Zhou Hao was awakened by the sound of music.
Anyone who had ever taken a nap on a bus knew the feeling. When he sat up, his entire body felt stiff and uncomfortable, but his mind remained surprisingly clear.
Stretching his arms, Zhou Hao noticed that his teammates were waking up one after another as well.
It was obvious that everyone was exhausted after their battle against the Inashiro Industrial High School Baseball Team.
The fatigue wasn't only physical—it was mental as well.
Throughout the entire Kanto Tournament, Seido had played many games, but only one opponent had truly made them feel threatened: Inashiro Industrial.
If not for Zhou Hao's sudden breakthrough and Yuki's timely home run, the game might have remained scoreless and gone into extra innings.
Just imagining that possibility made the Seido players shudder.
The defeat they had suffered against Inashiro the previous autumn had left a deep scar on the team.
Even though they had already defeated Inashiro twice this year and successfully avenged that loss, the mere mention of the Inashiro Industrial High School Baseball Team still made them nervous.
It wasn't until Zhou Hao recorded the final out that everyone finally felt the weight lift from their shoulders.
"The Principal and the Head of Academics are both here!"
"And look at all the students!"
"This is practically a hero's welcome!"
"The last time we got a reception like this was after Summer Koshien, right?"
The newer First String players were visibly excited by the scene before them.
From their perspective, it was impossible not to be moved.
Even the veteran players who had once helped Seido dominate the nation couldn't hide their smiles.
Although they had experienced this kind of welcome before, seeing the crowd gathered at the school gate still made their hearts race.
This was the treatment reserved for champions.
Both schools had undoubtedly prepared celebrations for their teams.
However, while Seido High School was overflowing with cheers and excitement, things were very different at Inashiro Industrial.
Finishing as runners-up in the Kanto Tournament was still an impressive achievement, but after losing to Seido, none of the Inashiro players could bring themselves to smile.
Other opponents were one thing.
But Seido High School was different.
They were Inashiro's greatest rival—the mountain standing between them and Summer Koshien.
Losing to Seido only made them realize how difficult the road ahead would be.
At that moment, however, the Seido players weren't thinking about any of that.
Under Coach Kataoka's lead, they stepped off the bus one by one.
"Congratulations on winning the Kanto Tournament championship! Mr. Kataoka, thank you for your hard work!"
Ever since the Seido High School Baseball Team began achieving outstanding results, the attitudes of both the Principal and the Head of Academics toward Coach Kataoka had changed dramatically.
In the past, although they supported him, the team had repeatedly failed to achieve its ultimate goal and had missed Koshien for several consecutive years.
Even if they respected Coach Kataoka's efforts, that didn't mean they had no complaints.
After all, they still had to answer to the school board.
The board had criticized them relentlessly and even placed tremendous pressure on their positions.
Under those circumstances, it was difficult for them to maintain a completely positive view of the coach.
Now, however, everything was different.
Success changed everything.
The criticism they once endured had transformed into praise, and the school board members greeted them with smiles instead of complaints.
Naturally, their opinion of Coach Kataoka improved as well.
"Thank you, Principal. Thank you, Head of Academics, for your support behind the scenes. Thanks to your efforts, the team was able to focus entirely on competing."
It wasn't that Coach Kataoka didn't know how to be diplomatic.
In the past, the team's poor results had led the school administration to interfere more frequently.
To protect his players from outside influence, he had deliberately maintained a tough stance.
But now the situation was different.
The team's success had earned him the trust of both the administration and the school board.
Since they no longer felt the need to interfere, the relationship between both sides improved almost immediately.
"Let's take a group photo together!"
The Head of Academics eagerly made the suggestion.
As someone responsible for the school's image, he naturally wouldn't miss such a valuable promotional opportunity.
The First String players, the Principal, the Head of Academics, Coach Kataoka, and the coaching staff quickly gathered together for a commemorative photo.
Looking at everyone standing side by side, Zhou Hao couldn't help but think of his junior high graduation picture.
A year had already passed.
Remembering it now filled him with nostalgia.
