The ball soared high and far, igniting the crowd almost instantly. When it truly dropped into the stands under the center fielder's gaze, a second wave of excitement engulfed everyone.
"It's in!!"
"A three-run homer!!"
"Seido!"
"Big Brother! You're the best!"
On Seido's side, the dugout, railings, and cheering megaphones in the stands all buzzed from the pounding.
Kōshū had nearly reached first base by then. Once he saw the ball had flown into the stands, he raised an arm along with the cheering crowd. "All right!"
His steps slowed as he rounded second, third, and home plate amid the stadium's endless cheers. They were heartfelt praise. For an instant, Kōshū felt like a king returning triumphantly, welcomed by his own people along the road.
This feels amazing! A sense of conquest, victory, and self-breakthrough filled his heart. This is why I play baseball!
Objective reason, a future professional career—those were distant matters, things that might not come for a long time. What had drawn Kōshū to baseball from the beginning was simply the thrill of defeating others within the rules.
In that exhilarating feeling of constantly growing, all of Kōshū's previous confusion and pain were instantly shoved aside.
What a passionate time youth was. You were always exploring something new, with countless treasures waiting ahead. You were forever on the path of growth, and you yourself were like a treasure vault with no end in sight, gaining the world's recognition while conquering the whole world.
"Nice job!" Tōjō stood by home plate and slapped Kōshū's hand hard.
That had practically decided the game. With a 5–0 score and only two innings left, Ichidai Third still had not broken through Seido's Pitcher Lineup.
"Change pitchers." Ichidai Third's manager looked at the pitcher with some pity. Amakuhisa stood alone in the