The two-day break ended, and that evening, all members of the Seido Baseball Club gathered in the meeting room.
As had been said before—
For Seido High School, summer had only just begun.
Reviewing past games and preparing for the upcoming Summer Koshien tournament had become the top priority.
Before Coach Kataoka and the others arrived, the players sat in small groups, chatting casually.
"Hey, Kanzaki, did you go to a concert last night?" Kuramochi walked over with an ice cream in hand and plopped down beside him.
"Yeah," Kanzaki replied, glancing over.
"Tsk, not bad. Koshien's about to start, and you're still that relaxed?" Kuramochi smirked.
Kanzaki silently watched as melted ice cream dripped onto Kuramochi's leg, then subtly shifted away.
"It's not like I haven't played there before. What's there to be nervous about?"
"Heh. Koshien is Koshien. Even if you play there a hundred times, you'd still get nervous," Kuramochi said.
Just then, the door opened.
Coach Kataoka entered, followed by Coach Ochiai, Manager Takashima Rei, and Ota.
"Is everyone here?"
Coach Kataoka placed a stack of documents on the table and swept his gaze across the room.
"Everyone is here, Coach!" Captain Yuki Tetsuya stood up to respond.
"Sit."
Tap, tap.
Kataoka lightly knocked on the table.
"This time, we defeated Inashiro Industrial and secured our spot at Summer Koshien. I know everyone is happy. I am too."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"But the main tournament begins in just a few days. Time waits for no one. You've had your rest—now we must maintain condition. No overexertion, but no rust either. We stay sharp."
"Yes, Coach!"
The room echoed in unison.
The lights dimmed slightly as footage of their recent game against Inashiro began playing.
Coach Kataoka led a full tactical breakdown, analyzing every inning from start to finish.
Afterward, Coach Ochiai stepped in, offering technical corrections and individualized advice based on each player's performance.
No one dared slack off.
Every word—whether strategy or technique—was carefully absorbed.
Behind Kanzaki, the four first-years were especially focused.
Each held a notebook.
Kominato Haruichi wrote neatly.
Arima Kazusa took steady notes.
Furuya… was nodding off again.
As for Sawamura—
He understood almost nothing.
But that didn't stop him from writing furiously.
A bad memory is better than a good pen!
Two full hours later, the review finally concluded.
"Now," Coach Kataoka said, "we move on to the August Koshien schedule."
At those words, the substitute players stiffened.
During the two-day break, many of them hadn't slept well.
Two players would be cut from the roster.
Anyone could be next.
But instead of addressing that immediately, Coach Kataoka turned to the manager.
"Fujiwara, please."
"Understood."
Fujiwara Takako stood up, took a USB from her bag, and set up the projector.
Soon, the screen filled with data.
Team profiles.
Stats.
Regional champions.
A total of forty-nine schools heading to Koshien.
Aside from Seido, the other Tokyo representative was Teito High School.
The rest included many familiar powerhouses.
"Osaka Kiryu High School," Coach Kataoka began.
A tense murmur spread.
Last year's semifinal opponent.
A team with overwhelming strength.
"This year, they return stronger. Led by their ace and cleanup hitter, Hiromi Tachi."
Next—
"Seihou High School from Aichi."
Last year's Koshien finalist opponent.
"This year, their batting lineup is even more dangerous. Especially Sano Shuzo—the 'Monster.' His batting is on par with Masatoshi Harada."
More teams followed:
Kokaidai Sugata.
Hakuryu.
Each introduced briefly, but seriously.
Then—
Kanzaki raised his hand.
"Kanzaki?" Coach Kataoka looked over.
"Coach, could you check the South Hokkaido representative?"
"Hokkaido?"
Kataoka frowned slightly.
There weren't many notable teams from that region.
Still, he scrolled down.
South Hokkaido Representative: Kyoma Daifuji Maki
Nicknamed: The Ice Legion of the North
Coach: Shintaro Nitta — known for decisive tactics and psychological warfare.
Team Style: Frequent pitcher rotation, tight defense.
"They rely heavily on relief pitching…" Kataoka muttered. "Not uncommon."
Kanzaki shook his head slightly.
"I saw something about them online. Their pitchers are strong—there's even a first-year who throws over 150 km/h."
Then he glanced back.
"At someone here."
Everyone turned.
Furuya blinked.
"He's also a first-year. Also from Hokkaido. Same type—power pitcher."
Miyuki leaned forward.
"Furuya, you know him?"
Furuya shook his head blankly.
"No idea."
At the front, Kataoka found the player's data.
Hongo Masamune
Max Velocity: 151 km/h
Specialty: Forkball
Additional info: Unknown
"That's all we have," Fujiwara said apologetically.
Kanzaki shook his head.
"That's already impressive. It's not easy to gather info on a dark horse team like this."
Fujiwara gave a small nod.
"This is my job."
The room grew quiet again.
Unknown opponents.
Hidden threats.
Koshien wasn't just about strength—
It was about preparation.
And Seido had just found something worth watching.