The Summer Koshien preliminaries are a critical part of the Koshien selection process, and in popularity, they rival the main tournament itself.
West Tokyo, one of the most competitive districts, draws countless spectators eager to watch the games live.
As seeded teams, Inashiro Industrial, Ichidaisan, Seidou, and Sensen Academy all had byes in the first round.
Inside a moderately sized stadium, a scattering of spectators had already taken their seats. Yakushi High School, as a lesser-known team, drew very little attention.
Most of the attendees were students from the two schools, family members of the players, or just a few casual baseball fans with free time.
At this moment, Yakushi High School, clad in black-and-white pinstriped uniforms, stepped onto the field to sparse cheers. At the same time, their first-round opponent, Tokyo Metropolitan Sanwa High School, also entered, heads held high.
"Coach Ueno, let's give it our all today," Todoroki Raizo said, extending his right hand toward the white-haired elder beside him.
"Of course. Let's play a game without regrets," Sanwa High School's coach, Ueno Kento, replied with a broad smile, shaking Todoroki's hand.
After some brief pleasantries and warm-ups, the game officially began.
"Line up!" the umpire's voice rang out.
"Give it your all!" the players of both teams shouted as they lined up, bowed, and raised their voices.
"Woo!!!"
With the air-raid siren sounding, the game officially started.
Yakushi High School's batting order was as follows:
Cleanup hitter, second baseman: Fukuda Daiki
Second hitter, left fielder: Terauchi Mamoru
Third hitter, center fielder: Ota Isao
Fourth hitter, right fielder: Yamauchi Yutaka
Fifth hitter, shortstop: Kobayashi Keisuke
Sixth hitter, catcher: Watanabe Tatsuya
Seventh hitter, pitcher: Mino Hayato
Eighth hitter, second baseman: Hirahata Ryo
Ninth hitter, first baseman: Onoda Daisuke
All were second- and third-year upperclassmen; no first-years played. Todoroki Raizo clearly intended to cultivate his team quietly, keeping their true strength hidden until the very end.
Mino Hayato's pitching alone wasn't enough to dominate Yakushi's own lineup, but against an equally obscure opponent like Sanwa High School—known for being eliminated in the first round—there were no major problems.
As expected, the game unfolded according to Todoroki Raizo's plan. Yakushi High School won easily, 10–2, in seven innings.
Even so, Yakushi still wasn't taken seriously by other schools.
Their second-round opponent was no stronger than Sanwa High School, and perhaps even weaker. Yakushi claimed another easy win, 7–0, again in seven innings.
Time passed quickly, and the third round of games had begun. On July 20th, Yakushi had no match scheduled. To scout other teams, the Yakushi players split into groups, heading to different stadiums.
Kitamura Kou, curious about Seidou High School, brought Akaishi Osamu and Nakanishi Daiki along to watch Seidou face Tokyo Metropolitan Murata Higashi High School.
The three stood at the highest point in the stands, shaded from the scorching sun, with a perfect view of the field. In fact, from up there, Kitamura could see even more clearly than from the front rows.
"There are so many spectators… our games looked practically pathetic in comparison," Nakanishi muttered bitterly, looking at the packed stands.
"What can you do? They're a powerhouse team, so of course they have supporters," Akaishi replied calmly.
"The starting pitcher is Furuya Satoru, as expected," Kitamura murmured, his gaze fixed on the slender figure on the mound.
The first inning belonged to Murata Higashi's offense. As anticipated, Furuya only needed a single pitch to intimidate the batter.
A 150 km/h fastball aimed at the face is nothing like a machine pitch. Every pitcher's throw carries unique characteristics—height, weight, finger length, pitching posture, release force, spin rate—all combine to make even the same pitch feel different.
As Kitamura had predicted, Furuya Satoru completely shut down Murata Higashi's lineup for three innings. Seidou's batting remained lethal, scoring three runs in the first inning and two more in the second.
Now it was Seidou's turn at bat in the third inning.
"Yes… Furuya, Seidou High's first-year pitcher."
"This kid is incredible."
The crowd erupted in cheers for Furuya's performance.
Suddenly, a voice drew Kitamura's attention.
"Hmph… this pitcher is boring. He doesn't know how to pace his throws, relying only on brute force."
Kitamura followed the voice and saw a handsome man with glasses nearby, trimming his fingernails while muttering to himself.
"The baseball I admire in this country should be a more refined, precise sport."
Kitamura sensed something unusual about him. His intuition screamed that this man was not simple.
Clang!
Kitamura shook his head and refocused on the game.
Although Murata Higashi managed to prevent further runs in the third inning through teamwork, Seidou still scored three more in the fourth. With eight runs already, Seidou's reputation as a nationally renowned powerhouse was well deserved. The game seemed destined to end early.
"Hey, Shunshin, aren't you watching anymore?"
The mysterious voice spoke again. Kitamura turned to see the man getting up. Another man asked him something, and he replied:
"Hmph. That pitcher is fast, yes—but there are many ways to handle him. What we need to watch for is their powerful batting lineup, the second-year relief pitcher, and the third-year Ace who hasn't played yet."
With that, he walked off.
Kitamura couldn't help but agree with his assessment. He had watched several of Seidou's games. Furuya's control was shaky, his stamina limited. It was only a matter of time before someone figured out how to counter him.