DNA: Under The Sun

Fujio Mine took in a sharp breath.

"I didn't think Kamishiro would hit another home run… Not only has he completely shut down Inashiro's lineup with his pitching, but he's also single-handedly brought in two runs for the team…"

Of Seidou's three total runs, two had come directly from Rinichi.

Now, the cheers from the stands were growing louder and louder—almost all of them were shouting "Kamishiro!" Only a few voices called out "Seidou," and the cheers for Inashiro were even more scarce.

It was as if this game had turned into a one-man show.

"Strike! Batter's out!"

By the time everyone snapped back to reality, Rinichi had already retired the side—two strikeouts on three pitches each, and one bunt that was fielded cleanly for an out.

The air around Inashiro grew tense. The three-run gap, combined with their inability to score even a single run, pressed down on them like a weight on the chest—making it hard to breathe.

Miyuki couldn't help but feel a little helpless.

This guy… he was throwing harder than before.

Earlier, he had been using about 70% effort. Now, he was at full throttle.

And it was clear why—at this point in the game, he wasn't willing to give Inashiro even the slightest opening.

The stadium was a sea of "Kamishiro" chants. In this noise, the Inashiro players remained silent—but it wasn't the silence of defeat. It was the quiet of a beast gathering strength before it pounced.

"Up until now, Narumiya has thrown a total of ten changeups," Chris analyzed. "In the first five innings, he only threw four. But in the sixth inning alone, he threw six—just like that pitch from Yuuki's first at-bat…"

"Think about it carefully—what's their real objective here?"

"In the recordings we watched before the finals, he only used this pitch about ten times in a game…"

As Chris spoke, the players—except Rinichi—were either deep in thought or wearing serious expressions.

Coach Kataoka's eyes fell on Rinichi.

"Kamishiro, do you have anything to say?"

Everyone turned to him.

Rinichi: "…"

Chris gave a gentle smile.

"Both of Kamishiro's home runs today came off changeups."

Now, the looks directed at Rinichi were different.

Up in the stands, Takashima Rei frowned slightly.

"Those two home runs… they were both off changeups, weren't they? He doesn't seem affected by them at all."

Shinomiya froze for a second, then let out a small laugh as if recalling something amusing.

"Well… he went through a lot of brutal training in the past. The effect of a changeup barely affects him anymore. On top of that, he's practically figured out the opposing pitch sequence by now. If he still couldn't hit it, that'd be more surprising—"

Rinichi stayed quiet, feeling the pressure of all the stares.

"…I just… kind of… knew a changeup was coming at that moment," he muttered.

Everyone: "…"

What kind of answer was that?

Coach Kataoka's voice cut in.

"Whether or not they're using the changeup with some hidden plan, the fact that they've made us focus on it means we're already playing into their hands. If we keep attacking the way we have been, we won't break through. We're abandoning the changeup."

"YES, SIR!"

Top of the 8th inning.

Leading off was ninth batter, Shirasu.

To Inashiro's surprise, he swung at the very first pitch—base hit to first.

"One-hole hitter, shortstop—Kuramochi."

Kuramochi stepped into the batter's box, a sharp glint in his eyes and a grin on his face.

In his mind, he pictured Rinichi shutting down Inashiro's lineup and racking up those three runs.

That guy was ridiculously reliable.

So reliable, it made the rest of them feel kind of useless.

And besides, Tetsu-senpai had said it—this inning, they had to score at least one run no matter what.

One run?

That would only put their contribution on par with Rinichi's.

"Ball!"

"Strike!"

But… hitting Narumiya wasn't easy.

No wonder Rinichi had managed to crank out two home runs—it took something special.

For the first two pitches, Kuramochi showed bunt. On the second pitch, Shirasu was already breaking for second base.

Now they had a runner in scoring position.

"Foul ball!"

Kuramochi exhaled slowly.

When the fourth pitch came, Kuramochi suddenly pulled back from his bunt stance and drove the ball toward third base.

With his blazing speed, he made it safely to first.

"Second batter, second baseman—Kominato Ryousuke!"

Four balls—walk!

Bases loaded!

No outs.

Next up, Isashiki Jun stepped into the box, still sticking to his usual habit of shouting a few times before swinging with all his might.

