Chapter 273: I See
While the Seidou players were celebrating in every possible way, Sendo alone remained calm as ever, walking the bases.
Yes—walking.
By the time he reached first base, he already knew the ball would hit the scoreboard steadily, even if barely, so he stopped running and conserved his strength.
Sendo's stamina was originally the worst on the team.
Today he had performed too many explosive sprints, his batting had consumed a ton of mental energy, and the temperature had climbed above 33°C.
The sunlight felt like fire burning his exposed skin.
He was exhausted.
So he had to rest whenever he could.
This home run was just Seidou forcing a breath of life back into themselves—
How far its effects would go depended entirely on the next batters.
Tanba was also beginning to struggle to suppress Inashiro's lineup—
A pitching change was approaching.
But because the score and momentum were now uncertain, choosing the timing for the new pitcher was incredibly difficult.
Seidou didn't want to switch too early and hoped Tanba could hang on a bit longer.
Right now, Harada really wanted to pick up the bat on the ground and chop Sendo down.
He was extremely worried about Narumiya's mental state.
In his memory, this was the first home run Narumiya had ever given up, and he had no idea what might happen to their ace after that.
And meanwhile, that bastard on the bases—
Walking two steps, jogging two steps—
was driving him insane.
....
"This is a home run…Just a moment ago I thought Seidou was done for."
A female celebrity sitting beside Ichiro was completely swept up by the excitement.
"If not for this home run, Seidou would have lost. Inashiro's ace won't collapse from one or two hits. Now it's all about the catcher's influence over him and that ace's desire to win. If that ace's will to fight is strong enough, this match won't end so simply. But no one takes a home run without being affected. The rest depends on how their following batters perform.
As for monsters whose fighting spirit burns stronger the stronger the opponent…One Aki is already enough."
Coach Nakanishi shouted this explanation loudly, since the stadium noise forced them to yell even while sitting together.
He seemed to be enduring something as well.
....
"Pff."
Sendo finally, slowly, arrived at home plate.
Harada immediately called time-out and rushed to Narumiya, whose eyes had been blank moments earlier and was now staring at the ground.
"You bastard, NICE home run!"
The moment Sendo stepped off the base path, Jun-san grabbed him in a crushing hug, practically mauling him.
"You saved us… thank you,"
Tetsu said beside them.
"Tetsu-san, if you really want to thank me, please stop Jun-san—I'm going to die…"
Sendo said helplessly, struggling for breath.
"This, I must politely refuse."
Tetsu responded seriously.
And then…
He stretched out his sinful right hand as well.
At the same time, a large group of players came charging in.
"H-Hey hey hey HEY! Calm down, everyone!!"
Sendo panicked.
"Beautiful home run, you bastard!"
The cheering section couldn't calm down either.
"You were totally aiming for that, weren't you?!"
"You little brat… YOU little brat…"
A senpai was choking on emotion.
"From now on, I'll give you half my bananas!"
…You really are treating him like some kind of monkey. Why not give him meat instead!?
"Nice batting, Sendo-kun!"
Takako-senpai shouted.
"Aki~!"
Fumino stood there with open arms and closed eyes, begging for a hug again.
Sachiko barely managed to grab her—and thought:
So cute I'm dying.
Sometimes this girl was eerily calm, even sly without realizing it.
Other times… like now, she was just a complete airhead.
Finally Sendo was tackled to the ground, buried under a pile of celebrating teammates.
To conserve energy, he simply lay flat and accepted his fate.
But—
"YOU BASTARD! GET BACK TO THE BULLPEN! YOU TOO, FURUYA!"
Even under the dog pile, Sendo could see Sawamura crouching beside him, eyes sparkling curiously—
And he even dragged Furuya along.
....
"Alright, let Sendo rest a bit,"
Tetsu said after the chaos.
"True, he's always had terrible stamina."
Onii-san nodded.
"Yah-haha! When we get back we'll help him train extra!"
"I refuse this proposal with my whole soul,"
Sendo muttered inside.
"I'll let him feel the love of his seniors.
But seriously… thank you."
Jun-san pulled Sendo up with Tetsu's help, supporting him like an honored guest.
"Sawamura! Get some water and bananas ready!"
Jun-san barked.
"Hai!"
Sawamura saluted and sprinted off.
They all could see the sweat dripping down Sendo's face and the ragged, powerless breathing.
Helping him recover was all they could do.
Even though they saw his exhaustion, none doubted that Sendo could still perform at peak condition if he stepped back onto the field now.
This was a monster who could squeeze out his last drop of strength and remain elite—Even surpass himself—until the exact moment he collapsed.
....
"Nice batting,"
Chris-senpai said gently when Sendo returned.
He almost sounded heartbroken for Sendo, but really, his voice was just that gentle.
"Thank you for saving us…I'm sorry to put the entire team on the shoulders of a first-year."
Coach Kataoka actually bowed slightly.
"No need to apologize, Sunglasses-ossan.
I'm part of the team too—Once I'm on the field, giving everything I have is just my rule. The game's still long.
We still have a full inning of offense left. And a match this amazing—we can't let it end just yet."
Sendo smiled as he slipped out from Tetsu and Jun-san's sturdy arms.
His expression and voice carried a teasing, wicked hint—yet somehow it made everyone feel at ease.
He walked to a corner of the dugout, sat down, and finally relaxed.
Sawamura hurried over with water and bananas.
....
"Ha… what a strong young man."
Coach Kataoka said after Sendo walked away.
"D-Director… you're actually smiling."
The senpai in front of him were stunned.
Kataoka then suddenly switched to his fierce face:
"Keep pressuring them! Don't fear swinging and missing! Do not hesitate at the plate! Even Narumiya—there's NO WAY a home run didn't shake him! If you get a hittable pitch, DO NOT LET IT GO! Finish him in one breath!!"
