Tsukishima Momiji dashed out of the spectator entrance like a cheerful little rabbit.
Her bright smile was impossible to hide as she hurried along the walkway, looking left and right as though searching for someone.
The moment she found what she was looking for, her eyes lit up.
She immediately turned around and waved both hands enthusiastically.
"Sister Ichiyo! Wakaba! Aoba! Over here! This is Yakushi High School's spectator section!"
Her face practically screamed, Praise me! Praise me!
Whoosh!
Aoba arrived beside her like a gust of wind.
Without hesitation, she grabbed Momiji's ear.
"Momiji! How many times have I told you not to run off by yourself?"
"Owowowow!"
"What if you fell? What if we couldn't find you? Do you know how worried we'd be?"
Aoba continued lecturing while lightly tugging her ear.
Momiji's eyes quickly filled with tears.
Whether from pain or grievance, nobody could tell.
"Aoba!"
Wakaba hurried over and glared at her younger sister.
"Let go. You're hurting her."
Aoba immediately released her grip.
Wakaba gently rubbed Momiji's ear and smiled.
"There, there. Big Sister has already scolded Aoba for you."
She leaned closer and softly blew on the reddened ear.
"See? It doesn't hurt anymore."
Momiji instantly brightened.
Meanwhile, Aoba puffed out her cheeks.
"I didn't even use that much force..."
Thump!
A finger flicked her forehead.
"Ouch!"
Aoba covered her head and turned around.
Ichiyo giggled as she withdrew her hand.
"That's for bullying Momiji."
Now Aoba felt even more wronged.
Unfortunately, she didn't dare argue with her older sisters.
Instead, she glared fiercely at Momiji.
Protected by two sisters, Momiji fearlessly stuck out her tongue.
"Nyah!"
"You little brat..."
Aoba's eyebrow twitched.
Before another sibling battle could begin, Wakaba clapped her hands.
"Alright, enough."
She smiled warmly.
"The game is about to start. Let's find our seats."
At that moment, Yakushi High School was conducting pre-game fielding practice.
"Kahaha! Hey!"
Raichi fielded a ground ball and immediately launched it toward first base.
The throw sailed high into the air.
Mishima nearly had to jump to catch it.
"Raichi!"
Mishima shouted.
"Where exactly were you trying to throw that ball?"
Despite his complaint, a smile lingered on his face.
Seeing Raichi back to normal was enough to make everyone feel relieved.
Soon, Yakushi's practice ended.
The players returned to the dugout and watched Kaidou High School take the field.
The difference was immediately obvious.
"Their movements are so fast."
"Compared to them, we're still far behind."
"Their middle infield turns plays incredibly quickly."
"And that center fielder..."
One player stared in disbelief.
"He started moving the instant the ball was hit."
"With that speed, he might be as fast as Hakuryu's players."
Watching from the dugout created a completely different experience from watching in the stands.
Kaidou's defensive fundamentals were almost flawless.
Every movement looked clean.
Efficient.
Disciplined.
However, Yakushi's players remained calm.
They had already defeated countless powerful opponents to reach this stage.
No matter how strong Kaidou appeared, they were still just another obstacle standing in their path.
Challengers climbed mountains.
And mountains existed to be conquered.
Meanwhile, Raichi was busy imitating Kaidou's third baseman.
"Like this?"
He copied the player's fielding motion.
"And then like this?"
Seeing his son enthusiastically mimicking the opponent, Todoroki Raizo couldn't help laughing.
"Don't admire everything the other team does."
He pointed at Raichi.
"You look like an idiot."
"I'm not an idiot!"
Raichi immediately prepared to argue back.
Before the father-son battle could begin, Sanada casually wrapped an arm around Raichi's shoulder.
"Raichi."
"Hm?"
"Tell me honestly."
Sanada lowered his voice.
"How did you suddenly recover from your slump?"
The surrounding players immediately perked up.
Every ear in the dugout seemed to stretch several inches longer.
Everyone was curious.
Raichi froze.
"I..."
His voice became quieter.
"I promised..."
He hesitated.
"I can't tell."
The teammates collectively sighed.
"Tch."
"What a waste."
"Thought we'd finally hear something interesting."
One after another, they returned to their own business.
Seeing this, Kitamura quietly gave Raichi a thumbs-up.
Good job.
Raichi had kept his promise.
Kitamura finally relaxed.
If Coach Todoroki discovered what had happened the other day, the old man would probably nag him endlessly.
Avoiding trouble was always the best option.
At that moment, the stadium announcer's voice echoed throughout Koshien.
"Next, we will announce the starting lineups for both teams."
The stadium gradually grew quieter.
"First, the starting lineup for Yakushi High School."
"Lead-off hitter, pitcher, Kitamura Kou."
"Second batter, left fielder, Akiba Kazuma."
"Third batter, first baseman, Mishima Yuta."
"Cleanup hitter, third baseman, Todoroki Raichi."
"Fifth batter, right fielder, Sanada Shunpei."
"Sixth batter, catcher, Akaishi Osamu."
"Seventh batter, center fielder, Ota."
"Eighth batter, shortstop, Kobayashi."
"Ninth batter, second baseman, Fukuda."
The announcement continued.
"Next, the starting lineup for Kaidou High School."
"Lead-off hitter, center fielder, Kusano."
"Second batter, second baseman, Ishiguro."
"Third batter, catcher, Sato Toshiya."
"Cleanup hitter, first baseman, Sengoku Masato."
"Fifth batter, left fielder, Maruo."
"Sixth batter, third baseman, Yakushiji."
"Seventh batter, right fielder, Tokuchi."
"Eighth batter, shortstop, Musashi."
"Ninth batter, pitcher, Sakuraba."
The moment the lineups were announced, both teams rose from their benches.
"Line up!"
Following the umpire's command, the players from both sides jogged onto the field.
Their expressions were serious.
Their eyes burned with determination.
This was the Summer Koshien semifinals.
One step closer to the national championship.
One step away from elimination.
The players formed two lines and bowed toward one another.
"Please take care of us!"
Woooooo—
The air raid siren echoed across Hanshin Koshien Stadium.
Cheers erupted from every corner of the stands.
At last—
The first semifinal of the Summer Koshien Tournament was about to begin.