At night, everyone gathered in the cafeteria to watch the game between Inashiro Industrial and Sakurazawa High.
"In the end, he only threw four changeups, three forkballs, and seven sliders. Looks like his pitch selection this game was mainly fastballs," Chris explained while reviewing his notes.
"Though Sakurazawa's lineup is definitely on the weaker side, for him to pitch that well even knowing we were watching…" said Isashiki Jun.
The screen showed a sharp inside fastball from Narumiya Mei, thrown toward the batter's chest.
"So, the only guy who managed to hit a double off Narumiya last year—what's your take?" Kominato Ryousuke asked, prompting everyone to look at Yuuki Tetsuya.
"I believe our team has a one-two punch strong enough to disrupt their plan. Our players adapt their approach depending on the situation, and most importantly, everyone gives their all at the plate. I truly believe that the current us can defeat Narumiya Mei," Yuuki said firmly.
"So we'll just play our own brand of baseball until the very end."
The atmosphere shifted instantly. Everyone's fighting spirit surged.
Chris then said they'd be holding a pitcher review meeting to go over issues from past games.
Rinichi turned away from the screen. "I'll sit this one out."
That kind of meeting wasn't necessary for him. Rather than joining the crowd, he'd rather study more footage and completely analyze Narumiya's pitching and his catcher's signals.
No one objected. After all, Rinichi's pitching had been rock solid throughout the tournament.
When he felt he'd reviewed enough, it was already late. On the way back to the dorm, his mind was still preoccupied with Narumiya's mechanics.
Opening the door, he saw Masuko-senpai and Kuramochi still awake.
Kuramochi gave a crooked grin. "So? Think you can hit Narumiya's pitches?"
Rinichi yawned. "Not bad."
He played it safe with his words. But truthfully, he already had a solid plan.
If the lineup could just connect through to his spot, he was confident he could blow Narumiya apart.
"And can you shut down their lineup?" Kuramochi asked the critical question.
Shutting down Inashiro Industrial's lineup? Most wouldn't even dare dream of it.
"Probably." Even if not completely, he'd make sure they couldn't hit cleanly. It would all come down to how Miyuki called the game.
He spoke while climbing into bed.
Masuko and Kuramochi exchanged glances, both with unreadable smiles.
They trusted Rinichi's pitching completely.
Rinichi picked up his phone. A new message popped up from someone labeled "Sei."
A jolt ran through him. He sat up and opened it quickly.
[The final game before Koshien… I'll be watching.]
He stared at the screen in silence for a long while.
"What's up with you?" Kuramochi asked.
Rinichi snapped out of it and put the phone away. "Nothing."
He pulled the blanket over himself. "I'm going to sleep."
Kuramochi and Masuko: "…"
The next day, the number of people watching practice had grown significantly.
Rinichi stood before the 150 km/h pitching machine. As the ball came flying in, he swung swiftly and smashed it against the highest part of the net.
"Whoa! How many home runs has Kamishiro hit today?"
"And the rest are all doubles! This guy's insane!"
Even the upperclassmen taking batting practice beside him were startled by his presence.
He was completely different from before—far more focused and intense.
"I'm not going," Rinichi muttered after a swing.
The pitcher meeting? Just a rundown of the opposing team's lineup.
From the side, Miyuki could only stare silently.
"Then, how well do you know Inashiro's lineup?"
Rinichi shot him a glance, swung the bat, and sent the ball soaring high.
"Lead-off, center fielder, Carlos—disrupts the defense with his unorthodox batting stance and base running..."
"Second, shortstop, Shirakawa—can flawlessly execute hit-and-run and bunts..."
"Third, third baseman, Yoshizawa—sharp swings, often creates scoring opportunities for teammates..."
Swing—crack. A clean double.
"Cleanup hitter, catcher, Harada. Fifth, pitcher, Narumiya..."
"Sixth, first baseman, Yamaoka—specializes in power hits..."
"Seventh, Hirai Tsubasa—adept at finesse batting..."
Miyuki raised an eyebrow, surprised.
Looks like he really did do his homework.
"And another thing—their lineup is extremely fixated on winning. Last year, the decisive moment in the game came from a forced score by their cleanup hitter," Miyuki added.
In other words, once they sniff out a scoring chance, the whole lineup unites and goes all-in.
"Well, since you've done your research, you can skip the pitcher meeting. But make sure you get in the bullpen this afternoon to check your pitch types and condition," Miyuki said.
He figured Rinichi wouldn't skip that part. After all, they'd already given him enough time to swing to his heart's content.
Rinichi exhaled, eyes landing on Miyuki again.
"With my pitching… you do have the confidence to shut them down, right?"
It was a bit awkwardly phrased.
What he meant was: "If I give it my all and pitch to the limit, it's up to you to call the game. I'll follow your lead."
Miyuki blinked, then grinned. "Of course."
With a pitcher like Rinichi on the mound, how could he not have confidence?
Rinichi's condition was excellent—he even ate three bowls of rice. He felt this good likely because he hadn't pitched a complete game in either of the last two rounds.
That afternoon, someone delivered crates of sports drinks.
They said they were from Azuma-senpai.
Azuma-senpai? Azuma Kiyokuni?
Wasn't he Seidou's cleanup hitter last year? The one who went pro as a third-round draft pick?
Rinichi stepped outside and spotted Azuma himself, lugging a crate of drinks.
Surprisingly solid build—
The most excited one was Isashiki Jun.
"Azuma-senpai?! No way, it's really him!"
Now that he thought about it, Narumiya had actually struck out Azuma—despite Azuma being a third-round draft pick and Narumiya just a freshman at the time.
Now, how many heavy hitters could he strike out?
Probably all of them.
Rinichi allowed himself that bit of pride.
The third-years all flocked around Azuma with admiration and respect.
Once practice started, Azuma left.
He really had just come all this way to drop off some drinks…
"Kamishiro, bullpen now." Miyuki still made sure to remind him—as if afraid Rinichi would ditch.
Rinichi turned around and saw Furuya, Kawakami, and Tanba already standing by the catchers.
He was the only one left.
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