Ichidaisan High School baseball field.
The reporters from Baseball Kingdom Monthly magazine, having just finished covering Akikawa Academy, hurried over to Ichidaisan High without pause.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
"Ooooh!!! That's amazing, Omae-senpai!"
"As expected, Omae!"
Ichidaisan High's captain and cleanup hitter, Omae Takahiro, was blasting every ball thrown during batting practice—most shots were Home Runs or deep hits to the outfield.
"As expected of a nationally renowned power hitter, this is incredible!" Owada Akiko exclaimed.
Clang! Clang!
"Great job! Miyagawa, Hoshida!"
Miyagawa and Hoshida on the other sides of the field were equally impressive, sending ball after ball into the distance.
"This lineup is terrifying! No wonder they reached the quarter-finals of the Spring Koshien," Mine Fujio said to Ichidaisan High coach Tahara Toshihiko.
"Ah, ever since our loss to Seido High in the Spring Tokyo Tournament, the boys have undergone some rigorous training," Tahara said proudly, eyes shining with pride.
"Coach Tahara, what are your thoughts on your upcoming opponent, Yakushi High School?" Mine Fujio asked.
"Yakushi High? To be honest, they're quite capable," Tahara replied. "Their central lineup—Ota, Yamauchi, and Kobayashi—could hold their own on our team. Most noteworthy is their Ace, Sanada; his strength is comparable to our Manaka. Overall, they can definitely threaten us."
"Yakushi's Ace Sanada hasn't pitched a complete game in the first three rounds. Is that strategy, or is he injured?" Mine Fujio continued.
"I can't speak for their team. But we won't let our guard down. The Summer Qualifiers is single-elimination—lose once, and a year's effort vanishes. My boys and I want to reach Koshien and avenge our Spring loss," Tahara said, pride clear in his voice as he watched his players sweat on the field.
"Speaking of your Spring loss to Seido, Manaka didn't seem fully fit then. Is he ready now? Confident in suppressing Seido's lineup?" Owada Akiko asked, remembering the previous tournament.
"Hey, hey, couldn't you be more tactful?" Mine Fujio muttered.
Tahara glanced at her, then said, "Follow me."
He led them to the bullpen. Mine Fujio and Owada quickly followed.
Inside, Manaka Kaname was practicing, focused and cold-eyed.
Whoosh! Pop!
Just as the ball neared the strike zone, it darted sharply to the left, landing perfectly in the catcher's mitt.
"Very good! Manaka! Another one!" the catcher cheered, tossing the ball back.
"The late break on that pitch is terrifyingly sharp. Fully recovered, it seems," Mine Fujio thought, impressed.
"This was all my fault," Coach Tahara muttered. "I knew Manaka was exhausted after consecutive Fall Tournament and Spring Koshien games, yet I still sent him out. That Spring Tokyo Tournament loss was entirely my responsibility."
"But now it's different. Manaka has recovered, the relief pitchers are strong, and the lineup is at its peak. This time… Seido High, we will win!"
After observing training, Mine Fujio excused himself.
"We won't disturb your players any longer. Farewell."
Coach Tahara nodded, then returned to his team.
Owada Akiko closed her notebook. "Big Brother Mine, are we interviewing Yakushi High next?"
"No need. They're just a Top 16 team with little reputation. Time is better spent organizing the past few days' interviews and writing some buzzworthy articles," Mine Fujio said flatly.
"Yes, Big Brother Mine!" Owada replied, and the two left Ichidaisan High.
That evening, Ichidaisan High held a pre-match analysis meeting.
"Coach, it's just a third-rate school we've never heard of. Do we really need to be this nervous?"
"Exactly. We could focus more on swing practice and maybe improve ourselves further."
Some players, overconfident and careless, spoke first.
"Boys, do not underestimate any opponent," Coach Tahara's voice cut sharply through the room.
Though Yakushi High was only moderately known, for a team aiming for Koshien, no mistakes could be allowed. Underestimating even a metropolitan school could be fatal. Intelligence gathering was critical in modern high school baseball.
"Intelligence officer, report on the information you've gathered." Tahara commanded.
"First, the most notable player is Yakushi High's Ace, Sanada Shunpei, a second-year," the officer began. "Though his innings are limited, his strength is significant. He mainly attacks the inside corner aggressively, with fastballs between 140–145 km/h. So far, he hasn't shown any other pitch types, though rumors suggest he has a finishing pitch. All players need to be cautious."