"Ah—what a shame! I almost got my turn, Senior Miyuki!" Eijun stomped around as he watched Miyuki return dejectedly from the field.
"What's so unfortunate about it? Sacrifice bunts are the only thing you can manage. Even if you went up, you wouldn't get a hit." Miyuki shot back. When peers, upperclassmen, or troublesome guys like Kōshū said things like that, he really had nothing to say. But Eijun? This guy couldn't hit and wasn't good with words either, so why should Miyuki go easy on him?
"Mmph—I'll hit it." Eijun's limited vocabulary only allowed him that much of a rebuttal.
"Huh?" Miyuki cupped a hand to his ear, pretending not to hear. "What? What did you say? When has your bat ever come within ten centimeters of the ball?"
While bickering with Miyuki, Eijun helped him strap on his protective gear. In the blink of an eye, it was Seido's turn to defend again. Eijun had performed brilliantly in the sixth inning without giving up a single run, and just as he came off the mound feeling pleased with himself, Kōshū and Haruichi's little double act instantly made him anxious.
"Haruichi, Eijun did pretty well in the sixth inning."
"Yeah. It was probably that pitching form. It made it difficult for them to get a read on him."
"Oh? Then when they return to the Dugout, they'll probably discuss it like we are."
"Exactly. So they might start being wary from the next inning onward."
"Man, what should we do? The seventh inning might be difficult."
Without even a moment's transition, Eijun's mind, which had been filled with I'm pretty amazing, was instantly overtaken by Haruichi and Kōshū's words. His anxiety was obvious. By the time he finished fastening Miyuki's gear and headed onto the field, he was so