Strike! Batter's out!

"Fourth batter, first baseman—Yuuki Tetsuya!"

Seidou's clean-up hitter, now at the plate with the bases loaded—Inashiro was in serious trouble.

Even Narumiya looked rattled. Rinichi thought to himself—

This kind of situation… it's been years since I've seen it.

Strike!

First pitch—splitter.

Second pitch—slider, but it was in the dirt. The ball popped out of the catcher's mitt for a moment, though he managed to recover it.

"A mistake?" Rinichi was surprised.

"Bases loaded—it's hard not to feel the pressure," Miyuki said.

Rinichi gave him a sideways look.

"Good thing Shirasu didn't run, or he'd have been thrown out."

With a 1–1 count, Narumiya kept shaking his head on the mound, unable to get on the same page with his catcher, Harada.

Foul!

Foul!

Foul!

Even the balls Yuuki swung at ended up as fouls.

Rinichi rolled his shoulders and, in an eerily calm voice, said:

"It's coming—a changeup."

Everyone in the dugout froze.

Changeup?

If anyone else had said it, they might have doubted it—but Rinichi was the guy who had already crushed two changeups for home runs today.

"In this situation, a changeup's his only option," Rinichi added.

And sure enough, Yuuki Tetsuya got it.

Bases-clearing double!

Seidou instantly put three more runs on the board!

Next, fifth batter Masuko Toru swung at the first pitch—high, deep fly ball.

Carlos, with his lightning speed, chased it down and made the catch.

"Sixth batter, catcher—Miyuki Kazuya."

Second pitch—Miyuki connected!

Double to the gap!

Yuki scored another run.

"Seventh batter, pitcher—Kamishiro!"

Rinichi knew there was no way they'd give him another changeup now.

Foul!

Foul!

Third pitch—he made contact, but Inashiro's shortstop fielded it cleanly and threw to first.

Out!

Rinichi: "…"

He hadn't expected the final out of the inning to come from him.

Narumiya's fastball was sharper now, more dangerous than before.

Returning to the dugout, bat in hand, Rinichi's mind was a mess.

"Just like that… it's a seven-run lead," Fujio Mine said in astonishment.

Nobody had expected Seidou to be seven runs ahead of Inashiro.

But there was no helping it—Inashiro simply couldn't find a crack in Rinichi's pitching.

...

Bottom of the 8th.

"Fourth batter, catcher—Harada!"

Up to this point, Rinichi hadn't seen a shred of despair from Inashiro's side.

He had to admit—they had strong wills.

Sometimes… that kind of willpower could be downright annoying.

Foul!

Harada barely got a piece of it—his swing was still a bit slow.

Second pitch—inside corner. Harada sent it toward third.

Safe!

A single.

Just that one base hit instantly reignited Inashiro's fighting spirit.

Rinichi's expression didn't change. His eyes held no emotion—he didn't even glance at Harada standing on first.

Strike! Batter's out!

Narumiya's face was twisted with frustration, teetering on the edge of exploding.

Strike! Batter's out!

A faint, creeping despair began to settle over Inashiro's bench.

Back in the dugout, Narumiya stormed into the little equipment shed, shouting and venting his anger.

Strike! Batter's out!

Game over.

The word "lost" slowly surfaced in the hearts of every Inashiro player.

...

The atmosphere on Seidou's side was the complete opposite.

When the 9th inning ended, they all rushed the mound, circling around Rinichi under the sunlight, their smiles dazzling.

In the middle of the group, Rinichi was practically being squashed—his hair tousled mercilessly by every hand that could reach.

Rinichi: "…"

"Line up!"

Both teams formed two lines and bowed.

"Thank you for the game!"

The other side had tears in their eyes.

It was only then Rinichi realized—high school baseball… had a lot more tears than he remembered.

A fist was suddenly thrust in front of him.

He followed the hand upward and saw Narumiya, eyes red and voice tinged with stubbornness.

"If you can't win the championship… I'm punching you when we get back."

His words were full of frustration and defiance.

Rinichi gave a faint smile, bumped his own fist against Narumiya's, and replied with quiet confidence:

"Got it."

"Congratulations, Seidou! You've earned your ticket to Koshien!"

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