Chapter 66: Goodbye!

Before this game, would anyone have thought they would be this excited about winning?

Most people on-site would probably shake their heads.

With Seidou High School's strength, crushing an unknown team like Bunkyo High School would be as easy as drinking water.

Even if they did win, it wouldn't seem like a big deal.

But no one was thinking that way.

They felt their blood burning, adrenaline surging rapidly.

The overwhelming joy inside them was beyond words.

The reason for this drastic change was their opponent.

Bunkyo High School!

This dark horse team had previously dominated the formidable Sensen Academy.

Regardless of the complex emotions of their supporters, they had to admit one fact: Bunkyo High School was indeed impressive.

Especially those exchange students—at least two had the talent of top-tier national star players. The other two were no slouches either.

And with the highly capable catcher Aoki Sugimoto!

The prototype of a strong team had already begun to take shape.

Facing such an opponent, Seidou still dominated their opponent.

Such a match naturally thrilled the audience.

Before Kominato's turn, the score between Seidou High School and Bunkyo High School was 5:0.

Although Seidou High School displayed powerful offensive capabilities in the sixth inning, that offensive round contained a lot of lucky elements.

It was hard to say if Seidou High School would maintain that strength and luck in the upcoming attacks.

In such a situation, even the most die-hard supporters of Seidou High School hadn't considered ending the match early.

This situation changed when Nishiyama beautifully secured a hit, and Kuramochi successfully drew a Walk.

The audience's feelings immediately shifted; it seemed that an early conclusion to the game wasn't entirely impossible.

After all, they were now five runs ahead, with two runners on base.

"As long as the opposing pitcher didn't shy away from facing Sawamura..."

They felt they had a chance to wrap up the fight in this inning.

With this feeling, the audience began to anticipate. They hoped Kominato Haruichi could deliver, extending the offensive opportunity to Sawamura and Miyuki.

Of course, They were very aware that Kominato's batting style was completely restrained by the opposing pitcher.

If Kominato happened to hit an infield ground ball the outcome could be very uncertain.

Based on previous observations, the probability of such an outcome was still quite high.

After all, Bunkyo's pitcher was clearly a power pitcher.

Kominato Haruichi, on the other hand, was a technique-based batter; power wasn't his specialty.

This matchup made them both conflicted and hopeful.

Even the staunchest supporters of Seidou never thought Kominato could resolve the situation by himself.

Not just the fans; even among Seidou High School's bench, not many teammates believed Kominato could come up with a way to counter Jack April in such a short time.

Only Kominato himself understood his inner thoughts.

Coach Ochiai had always advised him to switch to a metal bat, and deep down, he had never completely dismissed that idea. After all, it was a sincere suggestion from his coach—how could he ignore it?

However, he had always used a wooden bat. Unconsciously, he had grown attached to it. Not to mention, there was a lingering bond with wooden bats hidden deep within him.

Caught between his inner conflicts, he ultimately followed his true desires.

But...

In the days that followed, he indeed faced bottlenecks in his batting.

As their opponents grew stronger, so did the pitchers he faced.

Before he knew it, he was no longer considered a reliable batter. There were whispers within the team that he wasn't suitable for the second spot.

Haruichi absolutely refused to accept this claim. The second spot was one he inherited from his brother, Kominato Ryosuke.

No matter what, he didn't want to lose this position.

Though there had been chatter in the team, no one had truly threatened Kominato's position until he saw Nishiyama!

Nishiyama's performance today was nothing short of epic; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he was stunning everyone.

Previously, Kominato had never encountered a rival, or rather, he had never recognized anyone as a threat to his position.

But Nishiyama's emergence suddenly made him feel a significant sense of threat.

Just by looking at today's game, promoting Nishiyama in the lineup seemed almost logical.

Among Seidou's first batters, which position was most susceptible to being replaced?

Without a doubt, it was his second spot...

Otherwise, Kuramochi-senpai, with his overall style, was best suited for the first spot.

Then there was Eijun-kun, and Miyuki-senpai...

Are you kidding? All other positions on the Seidou lineup could be adjusted, but those two spots were absolutely untouchable; they were the team's most relied-upon scoring points.

In a time when Seidou High School's overall batting lineup was struggling, both had made significant contributions to the team's offense.

Even now that Seidou High School's overall batting strength had improved, they remained the anchors and key scoring weapons of the lineup.

