Game day arrived.
Seido's entire team gathered at Jingu Stadium, ready for one of the most important games of the Autumn Tournament.
"Ushijima!"
"Ushijima!!"
The moment he stepped onto the field, cheers erupted from the stands.
A large group of fans, especially girls, called out Ushijima Wakatoshi's name.
Then something even more unexpected happened.
The stadium speakers began playing "The Eternal Runner."
It was the same song Ushijima had sung a few days earlier.
Its popularity had spread far beyond his expectations.
Now, before an official tournament game at Jingu Stadium...
His own recorded version was being played over the loudspeakers.
The moment he heard it, Ushijima couldn't help covering his face with a wry smile.
"Hahaha!"
Kuramochi and the others burst into laughter.
After all, this wasn't a professional singer's recording.
It was Ushijima's.
Although he sang reasonably well, there were still plenty of imperfections.
Having it blasted throughout the stadium...
Felt like public execution.
"That person is the eternal runner... chasing an endless dream..."
"Breathing white mist... pushing forward without stopping..."
"That person is the eternal runner... with burning tears in his heart..."
"Run... runner of youth..."
As the chorus reached its climax, more than five thousand spectators erupted into cheers.
Most of the fans at Jingu Stadium loved baseball.
How could they not be moved by lyrics like those?
Once the song ended, Coach Kataoka gathered the team.
"I'm announcing today's starting lineup."
"The batting order remains unchanged."
"Furuya will start on the mound."
Just as he was about to hand in the lineup card—
"I'll pitch."
Everyone turned toward Ushijima.
Coach Kataoka looked surprised.
"You want the start?"
"I wasn't planning to."
Ushijima answered honestly.
"But..."
"I'm worried."
"Our opponent is Ugumori."
"They're the dark horse that eliminated Inashiro."
"Furuya's still too unstable."
"I don't think we should take that risk."
He paused before looking directly at Furuya.
"And..."
"You injured your foot."
"What?!"
Everyone stared at Furuya in shock.
The fiery aura surrounding him instantly disappeared.
His expression turned awkward.
"Baka!"
Coach Kataoka exploded.
"Why didn't you report your injury?!"
Furuya opened his mouth...
But no words came out.
Ushijima spoke instead.
"You wanted to catch up to me."
"You wanted me to trust you enough to hand over the mound."
"So you trained even harder."
"Even after getting hurt."
"You finally earned your chance to start."
"You didn't want to lose it."
Furuya lowered his head.
"But..."
"That's the difference between us."
"You only see the mound in front of you."
"I see the mound twenty years from now."
"High school baseball only lasts three years."
"You still have the rest of your baseball career ahead of you."
"If you sacrifice the next twenty years for these three..."
"The price is far too high."
He looked toward both Furuya...
And Sawamura.
"That's why..."
"The two of you still can't compare with Kawakami and me."
Silence filled the room.
Even Sawamura couldn't argue.
Neither of them had ever considered baseball that far into the future.
Coach Kataoka immediately changed the lineup.
"Asou."
"You're batting ninth."
"You'll start in left field."
"Yes, Coach!"
Asou answered without hesitation.
Ushijima adjusted the brim of his cap.
"I haven't pitched in an official game since Koshien."
"I sat out all three regional games."
"And the first two rounds of the Autumn Tournament."
"Five games."
"It's been five games."
Looking toward Ugumori's dugout...
A faint smile appeared on his face.
Across the field...
Ugumori had also received Seido's lineup.
"Seido's ace is starting."
One player swallowed nervously.
"The Koshien champion..."
"The monster who can throw almost every pitch."
"We finally beat Inashiro..."
"And now we have to face him."
Their ace, Umemiya, stared across the diamond.
"If beating Inashiro was our Battle of Okehazama..."
"Then facing Seido..."
"Is this our Battle of Nagashino?"
His eyes burned with excitement.
"If we win today..."
"We'll be one step closer to the biggest stage."
Every Ugumori player clenched their fists.
"Ushijima's starting?"
Reporter Owada Akiko looked surprised.
"So Seido isn't taking any chances."
"That makes sense."
"After all, Ugumori eliminated Inashiro."
"Regardless of the circumstances..."
"A win is still a win."
"It proves they have real strength."
Beside her, Fujio silently focused his camera on the mound.
Standing there...
Ushijima naturally exuded overwhelming pressure.
Even Ugumori's leadoff hitter felt his heartbeat accelerate.
So...
This is the presence of a Koshien championship ace.
Even so...
He tightened his grip on the bat.
I still have reasons I can't lose.
Around the stadium, professional scouts and representatives from numerous schools watched intently.
This was Ushijima Wakatoshi's first appearance on the mound since Koshien.
Everyone wanted to see how much he had improved.
He showed no mercy.
First Pitch.
144 km/h Four-Seam Fastball.
It jammed the inside corner.
No swing.
Strike One.
Second Pitch.
145 km/h Four-Seam Fastball.
Low and just clipping the outside edge.
No swing.
Strike Two.
Third Pitch.
Another 145 km/h Four-Seam Fastball.
Low outside.
The batter finally offered...
And missed.
"Strike Three!"
"You're out!"
The crowd erupted.
A three-pitch strikeout to begin the game.
The second batter stepped in.
First Pitch.
145 km/h four-seamer.
High outside corner.
Swing and miss.
Strike One.
Second Pitch.
145 km/h.
Low outside.
Another swing and miss.
Strike Two.
Third Pitch.
148 km/h.
This time the fastball exploded inside.
The batter froze.
"Strike Three!"
Another three-pitch strikeout.
The scouts exchanged glances.
His command...
Had become noticeably sharper than it was at Koshien.
The third batter walked to the plate under immense pressure.
After seeing six consecutive four-seam fastballs...
He naturally expected another.
Instead—
Miyuki changed the pattern.
No more four-seamers.
He called for two-seam variations.
Sinkers.
Cutters.
Pitches that looked similar before breaking in different directions.
Ushijima carved through the batter with nothing but those three moving fastballs.
"Strike Three!"
"Three up, three down!"
The stadium roared.
"He's incredible!"
"That inning took less than five minutes!"
"Seriously?"
"Less than five minutes for three strikeouts?"
"If you don't count the time between batters..."
"He probably retired all three in barely three minutes."
"That's terrifying."
The crowd buzzed with excitement.
From Ushijima's perspective, though...
There wasn't much to celebrate.
Ugumori simply hadn't adjusted to him yet.
Combined with the difference in overall ability...
The first inning had ended almost effortlessly.
The bottom of the first belonged to Seido.
Kuramochi stepped into the batter's box to face Ugumori's ace, Umemiya.
"Whoa..."
The first pitch floated toward the plate.
A slow curveball.
It broke with a huge looping arc.
Kuramochi hesitated just long enough to watch it drop into the zone.
"Strike!"
The umpire's call echoed through the stadium.
Kuramochi narrowed his eyes.
Interesting...
So this is the kind of pitcher he is...