"Three days!"
"Oh? Only three days of training?"
"Yep!"
"Did you buy tickets for the finals?"
"I did! Dad, Mom, sister and I are all coming!" Kumiko kicked her feet happily on the bed.
"Oh, and Reina too!"
"Alright," Kanzaki Ryou said with a smile.
"Then I absolutely have to make it to the finals."
Only by reaching the finals would their trip not be in vain.
"Hehe, I believe Ni-chan will definitely win the championship!"
"Koshien will be over in a few days," Ryou reminded her.
"Then it's the Kansai Brass Band Competition, right? That determines whether you make Nationals. You need to work hard too—don't let watching my games distract you."
"No way!" Kumiko protested.
"I practice every day! The Kitauji Brass Band will definitely make it to Nationals!"
"Good," Ryou said softly.
"I believe you."
The siblings chatted happily, completely losing track of time.
An hour later, Miyuki, lying on the other bed while scrolling through his phone, let out a helpless sigh.
Truly terrifying… when a siscon and a brocon exist at the same time.
Semifinals Day
Time quickly passed to the day of the semifinals.
The temperature was noticeably cooler than before. The sun remained hidden behind thick clouds as the first semifinal game began in the morning.
"Nice," Ryou said, looking up at the sky from the third-base dugout.
"I like this kind of weather."
Compared to the scorching heat, overcast skies were far more favorable for conserving stamina.
"Too bad," Miyuki said with a grin.
"In this weather, you're only pitching three innings—and you're not even starting."
Ryou sighed.
Coach Kataoka had arranged for him to pitch the final three innings. For the first six, he would play left field and contribute at the plate.
Seido Starting Lineup – Semifinals
Shida Shota – Shortstop
Kominato Ryosuke – Second Baseman
Yuki Tetsuya – First Baseman
Azuma Kiyokuni – Third Baseman
Kanzaki Ryou – Left Fielder
Tanaka Wataru – Catcher
Isashiki Jun – Center Fielder
Yoshikawa Junpei – Right Fielder
Nanjo Taishi – Pitcher
After both teams completed their warm-ups, the game officially began.
Top of the 1st Inning – Seido at Bat
Osaka Kiryu's starting pitcher was still their Ace—Matsugi Musashi.
From the very first batter, Seido felt the pressure.
Shida Shota, leading off, experienced firsthand what it meant to face the strongest pitcher in this Koshien.
Three consecutive straight pitches.
His bat didn't even come close.
Four-seam fastball.
Two-seam fastball.
Cutter.
The release point was identical, and before the ball broke, it was impossible to tell which pitch it was.
Why does this feel like Kanzaki standing on the mound? Shida thought bitterly as he walked back.
Although Kanzaki's top speed was slightly faster, usually hovering around 148–149 km/h, the pitch mix felt eerily similar.
Next at-bat, I'll hit it.
This Matsugi Musashi is just a low-spec version of Kanzaki.
I've hit Kanzaki's fastball—there's no reason I can't hit yours.
Kominato Ryosuke stepped up next.
Relying on his excellent pitch recognition, he caught up to a cutter and made contact—but not cleanly.
The ball bounced near second base and was scooped up smoothly for the out.
Matsugi Musashi immediately became cautious.
First pitch—low and outside, a straight ball.
Bang!
Foul.
Matsugi's rhythm was quick.
As soon as the catcher returned the ball, the second pitch came.
Whoosh—!
Strike!
Yuki swung and missed.
Two strikes.
Seeing Yuki's calm expression—completely unaffected—Matsugi abandoned straight pitches.
A high-speed slider flew toward the outside corner.
At that moment—
Yuki stepped forward aggressively, bat cutting through the air.
BANG!!
The metal bat connected solidly.
"It's flying—!"
"It's out!!"
"HOME RUN!!!"
"Seido's third batter, Yuki Tetsuya, hits a leadoff home run!"
The stadium erupted.
Even Yuki himself looked stunned as he rounded the bases.
He had been aiming for the outside corner of a straight ball—yet by sheer fortune, he crushed the slider instead.
A gift from the goddess of luck?
"Ah… what a waste," Ryou said regretfully to Shida and Kominato as they returned.
"If you two had gotten on base, that would've been three runs."
"You've got it backwards," Shida replied.
"If we were on base, Yuki probably wouldn't have gotten that pitch."
The pitcher's approach changed completely once runners were on.
"Fair point," Ryou said, spreading his hands.
After completing his trot, Yuki high-fived Azuma Kiyokuni and returned to the dugout.
On the mound, Matsugi Musashi fell into deep thought.
Was that home run luck… or did he read my pitch?
If Seido's batters could predict his breaking balls, the threat level of this lineup had to be raised significantly.
Matsugi exchanged signals with the catcher.
Whoosh!
Bang!
"Foul!"
Slap!
"Strike!"
A straight ball and a sharply dropping curveball—one foul, one miss.
Matsugi tightened his grip.
Azuma Kiyokuni was unquestionably dangerous—even among Osaka Kiryu's standards.
Changeup.
After throwing two pitches above 145 km/h, Matsugi was confident Azuma wouldn't expect it this early.
Whoosh!
Azuma swung hard.
Bang!
Tch—didn't square it up.
Though he read the pitch, the previous fastballs still affected his timing. The contact lacked power.
Still—
The ball dropped perfectly into no-man's land behind shortstop.
Azuma sprinted.
Safe at first!