"Morning, guys. You all seem pretty fired up."
Kitamura Kou strolled over to the group at an unhurried pace, casually raising his right hand in greeting.
"Morning, my foot! Do you even know what time it is? Didn't I say yesterday that we were meeting at nine? You idiot!!!"
The moment Kou appeared, the already-enraged Todoroki Raizo raised his fist and smacked him on the head.
Fortunately, Raizo still had enough self-control to hold back. It hurt, but it wasn't enough to cause any real injury. Otherwise, Yakushi might have lost a key player before the match even started.
"Ow, ow, ow!"
Kou immediately clutched his head and yelped in pain. After the sting faded a little, he tried to defend himself.
"But Coach, didn't you tell us to make sure we got enough sleep? I was just following instructions."
Seeing Raizo's temper about to explode again, Akaishi Osamu hurriedly stepped in to smooth things over.
"Alright, Coach, we're running late. Let's get inside. The game's about to start."
"I'll let you off this time. But if you pull this again, just see what happens!" Raizo growled, glaring fiercely at Kou before turning to the rest of the team. "Come on, kids, let's move!"
With that, he took the lead, and the others quickly followed behind him.
Earlier, at 9:00 AM, the entire Seido High School team had already gathered outside the stadium at their designated meeting point to listen to Coach Kataoka's final instructions.
"We'll stick to the strategy we discussed in the meeting. Make sure you all confirm the signs."
"Yes!"
"Stay hydrated. The bench players who aren't starting need to support the others from the dugout. In the games ahead, it'll take the whole team working together to win. Furuya, you're starting."
"Yes."
"Kawakami, Sawamura—you two warm up as well. Be ready to go in at any time."
"Yes!"
"Huh?" Kuramochi Youichi, who shared a dorm room with Sawamura Eijun, blinked in surprise. "The coach called Sawamura's name just now. That's unusual."
Then, with a sly grin, he turned to Miyuki Kazuya.
"Did something happen between him and the coach last night? Otherwise, this is way too strange."
Miyuki shot him a sidelong glance, thinking to himself, This guy really is sharp when it comes to reading people.
Nearby, Jun Isashiki slung an arm around Tanba Koichiro's shoulders. Tanba had been hiding off to one side, still weighed down by guilt over being unable to pitch because of his injury.
"Why're you sulking off in the corner like that?" Jun barked.
"Bald guy, just sit in the shade. Your head's shiny enough already," Kominato Ryosuke added with a smiling squint.
"Yeah, Baldy, watch out or your scalp's gonna get sunburned," Masuko Tooru said with complete seriousness, pointing at Tamba's head.
"You guys…"
Tanba immediately understood that this was their awkward way of encouraging him. He felt deeply moved.
"Let's go," Yuki Tetsuya said simply, but with quiet conviction.
The moment the Seido players appeared, a thunderous cheer erupted from the stands. At least eighty percent of the spectators had come specifically to watch Seido High.
"Wow, that's an insane reception. No wonder it's Seido."
The Yakushi players, who happened to be in the stands at the time, couldn't help but marvel.
"Stop gawking and hurry up. Go find the seats our guys saved for us," Todoroki Raizo snapped impatiently.
In Akikawa Academy's waiting area, the players couldn't help but talk about the overwhelming atmosphere surrounding Seido.
"There are so many people on the other side…"
"They even brought the brass band and cheer squad. Compared to that, we look kind of pathetic."
"Well, there's nothing we can do. The other students are all stuck in summer tutoring."
"My parents even told me to quit baseball and focus on studying. It's depressing."
"Same here. They said they didn't send me to Akikawa just so I could play baseball."
"But honestly, I never thought I'd end up taking baseball this seriously."
"Yeah. But now that we've come this far, how can we just give up? Ever since we met Shunshin and tasted what victory feels like, there's no going back."
As soon as his name came up, everyone turned toward You Shunshin, who was sitting quietly in the corner with earphones in, listening to music alone.
Shunshin pulled off one earbud, his expression as calm and distant as ever.
"As expected, Yumi's songs are the best. They help me calm down."
"Yumi?"
You really are way too into Japan…
Coach Ogata looked at Shunshin and asked, "How are you feeling? Any problems?"
Shunshin answered in the same composed tone as always.
"Nothing's changed. I'll pitch the way I always do and suppress the batters the way I always do. That's a pitcher's job. It doesn't matter who the opponent is."
Coach Ogata felt a wave of relief.
There's nothing more reassuring than hearing that from him.
Then he turned to the rest of the team and encouraged them.
"Shunshin's right. No matter who we're facing, we just have to play our own baseball. Now go out there and enjoy the game!"
The two reporters from Baseball Kingdom Monthly were also in the stands, watching today's matchup.
"Akikawa Academy is batting first, so they'll definitely want to score early and bring the game into their preferred rhythm," Owada Akiko said.
Mine Fujio nodded.
"That's true. But Seido clearly has the edge in overall strength. In other words, the key to this game is whether Yang can suppress Seido's batting lineup. Will it be Seido, the perennial powerhouse, or Akikawa, the dark horse built around Yang, that advances to the top eight? We're about to find out."
In Seido's dugout, Miyuki Kazuya was checking on Furuya's condition one last time.
"Luckily, this game's in the morning, before the temperature hits its peak. You should be able to pitch at your usual level."
"I'm planning to go all the way to the final inning today," Furuya replied coldly.
Miyuki stared at his serious face and thought, This guy isn't just talking big. He actually means it. That's the scary part.
Even so, he couldn't help but warn him.
"Still, don't go all out from the start. Save some strength."
Furuya hesitated.
Miyuki frowned. "Why are you hesitating?"
"Line up!!!"
At that moment, the four umpires ran onto the field, and the chief umpire's loud shout rang across the stadium.
"Let's go!!!"
Just watch me!
Amid the fierce roars of both teams, the game officially began.