<105> Malice

Chapter 105: Malice

Susabano Junior High is somewhat of an underdog school. Their main players are almost entirely first-year students, many of whom were part of the local Little League. It's a team that formed organically out of player initiative.

Their skill level is average—not particularly strong or weak—but they're not inferior to teams like Tokumei Middle School. Naturally, they were able to hold their own against Akagi Junior High.

Coincidentally, Sendo and his team stumbled upon them without prior knowledge.

On the other side, Susabano Junior High also felt unlucky to face Akagi unprepared.

"How will they pitch?"

The fourth inning was underway. Akagi Junior High versus Susabano Junior High. Top of the fourth inning, two outs, a runner on third base, and the batter in the sixth spot.

Under the intense gazes of both teams, the showdown began.

Pop!

"Strike!"

"Straight down the middle? What's the meaning of this? Are they planning to rely solely on speed? Sure, sacrificing control improves velocity, but is this really a good idea?" Sendo thought to himself after observing the first pitch.

"Interesting!" he muttered, though he refrained from giving any explicit instructions.

The pitcher raised his arm for the second pitch.

Crack!

"Foul ball!"

The second pitch was again a straight fastball down the middle, though its trajectory wavered significantly. This wild, uncontrolled fastball carried undeniable power.

The ball even seemed slightly unstable, with faint signs of wobbling.

"They've completely caught the timing of the pitches! So relying on sheer power isn't going to work, huh? Damn it! Where did this Akagi team even come from? Last year, weren't they eliminated in the first round by another first-round elimination team?"

Susabano's catcher, though aware that the opponent was formidable, couldn't help but feel frustrated. It was a battle of underdogs—two dark horses clashing head-on.

Still, he quickly refocused and raised his glove.

Unbeknownst to him, Sendo was observing him with an inexplicable look in his eyes. Then, he signaled to Omura.

"Huh?" Omura was surprised by the signal but followed through obediently.

Omura was the type of player who followed instructions to the letter. Aside from a few standout personalities, most of Akagi's players had this type of temperament.

This was evident in their previous game, where only Sendo and Ohno were unfazed by the cheers of hundreds of girls.

The third pitch came.

Whoosh!

Pop!

"Ball!"

The batter didn't even flinch, letting the slider go by without a glance. It was a breaking ball intended to deceive the batter into swinging at a bad pitch.

"Did you see that? The batter didn't even move. Isn't he afraid? He was just one pitch away from wasting a scoring opportunity!" spectators murmured in confusion.

"After the second pitch was hit, realizing their prized fastball timing was being perfectly caught, and with two outs and a scoring chance in jeopardy, they'd naturally try to use the fastball's lingering impression to trick the batter into swinging at a breaking ball. Isn't that right, Susabano's catcher?" Sendo thought, a slight smirk forming on his face. He truly enjoyed the thrill of reading others' thoughts.

"Now, let's see... What will you do next? With your cautious personality…" Sendo began speculating again, remotely guiding Omura.

Pop!

"Ball!"

"They'll likely abandon the current approach and try a test pitch with better control. It'll be a ball to test the waters," Sendo muttered to himself as the opposing pitcher delivered the fourth pitch.

In just a few short innings, Sendo had analyzed the opponent's pitching style and even deduced their catcher's personality traits.

Pitch-calling speaks volumes; the combination of pitches reflects the catcher's mindset.

It's similar to how Chris, upon first meeting Miyuki, deduced his strong personality and strategy through his pitch-calling, countering him effectively on both offense and defense.

If Chris excelled in bold analysis and guesses, Sendo was a master of this craft.

"It's a pity Omura didn't fake recognition of the pitch and stop his swing midway—it would've been perfect. But no matter, their catcher isn't cunning enough to exploit that."

While Sendo indulged in his mental games, the Susabano catcher was panicking at home plate.

The opponent clearly anticipated their pitch selection.

"Is it the pitcher's habits?" the catcher wondered. Little did he know that his pitch-calling style had been thoroughly analyzed, and his personality had been used to deduce their next moves.

Time waits for no one, so he could only press on.

His nervous, exaggerated movements were entirely captured by Sendo, who calmly read his body language.

The pressure was immense. One mistake could cost them the game, and the next scoring opportunity was uncertain.

The catcher's unnatural head movements reassured Sendo.

Sendo immersed himself in the catcher's mindset, planning the next pitch based on his habits and personality.

Crack!

Omura swung, making solid contact with the speeding white ball. It zipped past the infielders, allowing Akagi to score first.

For a moment, time seemed to freeze.

At home plate, Takada celebrated with a passionate hug from the seventh batter, Oyama. Meanwhile, several players dashed from the bench, arms raised in triumph.

"We must've exposed some habit, allowing them to predict our pitches. So they countered with a cross-corner fastball!"

This was the result of Sendo's strategic thinking. When he anticipated the pitch, the outcome became inevitable.

"Top of the fourth inning, two outs, runner on third. Akagi's sixth batter, Omura, perfectly read the pitch and delivered a timely hit, securing a crucial RBI! This run is a heavy blow!" The announcer passionately narrated as Omura reached second base.

Though junior high baseball had a smaller audience, some people remained highly dedicated.

Perhaps it's this overcommitment to even mundane tasks that explains Japan's relatively low crime rate—too many idle officials looking for something to do!

Sendo would only give signals for standard plays, such as stealing bases or hit-and-run strategies.

"Seventh batter, third baseman, Oyama-kun!"

