In the days leading up to the start of school, the most exciting news for the Seido High School Baseball Team players was probably the ongoing Spring Koshien Tournament.
Their two rivals from West Tokyo were currently shining brightly on the Spring Koshien field.
Both teams had achieved excellent results. Ichidai Third High School made it to the quarterfinals, and although they lost to Seihou High School there, it was a perfect display of their offensive power.
It made fans across the country look at them with new eyes.
For a while, because Seido and Inashiro Industrial had been performing so strongly, many people had overlooked the other member of the West Tokyo Three Great Powerhouses: Ichidai Third High School.
This time, Ichidai Third High School returned to the spotlight. It also reminded people just how challenging the competition in the West Tokyo area truly was.
Of course, there were benefits to this as well.
Because the three teams had successively appeared on the Koshien stage, the West Tokyo Summer Tournament suddenly became a hot topic. The battle had attracted countless eyes before it even began.
Previously, fans outside Tokyo had little interest in games from the Tokyo area. Now, many fans across the country wanted to see how fierce the competition would be in a region with three teams carrying Koshien experience.
Moreover, these three teams were not coasting on history.
It was not a case of one team participating in Koshien ten years ago, another five years ago, and another just last year. If that were the situation, their games would naturally not receive as much attention.
But the players of the current Seido, Inashiro Industrial, and Ichidai Third High School were different.
They were all from the same generation. The players participating in the Spring Koshien now would also participate in the West Tokyo Summer Tournament later. As for Seido, although some players had retired, many who had previously participated in Koshien remained.
To put it plainly, all three teams heading into the upcoming West Tokyo civil war had players who had been to Koshien, and each team was built around those players as its core. The clash between them promised sparks before the games even began.
As such commentary grew, the Seido High School Baseball Team, which had faded from public view, also returned to the spotlight.
Media reporters began seeking out Coach Kataoka at every opportunity.
The Director and coaches of Seido, however, had their own tempers.
Before, you ignored us. Now we'll make sure you can't reach us.
You didn't want to interview before? Now you do?
No way.
They simply didn't give those reporters a chance.
The players were already very interested in the Spring Koshien. With the added media attention, their interest grew even further.
According to the news they had seen, Ichidai Third High School had stopped at the quarterfinals and returned to their school the day before yesterday. Their players hadn't taken a single day off and were already back to practicing.
It seemed Ichidai Third High School was determined to win the upcoming Spring Tournament.
Among the three major tournaments, the Autumn Tournament, Spring Tournament, and Summer Tournament, the Spring Tournament was undoubtedly the least prestigious. People generally didn't pay it much attention.
However, its results carried real weight.
Teams that reached the top 16 of the Spring Tournament earned a seeded spot, which would give them a significant advantage in the subsequent Summer Tournament. Additionally, the top two teams in the Spring Tournament would qualify for the Kanto Tournament.
The Kanto Tournament was not as prestigious as Koshien, but it was still a competition high school players greatly desired.
It was almost time for school to start, and the Spring Koshien final had not yet been played.
Just before, the Inashiro Industrial High School Baseball Team had defeated Seihou High School 4-2 and advanced to the final. It was the second time Inashiro Industrial had reached the Koshien final since Coach Kunitomo began coaching the team.
To clarify, Inashiro Industrial had won a championship before, but that was long ago. Since Coach Kunitomo took over, the team's results had been very good, but they had never won a Koshien championship again.
A Spring Koshien championship carried somewhat less prestige than a Summer Koshien championship. But no matter how much less, it was still a Koshien championship. No director or player at Inashiro Industrial would ever give up the chance to win it.
Tomorrow. Tomorrow.
The Spring Koshien final was about to begin. But the Seido players could no longer pay attention to it.
At this moment, all eyes were on the new students about to enter the dormitory.
School started on April 1st. However, new baseball team players generally reported to the school dormitory one to two days in advance.
Handsome Men's Dorm.
Originally, this dormitory had a number, but as the nickname grew more famous, the number had been abandoned.
"Guess who the new person coming to our dorm is?"
Kusunoki Fumaya was excited.
He had gradually solidified his position on the team. Although he couldn't crack the starting lineup, few substitutes were more reliable than him. After finding his footing, he had grown keenly interested in the new arrivals.
"What if I told you I already knew? Would you be surprised, Senior?"
Zhang Han asked Kusunoki with a smile.
Kusunoki said nothing.
Compared to him, Zhang Han was clearly better connected within the team, especially given his close relationship with Takashima Rei. It was not surprising at all that he had found out in advance who would be assigned to their dormitory.
After a while, someone put a new nameplate on their dorm door.
Not a brand name. An actual nameplate, with a name written on it.
Zhang Han looked it over. The name was exactly the one he had heard earlier.
"Toujou Hideaki!"
Toujou had asked Zhang Han before to look after him. The guy had a very easygoing personality, almost overly familiar, or so Zhang Han thought.
Zhang Han had mentioned it to Takashima Rei, and as it turned out, Toujou had indeed been assigned to their dormitory.
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