<96> Deadly Strike!

Chapter 96: Deadly Strike!

"BOOMM!!"

The white baseball cut through the air, producing a loud whistling sound.

The fans in the stands couldn't quite perceive it, but the batter in the box could hear it clearly.

"Wow, wow! This kid's pitch speed really makes people feel envy, jealousy, and hatred," Narumiya muttered under his breath, but his hands gripped the bat firmly.

At that moment, Narumiya used every bit of strength he had.

His determination to send the ball flying was stronger than ever before.

"Whoosh!"

As an explosive-type player, the sound of Narumiya Mei's swing was equally attention-grabbing.

However, despite his powerful swing, he didn't manage to connect with the ball.

The baseball passed through the strike zone just before his bat arrived.

"Pop!"

"Strike!!"

Upon seeing this, several diehard supporters of the Inashiro Industrial High School baseball team in the stands closed their eyes in anguish.

"It's over!"

In that moment, they were filled with despair.

It seemed like their gamble on the Inashiro Industrial High School baseball team had failed.

On the pitcher's mound, Furuya didn't show any signs of wavering as they had feared.

On the contrary, judging from that last pitch, his form was as steady as ever.

In fact, he seemed even stronger than when the game had first started.

"It's not over yet! Don't underestimate our ace, that wasn't his true intent!"

At first, almost everyone in the stadium thought that Inashiro Industrial High School was attempting a hit-and-run play.

But soon, some realized that something wasn't quite right.

Narumiya's swing was significantly late.

It didn't seem like he was aiming to hit the ball at all, but rather like he deliberately swung half a second late.

Given their knowledge of the Inashiro Industrial High School team and Narumiya, such a basic mistake was almost impossible for him to make.

Yet here it was.

"Something feels off…"

When something unusual happens, there's always a reason behind it.

It didn't take long for people to figure out what was really happening.

Narumiya's swing timing perfectly blocked Miyuki's throw to second base.

Those who witnessed this scene understood it immediately.

Though it wasn't exactly honorable, as spectators they could say with confidence that Narumiya's tactic worked.

He successfully bought their runner an extra half-second.

"How underhanded…"

At that moment, the diehard supporters of Seidou High School's baseball team also started to realize what had just happened.

The more they thought about it, the angrier they became.

In their eyes, the players of Inashiro Industrial High School had become the epitome of breaking the rules.

"This is too despicable!"

"Referee!!"

Just as Seidou's supporters and their bench players were preparing to call on the umpire to ensure fairness, Miyuki suddenly made his move.

As Miyuki caught the baseball, he deliberately took a step outward during the motion of getting up.

What initially seemed like a deadlock for Seidou was cleverly avoided with this small, calculated step.

It may have been a small step, but it allowed Miyuki  to successfully evade Narumiya's swing range.

Because of that precise move, Miyuki was able to release the baseball in time.

"Whoosh!"

The white baseball shot towards second base with a whistle.

At this point, the entire crowd fell silent.

The situation had changed so quickly. Although their eyes had kept up with the play, their brains couldn't process it fast enough.

It felt as if their minds were overheating.

The audience was dumbfounded, but not the Seidou players.

Before the baseball even returned to second base, a swift figure had already reached the bag to cover the base.

The moment that player arrived at second, the baseball flew right into his glove.

"Ha-ha!"

Kuramochi's face lit up with a brilliant smile.

Even though he wasn't particularly fond of his second-year teammate in the catcher's position—after all, Miyuki had a sharp tongue and was somewhat manipulative—within the Seidou baseball team, no one ever doubted Miyuki's skill.

They firmly believed that their starting catcher, even when compared to players across the country, was an elite star.

There was no questioning his talent.

As for his personality, though, opinions varied.

To be blunt, it wasn't just Kuramochi. Within the Seidou High baseball team, there weren't many who were fond of Miyuki.

But even so, no one could deny Miyuki's incredible baseball prowess.

"Well done, you little rascal. Nicely played!"

Kuramochi, who had caught the ball ahead of time, looked at Harada, who was charging toward him, with a mischievous grin.

"Sorry for the trouble, Harada-senpai!"

Harada would've liked to fight back.

He was big and strong, but against Kuramochi, whose agility stats were practically double-S tier, Harada knew he didn't stand a chance.

If he forced a collision, not only would it be hard to reach base, but there was also a risk of injury.

Considering the rest of the game, Harada had no choice but to give up.

He could only watch as Kuramochi's glove tapped him.

"Pop!"

"Out!"

One out, with no one on base.

This failed steal attempt dealt an unprecedented blow to Inashiro Industrial's baseball team.

All the players pressed their lips together in silence.

The fans in the stands supporting Inashiro Industrial felt a heavy weight in their hearts.

As one portly journalist summarized, "This is the perfect example of trying to steal a chicken and losing the rice."

Their plan had been solid—they wanted to use this opportunity to cause some trouble for Seidou's pitcher.

And from the looks of it, their success rate had been quite high.

The two players coordinated well.

Especially Narumiya, whose aggressive stance and determination to hit the ball fooled almost everyone.

Who would have thought that this guy was merely faking it?

His intent to hit the ball was false—his real goal was to block Miyuki's line of sight for the throw.

But no one had expected that Seidou's main catcher would turn the tables on them.

With that move, Inashiro's entire plan crumbled.

Not only that, but they also lost Harada, who had worked so hard to get on base.

As a result, even though they had secured a hit, Inashiro's offense couldn't push forward in the slightest.

This was a heavy blow for Inashiro's players.

Given Furuya's current pitching form, Inashiro's players felt even more despair.

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