Chapter Summaries

Miyuki faced Sanada with Seidou down to its final out, fighting through a painful waist injury in a tense at-bat. He finally put the ball into left field, leaving Seidou’s fate to the runners and the landing ball.

• Masuda caught Kuramochi’s hard-hit ball, and Kuramochi was thrown out while Sawamura remained at second.
• Miyuki came up with two outs and Sawamura in scoring position, despite his injured waist and limited ability to swing.
• Miyuki swung and missed Sanada’s first pitch, then worked the count full as Yakushi called a defensive timeout and regrouped.
• Miyuki fouled off several pitches before hitting Sanada’s Shootball toward left field, where the shallow fielder left little chance for Sawamura to score.

Seidou survived Miyuki’s close play at first and mounted a desperate two-out rally against Yakushi, with Haruichi batting as the tying run moved into scoring position. Haruichi kept fouling off Sanada’s pitches, and the chapter ended with their at-bat still alive after a full-count ball.

• The umpire called Miyuki safe at first, keeping Seidou’s game alive with two outs and runners on first and third.
• Coach Kataoka encouraged Haruichi to attack the pitch, and Haruichi entered the batter’s box determined to keep the game going.
• Haruichi fouled off Sanada’s inside fastball, prompting Yakushi to regroup and focus on him.
• Miyuki stole second while Sawamura drew Akiba’s throw and returned safely to third, putting the tying run in scoring position.
• Haruichi battled through difficult pitches, fouling off Sanada’s offerings and taking a ball to reach a full count.
• Sanada threw another pitch, and the umpire called it a ball, leaving Haruichi’s at-bat unresolved.

The narrator’s stomach kept hurting after they exposed it to the cold, but they could not relieve themselves. They ended the chapter still struggling with the discomfort.

• The narrator suspected that exposing their stomach to the cold had made it hurt.
• The narrator squatted outside twice for half an hour but could not poop.
• The narrator noted that squatting made the pain somewhat less unbearable.

With the bases loaded and two outs in the top of the ninth, Sendou faced Sanada in a decisive showdown while battling his injured foot. After a prolonged at-bat, Akiba and Sanada prepared an inside cutter to exploit Sendou’s expectations and try to end the game.

• Haruichi drew a walk after a twelve-pitch battle, loading the bases for Sendou.
• Sendou stepped up with his injured left hand trembling as Seidou needed a hit to take the lead.
• Sanada opened with an inside ball, then Sendou fouled off the next pitch and a close outside pitch to fall behind with two strikes.
• Akiba noticed Sendou’s swing faltering and used an outside pitch that missed the strike zone to make him expect another outside ball.
• Sendou fouled off more pitches and earned a two-ball, two-strike count, while Akiba signaled for Sanada to finish him with an inside cutter.

Sendou hit a bases-loaded home run off Sanada to put Seidou ahead by three, and Sanada stopped their rally before the inning ended. As Yakushi prepared for its final attack, Kataoka chose Furuya to pitch the last inning, leaving Sawamura to accept the decision with Sendou’s support.

• Sanada threw an inside pitch, and Sendou drove it into the stands for a bases-loaded home run that gave Seidou the lead.
• Sanada recovered and retired the next two Seidou batters, ending their attack with Yakushi trailing by three runs.
• Yakushi’s players and spectators encouraged Sanada as both teams prepared for the bottom of the final inning.
• Sawamura asked Kataoka to let him pitch, but Kataoka entrusted the final inning to Furuya instead.
• Sendou comforted Sawamura as he struggled to accept the decision, while Sawamura worried about Sendou’s injured hand.

Seidou sent Furuya in to pitch the bottom of the ninth with a three-run lead, and his first appearance quickly put Yakushi under pressure. Furuya retired Akiba and Masuda, then took a two-strike lead over Mishima as Yakushi’s final hopes rested on the batters still to come.

• Seidou replaced Sawamura with Furuya, and Sawamura encouraged Furuya to breathe deeply before he took the mound.
• Furuya struck out Akiba’s chance to reach base by inducing a groundout, giving Seidou its first out.
• Miyuki used a Vertical Slider to make Masuda swing and miss, then pop up for the second out.
• Sawamura led the crowd in chants as Mishima came to bat with Yakushi facing elimination.
• Furuya threw two strikes to Mishima, including a Vertical Slider that he swung through.

