"You can't really blame the reporters."
"After all, photographers also have to consider visual impact."
That day, many Seidou players had raised the championship trophy.
Some didn't hold it as long as Azuma Kiyokuni or Zhou Hao, but quite a few still held it for a considerable amount of time.
Yet in the end—
Only Zhou Hao's photos, along with a handful of images centered around him, made it into the headlines.
The reason was simple.
Zhou Hao looked good on camera.
The photos turned out striking, clean, and visually appealing.
Naturally, the reporters chose them.
Even the magazine editors likely thought the same way.
That was why so many of Zhou Hao's photos were kept.
This wasn't a coincidence—
It was a consensus.
"These blind fools…"
"I'll make their jaws drop sooner or later."
Azuma Kiyokuni muttered angrily.
But joyful days were always short-lived.
After returning to school, Seidou High School Baseball Team was welcomed by a grand celebration banquet prepared by the school.
For once, the Principal and the Head of Academics spared no expense.
Lobsters.
Sea cucumbers.
Fresh fruits piled high.
The entire cafeteria overflowed with food.
Every player from the Seidou High School Baseball Team was present—
Including the retired third-year seniors.
That night, glasses were raised one after another.
Laughter echoed endlessly.
Everyone drank freely and celebrated with abandon.
After the banquet, the school immediately entered a short holiday.
Zhou Hao didn't return home.
The airfare was expensive, and with only two days off, there simply wasn't enough time.
Instead, he chose to remain at school and wait for the winter break.
During those two days, Zhou Hao stayed behind for extra training.
He soon noticed—
He wasn't the only one.
Quite a few first- and second-year players had also chosen to stay.
And compared to before, their training attitude had clearly changed.
More serious.
More focused.
More desperate.
Seeing Kuramochi wasn't surprising.
He was already extremely conspicuous in the Nigun.
Despite being just a first-year, he had secured the starting shortstop position.
With the third-year seniors gone, this was his chance.
If he wanted to enter the First String, now was the time.
Kuramochi wasn't from Tokyo either.
Going home would cost time and money.
Rather than that, he preferred to stay and grind.
So that when the next lineup adjustment came—
He could step straight into the First String.
What surprised Zhou Hao was Miyuki.
"You've already joined the First String, and you're from Tokyo."
"Why didn't you go home?"
Miyuki pushed up his glasses calmly.
"I've joined the First String, yes."
"But I haven't pulled Chris-senpai down yet."
For most players, wearing the white-and-blue uniform was already the ultimate goal.
For Miyuki Kazuya—
That was only the beginning.
Coach Kataoka and the entire team still tacitly recognized Chris as the starting catcher.
Important games?
Chris played.
Miyuki rotated.
Anyone else might have been satisfied.
But Miyuki had never been that kind of person.
His goal was simple.
Unseat Chris.
He had lost to him once as a child.
He absolutely would not lose again.
Besides these two first-year rookies—
Not a single second-year starter left.
They all stayed behind.
That "our era has arrived" declaration was no joke.
The second-year players had truly begun to shoulder responsibility.
The new Seidou took shape rapidly.
Meanwhile—
The third-year seniors returned after visiting home.
They still had one final stage to fight on.
The National Sports Festival.
Only Koshien quarterfinalists were eligible.
Led by Azuma Kiyokuni, Yoshida, and Shimoi Teru—
They performed exceptionally well and finished fourth overall.
And this wasn't just a high school tournament.
Achieving that result was already remarkable.
Azuma Kiyokuni alone smashed three home runs, instantly becoming a sensation.
While the old generation shone—
The new Seidou prepared for the Autumn Tournament.
Soon after the semester began, the matchups were announced.
Their first opponent—
Kasuga Ichiko.
A well-known powerhouse in Tokyo.
They had prepared early, refined their lineup, and were already battle-hardened.
Seidou, on the other hand—
Had only just reformed.
Individual strength wasn't lacking, but coordination was.
Online ridicule followed immediately.
Many believed Seidou would struggle.
Not necessarily lose—
But suffer.
Such situations were common.
Strong Summer Tournament teams often stumbled in autumn.
New lineups.
Unstable chemistry.
The Autumn Tournament was usually a proving ground.
Even Seidou's players weren't fully confident.
But once the game began—
Everything changed.
Zhou Hao took the mound.
Nine consecutive Spiral Balls.
Kasuga Ichiko's batters were stunned.
They had never seen anything like it.
Even when they switched to defense, they still hadn't recovered.
Seidou attacked mercilessly.
Zhou Hao.
Yuki Tetsuya.
Back-to-back home runs.
With additional hits, they scored four runs immediately.
4:0.
All mockery vanished instantly.
The game ended in the fifth inning.
17:0.
Even Seidou's players were shocked.
Were they really this strong?
The second round was another crushing victory.
Synergy improved rapidly—
But then came bad news.
Chris was injured.
High-intensity catching, nonstop Spiral Balls—
His wrist finally gave out.
Diagnosis:
Six to eight months of rest.
Followed by rehabilitation.
Fortunately—
Miyuki stepped up.
Seidou's advance didn't stop.
They reached the Autumn Tournament semifinals.
Their opponent—
Inashiro Industrial.
Narumiya Mei had transformed.
Across nine innings, he allowed only two hits.
One from Zhou Hao.
One from Yuki Tetsuya.
Neither scored.
0:0.
In extra innings—
Zhou Hao's stamina collapsed.
Inashiro scored once.
The game ended.
They failed to reach Jingu and Spring Koshien.
But no one doubted their strength.
Given their preparation time—
They had exceeded expectations.
However—
Another blow followed.
Zhou Hao was injured.
Severe muscle strain.
The Spiral Ball wasn't without cost.
Especially for a first-year.
In the extra innings against Inashiro—
He forced himself.
And triggered the hidden danger.
"How long until recovery?"
"Can he return fully?"
Doubt spread instantly.
Seidou, once at the peak—
Seemed to fall overnight.
When Zhou Hao saw the reports, he frowned.
"Ten days to half a month of rest."
"They're writing like I'm crippled."
He had pushed himself—
He knew that.
But he wanted to take everyone to Spring Koshien.
To let the new players stand on that field.
Still—
Regret came too late.
"It's fine," Kuramochi grinned.
"They say we're a flash in the pan? Then let's show them the king's return."
"I haven't even played at Koshien yet," Kominato added.
The team shared the same thought.
"How's Chris-senpai?"
"Four more months of rest."
The captaincy passed to Yuki.
Zhou Hao wore the Ace number.
Time passed.
Third-year seniors entered universities.
Some went pro.
Azuma Kiyokuni—first round, fourth pick.
Yoshida—second round.
Others followed.
A golden generation.
And just like that—
Half a year passed.
April 1st arrived.
New students enrolled.
Zhou Hao set his alarm early.
Tomorrow—
The new era would truly begin.
And this year—
Seidou would welcome many formidable newcomers.