It's my birthday now, and as a thank-you for all the support, here's a special chapter for you guys!
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Bottom of the ninth inning.
The players of Matsuyama High School's baseball team had all taken their defensive positions.
The substitute pitcher, Ida, who had shown cowardice earlier, seed like a completely different person after the success of the previous inning.
He confidently stood on the pitcher's mound and proactively directed his teammates.
"First base, back up! Third base, move forward…"
As a contact pitcher,
It was impossible for him to rely on strikeouts to get outs.
Such pitchers heavily depend on their defensive support.
Fortunately, the players of Matsuyama High's baseball team had always trained hard. With them backing him up, Ida's pitching performance was elevated significantly.
At this point, even when facing the core hitters of Seidou's second-string team, Ida remained full of fighting spirit.
In Seidou's dugout, the players were recalling the scenes from earlier and couldn't help but feel anxious.
This was their last chance.
The current score was 2–5. Scraping together a run or two wouldn't be aningful.
They had to completely break their opponent to have a shot at winning.
Now stepping up to bat was the cleanup hitter, Inoshita Teru.
So far, his batting performance had undoubtedly been the most impressive.
Even though he had a low presence in the first-string lineup,
Inoshita's true ability was undeniable.
Seeing him step into the batter's box, the natural aura he exuded was unmistakable.
Even Ida felt a chill.
"This guy is different!"
Despite the shock, Ida was no longer the sa as when he first ca on.
He raised his arm and visualized the mont he faced Zhou Hao earlier.
"Even that genius, I handled him. You're no different."
The stronger the batter, the more they treasure their opportunities to hit.
As long as the ball enters their hunting range, they'll swing using their most comfortable motion.
That was exactly how Ida had succeeded in neutralizing Zhou Hao—
Even though Zhou Hao had activated his Sharingan-like awareness, he was still handled with ease.
To Ida, Inoshita Teru seed like the sa type of powerful hitter.
If the ball ca into his zone, he wouldn't miss it.
Whoosh!
And indeed—just as Ida expected—when the pitch ca in, Inoshita decisively swung.
Crack!
The white baseball flew out in the exact direction Ida had anticipated.
"Success!"
Ida was elated.
In today's ga, he had transford.
He had seemingly discovered his ideal pitching rhythm and style.
Previously, when compared to the team's ace, he wasn't just behind—
he was in an entirely different league.
But now, Ida suddenly felt…
Maybe he had a chance to compete with the ace after all.
Just as he thought that, he realized sothing—
The ball wasn't returned.
Turning quickly, he saw the ball bounce off the ground after slipping past one of his teammates.
That teammate had gone full stretch trying to catch it, but was still a step too slow.
"How did it get there so fast?!"
Both Ida and the third baseman of Matsuyama High were in disbelief.
They could only watch helplessly as the ball rolled into the outfield.
Inoshita Teru had once again hit a double.
No outs, runner on second.
Next to bat was Miyuki Kazuya.
He locked onto the ball's trajectory and sent it flying.
Smack!
The ball landed in the outfield.
Miyuki safely reached second base, and Inoshita also ran all the way ho.
"Safe on base!"
"Score!"
The score changed to 3–5, narrowing the gap to just two runs.
Even better—Miyuki remained safely on second base.
For Matsuyama, who just monts ago thought they had the ga in hand, it was like a rollercoaster.
Their hearts were pounding in panic.
The montum had shifted too fast—so fast they couldn't react.
Seidou's offensive push wasn't over.
The next batter, the sixth in the lineup, went straight into a bunt stance.
Crack!
The batter was walked, and the runner advanced to third base.
One out, runners on third.
In Seidou's dugout, Rei Takashima began preparing powerful pinch hitters.
"Just one more run, and the opponent will definitely start to panic."
Matsuyama High's substitute pitcher was highly emotional.
When in control, he was smug and overconfident.
But the mont he was under pressure, he would beco flustered.
Although Seidou was riding the montum, if the pitcher didn't collapse ntally…
It would still be very difficult to take the lead,
especially with only one inning left to attack.
Seeing Rei's actions, Matsuyama's coach quickly signaled from the dugout.
And then—
Seidou's players noticed: Every ti they brought in a pinch hitter, the pitcher intentionally walked them.
After two pinch hitters were subbed in, the bases beca loaded with one out.
Matsuyama High put themselves on the edge of a cliff, doing everything to avoid disaster.
"Do you have any more cards to play?"
Matsuyama's coach stared at Rei Takashima.
He didn't believe Seidou's second-string had a third pinch hitter.
And in fact, Seidou did not.
Rei pursed her lips and could only send out their ninth batter.
Crack!
The hit ball flew high into the air and then started falling back down.
Matsuyama's second baseman had already positioned himself under the ball and caught it securely in his glove.
Pop!
"Out!"
The Seidou players felt their hearts in their throats at that mont.
The score remained 3–5.
The situation: Two outs, bases loaded.
Matsuyama High's players now had the aura of warriors fighting with their backs to the wall.
Even their emotional substitute pitcher had eyes burning with determination.
They wanted to win.
A victory like this—against a powerhouse like Seidou—would an everything to Matsuyama.
Once they returned to Chiba Prefecture and faced their local baseball giants,
they would have the confidence to win.
anwhile, Seidou was hesitating.
Because stepping up to bat now was the leadoff hitter from today's ga—Zhou Hao.
Zhou Hao had perford well. If not for his base hit in the first inning,
Seidou's start might've been even more disastrous.
But after that hit, he hadn't gotten another one.
And in his last at-bat—when he faced Ida—he had been thoroughly outplayed.
Now the question was…
Was it really the right choice to let Zhou Hao take this final at-bat?
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