"Beautiful!"
Suzuki Ichiro and Otani Shohei cheered as Aoba scored right off the bat, unable to hold back their admiration for the strategy.
But right after cheering, Suzuki Ichiro seemed to remember his "position" and quickly added,
"Advanced Nurturing's coach needs to come up with a counter-strategy immediately.
Otherwise, in the remaining five innings, Aoba will keep using the same tactics to score on them again and again."
"But… their coach got ejected,"
Sakurajima Mai reminded him kindly.
"Uh…"
Suzuki Ichiro was momentarily speechless and changed the subject. "Let's take a look at the next batter for Aoba—Kitahara Takashi ."
In the bullpen, Takashi stood up, picked up his personal metal bat, and walked to the batter's box.
A walk?
Yeah, it's going to be a walk.
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka and first baseman Horikita Manabu exchanged glances and quickly came to the same decision.
Four intentional balls—Takashi was walked.
He was the player with the most home runs in this year's Koshien, and the only one with a nearly 100% hitting success rate.
Walking him would only put him on first base—but letting him hit a homer could mean giving up two runs.
Even though Takashi was injured, they couldn't afford to underestimate him.
The devastating loss suffered by Chukyo University was a harsh lesson: never assume the game is over until the very end.
Having made up their minds, Ayanokoji threw a wildly off-target pitch.
Takashi stood in the batter's box. Just one look at the ball told him it was a deliberate walk.
A walk, huh?
He slowly straightened, still holding the bat, but his gaze toward Ayanokoji was filled with contempt.
The broadcast camera zoomed in on Takashi's face, and the stadium screen gave him a full close-up.
Everyone could see the scorn in his eyes, and the Aoba supporters immediately began booing Ayanokoji.
Soon, even the neutral spectators joined in the jeering.
The Advanced Nurturing students in the center of the storm looked visibly uncomfortable, and their cheer squad had fallen into complete silence.
But Ayanokoji wasn't shaken at all. He was someone of great personal ability who didn't care about others' opinions.
In that sense, he was similar to Koenji Rokusuke—not because he had anything to prove, but because he simply didn't feel anything. He was indifferent.
That was why Horikita Manabu had chosen him as their pitcher.
One word: unshakable.
Takashi's psychological tactics were useless.
No matter the boos, Ayanokoji did his thing and pitched another wildly off-target ball, walking Takashi to first base.
If only all the Advanced Nurturing players were brainless like Sudo Ken, Takashi thought as he casually walked to first, while Katsuta Musashi moved to third.
"The next player deserves a special introduction."
As he introduced Otani Shota, Suzuki Ichiro's voice became solemn. "It was he who put the bat in Takashi's hands."
"His injury made Kitahara decide to chase their shared dream. That's what brought him to Koshien—and turned him into every pitcher's nightmare."
"Without him, Aoba wouldn't be here today. And we might never have seen Kitahara play."
"Let's give a warm welcome to Aoba's cleanup hitter, one of only two freshmen in the starting lineup, and the original owner of jersey number 7—Otani Shota."
As soon as Suzuki finished, the stadium erupted into thunderous applause and cheers for Otani Shota.
His heart was racing, his chest tight, even his limbs tingling.
When emotion reaches a certain threshold, the body becomes numb.
With legs that barely responded, Otani walked up to the batter's box, suddenly unsure of what he was supposed to do.
"Spacing out already? We're still behind,"
Takashi noticed something was off with Otani and splashed cold water on him with a shout.
Only then did Otani feel himself return to reality.
"Three pitches!"
Takashi raised three fingers, applying pressure. "I'm giving you three chances."
"If you can't hit it, forget about ever making the starting lineup for any major tournament during your next three years in high school."
"You know how much influence I have in Aoba. If I say it, I mean it."
He turned away after speaking, eyes fixed on second base, body leaning forward like a leopard ready to pounce.
"You're underestimating Ayanokoji,"
said Horikita Manabu from first base.
"Ayanokoji's pitches aren't easy to hit."
Just because Aoba had gotten two hits off Ayanokoji didn't mean his pitches were easy.
