By nightfall, a large crowd of fans had gathered outside the hotel, shouting either "Seidou!" or someone's name.
The one being called the most was "Kamishiro," and almost all the voices belonged to girls.
"Wow, that's a lot of people," some of the upperclassmen muttered curiously, leaning out the window.
Rinichi also walked over, and the moment he did, the shouts of "Kamishiro" grew even louder. Seeing so many people outside, he even smiled and gave a small wave, causing several girls to scream.
Some of them were probably schoolmates.
After all, someone even shouted, "Kamishiro-kun!"
A vein popped on Kuramochi's forehead as he shot Rinichi a rather unfriendly glare, his expression fierce.
"Why the hell are you waving at them?"
And there were so many girls responding too.
"Seidou, go for it! You have to win the championship!" someone outside suddenly yelled, the voice especially loud and clear.
"See, they're cheering for Seidou," Rinichi said, looking away, feeling a little guilty inside.
Kuramochi replied, "Didn't coach tell you to sleep early? Go now."
Well, tomorrow was the finals. One more win and they'd be national champions.
It's only nine o'clock though…
Kuramochi narrowed his eyes. "If I come check and you're still awake…" His look clearly said you know what happens next.
Everyone silently watched Rinichi close his door, then turned their gazes to Kuramochi.
Lying in bed in complete darkness, Rinichi slowly closed his eyes.
Strangely enough, he didn't feel any nervousness about the finals at all—only calm.
He couldn't tell if it was because he didn't care… or because he was certain of victory.
The next day, the stands were completely full for the championship game.
Sitting in the dugout, Kamishiro read through Komadai Fujimaki's starting lineup. No Hongou Masamune, and he wasn't wearing the ace number either.
He thought he might feel disappointed—but he didn't.
Top of the first inning, Seidou was on offense and Komadai Fujimaki on defense.
Hongou, sitting in the dugout, already looked different from usual.
Back in junior high, his team had faced Rinichi's Daikyou youth team and never won—always being dominated. Over time, it had built up a certain resentment.
To Hongou, Rinichi was like a towering mountain—an insurmountable peak.
Two-time national champion of the youth baseball tournament… Kamishiro Rinichi.
Hongou's expression hardened with a trace of hostility.
He'd once been the ace. Now he wasn't even wearing number 1.
"One batter, shortstop, Kuramochi-kun."
Kuramochi walked up to the batter's box with his bat, wearing a cocky smile.
Since they were batting first, the goal was to score early and make things easier for Rinichi on the mound.
He connected with the pitch, but his face wasn't great as he sprinted.
He barely made it to first base—a fraction of a second later and the ball would have been there. Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he gave a stiff smile and raised his hand. The cheers helped him exhale in relief.
Second batter, Kominato Ryousuke, got a hit but was thrown out at first—still, he advanced Kuramochi to second.
Then Isashiki Jun gritted his teeth, muttering "Don't underestimate me," before sending the ball soaring high into the outfield.
The center fielder failed to cover it in time. Kuramochi, fast as ever, didn't waste the chance and charged home, scoring the first run.
From second base, Isashiki shouted, "Nice one, Kuramochi-senpai!"
Rinichi high-fived Kuramochi.
Kuramochi grinned—No way I'm letting you worry about scoring. You just focus on shutting them down on the mound, and leave the rest to us.
He didn't say it out loud, though.
"Fourth batter, first baseman, Yuuki-kun."
The cheer song played, full of pride and power—putting extra pressure on Komadai Fujimaki.
On the first pitch, Yuuki Tetsuya locked onto the ball.
Though it went foul, the pitcher, catcher, and third baseman all looked shaken—fear flickering in their eyes.
Rinichi noticed that the seniors in this final felt a little different from before.
If he had to put it into words…
They had an even stronger will to win.
On the second pitch, Yuuki launched the ball far and high—another double. Isashiki scored, bringing Seidou's total to 2 runs.
In the dugout, Hongou Masamune was starting to lose his composure, the hostility between his brows growing heavier.
This feeling… it was all too familiar.
His gaze drifted past the ongoing game, trying to spot Rinichi in Seidou's dugout—but no matter how hard he looked, he couldn't find him.
Anxiety and a flicker of anger rose within him.
He vaguely recalled the summer of his third year in junior high… the heat still burned in his chest.
Rinichi had once reached out his hand, expression devoid of any smile, eyes calm beneath the brim of his cap, carrying a hint of carelessness.
"You're the only one I know right now with the highest pitch velocity…"
"I hope in high school's Koshien…"
"I'll get to see you."
"And I hope my high school baseball won't be so boring."
His words had carried an unmistakable arrogance.
And it had to be admitted—this person had the right to be arrogant.
Every time Rinichi came up to bat, he crushed his pitches for a home run… and when pitching, he completely shut down their lineup without giving them a single breath of relief.
It gave Hongou the illusion that… as long as Rinichi was on the mound, the game was already over.
In the top of the first inning, the batting order reached Miyuki's turn.
Rinichi was long accustomed to this rhythm—the frustration of being further down the lineup.
He picked up his glove and jogged to the mound.
Almost immediately, Komadai Fujimaki began to feel the fear Rinichi inspired from the pitcher's mound—A fear of not even being able to touch the ball.
What Rinichi and Miyuki did not expect was that Komadai's third batter would attempt a bunt.
And he actually made contact.
The first baseman came off the bag to field the ball.
Miyuki stood up, removing his mask:
"Kamishiro! Cover first!"
Rinichi knew what to do.
Grinding his teeth slightly, he moved to cover first. Yuuki Tetsuya made the throw.
That was too close—almost let the runner reach base.
Rinichi didn't like the feeling of leaving the mound to cover a base.
His cold gaze swept toward Komadai's third batter.
Only when he saw the trace of fear in the opponent's eyes did he look away, returning to the dugout with clear displeasure.
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