If I had entered Seido… would I have only been his substitute?
That thought suddenly surfaced in Maki Yosuke's mind.
And strangely—
He realized he wouldn't have minded.
Even if it meant standing in the shadows.
"Focus!"
His teammates' shouts snapped him back to reality.
Maki Yosuke steadied himself, but his palms trembled slightly—whether from excitement or fear, even he couldn't tell.
After all, the man in front of him had just crushed a grand slam off his pitch.
Taking a breath, Maki threw his first pitch.
Whoosh!
The ball traced a sharp, tricky path, clipping the very edge of the strike zone.
Kanzaki Ryou glanced at it and nodded slightly.
"Not bad."
There was even a hint of admiration in his voice.
Despite giving up ten runs and a grand slam this guy could still throw a pitch like that.
He's got talent.
Kanzaki smiled faintly.
"But… that's no excuse for your hostility toward Seido."
A chill ran down Maki Yosuke's spine.
An instinctive sense of danger crept in.
More than ten seconds later—
CRACK!!
The answer came.
The ball soared high into the stands.
Another home run.
Kanzaki Ryou's second homer of the game.
Score: 12–0.
The Seido supporters erupted.
Cheers thundered across the stadium as Kanzaki raised his arms slightly, smiling as he rounded the bases.
At home plate—
High-five!
Yuki Tetsuya greeted him calmly, though even he couldn't hide the satisfaction in his eyes.
On the mound…
Maki Yosuke stood frozen.
The light in his eyes had completely faded.
After that—
Miyuki drove a clean double.
Arima Kazusa advanced the runners.
With two outs and runners on the corners, Shirasu delivered a timely hit, bringing Miyuki home.
Only when Sawamura came up did the inning finally end—his bunt resulting in an out.
End of the third inning: 13–0.
From that point on, Maki Yosuke was completely broken.
Even after being replaced, the new pitcher couldn't stop the bleeding.
Kanzaki Ryou added yet another home run to his tally.
On the defensive side—
Sawamura gave up two runs in the fourth inning due to a slight lapse.
But by the fifth—
He had already regained control.
Three up, three down.
Clean and decisive.
Final Score: 19–2
The game ended early.
A mercy-rule victory.
And not just any victory—
This was the largest margin in West Tokyo Summer Tournament semifinal history.
Originally, with Kanzaki not pitching, many believed Sensen High might have a chance.
But reality was merciless.
Seido had only sent out a first-year pitcher—
And still completely suppressed Sensen's offense.
The cruelest part?
Sensen did hit the ball.
Again and again.
But it didn't matter.
Seido's defense swallowed everything.
Even when runners reached base, they couldn't connect plays or build momentum.
Scoring felt… impossible.
In the dugout—
Maki Yosuke stared blankly at Seido's players celebrating on the field.
Around him, teammates sighed… some even quietly sobbed.
Yet strangely—
The resentment he once held toward Seido…
Was gone.
"Next time…"
His voice was low, but firm.
"I'll defeat you."
As the Ace of Sensen High.
Seido Dugout
"Finals!! We're going to the finals!!"
Isashiki Jun threw his head back and roared.
"OOOOOH!!!"
The entire team rushed onto the field, their cheers echoing across the stadium.
In the Stands
The players of Inashiro Industrial watched in silence.
"They've gotten stronger… especially their batting lineup."
"Yeah. Aside from Yuki and Kanzaki, everyone else has improved."
"So what?"
A cold voice cut through the conversation.
Narumiya Mei stood up.
"It won't be easy to score against me."
He looked straight toward the field.
"No—"
"They won't score at all."
"This year's Summer Koshien ticket…"
"Belongs to us—Inashiro!"
"Yeah!"
"Beat Kanzaki Ryou!"
"Crush him!"
"We'll tear him apart!"
The Inashiro players burned with competitive fire.
Masatoshi Harada stood up.
"Let's go. It's our turn."
And just like that—
They left the stands.
After the Game
Back in the locker room—
"Change, grab your things, and head to the stands," Coach Kataoka instructed.
"Inashiro's match is next. Everyone will watch."
"Yes, Coach!"
Soon after—
The team gathered in the stands with their lunch boxes.
"Ryou, here."
Fujiwara Takako handed over a cream-colored bento.
"Another handmade one? Thanks, senpai."
Kanzaki smiled warmly.
"It's nothing," she replied, just as gently.
Miyuki sat on his left.
Takako sat on his right, holding a water bottle.
Behind them—
Kuramochi suddenly spoke up.
"Inashiro vs. Sakurazawa. Want to guess the score?"
"No thanks."
"Not interested."
Kanzaki and Miyuki answered in perfect sync.
"…Wait. Where's Sawamura?"
"He went to meet his friends."
"Kuramochi, go drag him back!"
"Tch. That idiot totally forgot the Coach's orders."
Grumbling, Kuramochi got up and left.
Inashiro vs. Sakurazawa
Sakurazawa High School—
A team that had lost in the first round for twenty consecutive years.
And yet—
This year, they stood in the semifinals.
All because of one man:
Nagao Akira.
His weapon?
A knuckleball.
From the very first inning—
The pitch wreaked havoc.
It floated, danced, and dropped unpredictably.
Even the pitcher and catcher couldn't fully control where it would land.
Let alone the batter.
The Inashiro lineup grew increasingly frustrated.
No rhythm.
No timing.
No certainty.
Only chaos.
For two innings—
The game remained deadlocked.
But then—
From the third inning onward—
Narumiya Mei awakened.
His pitching turned sharp. Aggressive. Overwhelming.
Every Sakurazawa batter felt suffocated at the plate.
Even Nagao Akira began to falter under the pressure.
Third inning: 3 runs.
Fourth inning: 5 runs.
Fifth inning: 6 runs.
Final Score: 14–0
Another mercy-rule victory.
Another game ended in five innings.
On the mound—
Narumiya Mei turned toward Seido's section in the stands.
A faint smirk appeared.
You ended it in five innings…
So did we.
Who's afraid of who?