Inside Koshien Stadium, Konan High School's locker room.
Shimabukuro Hiroshi wore headphones, nestled in a corner of the locker room with his eyes closed—this was his pre-game habit, aimed at preventing external interference, allowing his body and mind to remain focused and adjusted to their best state.
Meanwhile, his teammates, the other players of Konan High School, were eagerly reminiscing about the recent match—such a walk-off steal of home in extra innings was something they'd rarely seen outside of matches with significantly large skill gaps.
The Koshien schedule was extremely tight; as soon as the match between Waseda Industries and Narita High School ended, even though post-game rituals and draws were still ongoing inside, the relevant staff members assembled the Konan crowd in the players' tunnel.
Only then did Shimabukuro Hiroshi take off his headphones, sling his gear bag, and walk out at the back of the team.
