Chapter Summaries

Seido’s freshmen introduced themselves, revealing a class packed with Little League players and a boastful pitcher, Shimizu Osamu, who had come to the school after seeing Kōshū. Kataoka warned the newcomers that team discipline and victory came first, leaving Takashima concerned that Shimizu’s arrival might cause trouble.

• Yuki Masashi said he aimed to reach the Major League, while several freshmen introduced themselves as Little League graduates and named their positions.
• Shimizu Osamu introduced himself as a pitcher, explained that he had chosen Seido after seeing Kōshū, and announced his ambition to become a baseball scientist.
• Kōshū and Kuramochi recognized Shimizu as the freshman who had struck Eijun with his bag after mistaking Eijun’s bloodied face for a ghost.
• Takashima confirmed that the assembled freshmen were her recruits, noting that Shimizu had joined through the Board of Directors and worrying that he had come for Kōshū.
• Kataoka introduced himself and Ochiai, reminded the freshmen of Seido’s championship and Koshien goals, and warned that anyone who broke discipline or maliciously provoked others would be removed from the team.

Seido resumed training ahead of the Spring Tokyo Tournament while the coaches prepared to finalize the roster and the first-years were tested. Kōshū invited Yui to practice throwing with him, just as Shimizu Osamu appeared at their table.

• Eijun showed off a fielding move during practice, while Kanemaru and Miyuki teased him and Kōshū and Furuya watched from nearby.
• Kōshū and Furuya found the Equipment Room being rebuilt with new facilities, including a dedicated pitchers’ room, and Yui considered the coaches’ plans to develop him as a catcher.
• Kataoka told Ochiai that Seido would submit eighteen players for the roster first and add two more based on the first-years’ performance.
• Yui told Kōshū that Shimizu Osamu had thrown over a hundred meters and shared his own batting-test results; Kōshū praised him and invited him to throw together that night.
• Shimizu Osamu sat across from Kōshū and Yui after overhearing their conversation.

Kōshū trained the nervous Yui Kaoru to catch his fastballs, exposing how far Yui still had to develop. After Yui struggled with Kōshū’s 150-kilometer pitch, Kōshū showed him the challenge ahead of becoming Seido’s First String catcher.

• As Seido’s facilities expanded and the team drew attention after Koshien, Kōshū began training Yui in the Bullpen.
• Kōshū gradually raised his pitch speed to 140 kilometers, and Yui was impressed by his fastball’s precision.
• When Yui requested an outside low pitch, Kōshū threw too forcefully, and Yui caught it stiffly while his hand ached.
• Yui asked to face Kōshū’s normal pitching, but he failed to hold onto the full-power 150-kilometer fastball.
• Kōshū told Yui that he would need to command pitchers such as Furuya, Eijun, and Kawakami to become a First String catcher, and Yui thanked him.

Kōshū tried to ease Yui’s worries about fitting in and teased him about making a new Room 4 Covenant, while Seido’s freshmen struggled with the team’s three-bowls-of-rice rule. At lunch, the players discussed Shimizu Osamu’s unusual behavior and background, leaving Kōshū to suspect that Eijun’s curiosity might cause trouble.

• Kōshū spotted Shimizu Osamu slipping away from the Bullpen and wondered why the freshman kept such a low profile.
• Kōshū told Yui he did not need to treat the Room 4 Covenant as strict rules, then joked about creating a prank covenant for future freshmen.
• Yui reflected on whether he could become Seido’s starting catcher after the third-years retired, and Kōshū noticed his dejected expression.
• Kanemaru, Kōshū, and Eijun urged the freshmen to eat three big bowls of rice, but Kōshū noticed Shimizu was absent.
• Eijun asked about Shimizu, and Haruichi and Lang Zhi warned him not to provoke the freshman because of his apparent family connections.
• Eijun wondered why a rich kid like Shimizu had come to Seido, and Kōshū suspected Eijun himself was the one causing trouble.

As the Spring Tournament approached, Kōshū returned to pitching practice in the new Bullpen and observed Shimizu Osamu training with Yui Kaoru. Shimizu’s behavior changed around senior catchers, and after Kōshū decided not to get involved, Rei Takashima summoned him and brought Shimizu up again.

• Kōshū redirected Eijun from worrying about other people to finishing his Numbers before the Spring Tournament.
• On April 4, Kōshū practiced pitching with Miyuki in the new Bullpen while Furuya threw at full strength to Ono.
• Shimizu Osamu threw fastballs to Yui Kaoru, giving precise instructions and leaving Yui feeling treated like a pitching net.
• Miyuki offered to catch Shimizu, who became more compliant and admitted he preferred pitching inside.
• Kōshū recognized Shimizu’s reaction as resembling the effects of bullying, but resolved not to involve himself.
• That evening, Rei Takashima called Kōshū to the office and immediately raised Shimizu Osamu.

