The bottom of the fourth inning ended quickly as Suiren's defense made an effort to hold off any additional runs, and Shoto's lower batting order couldn't reach base, keeping the score at 12-1.
Unfortunately for Suiren, even after closing out the fourth inning without allowing any more runs, the game ended swiftly at the top of the fifth. The sixth, seventh, and eighth batters were all struck out by Sora's renewed pitching, ending the game by mercy rule with a final score of 12-1 for Shoto Junior High.
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One day later, Monday...
Shun was sitting in the classroom, distractedly looking out the window. His Japanese teacher was explaining something, but Shun was too busy thinking about the next game in the Tokyo tournament.
