Bottom of the seventh inning—Seidou High School's turn to attack.
The scoreboard displayed 2:6, with Seidou High leading by four runs.
This lead was not insignificant, but it wasn't enough to make their opponent lose hope, either.
Precisely because of this, the players from Yura Sougou were clinging desperately, refusing to let Seidou break free.
Perhaps, deep down, they still naively believed that they had a sliver of hope left.
"There is no such thing..."
Standing in the Batter's Box, Kuramochi's eyes gleamed with a cold, sharp light.
Wise says that humans need dignity, and trees need bark. As a member of the King Seidou High School Baseball Team, Kuramochi Youichi naturally had a pride befitting a champion.
Getting tangled up with Yura Sougou to this extent—he already felt like he had lost both his dignity and his pride.
At this point, how could he possibly allow the opponent to continue being overconfident?
This was a great opportunity. With him as the leadoff hitter starting this inning's offense—
As long as there were no errors, they should be able to get more runs.
If possible, Kuramochi even wanted to end the game in this inning.
Under such circumstances, there was no way he would let his opponent keep pestering him.
As long as the ball came his way, he would hit it out!
In fact, if it weren't for the bold plays made by Coach Sakaki, Seidou would have ended the game now.
That alone annoyed Kuramochi even further.
'Come on, throw your best shot over here! I'll show you why the sky is high!'
Kuramochi was itching to go.
He couldn't wait to teach Higashiyama a lesson.
On the pitcher's mound, Higashiyama seemed to sense something.
He felt a dangerous aura coming from Kuramochi like he was being stared down by a wild beast.
It made his hair stand on end.
'What's going on?'
But when he looked closely again, the feeling was gone.
Kuramochi, in the Batter's Box, looked innocent and harmless—just patiently waiting for the pitch.
Seeing this actually made Higashiyama even more uneasy.
'This isn't right.'
'Have you ever seen a tiger that doesn't eat people?'
Sure, in a zoo.
But Kuramochi was a wild beast—there's no way he'd be that calm.
The calmer he seemed, the more ferocious his next attack was likely to be.
The more Higashiyama thought about it, the more he was convinced.
He subconsciously tensed up, carefully watching Kuramochi.
But... he still couldn't see anything.
Clenching his teeth, Higashiyama finally threw the first pitch.
Some things are unavoidable for a pitcher—like pitching the ball.
It didn't matter if he felt comfortable or uneasy. When it was his turn to pitch, he had to throw the ball.
He could throw a Ball, but he couldn't refuse to pitch altogether.
Considering the upcoming batters, avoiding a showdown with Kuramochi was simply not an option.
To be honest, Higashiyama couldn't handle any of the hitters behind Kuramochi either.
If he was struggling in the first round, it was unrealistic to expect success in the fourth round.
Compared to those batters, Kuramochi seemed like the easier one.
Kuramochi didn't know that Higashiyama viewed him as the "soft spot."
He simply saw the incoming pitch and swung his bat without hesitation.
The pitch trajectory was clear as day, and the velocity and power were both inferior to earlier.
If he couldn't hit this, he might as well quit baseball.
Ping!
The baseball was struck and shot forward.
Kuramochi let go of his bat and sprinted toward first base with all his might.
The ball was hit fast, but the placement was not ideal.
The Yura Sougou shortstop dove and managed to block it with his body.
Ordinarily, this would mean the batter was likely to be thrown out.
But this is where things got unbelievable—Kuramochi was not your average batter.
By the time the shortstop picked up the ball and attempted to throw to first base...
Kuramochi was already having his coffee break.
"How can he be that fast?"
The shortstop's eyes were about to pop out, but there was nothing he could do.
Kuramochi's speed was simply illegal—what could you do?
No Outs, runner on first.
Next, it was Kominato Haruichi's turn at bat.
When it came to batting technique, Kominato Haruichi was undoubtedly the best on the entire Seidou team.
Even Sawamura and Miyuki couldn't match him in this regard.
His contact-focused approach was a nightmare for pitchers like Higashiyama.
In their previous matchups, Higashiyama had consistently struggled against him.
Now, with no Outs and a runner on first, seeing Kominato stepping up again gave Higashiyama a headache.
If he could, he would have preferred to avoid facing Kominato altogether.
At this point, Higashiyama glanced at Kuramochi.
Before the inning began, Coach Sakaki had given him specific instructions:
"If Kuramochi gets on base, consider trading a run for an Out."
"This inning is too advantageous for Seidou. If Kuramochi gets on base, the situation could become extremely dangerous."