Teacher Takashima tried to encourage Kōshū to guide the promising freshmen and explained why Yui Kaoru had caught her attention, but Kōshū realized her story about a pitcher vomiting recalled his own incident at Summer Koshien. Takashima reflected on Shimizu Osamu’s troubled family situation and decided Kōshū might not need to be involved in helping him.

• Takashima told Kōshū to begin guiding Yui, Okumura, and Seto ahead of the third-years’ retirement, and asked how things were going with Yui.
• Takashima described how Yui had quickly removed a panicked, vomiting pitcher from a game to protect him from further distress.
• Kōshū recognized the story as his own Summer Koshien incident and left the office, still without learning what Takashima had meant to say about Shimizu Osamu.
• Takashima recalled Nakajima Akihisa dismissing Shimizu’s depression and remembered that Shimizu had chosen Seido after seeing a documentary.
• Takashima decided Kōshū did not owe Shimizu help and considered looking more closely at the documentary about him.

Seido opened its Spring Tournament campaign against Eigen High School, with Eijun pitching a dominant five-inning mercy-rule win while Miyuki tested his new Numbers in a real game. The chapter left Eijun celebrating on the mound as his teammates carried him off, while Kawakami accepted that younger pitchers were taking priority.

• Kōshū found Eijun practicing with another first-year catcher and called them in for dinner, then worried that he had been focusing too much on Yui-kun.
• Seido began the Spring Tournament against Eigen High School on April 6, with Eijun and Kawakami taking the mound.
• Eijun rallied Seido’s defense before the game, and Miyuki guided him through testing his pitches against Eigen’s batters.
• Eijun’s unusual movement and hidden release baffled Eigen, and Seido won by mercy rule in five innings without using Furuya or the ace.
• Kawakami watched Eijun throw the final pitch and accepted his reduced role, while Seido’s players carried Eijun away after the postgame bow.

After pitching five innings without allowing a run, Eijun sought praise from his teammates and then fell asleep on the bus. Kōshū exchanged messages with his former teammates and Inashiro players, ending the chapter amid their joking rivalry over the finals.

• Eijun asked his teammates to praise his pitching, and Yui complimented his command and loud voice before Kōshū made him sit down.
• Eijun fell asleep, while Kōshū messaged Nozawa and Ido about their upcoming game against Seido.
• Kōshū received a message from Hayakawa asking to use his photo for a life-sized Narumiya Mei body pillow and urgently refused.
• Eijun shouted that he would hit three home runs off Narumiya Mei in the finals and sing the Happy Birthday Song as he rounded the bases.
• Narumiya and Kōshū traded taunts in their messages, while Kōshū imagined the teasing and threats among the Inashiro players.

Kōshū studied pitching footage with Seido’s new High-Speed Camera and looked for ways to improve his control and Cutter. After a long night of analysis, he and Miyuki prepared to test his adjustment on the mound.

• Kōshū read Narumiya’s harsh messages and looked forward to facing Inajitsu again as Seido prepared for its next game.
• Miyuki and Kōshū practiced pitching strategies against power hitters and reviewed footage to improve Kōshū’s command of the corners.
• Kōshū reflected on how his life had changed over the past four years while standing outside the Equipment Room, then returned to studying his pitching footage.
• Eijun, Furuya, Kawakami Senior, Yui Kaoru, and Okumura Kōshū found Kōshū working in the Analysis Room but quietly left him undisturbed.
• Kōshū told Miyuki he had found a way to adjust his Cutter, and they began a bullpen test with Miyuki setting his glove outside to a right-handed batter.

After Inashiro defeated Yakushi, Seido’s players reflected on the pressure of competing for places on the team. Kōshū practiced an exceptionally fast, sharply breaking pitch in the Analysis Room, but lost the feel for it when Ochiai Coach interrupted and soon ran out of energy.

• Seido’s players discussed Narumiya Mei striking out Todoroki Raichi and Inashiro’s batters scoring against Sanada, while some grew complacent after their Koshien victory.
• The second-years and first-years who had missed the First String felt pressure as Yuki Masashi and Yui Kaoru earned places among the Regulars.
• Kōshū pitched to Miyuki in the Analysis Room and repeatedly entered an absorbed state, producing a fast pitch that broke sharply before reaching home plate.
• Ochiai Coach entered and interrupted Kōshū’s concentration, then watched footage and judged the pitch’s speed and movement to be beyond the high school level.
• Kōshū could no longer reproduce the pitch, felt exhausted and hungry, and decided to get something to eat.

