Meanwhile, Narumiya Mei was still sulking after returning to his team.
That Little Blondie had been humiliated—someone actually dared to give him a nickname.
"Chestnut Hair Monster…?" he muttered, recalling Kanzaki's reddish-brown hair.
Narumiya froze for a second, then put his hands on his hips and burst into laughter.
"Ahahahaha! Chestnut Hair Monster! That's perfect!"
A smug grin spread across his face.
"Next time, next time I see him, I'll call him that!"
A few seconds later, realization hit him like a pitch to the face.
"Why… why didn't I think of that earlier!?"
He covered his face and groaned dramatically.
"Ugh! Delayed intelligence is useless!"
Elsewhere, near the stadium restroom—
Tanba Koichiro walked out, adjusting his uniform pants, and accidentally bumped into someone in a gray-and-white uniform.
"Ow— that hurts," the other boy muttered, rubbing his chest.
"Ah, I'm sorry!" Tanba immediately bowed.
"Eh? Koichiro?"
Tanba looked up. "Manaka?"
Manaka Kaname smiled and gave his friend a friendly pat. "Long time no see, Koichiro."
"Yeah… you heading to the restroom too?" Tanba asked awkwardly.
Manaka chuckled. "Still not great at small talk, huh? Forget it. Let's chat on the field instead."
Tanba said nothing. Even though they were good friends, they were now opponents—he wouldn't be careless enough to reveal anything about Seidou's condition.
Seeing Tanba's silence, Manaka just smiled and waved. "Alright then, see you out there."
"Yeah," Tanba replied quietly.
Back in Seidou's locker room, Tanba's gaze unconsciously drifted toward Kanzaki Ryou, who was chatting and laughing with Miyuki and Kuramochi.
Although Tanba had pitched until the end in the previous game against Horikoshi High, he couldn't help but feel uneasy.
Now, Coach Kataoka was starting a first-year pitcher against Ichidai Third.
Did that mean… he wasn't trusted enough?
"Tanba! Oi, Tanba!"
The call of Miyauchi Keisuke snapped him out of his thoughts.
"Let's go! The game's about to start!"
"Oh— right!" Tanba said, hurrying after him. They were the last ones to leave the room.
Out on the field, both Seidou High and Ichidai Third High were warming up. Their sharp, synchronized movements drew waves of cheers from the stands.
When the pre-game exercises ended, both teams returned to their dugouts.
"The Spring Tokyo Tournament semifinals, first match!"
"Today's game: Seidou High School versus Ichidai Third High!"
As the commentator's voice echoed through Meiji Jingu Second Stadium, thunderous cheers erupted from the stands.
"Seidou!!"
"Ichidai!!"
Both schools were long-standing Tokyo powerhouses—rivals whose clashes always electrified the crowd.
On Seidou's third-base side, Coach Kataoka stood with his arms crossed.
"Listen up," he said firmly. "The Spring Tournament may not be as prestigious as the Summer or Autumn, but since we've made it this far, there's no turning back."
He looked over his players, his voice hardening.
"Go out there and fight with everything you've got!"
"YES, SIR!!"
The players' shout echoed across the field as they charged toward their positions.
For them, today's match was more than just a semifinal—it was payback for last summer's loss!
Top of the first inning.
Ichidai Third High was up to bat, Seidou on defense.
Standing tall on the mound was Seidou's ace pitcher, Nanjo Taishi. Behind the plate, catcher Tanaka Wataru signaled for an outside low four-seamer.
Nanjo nodded. Their rhythm was perfect. Without hesitation, he delivered the pitch.
Whack!
The ball smacked into the mitt. The batter swung—and missed!
"Nice pitch!"
"The first ball's an outside fastball—swing and a miss!" the commentator called excitedly.
Nanjo, ever composed, didn't celebrate. He stayed sharp and followed Tanaka's signs. Within moments, Seidou's defense forced a quick three up, three down.
Bottom of the first.
Now it was Seidou's turn to attack.
Watching from the dugout, Kanzaki frowned slightly.
"Manaka-senpai's high-speed curveball has quite the bite."
Miyuki nodded. "Yeah. Faster and sharper than what we saw in the footage. The movement's tricky too."
Kanzaki's lips curved in confidence. "Still, if that's his only real weapon, he won't be able to hold back our seniors forever."
But Miyuki shook his head.
"No, Ryou. Manaka-senpai's four-seamer and high-speed curveball are already a solid combination. Ichidai's defense is also top-tier—almost on par with ours. Even if we connect with the ball, turning that into runs won't be easy."
Kanzaki smiled wryly. "You're right. I tend to think from the pitcher's perspective too much."
Miyuki chuckled. "Well, that's normal. Pitchers are self-centered creatures, after all."
Their conversation wasn't whispered, and both Coach Kataoka and Chris nodded approvingly after overhearing it.
A player who thinks deeply is always valuable.
The arrival of Kanzaki Ryou and Miyuki Kazuya—both brilliant first-years—signified a bright new era for Seidou Baseball.
"Kanzaki, Miyuki," Coach Kataoka called, catching himself mid-syllable. "Start warming up."
"Yes, Coach!"
The two headed for the bullpen. But just as they began, a sharp crack! rang from the field.
A batter from Ichidai Third High had just connected—sending a long drive sailing toward right field.
Seidou's right fielder, Araki Keita, sprinted to cut it off and threw the ball back as fast as he could.
But the runner still slid safely into second.
"Top of the second inning! Ichidai Third High breaks through with a long hit—no outs, runner on second!"
On the mound, Nanjo exhaled slowly. His last pitch had hung a bit too high. The batter had pounced on it.
"A scoring threat already…" Miyuki muttered.
"Don't stare—warm up," Kanzaki said, tugging on his glove and focusing on the bullpen.
From that moment, he didn't look back at the field again.
Pitch after pitch, he threw steadily into Miyuki's glove.
Meanwhile, in the stands, Seidou's supporters were murmuring.
"Is Coach Kataoka… seriously planning to use a first-year pitcher in this game?"
"It's only been, what, twenty days since they enrolled?"
"Even if he's talented, there has to be a limit…"
They had seen Kanzaki in the match against Towa High—he'd only thrown one inning, showing off his velocity but little else.
At the time, he left the impression of a pitcher with great potential and a promising future—someone who might contribute this summer.
But now, here he was, warming up in the semifinals against one of Tokyo's top teams.
Was Seidou really planning to unleash their mysterious first-year ace this early?
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IM SORRY EVERYONE I COUDN'T UPDATE THIS FEW DAYS BECAUSE I FORGOT TO PAY OF MY INTERNET 😭