Furuya struck out Mishima-zai to secure Seidou’s comeback victory over Yakushi in the Autumn Tokyo Tournament and a ticket to Spring Koshien. After the teams lined up, Miyuki and Sendou’s injuries came to light, while Yakushi mourned its narrow defeat.

• Furuya struck out Mishima-zai with a high fastball, ending the game and making Seidou the Autumn Tokyo Tournament champion.
• Seidou celebrated its victory as the commentator announced that the team had secured a place at Spring Koshien, while Yakushi’s players and supporters grieved their loss.
• Miyuki noticed Sendou’s trembling, injured left hand, and Sawamura, Shirazu, and Maezono went to check on him.
• Sawamura supported Sendou as the teams lined up, while Miyuki limped into place with help from his teammates.
• Mishima-zai apologized to Raichi for ending the game before Raichi could bat, and Raichi said he had wanted the game to continue.
• Sanada reflected that Yakushi had come close to reaching Koshien, as Hirabata and Moriyama comforted him.

After Seidou defeated Yakushi, the players prepared to leave while Narumiya Mei challenged Sendou to meet him again in summer. Miyuki and Sendou were taken to the hospital for their injuries, leaving Rei-chan to confront Sendou in the taxi.

• Narumiya Mei declared that he would defeat Sendou in summer and urged Seidou to reach Koshien and become a team worthy of beating.
• Coach Kataoka sent Miyuki and Sendou to the hospital, and Rei-chan scolded Sendou for hiding his injury while Sawamura revealed he had noticed it.
• Coach Kataoka apologized to Miyuki for putting him into the final inning, and Kuramochi helped the exhausted catcher leave the stadium.
• Miyuki slumped in the taxi and complained that he was not suited to being captain, while Rei-chan reassured the others that he was only releasing his stress.
• Rei-chan confronted Sendou about risking a lasting injury, and Sendou awkwardly fell silent as Miyuki watched him curiously.

After Seidou won the Autumn Tournament, doctors confirmed that Sendou had a hairline fracture and Miyuki had a muscle strain, ruling both out of the Jingu Tournament. As the team reorganized for the tournament and Mine Fujio worried about Seidou’s chances, Sawamura’s oblivious reply to Wakaba left her embarrassed and exasperated.

• Doctor Higuchi confirmed Sendou had a hairline fracture that would take at least five weeks to heal, while Miyuki’s side abdominal strain required three weeks.
• Seidou celebrated earning a place at Spring Koshien, and the next day Coach Kataoka announced that Miyuki and Sendou would miss the Jingu Tournament and leave the active roster.
• Coach Kataoka made Kuramochi acting captain, named Ono the starting catcher and Maezono the cleanup hitter, and said he would announce the eighteen-man roster that day.
• Mine Fujio learned that Sendou had hit decisive home runs in consecutive games despite his fracture and worried that Seidou would face a formidable challenge from Kyoma Daifuji Maki.
• Sawamura showed Sendou Wakaba’s message about wanting to watch him grow, along with his joking reply that mistook her affection for something frightening; Wakaba read it and was left embarrassed and annoyed.

Wakaba was embarrassed by Sawamura’s oblivious messages, while Kuramochi attacked Sawamura after discovering their conversation. During Seidou’s preparations for the Jingu Tournament, Sendou stayed out of practice because of his injury, suggested a challenging colored-ball batting drill, and helped Haruno after Sawamura and Furuya caught her balancing on an exercise ball; the tournament’s opening day drew closer.

• Sendou showed Kuramochi Sawamura’s messages with Wakaba, and Kuramochi grabbed Sawamura in a chokehold after reading them.
• Miyuki entertained himself by directing and mocking the pitchers during practice, while Coach Ochiai kept Sendou from exercising until his hand healed.
• Sendou suggested that Haruichi practice identifying and hitting a designated color among three balls thrown at once, then stunned the group by hitting them accurately one-handed.
• Sendou joined the first-years on their way out of the Indoor Practice Field, where Sawamura and Furuya found Haruno sitting on an exercise ball and made her fall off it.
• Sendou helped Haruno up and took Sawamura and Furuya away as the training days continued toward the Jingu Tournament.

During morning practice, Sawamura asked Kawakami to help improve his control, while Miyuki and Sendou teased them and debated how he should train. The conversation turned to painful memories of winter training camp, and Sendou tried to get Miyuki to reveal which seniors had cried.