Kōshū introduced his pitches to Okumura and judged the rookie catcher’s receiving skills, while reflecting on Seido’s need to prepare its young catchers for the coming season. Okumura saw Kōshū’s sharp pitching firsthand and recognized him as the true ace.

• Okumura greeted Kōshū and described his pitches, then admitted that Sawamura’s moving pitches had been difficult to catch.
• Kōshū praised Miyuki as an excellent catcher, flustering Miyuki before he left.
• Kōshū reflected on the catcher shortage and began a bullpen session to familiarize Okumura with his pitches.
• Okumura caught Kōshū’s fastballs and nearly handled a sharp Cutter, impressing Kōshū with his reactions.
• Okumura recognized the strikeout power in Kōshū’s pitches and thought that Kōshū was the true ace.

Eijun practiced pitching strategy with Yui while Seido’s players adjusted to the pressure of a roster full of newcomers. Seido then began its Spring Tournament game against Tachikawa Private, with Kōshū facing former Kinoshita Little League teammate Nozawa Kai.

• Eijun complained to Yui about being kicked out of the Bullpen, then tested him with a visualization exercise involving runners on base and Hideki Matsui at bat.
• Yui proposed using fastballs and a Cutter to set up a double play, then intentionally walking Hideki Matsui, while Eijun urged him to handle the situation after a misplaced pitch put runners on first and second.
• Kuramochi sent Lang Zhi back to practice at third base, while Lang Zhi remained determined to become a shortstop and Haruichi reflected on finding his own path.
• Seido started its Spring Tournament game against Tachikawa Private on April 12, with Kōshū taking the mound against Nozawa Kai.
• Kōshū recalled Nozawa’s improved fastball and Vertical Slider as Nozawa struck out a batter and smiled at him from the mound.

Seido faced Tachikawa Private, whose ace had learned to throw a high-spin fastball like Kōshū’s and struck him out. Kōshū recovered from the shock, and Miyuki prepared to answer with Seido’s experimental Cutter.

• Kōshū explained that Tachikawa’s ace and catcher had played together since childhood and that the team had undergone intensive physical training.
• Kōshū swung beneath Tachikawa’s ace’s high-spin fastball and was called out, then realized Nozawa had learned the pitch through their shared childhood training.
• Miyuki checked that Kōshū had recovered and decided to call for Seido’s experimental Cutter.
• Seido’s battery exchanged grins as the Tachikawa batters wondered whether they communicated telepathically.
• The narrator described a new computer arriving and the hours spent installing its system, transferring files, and setting it up.

Kōshū used his newly evolved Cutter to strike out Tachikawa’s leadoff batter, while Nozawa and Ido faced the pressure of their team’s past losses. Tachikawa’s ace then stepped onto the field as the team’s dugout urged them to win.

• Miyuki called for Kōshū to throw a different pitch, and Kōshū calmed himself before delivering it.
• Kōshū’s Cutter broke sharply toward the outside corner, earning a strike and drawing astonished reactions from the crowd.
• Nozawa recognized that Kōshū’s Cutter had evolved, and Ido urged him to focus on winning the game.
• Tachikawa’s coach shouted for the team to win, and the umpire called three outs as Tachikawa’s ace entered the field.

Seido’s Miyuki hit Nozawa’s pitch for a single, while Nozawa and Ido confronted the tension between their partnership and their desire to win. Kōshū chose not to throw his Cutter again and resolved to beat Tachikawa Private without showing off, and the teams ended the game with a friendly exchange between the aces.

• Miyuki hit Nozawa’s High Rotation Speed Straight Ball into a gap and reached first base.
• Ido urged Nozawa to remember why they had chosen to play together, and Nozawa struck out three batters after returning to the mound.
• Kōshū decided to stop making exaggerated remarks in the group chat and told Miyuki he would not throw another Cutter.
• Kōshū said Seido would beat Tachikawa Private by fully displaying his strength, and Miyuki laughed at his ruthless explanation.
• After the game, Nozawa praised Kōshū’s improvement and teased him about the unused Cutter, and the two aces exchanged banter.

After Seido won the Spring Koshien Championship, scouts studied the team while Kōshū and the others prepared for their next game. Seido trained late into the night, and Furuya relaxed after Eijun reminded him to stay ready for his chance to pitch.