"Yosshaaa!"
"Yeah!!"
....
"You're always the most reliable at critical moments,"
Sawamura said, massaging Sendo's shoulders from behind.
Furuya stood beside him, fanning Sendo like an emperor.
A truly royal treatment.
"I only disappointed you once, didn't I?"
Sendo said quietly.
He meant that final middle school game—when he fell ill.
Furuya's ears perked up, absorbing gossip.
"N-no! You've NEVER disappointed me!"
Sawamura yelped.
He either genuinely forgot or was pretending to forget.
To him, getting sick or injured wasn't Sendo's fault—
especially after seeing Tanba and Onii-san get hurt this season.
....
"Remember? On the train ride here?"
Sendo asked.
"Yes… but why bring it up again? You've repeated it so many times." Sawamura tilted his head, confused.
"We already have no retreat. For our teammates, for yourself, for our seniors—we can't afford regrets. Even if we lose, it must NEVER be because our mentality collapsed."
"What are you trying to say?"
"He's worried you'll fall apart like in the Yakushi game," Miyuki said with a grin as he passed by.
"Hey! I won't do that again! And shouldn't you be in the on-deck circle?!"
Sawamura snapped.
"You—shut up."
Sendo said to Miyuki.
"Okay."
Miyuki, with his usual wicked expression, suddenly obeyed like a puppy.
"But that four-eyes isn't wrong. If you go up there now, there is a chance your mindset might waver."
"S-Sendo…"
Sawamura's eyes watered.
Now they were bullying him together.
"But— as long as you fight to the death no matter what happens, as long as you face the hitters head-on, whatever the result is—I can accept it. Your strong heart is your weapon. Don't let a single moment of chaos scare you."
Sendo could forget anything—but he would never forget the sight of Sawamura crumbling after hitting the batter in that game.
So now, with Tanba possibly being swapped out any moment, Sendo used the memory of their teammates' struggles to plant a switch inside Sawamura's heart.
A switch that would keep him standing, no matter what came next.
If Sendo ever noticed Sawamura's mentality wavering, all he needed to do was shout a few words, and that "switch" would immediately flip back on.
Sendo believed that no matter how crushing the pressure was, once Sawamura remembered the heart-shredding goodbyes of their teammates,
he would become fearless.
And if that happened, then—just as Sendo said—
even if they lost, he could accept it.
"Haha, you're saying unlucky stuff again. Careful or Jun-san will punch you."
Miyuki teased.
"You'd better prepare yourself. Narumiya won't break so easily. The reports said that last year, the deciding run they lost came from his own wild pitch. With that guy's personality, he won't crumble over a single home run. If anything, he's probably boiling with rage right now. But because of that anger, his control might get rough, and that's where our chance lies."
Sendo explained.
"True…Didn't expect you to know all that."
Miyuki said, now more serious.
"The best way to beat someone is to understand them. And to understand someone, besides personality, you need to know their experiences."
Sendo replied.
"Yeah."
Miyuki nodded and dropped the joking mood.
Facing so many talented players in Inashiro's lineup—
just as Miyuki said in middle school—this really was the best kind of match.
He was enjoying it too.
....
And just as Sendo predicted—
After Narumiya calmed down for a moment, only anger remained. His desire to win surged to its peak,
even enough to push aside the shock of the home run.
.....
A little earlier.
"Narumiya."
Harada called time and walked to the mound, speaking softly to the pitcher who hung his head.
Narumiya lifted his face at the sound.
There was still disbelief in his eyes—but even stronger was his stubborn refusal to lose.
His fist was clenched so tightly it trembled.
"Harada… did you know? Ever since I first started playing baseball— I've never given up a home run.
This…This is the first time."
Harada had guessed right.
The blow Narumiya took from that home run was tremendous—his voice even shook slightly.
But behind that, there was resolve.
"Narumiya."
"…Was that pitch easy to hit?"
After a long pause, Narumiya forced out the question.
"Not exactly. His bat even scooped up dirt. That guy's arms and bat are really long. We knew that before, sure—but only when you face it directly do you really understand it. He predicted the pitch too. His stride was completely without hesitation. My pitch calling messed up. Your ability is definitely above his."
Harada said firmly, tapping Narumiya's chest with his glove.
"Then…I'll admit it. This at-bat, the batter was stronger. But— This match is the one thing I absolutely refuse to lose."
Even with reddened eyes, Narumiya's fighting spirit had taken solid form.
This was Inashiro's ace.
A pitcher tempered by Koshien, who last summer learned firsthand how cruel baseball could be.
Narumiya who understood—deeply and painfully—
that the team's victory matters more than individual pride.
Few were born with monstrous mental strength like Sendo.
Most people weren't like that.
But humans can grow mental toughness through experience.
Even if it's never as overwhelming as natural-born monsters—it becomes something unshakeable.
"That's good. Now we can keep fighting."
Harada exhaled in relief.
Then he continued with calming words and plans—
like throwing a few balls outside the zone to help Narumiya regain his rhythm.
Because of their pauses, their conversation took quite some time.
....
"Okay, let's finish this."
BZZT——!
Coach Nakanishi's Aibo shrieked loudly again,
just as the stadium had finally settled down after Sendo's perfect swing.
Narumiya and Harada BOTH turned their heads.
"…Huh?"
"Is that…?"
Harada widened his eyes.
"That's the coach of the Wildcat Little League… Nakanishi? Why is he here? And—Sendo…Sendo Akira…?"
Seeing Nakanishi waving his shirt, wearing a Seidou uniform, with a printed number 8 stuck to his chest—
Memories flashed through Harada's mind like lightning.
"…So that's how it is. I see."
Harada whispered.
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