At Koshien Stadium, the atmosphere was electric.
The game between Seidou High School and Arayashiki High School had reached the top of the ninth inning.
Arayashiki was on offense.
The scoreboard read 8–2.
Uekusa, Arayashiki's ace, hadn't fallen apart even in the final inning —
but his opponent was simply too strong.
As a result, he had given up eight runs by this point.
As for Arayashiki's offense…
they had only managed to score two runs off Yoshida, Seidou's relief pitcher, in the previous inning.
Now, in the ninth, they needed six runs just to tie.
And deep down, even Arayashiki's own supporters knew — that wasn't going to happen.
Seidou's fans certainly didn't think so.
Even though Yoshida had faltered slightly in the previous inning,
their confidence in him hadn't wavered one bit.
"Finish them!"
"Victory's within reach, Yoshida-senpai!"
On the mound, Yoshida smirked.
He had been careless earlier, giving Arayashiki a chance to score two runs in quick succession.
He regretted that lapse.
I should've known better, he thought. Any team that makes it to Koshien will have something up their sleeve.
Until the seventh inning, Yoshida hadn't felt threatened at all.
Then suddenly, in the eighth — Arayashiki's cleanup hitter exploded, followed by a pinch hitter's timely swing.
By the time Yoshida realized they were counterattacking, it was already too late.
That was Arayashiki's style — slow to act, but when they did, they went all in.
Even Yoshida hadn't reacted in time.
Those two runs stung his pride.
Even though Seidou responded with two runs of their own in the bottom of the eighth, his frustration hadn't disappeared.
Now, staring down the Arayashiki lineup, his expression hardened.
"I won't give you another chance."
Swish!
The white baseball whistled through the air.
The Arayashiki batter's heart pounded as the ball closed in.
So fast!
He couldn't understand it.
Yoshida had already pitched six or seven innings, with more than seventy pitches thrown.
His velocity should've dropped by now — so why was it still so strong?
He couldn't find an answer.
Thwack!
The baseball landed firmly in Miyuki Kazuya's glove.
"Strike!"
Miyuki, catching the ball cleanly, studied the batter carefully.
He could tell—the opponent had lost confidence.
"Very good," Miyuki called out. "Your form's sharp today. You slipped a bit earlier, but overall it's been perfect. Keep it up, Yoshida-senpai!"
Yoshida nodded silently, then wound up again.
Swish!
Thwack!
"Strike!"
"Strike!"
"Strikeout!"
"One out, none on base!"
The crowd erupted as Seidou moved just two outs away from victory.
Next came the top of Arayashiki's batting order.
At this stage, both the players and supporters knew the outcome wouldn't change.
Still, they wanted to score—just one more run before it ended.
If their batting power had been just a little stronger, perhaps today's result would've been different.
Their leadoff hitter stepped into the box, eyes locked on Yoshida.
Swish!
The fastball came flying in.
Clang!
The moment the bat connected, the entire stadium fell silent.
All eyes followed the small white ball as it bounced toward the mound.
Thwack!
Seidou's supporters burst into laughter.
"Haha—!"
They knew exactly what that meant.
Yoshida dashed forward, scooping the ball up before it even rose off the dirt.
Thwack!
He threw straight to first base.
Thwack!
"Out!"
A flawless play.
Two outs. None on base.
The batter hadn't even made it halfway down the line before being tagged out.
The Seidou supporters roared, their voices echoing through Koshien.
"Just one more out!"
To them, the game was already over.
They could see Arayashiki's defeat written in the air.
The memories of Seidou's nail-biting game against Osaka Kiryu still lingered in every fan's heart — a rollercoaster of emotion that had nearly broken them.
Even recalling it now made their hearts race.
But today's game was different.
Arayashiki wasn't weak. They were a defensive powerhouse, centered around their ace Uekusa.
Their offense, too, had its unique rhythm and strategy.
Against other schools, once they caught their opponent's tempo, they always managed to deliver a surprise counter.
But today—
against Seidou High School—
they were suppressed from start to finish, unable to show any real threat.
"So satisfying!"
"This is the true strength of Seidou!"
"Other schools better be ready to tremble!"
As Seidou's supporters chanted in triumph,
the players on the field kept their focus.
One more out.
One last pitch.
And the victory would be theirs.