• Hayakawa reflected on Inashiro's past losses and resolved to help Narumiya return to the top and take revenge on Seido.
• Kōshū noticed reporters and students watching Seido, then left the stadium while Miyuki tried to draw him into conversation.
• Kōshū planned to use the seven days before the next game to refine his pitches, while Seido worked on defense and coordination.
• Seido's players practiced through the evening, repeating drills until their movements became automatic.
• Kōshū tested his Cutter in the bullpen, while Ono urged Furuya to control his pitches instead of throwing at full force.
• Eijun told Furuya to stay ready for his opportunity, and Furuya's pitching visibly relaxed.

Yui and Shimizu continued their bullpen practice as Yui tried to understand his distant pitcher through his throws. Meanwhile, Ochiai Coach identified why Kōshū’s knee had hurt, and Kōshū resolved to follow the prescribed practice while worrying about his stamina and physical development.

• Yui paired with Shimizu in the Bullpen, caught his increasingly forceful pitches, and wondered whether he could read Shimizu’s condition through them.
• Yui observed Okumura praise Kawakami Senior’s sinker while reporters and alumni discussed Seido’s prospects in the Spring Tournament.
• Kōshū reviewed game footage with Ochiai Coach, who explained that fatigue had made Kōshū compensate with other muscles and distort his mechanics.
• Kōshū agreed to improve his stamina, manage his energy during games, and practice fundamentals for the next few days.
• Kōshū worried that Flow State consumed too much energy and considered taking hormones to close his growth plates sooner so he could focus on gaining weight and muscle.

Narumiya Mei trained late with Hayakawa and worried about Seido’s new pitch, while Kōshū and Miyuki discussed their pitcher-catcher relationship after practice. The chapter ended with Miyuki and Kōshū heading back to the dorms, followed by an author’s workplace update.

• Narumiya Mei continued bullpen practice with Hayakawa and recalled Seido’s recent victories and Kōshū’s new Cutter.
• Hayakawa described Kōshū’s pitches and warned that the Cutter might be aimed at Inajitsu.
• Narumiya Mei ordered Hayakawa to hit all of Kōshū’s pitches, and Hayakawa agreed.
• At Seido, Kōshū questioned Miyuki’s praise and reflected on how catchers support pitchers.
• Miyuki and Kōshū joked about their relationship before leaving practice for the dorms.
• The author reported finding only managers at the office and printing a resignation certificate.

Kōshū and Ochiai Coach found a possible flaw in Kōshū’s pitching stride, but postponed any changes until after the quarterfinals. Kataoka Manager planned the Kasuga Ichi game without using Kōshū unless needed, while Kōshū reflected on the manager’s care for players and received a rare message from Hongo Masamune.

• Kōshū and Ochiai Coach reviewed slow-motion footage and concluded that Kōshū’s overly wide stride might restrict his lower-body rotation, but they decided not to adjust his mechanics before the quarterfinals.
• Miyuki noticed Kōshū’s stride and warned him to keep his mechanics stable, while Kōshū insisted that his stride had not changed.
• Kataoka Manager assigned Furuya to start against Kasuga Ichi for five innings, followed by Sawamura and Kawakami, and told Kōshū to stay ready in the Bullpen while keeping his improved cutter hidden.
• Kōshū considered how Kataoka Manager had protected players’ health from pressure to play through injuries and compared him favorably with Hongo Masamune’s manager.
• Hongo Masamune replied that much of his drive to keep winning came from wanting to leave his team and manager without shame, while the rest came from his competitive spirit.

Seido’s pitchers dominated Kasuga Ichi as Furuya struck out the side and Sawamura baffled another batter with his unpredictable pitches. The score stood at 3–0 in the sixth inning, while Kōshū took Yui to the bullpen to help him learn the field and support Sawamura’s development.

• Miyuki signaled Furuya to balance power with control, and Furuya struck out Kasuga Ichi’s leadoff batter and retired the side.
• Furuya celebrated his smooth inning with Lang Zhi and Eijun, while Kōshū discussed Seido’s pitching rotation with Miyuki.
• Kōshū took Yui to the bullpen, where they watched Sawamura pitch and discussed helping him develop his Numbers and giving Seido more pitching options.
• Kasuga Ichi’s sixth batter reached base against Sawamura, but Sawamura struck out the seventh batter with a sharply dropping pitch.
• Kasuga Ichi’s players struggled to identify Sawamura’s pitches as their coach urged them to show their spirit on defense with the score at 3–0 in the sixth inning.
• The author described cramping a leg and cutting a hand while cooking, then searching online for how to stop the bleeding.