That was Coach Sakaki's exact warning.
And he was right. With Kuramochi on base, if the next two batters also got on...
It would be bases loaded—and the cleanup batter wouldn't be Maezono, but Captain Miyuki.
Despite his sharp tongue, Miyuki was an attention-seeker.
When runners were on base, he was nearly unstoppable.
This revealed his personality—he loved the spotlight. The more runners on base, the more fired up he became.
Facing someone like that with bases loaded?
That was pure torment.
Rather than letting things escalate to that point, it would be better to sacrifice a run now to improve the team's overall situation.
"Retreat a step, and give yourself more space to operate."
Giving up a run to ease the pressure was a legitimate baseball strategy.
Higashiyama agreed with this logic. He even made up his mind—if Kuramochi attempted to steal, he wouldn't try to get him Out.
But Kuramochi had no intention of stealing.
He stayed put on first base—like a firmly planted post, not moving an inch.
Who is Kuramochi?
Back in his old neighborhood, he was the kind of guy even the troublemakers rejected.
Stealing a base just to help Yura Sougou ease the pressure?
No way in hell!
He stayed at first base, rock solid.
Seeing this, Higashiyama was furious but powerless.
What was he supposed to do? Politely ask Kuramochi to advance to second base.
If he actually tried that, his teammates would probably beat him to death before the game ended.
With no other choice, Higashiyama had to face Kominato Haruichi head-on.
If he could get Kominato Out and secure the first Out, maybe he could get a double play.
Wishful thinking.
Kuramochi wouldn't be that confident if he didn't believe Kominato could get a hit.
And Kominato didn't disappoint—when the pitch came, he swung decisively.
Paak!
The ball dropped behind first base—a perfectly placed hit.
Kuramochi advanced to third base.
Kominato reached first base.
No Outs, runners on first and third.
Now, it was Sawamura Eijun's turn to bat.
In the stands, Seidou's fans smiled knowingly.
Would Yura Sougou's Ace choose to face Sawamura directly...
Or Walk him and face Miyuki instead?
On the pitcher's mound, Higashiyama glanced at his outfielder, whose expression didn't look like that of a teammate at all.
Instead, it was more like he was staring at a sworn enemy.
'You usually mess up all the time, so why did you have to be reliable at such a critical moment today? Wouldn't it have been better to stick to your usual style? Why did you have to relay the ball back so quickly?'
When it's time to step up, you're never active. But when it's not your turn to shine, you suddenly steal the spotlight…
At that moment, Higashiyama really wanted to grab his teammate by the collar and ask:
'Are you a spy sent by Seidou?' (Bruh! Say that to the Coach!)
The outfielder who had just thrown the ball back to home plate quickly looked confused.
Hadn't he just stopped Kuramochi from scoring at home plate?
He had helped the team save a run!
He thought Ace pitcher Higashiyama would praise him, but it turned out to be the opposite.
Higashiyama's gaze was anything but friendly.
The outfielder even suspected that if they weren't in the middle of a game, Higashiyama might have rushed over to settle things with him in a real-life brawl.
But he felt like he hadn't done anything wrong.
That play just now, even if it wasn't outstanding, he had at least done his job properly.
The outfielder was completely baffled. He had no idea what his mistake was.
And there was no way he could know.
No one would tell him that Higashiyama wasn't angry because he had performed poorly—on the contrary, he was angry because he had performed too well.
It was precisely because he had done too well that Higashiyama now faced an even more difficult decision.
No Outs, runners on first and third.
At this moment, Sawamura Eijun stepped into the Batter's Box.
The supporters of Seidou High and Sawamura's fans didn't even bother to cheer him on.
It wasn't that they didn't want to see Sawamura perform well; they simply believed that the opposing pitcher didn't have the guts.
Higashiyama wouldn't dare to face Sawamura head-on.
This dismissive attitude from the fans was infuriating.
Higashiyama's temper flared up, but he could only shut up.
What truly frustrated him was that those guys were right.
He really didn't dare to go head-to-head with Sawamura at this moment.
The score was 2-6, with no outs and runners on first and third.
If Sawamura hit a home run, the score would instantly become 2-9.
And it was already the seventh inning. That kind of lead would basically decide the game.
Higashiyama had tried to resist. He had gauged Sawamura's strength from the mound.
Based on his instincts, if he threw the ball into the strike zone, it would definitely be hit.
Even throwing close to the strike zone wasn't safe.
Under such circumstances, there was no way he could face Sawamura directly.