Excluding Takashi, it had taken Aoba four innings just to get two players on base off his throws.
Otani had been injured and hadn't practiced with the team, spending over half a month in the hospital.
He definitely wasn't back in shape yet.
In competitive sports, your condition at the moment matters more than anything.
Even if you've recovered, it's like running—you'll struggle to complete the same distance if you haven't trained for a while.
"Horikita Manabu, I've never underestimated any of you,"
Takashi replied just as the umpire called, "Strike one!"
"On the contrary, I take you very seriously."
"I've been thinking this whole time about how to beat you."
Whether it was manipulating Koenji Rokusuke off the field, sending a fake invitation to Horikita Suzune to provoke Sudo Ken, or even the contemptuous stare toward Ayanokoji just now—it was all for the sake of winning.
"I respect you, but you've always underestimated us."
Manabu froze.
"Strike two."
"I've never denied Ayanokoji's talent. He's a genius—I acknowledge that."
Takashi had learned some of Ayanokoji's past from Hitomi.
Like his time in the White Room.
"But the world doesn't revolve around just one person."
"Even if someone leaves me—or Ayanokoji—the world keeps turning."
"This era won't stop you from shining, but you can't outshine everyone else either."
As Ayanokoji prepared to pitch, Takashi and Katsuta moved simultaneously, like athletes responding to the sound of a starting gun.
Takashi's final words echoed in the air:
"Ayanokoji Kiyotaka is a genius—but so is Otani, in the world of baseball!"
"You never should have underestimated him."
On the pitcher's mound, Otani Shota watched the white ball flying toward him and suddenly remembered a conversation he had after school with Takashi and Tanaka Kota.
He couldn't recall the exact date—it had been last semester, too long ago.
He didn't remember the beginning of the conversation either. With boys, you just talk about whatever comes to mind.
But there was one exchange he remembered vividly, even now:
"Takashi, sometimes I really envy you."
They were in front of a vending machine. After Takashi had turned down some girls trying to flirt with him, Otani spoke up.
"What's there to envy?"
Takashi didn't even turn around, chin resting on his hand as he stared at the drink selection.
"You're handsome, you have great grades, girls love you, and you live alone without nagging parents—what's not to envy?"
There wasn't a single guy at Aoba who didn't envy Takashi.
"Right? Honestly, you feel like the main character of some youth novel,"
Tanaka Kota chimed in from the side.
"You envy my looks and my grades, but how do you know… I don't envy you too?"
"You don't have to face the world so early like I do."
"When you go home, there's someone waiting with dinner."
"But every time I go home, it's just a cold, empty apartment."
"Have you ever passed out and woken up alone on a freezing floor?"
"You envy the good, cheerful side of me that I let you see."
After hesitating for a while, Takashi finally chose a bottle of ramune.
"And if I'm the main character… what makes you think you're not?"
"We're no main characters—more like your supporting cast."
Originally, Tanaka Kota and Otani Shota still felt a bit of sympathy for Takashi , but after hearing that line, they both pursed their lips.
"Aoba High has such a high deviation value. Did you all really get in through your own efforts?"
"You're all athletes, right? Doesn't that make you more outstanding than others?"
Takashi bent down to grab a bottle of ramune soda from the vending machine, turned to them with a smile, and said, "Aren't you both the protagonists of your own stories too?"
"What's wrong, boys? Are you starting to doubt whether you're the main characters now?"
But just like Takashi said, Otani Shota's eyes turned fierce, and he swung without hesitation.
Beep—155km/h. This pitch broke his personal best reco—
BANG—!
The announcer hadn't even finished when the metal bat made a crisp, resonant sound as it connected.
That ball, which had broken his personal record, flew into the blue sky at an even higher speed.
It soared—past the infield, past the outfield—until it landed straight into a bucket of popcorn in the spectator stands.
"AAAAAAHHHHHH!!!"
Otani Shota roared to the sky and slammed his fist against his own chest.
Maybe he wasn't as handsome as Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, maybe his grades weren't as good, maybe he wasn't as smart—but in the realm of baseball, he didn't think he was inferior to anyone.
