"Ah! So close! Just a little more and that would've been a long hit!"
"It's fine—there's still the next batter. Maybe we'll get a home run."
"Not likely. That's Narumiya Mei, the best left-handed pitcher in Kanto. He's on a completely different level from anyone Yakushi has faced before."
"…Yeah, that's true."
The Inashiro Industrial High School players and their supporters let out a collective sigh of relief.
Then, their cheers surged even louder—
Trying to drown out Yakushi's momentum and put pressure on Kitamura Kou.
On the mound, Narumiya quickly steadied himself.
Last summer at Koshien, that final pitch had shaken him deeply.
But that version of him—
Was gone.
The current Narumiya Mei was sharper.
Stronger.
A true ace.
The Tokyo Prince.
After a brief exchange of signs with Masatoshi Harada, Narumiya delivered the fourth pitch.
WHOOSH!
The ball sped toward the plate—
But slightly slower.
Kitamura narrowed his eyes.
Fastball? Slider?
From the release to mid-flight, both pitches looked almost identical.
The difference would only appear—
At the last instant.
With barely any time to react, Kitamura made his decision.
Assume slider.
He swung.
BOOM!!!
The ball did change.
But not sideways.
It dropped.
Completely evading the bat.
Smack!
"Strike!"
Kitamura's eyes sharpened.
Forkball…
And not just any forkball—
Far superior to anything Furuya Satoru had shown.
"…Troublesome," Kitamura muttered under his breath.
"All his pitches share the same early trajectory… hitting this won't be easy."
The Inashiro side erupted.
"Nice one, Mei! He's cornered now!"
"Keep it up—you're the undefeated Tokyo Prince!"
"Crushing Yakushi is nothing for you!"
Yakushi's bench fired back immediately.
"Kitamura! We believe in you!"
"Send that arrogant prince crying home!"
Two strikes.
The pressure peaked.
Behind the plate, Harada's gaze turned cold.
Time to finish this.
"Mei," he signaled, "use it."
"Leave them with something they'll never forget."
On the mound, Narumiya's aura intensified.
Without hesitation—
He threw.
WHOOSH!!!
Kitamura's focus sharpened to its limit.
Inside pitch. Speed similar to the last one.
Fastball? Forkball? Or something else?
He waited.
At the plate—
The ball suddenly slowed.
Then dropped sharply.
Changeup.
Kitamura reacted instantly.
He swung.
Like lightning—
"WHAT?! He kept up with it?!" Harada's eyes widened in shock.
But—
Something was off.
The ball didn't behave like a normal changeup.
It didn't just slow and drop—
It shifted slightly.
Ping!
The bat made contact—
But weak.
The ball trickled forward, bouncing awkwardly toward the mound.
Narumiya moved instinctively.
Years of repetition took over.
He stepped forward, scooped the ball—
And prepared to throw.
Then—
His pupils shrank.
Kitamura Kou was already halfway to first.
"…Don't underestimate me!" Narumiya roared.
"I'm Narumiya Mei!!!"
He fired the ball with everything he had.
WHOOSH!!!
Faster.
Smack!
"Out!"
Just barely.
Half a second.
That was all that separated them.
The entire Inashiro side exhaled at once, wiping away cold sweat.
That play—
Had been far too close.
Back in the dugout, Shunpei Sanada handed Kitamura a glass of water with a faint smile.
"Too bad. Just a little short."
Kitamura took it without ceremony and drank.
"No regrets," he said calmly. "I was simply beaten."
He paused, thinking.
"That changeup… it's not just speed and drop."
"There's a sinking motion too."
Sanada's smile faded.
"…So beating him won't be easy."
Kitamura took another sip, completely composed.
"To be honest…"
"Besides me and Todoroki Raichi, no one on our team can handle that pitch."
The dugout fell silent.
Expressions turned heavy.
Only Todoroki Raizo remained relaxed.
Leaning back in his chair, he waved a hand lazily and glanced at Kitamura.
"Then I'll leave it to you…"
A grin spread across his face.
"Yakushi High's true ace."