"Line up!!" the umpire shouted.
The players stood in two neat rows, yet the expressions on their faces couldn't have been more different.
"Bow!"
"Thank you for the game!!"
"Buzz—buzz—buzz~!"
A sharp alarm rang out, marking the conclusion of the 89th Summer National High School Baseball Tournament.
The ultimate victor—
Seido High School!
"Who are we?!"
"Kings of Seido!!"
At the awards ceremony following the finals, every Seido player wore a radiant smile.
Click!
The moment they raised the championship banner was immortalized forever.
This summer belonged to Seido.
For the third-year seniors, this was the perfect ending to their high school careers—without a single regret.
From last year's Spring Tournament onward, they had conquered everything:
Spring Tournament, Kanto Tournament, Summer Preliminaries, Summer Koshien, Autumn Tournament, Meiji Jingu Tournament, Spring Koshien, Spring Tournament again, Kanto Tournament again, Summer Preliminaries—
And now—
Summer Koshien once more.
Three Koshien titles.
Two consecutive Summer Koshien championships.
These achievements… these memories…
Would stay with them for a lifetime.
The moment Seido claimed victory, the entire nation erupted.
Spectators, fans, media—
Everywhere was flooded with headlines:
The powerhouse's unstoppable streak!
The king defends his throne!
A perfect game in the Koshien final!
An undefeated legend continues!
...
The game ended.
The ceremony concluded.
Interviews wrapped up.
As they left Koshien and headed back, the Seido team filled the bus with joyful singing—their school anthem echoing with pride.
By the time they returned to the hotel, crowds of fans had already gathered outside.
"Seido! Seido! Seido!"
"Kanzaki!"
"Yuki!"
...
Faced with such overwhelming enthusiasm, the players opened the windows and waved back.
Kuramochi and Isashiki leaned halfway out, practically ready to jump off and celebrate with the fans.
Inside the bus, the first-year reserves were equally excited.
Even though they hadn't played in the finals, they were still part of the first string.
They were champions.
For them, it felt like a dream.
They had just entered high school—
And already stood at the top of Koshien.
"Amazing… seniors," Arima Kazusa murmured.
"Yeah… with seniors like them, can we really catch up?" Kominato Haruichi asked.
"Haha, of course we can! I'm going to be the Ace!"
"No, I'll be the Ace!"
After witnessing the finals, Sawamura and Furuya burned with desire for the Ace number.
One day—
They would stand on that mound at Koshien themselves.
That same night, Seido High School Baseball Club returned to Tokyo.
Though the schedule was tight, the school had already prepared a grand celebration banquet.
The round-faced principal personally organized an exaggerated welcome ceremony, placing multiple flower garlands around each player's neck as they got off the bus.
That night—
Everyone was immersed in the joy of victory.
The next morning, when Kanzaki Ryou woke up, his head still felt heavy.
Not from alcohol—but from staying up far too late.
"Chris-senpai, you're up early."
Looking up, Kanzaki saw Chris already awake, quietly packing his luggage.
"You're finally up. When are you heading home?" Chris asked with a smile.
"Leaving at noon."
"Then get up and pack. When you come back after a week, we'll be preparing to form the new team," Chris reminded him.
Kanzaki sat up and stretched. "I actually got ten days off."
Chris shook his head with a faint smile. "You asked the Coach for extra time again."
"So what? Resting isn't a bad thing," Kanzaki replied casually.
He grabbed a pillow and tossed it across the room—
Thump!
"Senior, what are you doing~"
Arima Kazusa jolted awake, still groggy.
"You're going to be late for practice!"
"What?!"
He shot upright instantly, dark circles under his eyes.
"Hahahaha!"
Realizing he'd been tricked, Arima threw the pillow back.
"Going home, going home!" Kanzaki laughed as he got out of bed and began packing.
...
At noon, suitcase in hand, Kanzaki boarded the Shinkansen.
When he exited the station, he immediately spotted two familiar figures waiting—
Kumiko.
Kosaka Reina.
At the same time Seido won Koshien, Kitauji High School's brass band had also claimed a gold prize at the Kansai Competition, once again qualifying for nationals.
"Brother!!"
Kumiko ran toward him with light, eager steps.
After greeting the two girls, Kanzaki smiled.
"Congratulations on the gold."
"Hehe, congratulations to you too, big brother, for winning the championship," Kumiko replied.
Reina smiled softly. "Ryou, congratulations."
Kanzaki nodded. "Let's go. Time to head home."
Time passed like a fleeting shadow—
Before he knew it, the ten-day break was over.
When Kanzaki returned to Seido, the team had already resumed training for three days.
"You finally decided to come back? Always acting special during vacations—how shameless."
From the second floor, Miyuki tossed a baseball down with a smirk.
Kanzaki tilted his head slightly, dodging it effortlessly—even with his suitcase still in hand.
"I like it. Even the Coach doesn't complain—you talk too much."
"Get up here and help me with my luggage!"
"Yeah, yeah, coming."
With Miyuki's help, Kanzaki returned to the dormitory, hands casually tucked into his pockets.
Inside the room, Chris and Arima Kazusa were already there.
Although the third-years had retired, they still had half a year before graduation.
Some chose to leave the dorms early—
Others stayed.
Players like Chris, who planned to go pro, remained with the team. Staying allowed them to continue training while also helping guide the younger players. Seido's facilities made it an ideal environment.
Meanwhile, those not pursuing professional baseball—like Isashiki and Masuko Toru—moved out early to focus on entrance exams.
One more thing stood out—
Unlike the original path, Yuki Tetsuya didn't choose to attend university.
Instead—
He decided to go straight into professional baseball.