Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, it was already the eve of the Summer Tournament.
After several months of training and steady growth, Kitamura Kou had improved significantly.
Height: 180 cm
Weight: 71 kg
Pitches mastered: Four-Seam Fastball, Two-Seam Fastball, Fast Forkball, Changeup, Slider
"Tomorrow's opening day, so they should hand out the jersey numbers today, right?"
"Yeah, yeah. I wonder who'll get the number one jersey—the Ace number."
"I think it'll be Mino-senpai. He is a third-year, after all."
"No way. If we're talking about both skill and seniority, it should be Sanada."
"If we're talking pure skill, then it has to be Kitamura. He's the strongest!"
Kitamura Kou heard the casual chatter of his teammates, but his heart remained calm. He was not overly fixated on becoming the Ace; what mattered most to him was the team's victory.
Still, what pitcher didn't want the Ace's number?
In the end, Kitamura Kou decided not to dwell on it. That sort of thing was the coach's concern. No matter how much he thought about it, it would not change the outcome.
"Sanada-senpai, why haven't I seen Coach all day? Did he go to the bathroom? But if that's the case, isn't this taking way too long? I haven't seen him since this morning. Pfft—don't tell me he forgot to bring toilet paper, or maybe he fell in and can't climb out. Hahahaha!" the chubby Mishima Yuta said.
Watching Mishima fool around, Sanada Shunpei covered his face helplessly.
"Coach and Fukuda-senpai went to draw lots. Mishima, if Coach hears what you just said, you're dead."
…
That afternoon, all the members of the Yakushi High School Baseball Team gathered together.
The usual laziness on Todoroki Raizo's face was gone as he addressed everyone in a solemn tone.
"These are the results of this year's Summer Tournament draw. Fukuda, put them up on the wall so everyone can see."
At once, a crowd gathered around Fukuda Daiki. The moment he posted the bracket, everyone pressed in to take a look.
"Ahhh!!! Round of 16 against Ichidaisan High School, quarterfinals against Seidou High School, and the finals against Inashiro Industrial High School? What kind of hellish bracket is this?!"
"Hahahaha! Coach, your luck is as terrible as ever!"
"You should've let me draw. There's no way it could've been worse than this!"
"What can you do? It's our fate to have a coach with unbelievably bad luck."
One after another, the Yakushi players mercilessly teased their coach.
Unable to take it anymore, Todoroki Raizo stormed forward and punched the loudest offender—Mishima Yuta—instantly silencing the room. Then he cleared his throat, regained his serious expression, and said:
"Ahem! Since things have turned out this way, all we can do is fight our way through it. Now I'll announce the jersey numbers. When your name is called, step forward and receive your number."
"Yes!!!"
"First, number one: Sanada Shunpei."
"Yes!"
Sanada Shunpei stepped forward without hesitation and took the jersey from Todoroki Raizo's hand.
"Shunpei, you'll carry the Ace number. Go all out and crush the opposing batters. I'm counting on you."
"Yes!!!"
"As expected, it's Sanada-senpai," Maruyama Shinji said.
"Damn it! This Great Master refuses to accept defeat. Number one is just being kept safe for me for now," Mishima Yuta declared stubbornly.
"Congratulations, Sanada-senpai. But I won't lose to you so easily," Kitamura Kou said sincerely.
"Ah, I'll do my best—as the true Ace of Yakushi High School," Sanada Shunpei replied with a playful smile.
Once everyone had settled down, Todoroki Raizo continued.
"Next, number two: Watanabe Tatsuya!"
"Yes!"
"Number three: Terauchi Mamoru!"
"Yes!"
"Number four: Fukuda Daiki!"
"Yes!"
"Number five: Taira Akiraryo!"
"Yes!"
"Number six: Kobayashi Keisuke!"
"Yes!"
"Number seven: Onoda Daisuke!"
"Yes!"
"Number eight: Ota Isao!"
"Yes!"
"Number nine: Yamauchi Yutaka!"
"Yes!"
"Number ten: Mino Hayato!"
"Yes!"
"Number eleven: Yonehara Yu!"
"Yes!"
"Number twelve: Abe Hideo!"
"Yes!"
"Number thirteen: Akaishi Osamu!"
"Yes!"
"Number fourteen: Nakanishi Daiki!"
"Yes!"
"Number fifteen: Masuda Atsushi!"
"Yes!"
"Number sixteen: Moriyama Makoto!"
"Yes!"
"Number seventeen: Mishima Yu—"
"Yes, yes!!"
Before Todoroki Raizo could even finish, Mishima Yuta had already rushed out impatiently.
"Hahahaha!"
The team burst into good-natured laughter, but Mishima paid them no mind as he snatched the jersey number from Todoroki Raizo's hand.
"Number eighteen: Kitamura Kou!"
"Yes!"
Kitamura Kou calmly stepped forward and accepted the jersey.
"Kitamura," Todoroki Raizo said in a rare, heartfelt tone, "the reason I'm giving you this number instead of the Ace number is because of the team's needs—not because you aren't strong enough to be the Ace. You've seen the bracket. If we want to reach Koshien, we'll have to defeat the Three Great Powers of West Tokyo one after another. To improve our odds, I've decided to keep you hidden as our secret weapon. I won't send you out until the critical moment."
He paused, then looked Kou straight in the eye.
"Kitamura, whether Yakushi can make it to Koshien may very well depend on you. Don't let us down. I'm entrusting everything to you."
Todoroki Raizo had absolute faith in Kitamura Kou. In all of West Tokyo, the only pitcher who could possibly stand alongside him was probably Inashiro Industrial's Ace, Narumiya Mei.
"Kahahahaha! As expected of Kitamura!" Todoroki Raichi cackled.
"We're counting on you this Summer Tournament," Sanada Shunpei said sincerely.
"Kou, take us to Koshien!" Nakanishi Daiki shouted.
"Kou, you can do it. No one knows how nasty your pitches are better than I do," Akaishi Osamu said, giving him an encouraging thumbs-up.
"Yeah, I'll do my best," Kitamura Kou replied with a bright smile. "But everyone else has to work hard too. Let's enjoy this long summer together!"
"Next, number nineteen: Akiba Kazuma!"
"I'll do my best, Coach."
"Number twenty: Todoroki Raichi."
"Kahahahaha! Yes!"
"Raichi! Don't cause trouble for everyone!" Todoroki Raizo snapped at his son out of habit.
"Damn it, you old bastard!" Todoroki Raichi shot back, though he did not actually make a move.
Then Todoroki Raizo's expression turned serious once more.
"I think all of you understand this better than anyone—there are no second chances in high school baseball. One loss, and everything we've worked for this entire year will mean nothing."
His voice grew louder and firmer.
"Yakushi High School may be an unknown school, but I've seen every drop of sweat you've shed. I've seen every successful defensive play, every full-force swing, every time you kept standing even when you were exhausted. So I want you to leave behind no regrets."
He raised his voice and roared:
"Let's go to Koshien together!!!"
"Ooooooh!!!!"
The roar of the Yakushi players echoed back even louder.