"Seventh batter, third baseman, Oyama-kun!"

The announcer's voice delivered yet another psychological blow to the opposing team.

The catcher, Takase, was still doubting everything, questioning his decisions and himself.

Unable to continue, the pitcher called for another timeout.

"What's wrong, Takase?" the pitcher asked as soon as he approached the mound.

"Nothing! Wait… give me a moment to think!" Takase replied, visibly unsettled.

The others could only go along, trying to buy some time.

"It's impossible! I haven't noticed any bad habits, but why? How have they figured out our pitches three times in a row?" Takase thought, trying to piece things together.

Suddenly, a thought struck him.

"Wait… Could it be that the signs were cracked?"

The realization boosted Takase's confidence.

"Our signals might've been deciphered. In the last three pitches, it felt like they knew what was coming right from the start. We'll change our signs moving forward!"

Takase, convinced of his reasoning, called in the outfielders to switch to a new signaling system.

This misunderstanding, however, would never be resolved because Sendo had already stopped analyzing pitch patterns. Fate often works in strange and amusing ways.

Years later, when Sendo retired at the peak of his career—during the farewell ceremony that would be dubbed "The MLB Tearful Party"—his interviews finally shed light on the mystery of those three pitches.

Only then did Susabano Junior High's players understand what had truly happened.

Back to the present: after changing their signals, Susabano regained their fighting spirit, surprising even Sendo.

Despite his outward confidence, Takase wasn't entirely sure his theory was correct. But through trial and error, he could confirm it.

Pop!

"Ball!"

Pop!

"Strike!"

Pop!

"Ball!"

Crack!

"Foul ball!"

When the batter swung at a bad pitch and hit a foul ball, Takase felt the threat of being read had been resolved.

And it had been—albeit for entirely different reasons.

"Steal!"

"Let them try!"

Pop!

"Strike! Batter out! Change sides!"

The umpire's passionate call revitalized Susabano's players. They had survived the crisis and regained momentum.

The commentator also praised Susabano's performance.

"A one-run difference! Eijun, you can pitch with less pressure now!"

"One run isn't safe at all!" Sawamura retorted loudly, his booming voice echoing across the field. His argument was valid, leaving Sendo momentarily speechless.

Should he explain that this game was more about training than winning, and that playing extra innings would push the team harder than their match against Tokugawa?

If he said that, Sawamura might fight him right then and there.

So instead, Sendo said with feigned seriousness, "You're right. I've reflected. Go for it, Eijun!" His tone, however, sounded oddly exaggerated, as if he'd intentionally deepened his voice.

"Leave it to me! Haha! Because I'm this team's ACE!" Sawamura replied, oblivious to Sendo's joking tone—a small victory for Sendo.

"Good luck, ACE-sama!" Sendo continued his teasing.

"Be careful! You're facing the top of their lineup in their second turn. Shut them down," Sendo added seriously after Sawamura dashed off.

Sendo's warning proved accurate.

The second round of Susabano's top lineup posed significant trouble for Akagi.

Thankfully, their unfamiliarity with Sawamura's pitching style threw off their timing.

Their swings couldn't connect for long hits, and their infield hits were far from their intentions.

Still, Susabano managed two hits. Fortunately, Akagi had been cautious, ensuring that there were no runners on base when the second hit occurred.

Satisfied that Susabano hadn't deciphered Sawamura's pitching style, Sendo ordered the infield and outfield to move up, shutting down the inning.

The game then entered a stalemate. In the top of the fifth inning, Shin and Wakana were retired in quick succession, and Ohno popped up to the infield after battling through six pitches, ending the inning with a three-up, three-down.

Similarly, Susabano, struggling to hit against Akagi's fully pressed defense, failed to capitalize.

Believing they could still catch up, Susabano displayed their well-trained Little League roots during defense, turning the match into a pitcher's duel.

Due to the lineup order, Akagi began the final inning with the bottom of their lineup.

Though Omura managed another hit, the inning ended quickly, transitioning to Susabano's last chance in the bottom of the seventh.

With their second batter leading off, it was the perfect setup for a final push. Victory or defeat would be decided here.

At that moment, Sendo grinned, as if an amusing idea had struck him. Calling a timeout, he walked onto the field and summoned the outfielders.

Though everyone knew he was the coach, Sendo's official role was that of the team's substitute player, wearing jersey number 10.

The commentator cleverly coined him a "coach acting as a messenger" or "messenger acting as a coach," turning it into a rhyming phrase in Japanese that had the audience laughing.

But their amusement was short-lived. When Sendo walked off the field, Akagi's new defensive formation left everyone stunned.

The entire stadium erupted in shock.

There, within the infield, stood nine players!

Sendo had recalled a scene from a manga he'd read in a previous life: a nine-player infield.

Though Sawamura wasn't quite at the same level as the manga's pitcher, his pitch quality—unreadable to the opposing team—made it nearly impossible for anyone but a hitter of Sendo's caliber to send the ball to the outfield.

"What am I seeing? Nine infielders! Nine players in the infield! Is this Akagi's secret weapon? How chaotic can they get?"

"Sure, Susabano hasn't hit a ball to the outfield so far, but are they saying, 'If you hit it to the outfield, we'll concede'?"

"Even though Akagi is leading by just one run, this strategy risks handing victory to Susabano! If the ball reaches the outfield, it could turn into a triple or even an inside-the-park home run. Is this gamble really necessary, Akagi?"

The commentator's voice roared, reflecting the astonishment of everyone watching.

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