NOVEL NEXT V6_Chapter 62: The Unknown
V6_Chapter 62: The Unknown
‘I underestimated him!’
It wasn’t until Shiratsu hit the ball that Narumiya Mei realized he had made a very serious mistake.
He had underestimated his opponent so much that he had cornered himself.
‘Shiratsu Kenjiro!’
Like Sawamura, Kuramochi, and Miyuki, Shiratsu was also a key player in the previous Seidou High School team.
‘Damn it!’
Underestimating an opponent always leads to trouble. Now, Narumiya wanted to regret his mistake, but it was too late.
The ball was hit by Shiratsu and flew into the gap in the defense, while Shiratsu himself dashed to second base like a blur.
At this moment, the Seidou dugout erupted into chaos.
After hearing their coach’s words, they had actually prepared themselves for extra innings.
Given the current situation, it seemed likely that a winner might not be determined without extra innings.
Unexpectedly, a pleasant surprise arrived—Shiratsu had reached second base with no Outs.
‘What an opportunity!’
This was an excellent chance. For a powerhouse team like theirs, such a situation presented countless tactical possibilities for scoring.
“Shiratsu!!”
“Shiratsu! You’re amazing!!”
“Awesome!!”
“I always knew you could do it!!”
In contrast to the enthusiastic reactions in the dugout, many spectators in the stands were stunned. Most of them only recognized a few star players. For example, in today’s game, they knew Narumiya, Tadano, the formidable Sawamura, and Miyuki.
These four were big names in the Tokyo area. (Tadano was very famous during middle school, and after the retirement of the third-year seniors, he quickly became a key player, with undeniable personal strength.)
Yet, it was precisely this seemingly inconspicuous player who had created a crucial scoring opportunity at such a critical moment, potentially altering the course of the game.
“Incredible!”
“Who is that guy? That was an amazing hit!”
“Besides Sawamura and Miyuki, he’s the first to get a hit off Narumiya!”
“Quite impressive!”
“The legendary Seidou truly is a team of hidden talents.”
The audience buzzed with discussion.
From this moment on, Shiratsu was no longer an obscure player.
He would become a notable player in Seidou.
In baseball, talent always rises to the top. No matter your personality or background, if you have the ability, you will eventually stand out.
Now was Shiratsu’s moment to shine.
Coach Kataoka completely ignored the excitement of the players.
In baseball, anything can happen. The current situation was as unexpected as winning a thousand-dollar prize from a two-dollar lottery ticket.
‘Fantastic!’
However, Coach Kataoka viewed the situation strategically rather than getting caught up in the excitement.
He decided to reinvest the “prize” into further strategic plays and signaled to the players on the field.
“Seventh batter, center, Toujou-kun.”
It was now Toujou’s turn to bat.
Receiving the signal from his coach, Toujou immediately assumed a bunt stance.
His intention was clear: to advance Shiratsu to third base.
“Nice try!”
On the pitcher’s mound, Narumiya poured all his strength into the pitch.
Previously, he had managed to let Kuramochi bunt the ball several meters; now he was determined to force Toujou to do the same.
Bunting for a walk seemed like a pipe dream.
Roaaar!
The ball was thrown with the force of a torrent, its speed was high.
Faced with this formidable pitch, Toujou remained remarkably calm.
Unlike Kanemaru, who lacked bunt experience, Toujou, although a clean-up batter, had a solid grasp of various hitting skills.
Including bunting!
The failed bunt by Kuramochi had left a strong impression on him.
He had even pondered what went wrong.
‘The sheer power and speed of the ball made it difficult to manage.’
‘This was undoubtedly the main issue.’
In such circumstances, achieving a precise bunt requires considerable skill.
At Seidou, only a few batters could do this. Toujou Hideaki was one of them.
Facing the incoming ball, Toujou carefully adjusted his bunt angle.
‘Here it comes!’
Watching the ball approach, he angled his bat to the coming ball.
The ball hit the bat and seemed poised to bounce out of bounds, but Toujou pushed forward with both hands.
He forcefully redirected the ball.
