"Swing, cleanup hitter! How are you supposed to hit it if you don't swing?!" Narumiya Mei stormed past the cleanup hitter, grumbling all the way. Luckily, there was no one above him anymore; the remaining players were either his peers or juniors. Otherwise, the upperclassmen would definitely have lectured him.
"Then, ace, make sure you hit it! I'll bring you home from behind!" Hayakawa took his position and stood in the on-deck circle.
Already standing in the Batter's Box, Narumiya Mei could not reply loudly because of the home plate umpire. He merely chuckled.
Miyuki took the initiative to speak. "First-years these days are really something."
"Hmph, don't talk to me. We're opponents now!" Narumiya Mei grew more serious as he spoke, and his face gradually became expressionless.
Back then, he had invited Miyuki to Inashiro, only for Miyuki to reject him outright.
Then came this summer. He had thought he could once again prove Miyuki's choice wrong, but instead, he had stumbled against Seido. Old grudges and new resentment combined—today, he was going to vent properly.
Miyuki grinned, but he had already made up his mind. He talks big, but he's surprisingly calm.
In a situation like this, he needed to disrupt that calmness.
The Signals were given. The pitcher did not hesitate, skipping any lengthy preparation and stepping straight into his delivery.
Narumiya Mei had been planning to watch a couple more pitches, but the next pitch forced him to lean back.
It was a high inside ball, but the illusion of rise created by its high spin made Narumiya Mei think it was about to smash into his handsome face. "That was dangerous!"
Miyuki received Narumiya Mei's irritated complaint with only a smile and no reply.
Then the second pitch came—a fastball at the Outside Low Corner.