He had no choice but to issue an intentional walk.
As for the fans' mocking attitude—let them be. It's not like it would physically hurt him.
"BALL!"
"BALL!!"
"BALL!!!"
"BALL!!!!"
Higashiyama opted to intentionally Walk Sawamura, giving him no chance at all and sending him directly to first base.
Haruichi, who had been on first, advanced to second.
And just like that, the third bases-loaded situation of the game appeared.
Standing in the Batter's Box now was Miyuki Kazuya, Seidou's cleanup hitter and captain.
No Outs, bases loaded!
Miyuki was practically hopping to the Box.
He was like a child in Christmas running to the pile of gifts.
Thank the heavens! Who knows how long it's been since he had such a great opportunity, with Sawamura—the scoring machine—batting before him.
Now that the chance had finally come, if he didn't hit a Grand Slam—
Who could he face after that?
Miyuki raised his bat high, his eyes locked onto the pitcher's mound.
His expression was a mix of anticipation and gratitude—he wanted to smash the ball, but he was also thankful for the opportunity.
'Bring it on!'
'I won't hold back. I'll finish this quickly, sparing you any prolonged suffering.'
On the mound, Higashiyama felt a chill down his spine.
It was like an ancient war criminal being led to the execution ground, just waiting for the executioner's blade to fall.
'No! Absolutely not!!'
He looked toward his dugout for help.
Manager Sakaki's eyes showed a hint of disappointment.
As the team's Ace, when you can't rely on strength alone, it's acceptable to use some clever tricks for the sake of the team.
Just like what they did in the fifth inning.
But in the end, such tricks are just small-time moves—they can't become your main reliance.
If you keep depending on such tricks, a pitcher will never improve.
An Ace must have the resolve to stand up in crucial moments.
Clearly, Higashiyama was lacking in this regard. Otherwise, he wouldn't be seeking help now.
The confidence in his heart had already crumbled. Under such circumstances, he had no chance of winning against Miyuki.
Even though Sakaki disapproved of this approach, he still signaled Higashiyama.
If subtle tricks don't work, go with the obvious.
Higashiyama didn't know what was going through his Coach's mind.
He naturally assumed the Coach approved of his decision.
Seeing his Coach's support, Higashiyama's confidence returned.
With the bases loaded, he repeated his old tactic—throwing four Balls.
Miyuki watched the catcher move back and nearly coughed up blood in frustration.
He had waited so long for such an opportunity, only for the opposing team to refuse to play along.
"Walk To Base!"
Miyuki advanced to first, and the other runners moved up a base.
Sawamura to second, Kominato to third.
Kuramochi, who had been on third, was forced home, scoring a run.
The score became 2-7!
Kuramochi's face didn't show much joy.
After all their back-and-forth calculations, they had still fallen into the opponent's trap.
Higashiyama, who had previously seemed tough and dominant, turned out to be a coward when it mattered.
On his way back, Kuramochi faced the upcoming Maezono.
"Destroy This Chicken!!"
At his words, Maezono nodded with a solemn and scary face.
Being a coward had its benefits.
With that retreat, Seidou's carefully built situation had been broken.
Yura Sougou could once again face Maezono.
The exact same situation—bases loaded, no Outs.
Pitcher: Higashiyama.
Batter: Maezono.
Not even half an hour earlier, the exact same matchup had occurred.
In that encounter, Higashiyama not only got Maezono out but also turned a double play.
That play was a major reason this game had remained close until now.
This time, he hoped to repeat his success.
But in the Batter's Box, Maezono puffed his cheeks, glaring at his opponent like a furious demon.
He was both nervous and angry.
This was a pure humiliation!
They would rather give up a run to Walk Miyuki just to face him.
He had never seen such a blatant insult!
Maezono was furious but reminded himself not to get heated.
Panicking would mean falling into their trap.
He had to stay calm and recall his Coach's advice:
"If you can't read the pitch, wait until it's closer to your hands before swinging. You don't need a home run—just make solid contact."
After his previous mistake, Coach Kataoka's patient guidance had deeply moved Maezono.
He was determined to get a hit this time.
The pitcher made his stride, and the world in Maezono's eyes suddenly became much quieter.
When the pitch came, Maezono waited until the ball was near his hands and swung with all his strength.
PPPPAAAAAAAANNNGGGGG!!!!
The ball flew like a shooting star, landing right field stands.
A Grand Slam!
Seidou ended the game with another Grand Slam, and this time, the executioner was the fifth batter, Maezono Kenta!
…