• Sawamura greeted Kawakami, then asked him to teach him better control before the Jingu Tournament.
• Miyuki and Kawakami warned Sawamura against adding more Tire training and explained that proper form and shadow pitching mattered more than rushed strength work.
• The group discussed Christmas during winter training camp, and Miyuki refused to reveal which seniors had cried the previous year.
• Sawamura went to find Kariba to practice pitching while Miyuki told Sendou to watch his form.
• Sendou pressed Miyuki for the real story about the crying seniors and pulled out his phone, leaving both second-year seniors staring at it.

Sendou secretly enlisted Isashiki-senpai to help the seniors prank Miyuki at winter camp while pretending to prepare a Christmas gift. At morning practice, Sawamura worked on his throwing form with Miyuki and Kawakami, whose control faltered when Sawamura teased him about Azuma-senpai; Sendou looked forward to the seniors’ future revenge on Miyuki.

• Sendou explained the Christmas party’s gift-drawing tradition and told Miyuki he had prepared a special gift, while secretly searching for ideas for a gift anyone might like.
• Sendou messaged Isashiki-senpai about Miyuki exposing that Isashiki had cried at the previous winter camp, and Isashiki vowed to get back at Miyuki with help from the seniors.
• Sawamura brought Kariba to the bullpen, where Miyuki and Kawakami coached him on keeping his toes pointed straight and maintaining throwing power.
• Kawakami demonstrated his sidearm pitching, and Miyuki encouraged him to build confidence and improve his mental control.
• Sawamura teased Kawakami by saying Azuma-senpai had not come, disrupting Kawakami’s pitch and prompting him to chase after Sawamura as he left to run.
• Sendou privately anticipated that Isashiki would recruit the third-years to torment Miyuki once his injury healed, while Miyuki remained unaware of the plan.

On a rainy day, Sawamura tossed batting practice for Kominato, turning the session into a noisy spectacle that entertained Sendou. Kominato’s big brother joined them to bat and tease the younger players, leaving the group practicing together indoors.

• Rain canceled Seidou’s outdoor practice, so Kominato asked Sawamura to toss balls for him in the Indoor Practice Field.
• Sawamura’s dramatic pitching antics distracted Kominato and made Sendou laugh.
• Kominato’s big brother arrived during a break from studying for his university entrance requirements and teased Kominato about defending his regular spot.
• When Sawamura offered to toss for him, big brother chose Haruichi instead and joked that Sawamura’s tosses shifted position.
• Haruichi tossed balls while big brother hit several, calling for outside and inside pitches as he enjoyed batting again.

Sawamura and Sendou watched Oni-san teach Koharu unusual batting drills, and Sawamura tried and failed to hit balls tossed from behind him. After practice, the group cleaned up and did laundry, where Sawamura spent the wait rehearsing his victory chant.

• Oni-san explained how tossing balls from behind the batter trained Koharu to judge his contact point and handle pitches he could not see clearly.
• Sendou compared the drill to Mukai Taiyou’s Left Side Throw and considered practicing it to adjust faster against Mukai.
• Sawamura took Oni-san’s bat and repeatedly missed Koharu’s tosses, so Oni-san left Koharu to teach him while Sendou eventually persuaded Sawamura to stop.
• Sawamura and Sendou helped Koharu finish practice, then went to the laundry room while Haruichi headed there separately.
• While the laundry ran, Sawamura shouted his victory chant for nearly ten minutes, leaving Sendou and Haruichi baffled.

Sawamura, Kominato, Sendou, and Furuya joked in the laundry room while waiting for their clothes, and Sawamura argued about fishing with Furuya. The mix-up ended when Furuya recognized his missing Sliding Pants on Sawamura, who hurried off to return them.

• Sawamura explained his victory-shout practice to Kominato and Sendou while they waited for their laundry.
• Furuya told them one pair of his Sliding Pants was missing, and they checked their laundry without finding it.
• Sawamura and Furuya bonded over fishing before arguing about Ippon Fishing and whether caught fish should be eaten or released.
• Kominato noticed Sawamura was still wearing his muddy uniform, and Sawamura realized he had forgotten to wash it.
• Furuya spotted his name on the Sliding Pants Sawamura was wearing, and Sawamura apologized dramatically before rushing away to return them.

Seidou began the Jingu Tournament without Miyuki and Sendou on the roster, winning its opening game 3-0 before advancing past Tsurumigaoka. As Seidou prepared to face Homei in the semifinals, Hongo Masamune erupted in anger after learning Miyuki and Sendou had been left off the substitute roster.

