"BALLS WILL COME FLYING!!! EVERYONE AT THE BACK PLEASE TAKE CARE OF ME!!!!"
As soon as Sawamura Eijun stepped onto the pitcher's mound and said those words, excitement swept through the audience.
"HE IS HERE!!!"
In the Koshien finals, it always felt a bit regrettable not to see the Demon King, Sawamura Eijun, pitching.
Now, all regrets have vanished.
An amazing sense of satisfaction filled the stands.
Sawamura Eijun's two fan clubs combined numbered nearly two to three thousand people, seated in one corner of the bleachers, dressed neatly and densely packed—a very pleasing sight.
When they saw Sawamura Eijun walk up to the pitcher's mound, these fans couldn't care less about others' feelings; they immediately waved everything they could get their hands on.
"SAWAMURA!"
"DEMON KING!"
"LET THEM HIT!"
"WE GOT YOUR BACK!"
"GO SAWAMURA!"
This thunderous cheer not only stunned the fans on-site but also left their opponents reeling.
"Didn't they say this guy wasn't going to pitch today?"
In the rest area of Inajitsu High School, the assistant coach was left speechless.
The victory that seemed so close now felt increasingly distant.
Coach Kunitomo wasn't as overwhelmed as his assistant.
"Our original opponent was always him!"
All winter, Inajitsu High School had practiced with Sawamura Eijun as their imaginary enemy.
From the very beginning, Coach Kunitomo never considered that Sawamura might not play.
The human body is a fragile yet strong entity.
He could choose to keep Narumiya Mei, and naturally, Kataoka could choose to keep Sawamura Eijun.
But now, letting Sawamura Eijun play was quite a strategic move!
Inajitsu High School was on the verge of victory, having eliminated a key player, but here stood Sawamura Eijun, ready to face their mid-to-low batting order for the next two innings.
'Isn't this just bullying?'
How could the players of Inajitsu High School even imagine that they could handle Sawamura Eijun with their lower batting lineup?
Today's game was probably over.
This was the honest thought in the minds of the Inajitsu High School players and most of the audience.
Of course, some were unwilling to accept this.
For instance, Tadano, who was now on second base.
'Sawamura's greatest trait was his stability.'
'With him on the mound, as long as nothing happened, the chances of Inajitsu scoring off him were incredibly slim.'
'What to do?'
The current situation was one Out, with a runner on second base.
Without a doubt, this was their only chance to score against Sawamura.
If the game had entered extra innings, whether Inajitsu High School could defeat Seidou was still a huge unknown.
'But there was always a chance.'
Tadano knew this, so he quietly left the second base bag.
As the crowd erupted in jubilation, he made this move carefully and silently.
Sawamura Eijun was a left-handed pitcher. Unlike a typical right-handed pitcher, his entire body faced away from second-base runners.
Though it was somewhat risky, it wasn't without opportunity.
At that moment, Tadano's mind was racing.
He was eager to take a risk.
With Sawamura on the mound, Tadano knew very well:
'If we don't take a risk in this game, we will never win.'
Opportunities are fleeting, they must be seized.
If he could successfully steal the base, the situation would shift to one Out with a runner on third.
At that point, even with Sawamura pitching, he would likely be helpless.
After all, with an out to spare, it was the basic duty of the players from top-tier teams to send a runner from third home.
In this scenario, there were countless plans available.
Tadano's determination was something few could perceive besides himself.
So he moved smoothly.
At that moment, Sawamura being on the mound was undoubtedly helping him.
Everyone was watching the most famous star in high school—what would happen next?
Tadano, still on second base, swallowed hard.
'Here comes the opportunity!'
As he saw Sawamura Eijun's shoulder prepare to throw, he took off!
He wasn't Carlos; he didn't have that extraordinary speed.
Plus, he knew that Sawamura had the 'Last Moment Adjustment'—if he noticed someone stealing a base, he could easily coordinate with Miyuki Kazuya.
In this situation, the only way he might successfully reach base was to take off before Sawamura pitched.
Time is incredibly tight on the baseball field; it could be a fraction of a second.
Tadano was determined to succeed.
With his starting position and the speed he intended to run, he wasn't just talking about a fraction of a second.
Now!
Timing it perfectly, he saw Sawamura's hand move.
Tadano took off.
Then! He saw Sawamura extend his arm, but instead of preparing to pitch, he naturally swung his arm back.
