Bottom of the ninth.
Inashiro Industrial's last stand.
Seventh batter—Hirai Tsubasa.
As he stepped into the batter's box, Hirai blinked in surprise.
His heart—
Was calm.
Too calm.
The crushing pressure from before had vanished completely, as if the game had just begun.
That unnatural stillness…
Only made him uneasy.
…Is this what people feel right before everything ends?
He shook his head hard and looked toward the mound.
There—
Stood the one they had been chasing all game.
Kanzaki Ryou.
"…Heh."
Kanzaki smiled.
A relaxed, almost friendly smile—
As if this weren't the final inning of a championship game.
Behind the plate, Miyuki covered his face.
What is this guy doing…
Can you not smile like that when every camera is on you?!
…Too late to care now.
Miyuki set his glove.
Signal given.
Whoosh!
Swing—
Miss.
Thwack!
"Strike!"
Second pitch—
Same result.
Third—
"Strikeout!!"
No miracle.
No resistance.
Hirai Tsubasa walked off, defeated.
"One out!!"
"Two more!!"
"Ace, finish it!!"
The stadium surged with noise.
Eighth batter—
Whoosh!
Swing—
Miss.
Second—
Miss.
Third—
"Strikeout!!"
Two outs.
Cheers from Seido's side—
Sobs from Inashiro's.
And now—
The final batter.
The weight of everything—
Rested on this last swing.
On the mound—
Kanzaki didn't hesitate.
Miyuki's sign came in—
Clear.
Simple.
Absolute.
Fastballs.
Whoosh!!
First pitch—
Near 160 km/h.
Miss.
Second—
Even faster.
Miss.
Third—
A streak of white light tore through the air—
"STRIKEOUT!!!"
Silence—
For a fraction of a second.
Then—
"OUT!! GAME SET!!"
The umpire's voice rang across the entire stadium.
And then—
BOOOOOOOOM!!!
Jingu Stadium exploded.
"OOOOOOOOHHHHHH!!!"
"SEIDO!!!"
"KANZAKI!!!"
The commentator's voice cracked with excitement:
"Incredible!! It's over!!"
"In the final inning, Seido's Ace—Kanzaki Ryō—finishes it with three consecutive high-speed fastballs!!"
"The Overlord of Tokyo—no, the Overlord of Japan—has done it again!!"
On the field—
Seido players rushed out.
They swarmed Kanzaki—
Lifting him into the air—
Once—
Twice—
Again.
Kanzaki raised his fist to the sky.
We won.
We're going back—
Koshien!!
"SEIDO!! SEIDO!!"
"KANZAKI!!!"
The celebration erupted.
Unrestrained.
Overwhelming.
In the dugout—
Coach Kataoka.
Coach Ochiai.
Ota.
Takashima Rei.
They exchanged glances—
Smiles they couldn't suppress.
Ochiai shivered slightly.
He had been to Koshien before.
Many times.
But never—
Like this.
Then—
A voice pierced through the noise.
"Ladies and gentlemen—this is a new record!!"
"A PERFECT GAME!!"
The stadium froze—
Then erupted again.
"Nine innings—no hits—no walks—no baserunners!!"
"The first Perfect Game in high school baseball history!!"
"Seido's Ace—Kanzaki Ryou—has completely shut out Inashiro Industrial!!"
The announcement spread like wildfire.
Phones lit up.
Voices carried the news.
"A Perfect Game?!"
"Against Inashiro?!"
Kanzaki was set back down.
His teammates stared at him—
Then exploded again.
"That's insane!!"
"A Perfect Game!!"
"Our Ace is unbelievable!!"
On the side—
Sawamura blinked in confusion.
"…What's a Perfect Game?"
Chris smiled faintly.
"It's when a pitcher completes a full game… without allowing a single batter to reach base."
"No hits. No walks. No errors."
"Nothing."
Sawamura froze.
"…That's even possible?"
Behind him—
Furuya's eyes burned.
I want that too.
Across the field—
Inashiro collapsed.
Some players fell to their knees.
Others covered their faces, crying.
Narumiya Mei stood still.
Head tilted upward.
Eyes closed.
For a moment—
He held it in.
Then—
He opened his eyes.
The sky above him blurred.
His hand reached out—
As if trying to grasp something slipping away.
But—
There was nothing left.
Tears fell.
"…Damn it…"
His voice broke.
This was the end.
Nearby—
Harada Masatoshi looked up quietly.
So this is it.
His last summer.
Through blurred vision—
He saw Seido celebrating.
"…A Perfect Game, huh."
A bitter smile formed.
"What a monster…"
To exist in the same era as that—
To watch Mei face that—
Cruel.
The stadium split into two worlds.
On one side—
Joy.
Victory.
Dreams realized.
On the other—
Tears.
Silence.
Dreams shattered.
Because—
Not all summers end the same.
For some—
This was the end.
For others—
This was only the beginning.