From freshman to senior, in a baseball club with over a hundred members, only he had become a starting player as a freshman before Takashi .
While others waited for their upperclassmen to graduate or step down, he had fought with raw strength to take a starting spot.
"Home run!"
"A walk-off home run!"
"Aoba didn't just want one run, or two—it wanted four full runs!"
"Four players. Fourth batter. Four runs. A miracle!"
"Tanaka Kota has shown the world with his strength why he deserves to start."
"And Aoba doesn't have only one genius in Takashi —Otani Shota is also a genius."
The male announcer shouted in a frenzy, spittle flying, his tone rapid and ecstatic.
Even Katsuta Musashi and Takashi hadn't expected Otani Shota to land a home run.
They had originally hoped for two, maybe three runs.
Who would've thought Otani would give them a surprise like that?
Realizing what had just happened, both of them rushed toward Otani Shota at the same time.
"Well done!!!"
Katsuta Musashi messed up Otani's hair roughly.
"You're really something!"
Takashi ran up and gave him a hard punch.
Then, players began pouring out of the bullpen one after another.
Otani Shota's eyes were red as he raised his fist toward Takashi. "I told you—leave the offense to me."
Takashi smiled and bumped fists with him, just as firmly. "Then leave the defense to me."
Otani Shota's hit had massively boosted Aoba's morale.
A few more players managed to connect with Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's pitches—even though they didn't score, their fighting spirit and desire to take down Advanced Nurturing made Horikita Manabu feel uneasy.
As the inning changed, Takashi had originally planned to play a war of attrition—walk three players, get three outs, let them get on base but score nothing.
But whether it was because of Otani Shota's influence, or the dopamine surging through his system, this time Takashi didn't go that route.
He struck out three batters in a row.
By the sixth inning, everyone facing Aoba had gotten serious.
This time, Ayanokoji worked well with his teammates, holding Aoba to just getting on base but not scoring, keeping the score at 6:11.
Advanced Nurturing had always been strong, and Takashi had respected them deeply, which is why he had tried every method to chip away at their strength.
Seventh inning. Eighth inning. On defense, Takashi didn't allow Advanced Nurturing to score.
On offense, despite the searing pain in his right arm, Takashi activated his "Popeye Mode" again, smashing two home runs for another two runs.
Score: 8:11.
As the game went on, emotions ran high.
Even if Takashi scored another run in the ninth inning, Aoba would still lose.
The turning point came in the top of the ninth.
Just when Advanced Nurturing seemed poised to clinch the game, Yamada Albert, who'd been chased around the field like a dog by Aoba the whole game, twisted his ankle during a sprint and fell, clutching it.
His fall nullified all of Advanced Nurturing's efforts throughout the game.
At this stage, everyone was exhausted, and they had no substitutes left.
In the bottom of the ninth, Aoba managed to chase down three runs and force the game into extra innings.
Top of the tenth—Takashi hit a walk-off home run.
BANG!
Everyone's eyes followed the ball as it smashed into the electronic scoreboard.
The distorted screen still managed to display the score:
Aoba: 12
Advanced Nurturing: 11
"AAHHHH—!"
Like a tsunami, cheers surged through the stadium.
Spectators waved whatever they could in pure excitement.
At the exact moment the game ended, Takashi collapsed face-first into the dirt, gasping heavily, unwilling to get up.
"Takashi! We did it! We're the champions!!!"
Otani Shota threw his entire weight on top of Takashi.
"We really did it!"
"We're the Summer Koshien champions!"
Then Katsuta Musashi, Noda Yusei, Momodani Kaname… one after another, players rushed the field and piled on top of Takashi right in front of the entire Advanced Nurturing team.
Even their coach, Amatani Kensuke, was so moved that he joined the pile.
"Get off me, I'm gonna die!" Takashi's left hand frantically slapped the ground.
Only then did everyone realize and start to get up—then lifted Takashi into the air and tossed him high.
"Damn it, you guys trying to kill me?"
Though Takashi was cursing and grumbling, no one was smiling more brightly than him.
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And that should close the arc of baseball tournament…
It was an enjoyable one for sure… at least for me.
What about you?
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