"A grand banquet has been prepared in the cafeteria. Everyone, eat as much as you like. If you encounter any difficulties, don't hesitate to tell us. We'll do everything we can to help."
Coach Kataoka's words weren't particularly flattering.
At most, they were polite and courteous.
If someone else had spoken those words, the Principal and the Head of Academics probably wouldn't have thought much of them.
People complimented them all the time, and many did it far more skillfully.
But because those words came from Coach Kataoka, they carried special meaning.
Not long ago, he had openly opposed administrative interference in the baseball program.
Now, hearing him sincerely express gratitude felt like a tremendous acknowledgment.
The Principal's smile widened immediately.
The Seido players also responded tactfully, breaking into enthusiastic applause.
Clap! Clap! Clap!
The applause echoed continuously.
"Thank you, Principal!"
"Thank you for all your support, Head of Academics!"
A few kind words could improve the team's treatment even further.
Why wouldn't they be willing to say them?
The players already knew that Seido's baseball program enjoyed some of the best conditions in the entire country.
Even when they chatted with players from the famous powerhouse Osaka Kiryu, they found that Seido's treatment was often better.
As for other schools, there was hardly any comparison.
The thought of receiving even more support made the players grin from ear to ear.
"I wish we could have celebrations like this more often."
"Don't get greedy. You can't shear all the wool from the sheep in one go."
Naturally, the Principal and the Head of Academics had no idea that the players were secretly comparing them to sheep.
Even after being "sheared," everyone remained genuinely grateful.
After all, the baseball team already enjoyed incredible benefits.
Aside from producing results on the field, the players hardly had to worry about anything else.
That was one of Seido High School's greatest strengths.
Cafeteria Banquet Hall.
The dedicated cafeteria of the Seido High School Baseball Team had hosted celebrations like this many times before.
Ever since Seido dominated the nation last summer, the team had embarked on its legendary journey.
By now, victory banquets had become almost routine.
Still, this one felt different.
The scale was noticeably larger than usual.
All kinds of delicacies that were rarely seen had been laid out buffet-style across long tables. The moment the banquet began, everyone grabbed a plate and charged forward.
High school athletes were still growing, and most of them seemed incapable of ever feeling full.
That was especially true for the players of Seido's baseball team.
They devoured food with astonishing enthusiasm.
A large slogan was even posted near the cafeteria entrance:
"At least three bowls of rice!"
For some of the team's bigger eaters, however, three bowls were merely a warm-up.
Take Masuko, for example.
His normal meal consisted of six bowls of rice.
On days when his appetite was particularly good, seven or even eight bowls weren't out of the question.
Simply talking about bowls didn't sound especially impressive.
But if someone poured seven or eight bowls of rice into a basin, they would quickly realize how terrifying that amount actually was.
The basin might not even be large enough to hold it all.
It was several times larger than an average person's stomach.
Yet Masuko could somehow eat every last grain.
The first time Zhou Hao had eaten with the members of Room 5, he had been completely stunned by Senior Masuko's appetite.
Watching him eat somehow made everyone else hungry as well.
Even Zhou Hao had ended up eating an extra bowl that day.
The food simply tasted better when eaten alongside him.
Now, the entire Seido team seemed to be competing to see who could eat the most.
Everyone's plate was piled high with food.
Among them, the most eye-catching was the first-year pitcher, Sawamura Eijun.
Of the three first-years, Sawamura was currently the least prominent.
That wasn't really his fault.
The other two rookies were simply too outstanding.
One of them could throw a fastball exceeding 150 kilometers per hour.
Across the entire country, pitchers capable of reaching that speed could be counted on one hand.
Yet Seido had two of them: Zhou Hao and Furuya Satoru.
His incredible velocity alone was enough to draw attention wherever he went.
The other was Oshima Shin.
When he first joined the team, he had merely stood out among the first-years.
At that time, no one expected him to seriously compete for a starting position.
However, after entering the team, he continued to grow stronger and stronger.
As he adapted to the pace of high school baseball, his performances became increasingly explosive.