In such a situation, their status was equally unshakable.

That left just himself.

A massive sense of crisis filled Kominato Haruichi's heart.

He didn't dislike Nishiyama at all; in fact, he would be pleased to have such a diligent kohai join the team.

However!

This kohai threatened his second spot, and he simply couldn't tolerate it.

If it were anything else, Kominato wasn't someone who liked to be overly competitive; he would easily yield to others.

But the second spot and the second baseman!

He absolutely wouldn't give up those two positions.

In an instant, it felt like a bolt of enlightenment struck Haruichi; he experienced a different kind of growth.

He suddenly recalled the state he had when he first joined Seidou High School.

What he needed to do was quite simple: when the base came flying at him, just hit that little ball out.

Rediscovering his original form, Kominato felt like a transformed person.

Now standing in the Batter's Box, he felt like a new individual.

Facing the sharply thrown fastball, his eyes glimmered with a devilish light.

Paak!

The bat made precise contact with the ball, sending it soaring effortlessly.

This wasn't because Kominato suddenly gained strength!

If we were to use a magnifying glass to capture a screenshot of the bat and the ball...

You would see the bat hit the exact center of the baseball.

After hitting the sweet spot, it naturally flew out easily.

Of course, this wasn't something everyone could do. Even Sawamura couldn't manage it!

The ball traced a perfect arc, landing behind the first baseman.

"YEAH!!"

Nishiyama shouted excitedly, then sprinted past third base and returned home.

He helped the team extend their lead to six runs.

Following closely was Kuramochi, like a cheetah stalking its prey, pushing his speed to the limit.

In the blink of an eye, he crossed second base and reached third.

The outfielder from Bunkyo High School had only just picked up the ball.

"Hyaa-ha-haa!"

Without hesitation, Kuramochi leaped over.

He sprinted past third base and dove for home plate.

"SAFE!!!!!!"

Before the ball could return, Kuramochi stepped on home plate.

He helped the team score their seventh run.

Seeing this scene, Aoki closed his eyes in resignation.

'It's over!'

"HE DID IT!"

"THE GOODBYE HIT!!!"

"KOMINATO!!"

"HARUICHI!!!"

"KOMINATO!

"KOMINATO!!!!"

The stands erupted as if boiling over.

The supporters of Seidou High School were screaming madly, celebrating.

Before Kominato Haruichi hit that long hit, the atmosphere was fully charged.

The supporters of Seidou High School were excited for a reason.

The biggest reason was that the game had ended!!

With Kuramochi running back home, Seidou High School extended their lead to seven runs.

This marked the fulfillment of the conditions to end the game early.

Final score: 7:0.

Seidou High School won in seven effective innings.

They defeated the super dark horse, Bunkyo High School!!!

"Tokyo Spring Tournament Round Of 16, Seidou High School Vs. Bunkyo High School, Final Score 7:0, Seidou High School Wins!!!!"

"SEIDOU!!!!"

"SEIDOU!!!!!!!"

"KING SEIDOU!!!"

As the announcer's voice faded, the entire stadium became a sea of joy.

Though Bunkyo High School was also a well-known school nationwide.

But their fame was for academic excellence.

In the world of baseball, Bunkyo High School was nothing.

Even if many players from this school ended up doing better than those who graduated from Seidou High School's baseball team, it wouldn't change the fact.

In the realm of baseball, they were losers.

"YEAAAAAAHHH!!!"

Haruichi let out a rare roar of anger.

In that instant, all the pressure he had been carrying vanished.

This shy young man had regained his confidence.

'This position, I will absolutely not give it up!'

"DRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!"

"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHH!!!"

"YEAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!"

"HYAA-HA-HAA!!! YOU DID IT!!!"

"WELL DONE! KOMINATO!!!"

"NICE BATTING!!!"

His teammates and friends celebrated with him! Even the quiet Furuya was raising his fist high.

All of them were genuinely happy for the Spring Boy.

Nishiyama happily waved at Haruichi too, having no idea that that this Senpai had already secretly regarded him as a rival.

On the other side, the defeated Emil was glaring at Sawamura, looking like he was contemplating something unsure if he should do it.

In the end, he nodded to himself deciding that he should do it, and waited until the post-match greeting to say it.

...

T/N: What does he want to say?

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