Chapter 292: The Advancing Narumiya Mei

After one ball, Harada Masatoshi still decided to test him with one more pitch, calmly signaling the sign to Narumiya Mei on the Pitcher's Mound.

Narumiya Mei's expression remained unchanged; he saw Kuramochi's goal very clearly. Since you want to bunt, then go ahead and try!

Whoosh!

Narumiya Mei raised his arm high again and very quickly threw the baseball toward home plate.

The baseball flew straight in, yet Kuramochi in the Batter's Box moved again. This time the movement was a bit larger, but in the end, he still held back, just watching the baseball fly into Harada Masatoshi's glove.

"Ball!"

"Huh? Not swinging again?"

After catching the ball, Harada Masatoshi felt a bit unsettled inside. What exactly is this guy trying to do? He won't even swing at a pitch in this location? Is he that steady?

Narumiya Mei on the Pitcher's Mound was also losing patience. Does this guy even want to bunt or not?

Just be direct, will you, you jerk!

He had originally intended to deliberately pitch for Kuramochi to bunt, but the guy had held back on both pitches. If he kept testing him like this, he would walk him on four balls before Kuramochi even bunted.

No, this can't go on!

Harada Masatoshi, sharing the same thought as Narumiya Mei, had already given the sign: an inside high Fastball! A head-on confrontation!

Seeing the sign, the corners of Narumiya Mei's mouth curled into a smile. That's exactly how it should be.

In the Batter's Box, Kuramochi also knew that his little tricks from before were about enough. Both Narumiya Mei and Harada Masatoshi had likely seen through his intentions. He was satisfied with having manufactured two balls, and under these circumstances, the Pitcher's pitching would inevitably become more conservative—meaning the pitch trajectory wouldn't be as tricky or difficult to hit.

This was the perfect opportunity for a bunt.

Whoosh!

The next instant, Narumiya Mei on the Pitcher's Mound swung his arm to throw the ball, like a streak of white light shining over from the opposite side. Kuramochi subconsciously extended his bat, preparing to bunt.

Thwack!

"Strike!"

The bunt failed. Kuramochi's heart skipped a beat. This pitch was so close to his body!

Knowing that he might bunt, this guy still dared to throw a pitch so close to his body—wasn't he afraid of hitting someone?!

Lifting his eyes to look at the Pitcher's Mound, Kuramochi immediately felt a wave of pressure. He saw Narumiya Mei with his chin slightly raised, his gaze sharp and carrying a terrifying aura.

Heh, hehe, Kuramochi chuckled dryly. The pressure Narumiya Mei exerted on him was intense; he was truly worthy of being called the Prince of Tokyo.

One Strike, two Balls.

Looking at the stats, it seemed Kuramochi had the advantage, but only Kuramochi on the field knew that the scales had already tipped toward Narumiya Mei.

In the Seido dugout, Ochiai Hiromitsu had been somewhat smug after seeing his strategy cause Narumiya Mei to throw two balls, but after this pitch was thrown, Ochiai Hiromitsu's smile vanished.

This is an absolute ace. Little tricks might gain a small advantage when the opponent is unprepared, but when the opponent is determined to face you head-on, you had better concentrate and give it your all, otherwise, you will only bring about your own destruction.

Fortunately, Kuramochi had never really intended to rely on this method to get on base from the start; after baiting two balls, he began the real contest.

Haa~

Kuramochi took a deep breath to prepare for the hit, but Narumiya Mei's pitch, jammed right into his chest, still gave him a start.

Just then, Narumiya Mei's fourth pitch was thrown, and Kuramochi swung his bat hard after locking onto the trajectory!

"Bang!!"

Damn it!

Kuramochi felt secretly annoyed and quickly sprinted toward First Base.

It was a cutter, and Kuramochi hadn't been able to hit it well. He hadn't expected that even with two balls, Narumiya Mei would still dare to throw something so tricky. If he wasn't mistaken, this pitch was an inside low-edge ball.

After the little white ball was hit, it flew between Second Base and First Base. Inashiro Industrial Second Baseman Hirai Tsubasa quickly covered the position to catch the ball, then threw it to First Base.

"Out!!"

Kuramochi watched as the baseball was caught by Yamaoka Riku at First Base, while he himself was still some distance from the First Base bag.

I got played!

He had clearly started out using the bunt stance to trick Narumiya Mei into throwing difficult balls, but in the end, he was the one tricked into swinging by the opponent's ball.

How embarrassing!

Kuramochi walked off the field, fuming.

"Tsk tsk, you got played," said Huangqian Yangyi.

"Perhaps it's a difference in intelligence," said Miyuki.

Listening to the two of them teasing him, Kuramochi snorted, turned around, leaned against the railing, and shouted.

"Ryosuke-san! Go for it!!"

"Stop shouting, Ryosuke-san would never get out as easily as you," Huangqian Yangyi continued to roast him.

At this moment, on the field, Narumiya Mei had already started pitching. The first pitch was an outside low Fastball. Clearly, everyone knew Kominato Ryosuke wasn't good at hitting outside pitches, so Kominato Ryosuke didn't swing and decisively gave it up.

The second pitch was an outside high ball; he still didn't swing.

The count was two strikes, and the Inashiro fans in the stands began to cheer.

"Strikeout!!"

"Way to go, Narumiya Mei!"

"Finish him!"

As the cheers converged, Kominato Ryosuke maintained that same calm, smiling expression.

Still smiling! I'll make sure you can't smile in a moment!

After receiving the return throw, Narumiya Mei felt annoyed seeing Kominato Ryosuke's expression. Although he knew this person was just like that, it was truly infuriating.

At the Catcher position, after two outside pitches, Harada Masatoshi had been observing Kominato Ryosuke's expression and movements—flawless!

In this case, if he continued to pitch outside, the opponent would very likely swing directly, but if it were inside, given this guy's technique, there was a high possibility of getting tangled up.

Come on, an outside high Fastball ball; it's not easy to hit a pitch like this well, but do you dare not to swing?

On the Pitcher's Mound, Narumiya Mei nodded slightly; in truth, according to his own wishes, he wanted to face the Batter head-on, as he had been pestered by Kominato Ryosuke many times in past games, and he really wanted to Strikeout the other party in a direct confrontation.

However, for the sake of the team and for the sake of entering Koshien, it would be better to set aside his own selfish desires for now.

It is precisely because he possesses this kind of resolve that Narumiya Mei has improved so quickly this summer, becoming more like an ace and earning the deep trust of his teammates and the manager.

Whoosh!

The third pitch was thrown, and the little white ball flew toward home plate; that's a good location, Mei!

Harada Masatoshi secretly rejoiced; with a pitch like this, Kominato Ryosuke could not possibly hit it well.

Yoshi!

Bang!

The bat flashed past his eyes, and Kominato Ryosuke stretched his bat out with all his might, barely reaching the ball; relying on his outstanding batting technique, he actually tapped the ball with one hand toward the direction of Second and Third Base.

"Run!!!"

The Seido players shouted, and Kominato Ryosuke sprinted toward First Base.

"Don't dream!"

Narumiya Mei, who had thrown the pitch, spun around in a relay motion and dashed out quickly to intercept the ball directly.

Swish!!

The baseball shot into the First Baseman's glove like a laser.

"Out!!"

The umpire shouted.