Ping!
The ball dropped right toward the first baseman.
‘Perfect!’
This bunt was executed with stunning precision.
“YEAAH!”
“Toujou!”
“Nice bunt! Toujou!”
The Seidou dugout erupted with cheers.
They were all elated.
This bunt was so impressive that even Sawamura might have found it difficult to make a better one.
In the catcher’s position, Tadano watched in amazement as Toujou rushed out.
Like Shiratsu before him, Toujou showed no fear of the ball.
But it was a fastball traveling at 150 km/h, and a mistake could be disastrous.
Yet, these players remained completely unyielding.
Their eyes were fierce as if they were ready to melt the world.
Yamaoka moved in to catch the ball, while Narumiya covered.
As Toujou executed his bunt, Shiratsu began his sprint from second base to third.
At this point, they no longer hoped to stop Shiratsu so they focused on Toujou.
And Toujou didn’t let them have it easy, as he sprinted towards first base with impressive speed!
The bunt he just executed was excellent, and given his speed, he had a good chance of reaching base.
‘Fast!’ Narumiya was alerted!
The scene was beyond his expectations. He had never imagined that he would struggle against the lower-ranked batters.
Regardless of whether Toujou made it to base or not, the situation was challenging.
Undoubtedly, if Toujou reached base, the challenge would increase. If he didn’t, it would be slightly easier.
The more one faces a crisis, the more one must remain composed.
Narumiya silently reminded himself not to rush. He needed to stay calm and steady.
Failure leads to growth.
Losing to Seidou two months ago had made the strongest Inajitsu High School fail to reach Koshien.
This experience made Narumiya mature quickly, revealing the harsh reality of high school baseball. Opportunities are limited; if missed, they are gone forever.
There is no turning back in high school baseball.
Failure inevitably leaves regrets.
Having understood these truths, Narumiya now shone brightly like a polished diamond.
Yamaoka also noticed Toujou’s speed and became very vigilant, despite his bulky appearance, was swift and quickly threw the ball back as fast as he could.
SNAP!
Narumiya received the ball and raised his mitt high.
“OUT!”
Toujou was a step too late and failed to reach base.
Seeing the result, he was slightly disappointed.
However, his strategic goal was achieved, as the player he had intended to advance was now on third base.
One Out, with a runner on third!
In this situation, Seidou had a good opportunity to score.
If Inajitsu’s defense showed any gaps, they would face a fierce offensive storm from Seidou.
The score was now tied 1-1.
If Inajitsu High School allowed a run now, their chances of victory would be severely compromised.
“Eighth batter, outfielder, As…..”
Amid announcing, the announcer stopped.
It was Asou’s turn to bat.
In the dugout, Coach Kataoka suddenly turned and asked, “Are you ready?”
Behind him, a notably ‘imposing’ figure stood up, seemingly surprised to be given such an important role in this situation.
The figure looked very nervous.
“Do your best!” Coach Kataoka said, patting the figure’s shoulder.
“Yes!”
The person, Seki Naomichi, who was under Coach Kataoka’s high expectations, wore a stiff smile and his legs were visibly shaking.
But he stubbornly nodded.
This person was Seki Naomichi!
He is competing with Asou for a rotation outfielder spot.
Calling his figure ‘imposing’ was an exaggeration. Although he was in his second year, he looked more like a middle school student.
Standing at 164 cm tall, he was now the shortest player on Seidou High’s first string after the retirement of Kominato Ryosuke.
No matter how you looked at him, he didn’t seem like a candidate for the first string.
Yet, he had managed to surpass many competitors and was promoted to a key role.
Although he had no real game experience except for practice matches, this wasn’t due to Coach Kataoka’s reluctance to give him a chance. Seidou’s previous opponents, Teito and Ugumori, were tough, leaving no room for substitutes.
However, this was beneficial.
When Seki Naomichi stepped up, Inajitsu was visibly stunned.
They had no idea what Seidou was trying to do.
Why put in such a substitute at this critical moment?
They were completely bewildered.
…
T/N: That's it for now.
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