Two more days passed.
Once again, everyone gathered in the meeting room.
The tournament bracket for the Autumn Tournament regional qualifiers had just been released.
Seido High School's first-round opponent would be Toyosaki High School from East Tokyo.
Although Toyosaki was only an ordinary metropolitan school with a mediocre record, nobody at Seido — from the coaches to the players — dared to underestimate them.
This would be the first official game of the newly formed team.
They had to deliver an overwhelming performance.
For the new first-string players, facing a weaker opponent was also the perfect opportunity to fully showcase their abilities on the official stage.
Everyone was eager to prove themselves.
"That's all," Coach Kataoka said after finishing the scouting report. "These are the profiles of Toyosaki High School's players. Their overall strength isn't particularly impressive, but that doesn't mean we can lower our guard."
He tapped the board lightly.
"Pay attention to their tendency for pull-hitting, especially in the infield. Defensively, stay focused and don't give them any openings."
"Yes, Coach!"
"Good."
Coach Kataoka looked around at the players before continuing in a deep voice.
"This is the first game of the new team. No matter who the opponent is, we have our own responsibilities and goals to accomplish. Move forward one step at a time."
His gaze sharpened.
"I don't want to see any sloppy performances on the field. Understood?"
"UNDERSTOOD!!"
The response came back loud and unified.
Satisfied, Coach Kataoka nodded.
"Now, I'll announce tomorrow's starting lineup."
The room immediately became tense.
"First batter, shortstop, Kuramochi Yoichi."
"Second batter, second baseman, Kominato Haruichi."
Seido's double-play combination remained intact.
Only now, the Kominato beside Kuramochi was no longer the older brother, Ryosuke, but the younger brother, Haruichi.
Throughout the recent practices and scrimmages, Kominato Haruichi had performed exceptionally well and successfully earned the starting position.
"Third batter, catcher, Miyuki Kazuya."
"Fourth batter, left fielder, Kanzaki Ryou."
The moment the fourth batter was announced, several players below wore strange expressions.
Captain.
Ace.
Cleanup hitter.
Coach… are you planning to work Kanzaki to death?
Even Kanzaki Ryou himself could only smile bitterly.
Although he had already expected it, carrying the responsibilities of captain, Ace pitcher, and fourth batter at the same time still put a tremendous amount of pressure on him.
"Fifth batter, third baseman, Arima Kazusa."
Arima Kazusa successfully secured a place in the heart of the lineup.
After more than half a year of training, his batting had improved tremendously, and he now possessed genuine long-hit potential.
Starter. Fifth batter.
Arima clenched his fists emotionally.
Although this was only the first game of the new team and the Coach was still experimenting with the batting order, as long as he seized this opportunity, would he still need to worry about losing his spot in the cleanup lineup later?
"Sixth batter, first baseman, Maezono Kenta."
"Seventh batter, right fielder, Shirasu Kenjiro."
"Eighth batter, center fielder, Tojo Hideaki."
Tojo had entered Seido as a pitcher, even serving as the Ace of Matsukata Senior League during middle school and leading the team to a national top-four finish.
He had come to Seido carrying the dream of continuing as a pitcher.
But reality had dealt him a harsh blow.
To earn playing time, he had no choice but to convert into an outfielder.
Deep down, he still felt unwilling.
But there was simply no room for him on Seido's pitching staff.
Ahead of him stood the absolute Ace, Kanzaki Ryou.
Then Kawakami Norifumi, the reliable relief Ace.
Then the first-year monster Furuya Satoru with his blazing fastballs.
And finally Sawamura Eijun, the naturally gifted left-handed pitcher with endlessly moving pitches.
Breaking into Seido's rotation was unbelievably difficult.
Understanding that reality, Tojo quickly adjusted his mindset.
For now, he no longer dared to dream about standing on the mound.
Being able to enter the first string and secure a starting position was already enough for him.
At present, center field was his battlefield.
"Ninth batter, pitcher, Sawamura Eijun!"
The final name echoed through the room.
A first-year pitcher.
Sawamura Eijun had earned the starting role.
"These nine players," Coach Kataoka declared, "will be tomorrow's starters."
He looked at everyone sharply.
"This is a new beginning. Go all out."
"Yes!!!"
"Sawamura!"
"Yes! BOSS! I'm here, Boss!"
Sawamura shot to his feet with a whoosh, standing perfectly upright before throwing out an exaggerated salute.
"Tomorrow," Coach Kataoka said calmly, "I want you to pitch a complete game. Can you do it?"
A complete game?!
Everyone was stunned.
Starting the opener was already a huge sign of trust.
But now Coach Kataoka was asking Sawamura to finish the entire game himself.
That alone showed just how highly the Coach valued him.
Sawamura himself froze for a moment.
This was the first time Coach Kataoka had placed such expectations on him.
After taking a deep breath, he puffed out his chest and shouted at full volume:
"I CAN!"
"Good. Do your best tomorrow."
Coach Kataoka patted Sawamura on the shoulder before turning toward the other pitchers.
"Furuya. Kawakami."
"Yes!"
"There are two more qualifying rounds after this. You'll each take responsibility for one game. Any problems with that?"
Both of them shook their heads immediately.
Three preliminary rounds.
Three pitchers.
One game each.
There was no issue at all.
Looking at the bracket, none of the opponents in the early rounds were particularly strong.
These games would not only test the cohesion of the new team, but also give Seido's pitchers valuable opportunities to perform.
As for Seido's Ace, Kanzaki Ryou would remain fixed in left field throughout the preliminary rounds.
And honestly—
Kanzaki Ryou was perfectly happy with that arrangement.
The opponents simply weren't strong enough to interest him as a pitcher.
Besides…
He could still bat.
His current home run total had already reached fifty-five, and his goal for the Autumn Tournament was simple:
Break sixty home runs.
Kanzaki Ryou being stationed permanently in left field made the other pitchers extremely happy since it guaranteed them chances to play.
But for one person, it was a complete tragedy.
Aso Takashi.
He had finally made the first string.
He had finally secured the starting left field position.
And now—
The Ace had stolen it from him.
What a miserable life.
The next morning, at 8:30 AM—
The Autumn Tournament Regional Qualifiers officially began.
First-base side: West Tokyo representative, Seido High School.
Third-base side: East Tokyo representative, Toyosaki High School.
The atmosphere between the two teams couldn't have been more different.
On Seido's side, although nobody intended to underestimate the opponent, the mood remained fairly relaxed.
Only a few players making their official debut felt nervous, worried they might fail to perform well.
Meanwhile, over on the third-base side…
The faces of Toyosaki High School's players looked utterly miserable.
The moment the tournament bracket was announced and they learned their first opponent would be Seido High School—
Their world had practically collapsed.
Toyosaki was merely an average metropolitan school.
Their baseball club was closer to a recreational activity than a serious powerhouse, and even among metropolitan schools, they weren't considered particularly strong.
Sure, they believed in "friendship first, competition second."
Sure, they never expected to make a deep run.
But still—
Wasn't it too cruel to throw them against Seido in the very first round?!
The reigning Koshien champions.
The monster battery of Miyuki and Kanzaki.
The strongest pitching staff.
The terrifying batting lineup.
This was basically a guaranteed first-round elimination!
Participation shouldn't be this painful, right?!
Facing the final boss right from the start—
Toyosaki's players nearly burst into tears.
"Our luck is seriously terrible…"
"It's over before it even began."
"Forget it… after five innings, let's just go home and sleep."