The white ball glided like a ninja's shuriken.
Whoosh!
It zipped through the air.
"Hyaa-ha-haa!"
At second base, someone had already rushed in.
"You're still too naïve, boy!"
Before Tadano could return to second base, Kuramochi stomped on the bag and tagged him with his mitt.
Their intention to steal the base was too obvious; how could they not stop it?
"An Out like that!"
"He wasn't even looking at the base!"
"Is that a high school level?!?!"
"There is no way!!"
"They don't call him the Demon King for nothing!"
Tadano's Out completely dashed Inajitsu High School's last chance.
Two Outs, no one on base.
After taking care of Tadano, only Yabe remained.
That was even simpler.
"STRIKE!"
"STRIKE!"
"STRIKE BATTER OUT!!!"
Sawamura Eijun struck him out.
Three Outs, offense and defense exchanged.
"WOW!!!"
"He solved it like nothing!"
"What a good game! What good teams! What a good Aces!"
"Does Tokyo always have it like that?"
"With how the teams that came from there are performing? My bet is a big yes!"
While the audience was still buzzing with excitement, Sawamura Eijun had already settled the matter.
This scene was captured on camera and broadcast to over 20 million fans nationwide.
The Demon King's prowess remained unchanged.
After the third Out, Inajitsu High School had only one last chance to bat in the ninth inning, and the batters up would be their lower lineup.
At this point, the game had essentially reached its conclusion.
However, the players from Seidou High School were still a bit unwilling.
They had one more opportunity to bat, and they were facing their core hitters.
Kominato, Sawamura, Miyuki!
In the face of these three, no one dared claim they could easily take them down.
But equally, the lineup formed by these three was not invincible.
"OUT!"
"OUT!!"
"OUT!!!"
In the end, against Narumiya, although they made contact with the ball, their swings were jammed and they couldn't get a good hit.
Another three up, three down.
Watching Narumiya, full of spirit, it was hard to believe he had collapsed due to overexertion in the previous game.
"This guy can't be faking it!!!" Sawamura often guessed Narumiya with the utmost malice.
After all, there was nothing this guy couldn't do.
"No way!!" Miyuki frowned.
He understood Mei well.
How could he possibly do such a thing?
"Who can say for sure!!!" Narumiya Mei, criticized by the two, shouted loudly.
The game continued into the final inning.
Faced with Inajitsu High School's lower lineup, Sawamura's performance was flawless.
"STRIKE!"
"STRIKE!!"
"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!!!"
"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!!!!"
"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!!!!!"
"GAAAAAAAMMMMEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!! SEEEEEEEETTTT!!!!!!!!!!"
The game ended in three Outs.
"The championship final of the Spring Koshien Invitation Tournament has concluded, with Seidou High School from West Tokyo emerging victorious. After winning the Summer Koshien, Seidou High School has once again reached the pinnacle!!"
After the summer of Koshien, the spring Koshien championship followed.
By all accounts, Seidou High School's performance should have shocked the entire country.
Their momentum should have been at its peak.
But the reality was quite different.
After this spring Koshien, it wasn't just Seidou High School that gained popularity.
Unlike the overwhelming momentum from summer Koshien, Seidou High School felt little change in life after their spring championship.
There were private celebrations at school, a few interviews, and some celebratory feasts.
The players each had their Koshien experiences.
And then it was over.
In contrast, Yakushi High School, which was eliminated in the semifinals, and Inajitsu, which lost to Seidou in the finals, attracted more attention.
For this, the players were naturally indignant.
Sawamura Eijun, however, took it all in stride.
"Originally, our momentum was already quite strong. Now winning the championship is just the icing on the cake. The other two teams have emerged remarkably, so they will naturally attract more attention."
The noisy days passed in a blur.
Then came the start of the new semester.
From this point on, Sawamura Eijun and the others would truly become second-year students.
At the same time, they would welcome a new group of adorable and fresh Kohais.
However, after this Spring Koshien, a faint legend began to circulate.
That is the great Tokyo Warring Era.
The strongest death group, with more than a handful of prestigious schools.
Such a scale of competition is akin to a mini Koshien tournament.
With the outstanding performances of Seidou High School, Inajitsu High School, and Yakushi High School at Koshien, the legend of the Tokyo Warring Era grew stronger and stronger!
…
(End of this Volume)
…
T/N: We've finally finished this Volume and can start a new era!