when he pitched, there was no hesitation at all—he was choosing a direct confrontation.
Roaar!
The baseball flew like an arrow, cutting through the air.
Miyuki, in the Batter's Box, was momentarily stunned when he saw the pitch.
A pitcher forced to throw Four Balls is usually affected mentally.
Typically, a normal-tempered pitcher would be impacted, especially someone with a fiery temperament like Narumiya.
But strangely, his pitch wasn't affected at all. In fact, it seemed sharper than before.
This was clearly abnormal, even quite unusual.
At that moment, Miyuki received a signal from Sawamura.
Though he still couldn't figure out what kind of scheme the Inashiro Industrial High School players had in mind, Miyuki was sure that Sawamura's strategy was correct. No matter their plan, as long as Seidou High could score when the opportunity arose, that was enough.
Considering all the pros and cons, Miyuki decided to go along with Sawamura's plan.
Before the summer tournament, Seidou had prepared some secret weapons, including Sawamura's level 4 breaking ball.
More importantly, the situation was perfect—an opportunity to score.
Miyuki's eyes narrowed as he focused on Narumiya's pitch.
He had let the first pitch go, but now, with a Strike advantage, Narumiya Mei and Tadano had space to work with.
'What would they do next?'
Miyuki's brain worked at full speed and quickly came to a conclusion.
When ahead with one Strike, Narumiya and Tadano would never let things slide. If they had the chance, they would definitely expand their lead.
'It would be a relentless series of pressures.'
'Here it comes!'
Just as Miyuki had an inkling, the baseball came flying at him. The speed and force of this second pitch felt even stronger than the first.
Even though they were opponents, Miyuki couldn't help but admire Narumiya's pitching.
It was clean, sharp, and clever!
However, he didn't have to face that pitch. He didn't need to challenge Narumiya head-on right now.
All he needed to do was hit the ball where he wanted it to go.
Paak!
Miyuki swung decisively.
He hit the second pitch from Narumiya.
The ball flew towards third base.
Yabe, Inashiro's third baseman, seeing the ball was immediately fired up.
'Like this, we can get a double play!'
He dashed forward, ready to field it and throw it to second base.
On the surface, this seemed like a good outcome.
Although he couldn't catch the ball directly, it wouldn't be hard to get the two runners out.
That's what Yabe thought and did.
But as he was about to catch the ball, he suddenly noticed something strange. He looked up at the catcher, who seemed hesitant.
'What was wrong with Tadano?'
This thought flashed through the Inashiro third baseman's mind.
This made Yabe hesitant, so threw the ball to first base instead.
Snap!
"OUT!"
With Miyuki's speed, it was impossible for him to reach first base with a ground ball that rolled toward third. So they at least should get him Out.
However, his out didn't mean the end. It was just the beginning.
As the third baseman turned to return to third, he saw an unbelievable scene.
At second base, someone was sprinting toward third at high speed.
This person was incredibly fast, and he had already covered at least ten meters past second base.
"Oh, Shit!"
At that moment, Yabe's eyes nearly popped out of his head.
How did Sawamura, who had been at first base, end up over there?
'How was he so fast!?'
With all attention focused on Miyuki's hit, no one had noticed how Sawamura was stealing the second base.
"Dream on!"
Yabe desperately tried to reach third, but his heart sank.
By the time he returned, it would probably be too late.
Although he could reach third, he knew there was no chance of tagging the runner in time!
Fortunately, someone was faster than him—Shirakawa!
Shirakawa arrived at third base to cover, determined to stop Sawamura in his tracks.
…