• Sendou and Miyuki watched Seidou's fired-up players prepare for the Jingu Tournament and secretly listened to Kuramochi lead the team in an intense pregame rally.
• Sawamura started Seidou's opening game against Teitou, and Kuramochi, Shirazu, and Maezono helped secure a 3-0 victory.
• Miyuki, Sendou, the managers, and Watanabe reviewed the scorebook, and Sachiko teased Miyuki for failing to cheer from the stands.
• Homei defeated Yamamori to advance to the semifinals, while Kyoma also won its opening game; Hongo Masamune raged after learning Miyuki and Sendou were not on Seidou's roster.
• Kawakami started Seidou's second game against Tsurumigaoka, with Sawamura and Furuya also pitching as Seidou recorded double-digit hits and won by five runs.

After Seidou lost 4–2 to Komei, ending its Jingu Tournament run, the team began an intense offseason while Miyuki and Sendou recovered from their injuries. Miyuki’s restlessness led him and Sendou to visit Chris, where Rei-chan’s teasing prompted Miyuki to realize he could confide in Sendou.

• Seidou lost 4–2 to Komei after Furuya’s seventh-inning struggles gave Komei the lead, ending Seidou’s season.
• Kyoma beat Nihon Shono 8–0, and Hongo Masamune recorded no hits against him during the Jingu Tournament.
• Kyoma won the tournament final 4–1 without Hongo pitching, while Seidou began demanding offseason training alongside schoolwork.
• Rei-chan took Miyuki and Sendou for checkups, and both received permission to resume light activity as they recovered.
• Miyuki and Sendou began jogging and discussed their injuries, their anxiety, and visiting Chris for advice.
• On the way to Chris’s rehabilitation center, Rei-chan teased Miyuki about opening up, and Miyuki realized Sendou was someone he could confide in.

Sendou and Miyuki spent time with Senior Chris during his rehabilitation, while Miyuki recovered and returned to training and Sendou resumed light exercise. As December and Winter Training Camp approached, Sendou found Miyuki, Sawamura, and Furuya waiting naked for the bathwater and watched them play a baseball-term word-chain game.

• Miyuki and Sendou visited Senior Chris, who spoke with Miyuki about his recovery and his difficult days after surgery.
• Sendou and Miyuki joked with Senior Chris, and the three continued visiting him during rehabilitation as Winter Training Camp drew closer.
• Miyuki fully recovered and returned to practice, while Sendou began simple exercises and tutored Senior Takako for her medical school entrance exams.
• Sendou entered the bathhouse and found Miyuki, Sawamura, and Furuya naked because the bathwater had not heated up.
• Sawamura and Furuya explained baseball terms during their word-chain game as Miyuki sneezed and complained about the cold.

Miyuki caught a cold after the nude shower fiasco, and Sawamura forced him to drink a concoction of folk remedies that unexpectedly helped him recover overnight. As December arrived, Sendou increased his training while the team eased up for winter exams.

• Sendou brought Miyuki, Sawamura, and Furuya clothes after they had showered without bringing changes, and Miyuki fell sick the next day.
• Sawamura prepared a cold remedy from charred orange peel, tea, berries, ginger, garlic, an egg, and herbs, then enlisted Furuya to restrain Miyuki and force-feed him.
• Miyuki discovered Sawamura's book of Japanese folk remedies and angrily suspected he had been used as an experiment.
• Miyuki recovered overnight and teased Sawamura, who chased after him while Sendou reassured Furuya that Miyuki would not hold a grudge against him.
• In December, Sendou increased his training as his injury healed, while the team reduced training ahead of final exams.

The narrator went for a rabies vaccine after finding scratches on their leg, partly to reassure their worried mother. They developed a fever, a slight headache, and brain fog after the shot, so they decided to rest.

• The narrator found several scratches after climbing a wall to check roof damage and worried that one might have come from their dog.
• Their mother fretted about rabies, so the narrator went to get vaccinated despite Professor Yang Jiaxin's theory that a shot was unnecessary.
• The narrator recalled that the previous day they had taken the bus without their ID and suffered from carsickness.
• After getting vaccinated, the narrator developed a fever and slight headache, which a doctor said should pass within forty-eight hours.
• Feeling foggy and forgetful throughout the day, the narrator gave up trying to push through and decided to rest.