Chapter 279: The King's Obsession
Although Yabe was a clown—at best a loud, energetic clown—that was only from Sendo's point of view.
For Kawakami, that overwhelming energy shook him to his core.
He felt the obsession with victory that a true king possesses.
Even if Yabe was technically a pinch-hitter, he wasn't really a bench player—he was practically the 10th regular, a pure power hitter whose only "fault" was that his position overlapped with Yoshizawa's.
He struck out.
Yet the way Kawakami's slider made him miss felt almost like the ball was "running away."
It wasn't like Furuya's forkball, which felt like it was bullying the batter with sheer force.
When Furuya pitched, his aura was so overpowering that no one—batter or catcher—thought he was avoiding contact.
But Kawakami…It was almost as if he prayed the ball would dodge the bat.
That was why it gave people that impression.
But—that was the truth of who Kawakami was at this stage.
In baseball, results are everything.
No one cares what the pitcher feels on the inside.
....
"One out!"
"One out!"
"One out!! × n"
Players on the field, those on the bench, and even the crowd shouted together, reinforcing one another.
"Just… two more outs!!"
That thought echoed through the hearts of everyone on Seidou's side.
"Two outs left in the game! And the lineup rotates back to the top! The next batter—#1, center fielder, KAMIYA CARLOS!
Will Seidou's proud 1–2 combo finish the match?
Or will Inashiro create a chance for a comeback!?"
"Carlos!"
"Please, man!"
"Just get on base!"
"We don't need a miracle—just one run, please!"
"CARLOOOOOS!!!"
Yabe—having just returned to the bench—screamed with all his might, filled with regret and self-hatred.
He wasn't dumb—just overly enthusiastic and… not that smart.
"What a great pitcher… But we won't back down!"
Carlos muttered as he adjusted his stance.
He was one of the very few Inashiro hitters still calm this late into the game.
"Koshien… we will NEVER yield it. A normal high school life? I gave that up long ago. I've lived a life devoted to baseball! After everything I've thrown away…Of course I want to win! I want results!"
Carlos stepped forward, blocking the plate with his body—a stance reminiscent of Haruichi's earlier, except that Haruichi had merely pretended.
Carlos?
He was doing it for real.
And when Carlos glared, it was terrifying.
Kawakami's heart skipped a beat.
"This guy…!"
Even Miyuki felt the weight of Carlos' intent.
Carlos was betting everything on one fact:
Kawakami lacked the courage to pitch inside.
By blocking the plate, forcing the pitcher to aim dangerously close to the body—he effectively erased all inside pitches from the equation.
That meant Carlos could focus entirely on outside pitches.
Fastball or slider—the threat dropped by far more than half.
And if Kawakami's nerves cracked…one mistake would be crushed.
Even worse, the batters following Carlos wouldn't care if his tactic succeeded or not—they'd copy it without hesitation.
It was a psychological tactic devastatingly effective against pitchers who lacked confidence.
Someone like Narumiya?
No one would dare try this—because he would throw inside.
Someone like Sendo…
Someone would die.
(Jokingly—but Sendo would absolutely give the batter that impression.)
This was how a powerhouse attacked:
Find the opponent's weakness.
Crush it.
Break it.
Even in the original timeline, Sawamura—who lacked that kind of resolve—had been affected by this tactic.
Let alone Kawakami, who was already mentally fragile.
Walk or hit-by-pitch—
Carlos didn't care.
His obsession was absolute.
Kawakami faltered just by facing it.
....
"We don't have the option of avoiding the batter! High school umpires will call a strike if they think the batter could've dodged a hit-by-pitch! So we can only attack!
Nori! Don't run away! Crush them head-on!"
Kawakami saw Miyuki's sign.
Truthfully, he didn't want to pitch inside—at all.
But he also knew: there was no other choice.
Against this tactic, the inside pitch was inevitable.
So he took a breath.
Tried to steady his mind.
But then—
Miyuki's mitt was placed on the inside corner.
"Maybe… Miyuki actually trusts me," Kawakami realized.
That alone let him smile—even if the pressure crushed that smile away two seconds later.
But the moment of weakness was gone.
"Maybe Sawamura could've thrown right at the batter's chest. But honestly… I'm glad this pitch is supposed to be a ball."
Kawakami understood his own limits.
Somewhat insecure, yes.
But insecurity doesn't weaken his resolve to contribute—to do what he can.
He lifted his left leg.
"I can't back down now," he told himself.
"Go, Kawakami!!"
"CARLOOOOS!!!"
"Whoosh!"
The pitch flew toward home plate.
A low inside ball—below the strike zone and wide of it. Still an inside pitch. Still expanding the batter's vision.
No rule said it had to be aimed at the chest.
Miyuki wasn't rigid—he was flexible, clever.
"Sa—"
Carlos swung later than usual—exactly when the defense was most unprepared to react.
Even Miyuki had his attention pulled by Carlos blocking the plate.
And after two hours of high-summer baseball, every infielder was half a beat slow.
CLINK!
"!"
"CARLOOOOS!!!"
"RUN!!!"
Inashiro roared as Carlos charged toward first.
"Ugah!!"
POP!
"SAFE!!!"
"YOSSHAAAA!!!"
"OH!!!"
"CARLOOOOS!!!"
In Kawakami's ears…
the entire stadium fell silent.
All he could see were the Inashiro players,
mouths open in explosive cheers—
but he couldn't hear anything.
----------------------
If you want to read 20 chapters advanced.
Visit my patreon: patreon.com/Shu_21