Who?

Hokuto Junior High School Baseball Field.

"Nice pitch, Kohei!" – A short boy with black hair and a grim face shouted excitedly. That was Toru Okada, the center fielder, now in his third year of middle school.

"Hehe, thanks, Toru!" – The tall boy with brown hair smiled in response. He was Kohei Sasaki, the left-handed ace of Hokuto who crushed Shun and his teammates last year. He was also selected for the Japanese U-15 national team and was named the best pitcher in last year's Kanto tournament.

"Hmph! Why the hell are you celebrating, Toru? We're up against a bunch of nobodies, and yet you couldn't hit a single home run today." – A boy with white hair grumbled when he saw Toru's excitement.

"Eh, relax, man, it's just a friendly game..." – Toru's excitement vanished when he heard the white-haired boy complaining. He spoke softly, but he immediately regretted it.