"Thank you, audience."
After the awards ceremony and post-game interviews, a long time passed before Seidou finally left the venue.
"Ni-chan!"
Kanzaki Kumiko had been waiting outside for a long time. The moment she saw Kanzaki Ryou, she rushed over and grabbed his arm tightly—drawing countless jealous looks from the Seidou players.
"Ni-chan, congratulations on winning the championship!" Kumiko said cheerfully.
Ryou smiled softly. "Thanks, Kumiko."
"Mmm!" Kumiko nodded proudly.
"Coach."
Ryou turned toward Coach Kataoka, who gave him a small nod before signaling everyone to board the bus.
"Kanzaki! You bastard!"
Kuramochi was gnawing his collar in pure jealousy.
"Let's go—onto the bus."
Miyuki grabbed the back of Kuramochi's shirt and dragged him away like a misbehaving dog.
"Kanzaki! Don't rush—we'll wait for you!"
Azuma Kiyokuni, the last to board, shouted while holding the championship trophy overhead.
Ryou chuckled and nodded. Then he looked at the sisters, Mami and Kumiko.
"Kumiko, you're heading back to Kyoto today?"
"Mmm… My train's in the afternoon."
Her expression fell instantly—clearly reluctant to leave her brother.
Ryou cupped her cheeks and gently rubbed them.
"Final exams are coming soon, right? And the Kyoto Prefectural Brass Band Competition. Your band's going to be busy. Kumiko, you haven't forgotten, have you? You're aiming for the National Gold Award."
At that, Kumiko's face twitched. Her Euphonium skills were good—excellent, even—but Kitauji's brass band was still inconsistent. They might not make it past regionals.
"I—I'll try my best!" Kumiko puffed her cheeks and nodded hard.
Then she reached into her small backpack and pulled out two tiny mascot toys—one shaped like a Euphonium, one like a trumpet.
"These are gifts for Ni-chan! The Euphonium is from me, and the trumpet is from Reina," Kumiko said proudly.
Ryou accepted them with a soft smile. "I'll treasure them. Tell Reina I said thank you."
"Okay!"
Ryou turned to Mami. "Nee-san, I'm counting on you to take Kumiko to the station."
Mami nodded. "Let's go, Kumiko. If we're late, we'll miss the train."
Kumiko clung to Ryou reluctantly.
"Ni-chan, come home early during break!"
"Mmm. I will."
After seeing her off, Ryou boarded the bus—only to be immediately surrounded by gossip-hungry teammates.
The trip back to Seidou was loud and cheerful. At the school gate, the principal, teachers, and hundreds of students waited with flowers and banners. The cheerleaders and brass band, who had returned earlier, were already performing in full force.
"Coach Kataoka, congratulations on fulfilling your goal!" The principal shook Kataoka's hand with a beaming smile.
Seidou had reached Koshien for the first time in years. Even faculty members were emotional.
Coach Kataoka—usually stern—allowed himself a rare smile.
"Thank you for your guidance all these years, Principal."
Meanwhile, Seidou's players were already dreaming of the huge feast waiting for them.
"Hey, Kanzaki, you probably have a lot of diet restrictions because of your injury, right?" Miyuki said slyly.
"Eh—diet restrictions?!" Ryou froze and stared at Chris in panic. Watching others feast while he couldn't would be torture.
Chris shook his head. "No restrictions. Eat normally."
Ryou glared at Miyuki.
This dark-bellied catcher was truly evil.
The next morning.
After yesterday's intense match and night-long celebration, Kanzaki Ryou's body refused to get up.
"Oww…"
His waist throbbed sharply.
Chris's bed was empty; only Azuma snored loudly on the other bunk.
Ryou forced himself up, washed, and wandered toward the baseball field. Even though Coach Kataoka had declared a rest day, many players were already training on their own—especially the substitutes.
Only 18 players could go to Koshien. Two would be cut.
And one of them was almost certainly Kuramochi.
The second-year substitutes pushed themselves even harder than usual. No one wanted to be left out at the last moment.
"Kanzaki."
"Hmm? Tanba-senpai."
Tanba Koichiro walked over, bat in hand.
"Why're you up so early? You're injured. You should rest," Tanba said with a frown.
This kid… even injured, he couldn't sit still.
"I'm used to waking up early. Just came to look around." Ryou tilted his head. "What about you, Tanba-senpai? We have a rare day off."
Tanba stared at the field.
"I don't have time to rest. For Koshien… whether you can pitch or not, I'll fulfill my duty."
Ryou smiled. He knew of Koshien's brutal schedule.
"In that case, I'll be counting on you, Senpai."
Tanba blinked—surprised.
This kid… actually said something honest?
"Our goal is the championship, right? That's impossible unless everyone gives everything," Ryou added.
Tanba stiffened.
Yes—Seidou's long-standing dream was the same: national domination.
Both Tanba Koichiro and Kanzaki Ryou had to rise.
"Recover properly. When you return… don't forget, you are our team's Ace," Tanba said firmly.
Ryou nodded. "Mm."
Days passed.
August 3rd.
After more than ten days of recovery, Kanzaki Ryou was nearly healed and had begun light training again. Coach Kataoka and the managers were shocked—but thrilled. He might still be able to pitch at Koshien.
"You definitely won't play in the first two rounds," Kataoka warned.
Ryou sighed internally.
Let's hope Seidou doesn't meet a powerhouse early on…
"Go pack your things—we depart tomorrow. Don't forget anything," Kataoka said with fatherly concern.
"Yes, Boss."
Leaving the office, Ryou headed toward the field, only to nearly collide with Takashima Rei—who was buried in documents and looked extremely busy.