On October 14, after a three-day interval, they boarded the bus to the game venue once again. Kōshū felt anything but relaxed inside the bus.
"Kōshū, you'll be starting in left field this time."
This was Kataoka Manager's arrangement for him. They anticipated that the other side would probably have a relief pitcher throw the first two innings, so this arrangement was reasonable enough.
"Whoa—" The sounds from the others in the back drew Kōshū's attention outside. He saw an enormous crowd gathered beside the venue, far larger than at the previous games.
Thanks to the newspapers and magazines hyping it up, Tokyo citizens, whether they were alumni or not, had begun following it with curiosity.
"Champion Seido VS Avenger Inajitsu." This eye-catching headline had occupied the front pages of many sports news outlets for an entire day.
Because of that, Kōshū had received a text from his mother yesterday. He had only glanced at it before immediately sitting upright and carefully typing, "You don't need to come watch the game. Tomorrow is only a group-stage match."
"Isn't Inajitsu seeking revenge against you?" Her tone carried the flair of an overly dramatic news headline.
"...Not at all. It's just a normal game. So if you want to watch, come to our semifinals or finals instead."
"I'll think about it."
"Don't come. I won't have time to see you then." Perhaps his recent withdrawn state had yet to fade, or perhaps his instinctive unease rejected his family's attention. He kept trying to persuade Shen Qing not to come watch the game.
"Fine..." Shen Qing agreed verbally, at least, and that eased Kōshū's mind a little.
His gaze roamed across the surrounding crowd. Not seeing any familiar faces for the moment, the pitcher got off the bus with his teammates.
"Seido, go!"