At times, he even looked more impressive than some of the regular starters.
Ordinarily, a first-year player would struggle to earn meaningful playing time.
Most would be limited to rotational appearances or occasional pinch-hitting opportunities.
But Oshima Shin was different.
He had already gone from being a rotational player to an undisputed starter.
With Zhou Hao moving to the outfield and another pitcher taking the mound, Shirasu—who had once held his position securely—had been pushed out of the starting lineup.
Oshima had become an irreplaceable member of the team.
Very few first-year players could receive such treatment.
Last year, it had been Zhou Hao.
This year, it was Oshima.
Compared to those two, Sawamura's rising popularity still couldn't match theirs.
Since he couldn't compete in fame, he decided to compete in appetite instead.
Holding an enormous plate piled with food, Sawamura laughed proudly while looking at the plates of Oshima and Furuya.
Their portions were clearly smaller than his.
"You guys still have a long way to go!" Sawamura declared proudly. "As regulars on the Seido High School Baseball Team, you need to eat more!"
Oshima immediately felt challenged.
Looking at his own plate, he seriously considered going back for another serving.
If he forced it down, he felt he could probably manage.
Furuya also seemed tempted.
"Don't you know your own limits?"
A teammate immediately stopped them.
"If you stuff yourselves and end up bloated, how are you going to survive the upcoming selection period?"
For Seido's players, there was only a little more than a month left before the Summer Tournament began.
It was already May.
The tournament would start in early July, with the draw taking place in late June.
The most important competition of the year was rapidly approaching.
Although Furuya had never experienced it before, his outstanding performances had earned him plenty of advice from the upperclassmen.
He already knew exactly what awaited them.
First came the legendary hellish training camp.
It lasted an entire week, and only those who survived it would remain in contention.
After that came a series of practice games—usually three to five in total.
Only after enduring both stages would Coach Kataoka announce the final roster and jersey numbers.
The top twenty players would remain on the First String.
Everyone else would be cut.
Just like Senior Kawakami.
Despite possessing excellent pitching ability, he had ultimately been forced off the roster.
It wasn't because he lacked talent.
The competition within Seido was simply that fierce.
Anything that affected the selection process could cost a player their place on the First String.
There was no way Furuya would risk that just to win an argument about food.
Turning his head away, he completely ignored Sawamura.
"Hahaha! I still eat the most!"
"What's there to be proud of, you rice bucket?"
As another member of Room 5, Kuramochi Yoichi couldn't stand Sawamura's smug expression and immediately fired back.
"Kuramochi-senpai, are you jealous?" Sawamura shot back. "If you've got the ability, then eat more!"
"Fine! Who's afraid of you?"
The competitive spirit between men could be surprisingly strange.
And often completely irrational.
Watching the two of them bicker, Zhou Hao could only shake his head helplessly.
Still, he had to admit one thing.
For the Seido High School Baseball Team, today was destined to become an unforgettable memory.
This was their second championship of the year.
And by far their most significant one so far.
But it certainly wouldn't be the last.
The goals they had failed to achieve last year—
They would accomplish them all this year.
The West Tokyo Summer Tournament.
Summer Koshien.
The Tokyo Autumn Tournament.
The Jingu Tournament.
And next year's Spring Koshien Invitational.
Five more championships awaited them.
And they intended to win every single one.
Only then could they become a true Grand Slam team.
Just thinking about it filled everyone with excitement.
As a result, the food somehow tasted even better.
That evening, after taking a shower, Zhou Hao went out for a walk around campus.
As he passed one of the practice fields, he noticed several figures beneath the lights.
Swing.
Swing.
Swing.
The sound of bats cutting through the air echoed through the night.
As he drew closer, he finally recognized them.
Yuki Tetsuya.
Isashiki Jun.
Kominato Ryosuke.
Masuko Toru.
Tanba Koichiro.
Chris.
Along with several other third-year players, both starters and substitutes.
Every one of them was relentlessly swinging their bat.
Again and again.
With every swing, droplets of sweat flew from their faces, sparkling like crystals beneath the stadium lights.