"Mukai Taiyo's screwball really is something. We almost grounded into a double play there," Kanzaki Ryou commented as he drank some water.
"Yeah. There aren't many people in our lineup who can consistently handle that pitch," Miyuki Kazuya agreed.
The surrounding teammates immediately wore speechless expressions.
After all, that was Teito's ace they were talking about.
Pushing a pitcher of Mukai Taiyo's caliber to this extent was already terrifying enough.
Did these two really expect everyone in Seido's lineup to launch home runs off him?
If that actually happened, the poor kid might genuinely cry.
Just then, the crowd erupted again.
On the field, Aso Takashi delivered a clean single into left field, allowing Shirasu Kenjirou to score easily.
5–0.
Afterward, Tojo Hideaki once again failed to get a hit, recording the third out to end the inning.
Returning to the dugout with a frustrated expression, Tojo lowered his head slightly.
Seeing that, Kanzaki smiled and spoke up first.
"Tojo, don't overthink it. It's only been two at-bats. Even without a hit, you still made solid contact. That alone is already impressive."
Tojo was definitely talented.
At most schools, his batting ability would easily place him near the top of the lineup. He might even be called a genius.
But this was Seido.
And at Seido, "excellent" was merely the baseline.
Meanwhile, the pitcher standing on the mound today was Mukai Taiyo—a prodigy who had been famous since middle school and was already serving as Teito's ace.
Against a pitcher like that, Tojo's performance had honestly been quite good already.
"I understand, Captain. I'll work harder," Tojo replied firmly.
"Good. Keep it up."
Kanzaki nodded with a smile.
One run in the fourth inning.
Another run in the fifth.
By the end of the top of the sixth inning, the scoreboard already read:
7–0.
If Teito continued failing to score, while still allowing runs, they would be mercy-ruled by Seido in seven innings.
But the nightmare wasn't over yet.
Bottom of the sixth inning.
Even after giving everything he had, Mukai Taiyo still couldn't suppress Seido's explosive lineup.
Under Kanzaki Ryou's leadership, Seido piled on three more runs.
10–0.
That inning completely shattered Mukai Taiyo's mentality.
The pride of Teito's freshman genius pitcher had been broken into pieces.
From the bench, Teito's supervisor, Okamoto, watched solemnly.
A ten-run deficit.
There was no coming back from that.
Sure, people always shouted about never giving up until the very end.
But baseball wasn't won through slogans alone.
Ten runs wouldn't disappear just because someone yelled louder.
They were going to lose.
Still—
Taiyo, endure it.
Okamoto never changed pitchers.
Even in defeat, he wanted Mukai Taiyo to remain standing on the mound until the very end.
Because this was Teito's ace.
The ace acknowledged by everyone at Teito High School.
If Mukai still lacked maturity, then they would use this loss to temper him further.
They would forge him into a more reliable ace for the future.
Of course—
that depended entirely on whether Mukai himself could withstand this experience.
After being battered relentlessly, the figure of Mukai Taiyo walking off the mound looked unbearably lonely.
Back in Seido's dugout, Kanzaki glanced at him and merely smirked faintly.
Only ten runs.
Seido had crushed far more pitchers than this before.
Well then, Teito's genius…
You've still got a long way to go.
Slowly putting on his glove, Kanzaki turned toward his teammates.
"Alright! Let's go!"
"Give these Teito guys the finishing blow and send them home!"
"OHHHHHHHHH!!"
Led by their captain, the eight Seido fielders charged onto the field with confident smiles.
"Top of the seventh inning! Teito High School offense!"
Unlike their rational coach, Teito's players still refused to surrender.
This was a Koshien qualifier.
Even if the odds were tiny, who would willingly admit defeat?
Their fighting spirit deserved respect.
Unfortunately—
their opponent was Seido.
In this Autumn Tournament, Kanzaki Ryou's debut appearance on the mound felt almost villainous.
Every desperate counterattack from Teito was mercilessly crushed by Seido's ace.
And when another zero lit up on the scoreboard—
everyone understood.
The game was over.
"The King's authority remains absolute, advancing without hesitation!"
"Ten to zero! The King of West Tokyo defeats the Overlord of East Tokyo!"
"Seido High School, returning from Koshien, continues to dominate despite the new team still lacking time to fully develop!"
"Seven innings! Complete shutout! Seido's supremacy—who can stop them?!"
Tokyo Metropolitan Autumn Tournament, First Round.
Seido High School defeated Teito High School 10–0 in overwhelming fashion.
"Next time… next time I'll definitely beat you!"
With tears of frustration in his eyes, Mukai Taiyo glared stubbornly at Kanzaki.
"Heh. Keep working hard."
Kanzaki chuckled lightly.
Personally, he'd rather hear those words from Narumiya Mei.
After the postgame lineup ceremony, the Seido players boarded the bus home.
Miyuki sat beside Kanzaki casually.
"That kid's actually pretty interesting. He's just a little too naive."
"Heh. Honestly, I'm more interested in seeing when he changes that slicked-back hairstyle," Kanzaki replied.
He had wanted to comment on Mukai's hairstyle from the very beginning.
Wasn't that basically the so-called "elite pretty-boy" hairstyle trending online?
"…What exactly are you paying attention to?" Miyuki retorted speechlessly.
To Seido's battery duo, Mukai Taiyo was merely an interesting freshman.
But to the outside world, things were different.
Although Teito had lost badly, many scouts and professionals still evaluated Mukai extremely highly.
In their eyes, Mukai Taiyo absolutely possessed the potential to become one of the nation's top-tier pitchers.
Maybe he couldn't yet compare to Narumiya Mei or Kanzaki Ryou—
but his future was unquestionably bright.
As the game ended and Seido's players left the stadium, two middle school students sitting in the stands remained behind.
One of them, the usually expressionless Okumura Koushuu, suddenly grabbed his friend's shoulder excitedly.
"I'm going to Seido!"
"How about you?!"
"Huh? Me?"
Seto Takuma forced a helpless smile.
If Okumura went to Seido…
Could he really stay behind?
This guy barely talked to people. Without him around, he'd definitely offend someone sooner or later.
"…Fine. I'll go to Seido too."
Hearing that answer, Okumura finally smiled.
Elsewhere in Tokyo, another middle school third-year sat watching the game on television.
The boy was thin and small for his age.
Yet his eyes were completely captivated by Seido's overwhelming strength.
More specifically—
by Kanzaki Ryou's pitching.
"I really want to go to Seido…"
"I really want to catch Kanzaki-senpai's pitches someday…"
The television replayed Kanzaki's dominant fastballs over and over again.
The boy watched with longing in his eyes.
But only seconds later, his excitement faded into self-mockery.
"…A powerhouse like Seido probably wouldn't want someone like me anyway."
Because of his small frame, countless schools had already rejected him.
Maybe—
his baseball dream would end after middle school graduation.