Chapter 51: A New Chapter Is Beginning

"WOHAAA!"

"AMAZING!"

At that moment, the entire Koshien erupted into wild cheers.

Everyone was high-fiving, like a sea of joy.

"THE GAME HAS JUST STARTED, AND SEIDOU'S THIRD BATTER, SAWAMURA EIJUN, HAS ALREADY HIT A HOME RUN!!"

"SEIDOU'S ACE SEIZED THE MOMENTUM BY HIS VERY HAND!!"

The commentator was also going wild.

Meanwhile, Eijun completed his run around the field and finally returned to his team's rest area.

"So cool!"

"You kid!"

"Hyaa-ha-haa!!"

Teammates rushed up to hug and celebrate with Sawamura.

Even Coach Kataoka, who usually wore a stern expression, gave Sawamura a hearty nod.

"Well done!"

Although Seidou High School was confident about winning, but the impression left by the Kotari Brothers had been weighty.

Kuramochi, and Kominato—these were top players and a cornerstone of Seidou High School.

Yet, when they took the field, they were dealt with easily.

It was becoming clear that the opponents were not as easy to handle as they had imagined.

This game might turn out to be much tougher than they had expected.

In this context, Sawamura's early home run was highly significant.

Even the usually indifferent Furuya gave Sawamura Eijun a thumbs-up.

"You've set the bar high; I can't slack off."

In a good mood, Sawamura joked with Furuya.

On the other side, Yamamori's team was stunned.

Their overall offensive strength wasn't very strong.

While they had been scoring consistently, they had no records of marginal wins.

Facing a national-ranked team like Seidou, and the best pitcher in high school Sawamura Eijun, their chances of scoring were a bit low.

And Now they are trailing behind.

Their strategy had relied on their pitching and defense mainly.

To put it bluntly, their defense was their strongest weapon, their trump card.

Now that their final trump card had been shattered, they were at a loss about how to proceed.

The Kotari Brothers, the core of the team, looked very grim.

'This is a great opportunity to take down the opponent in one fell swoop.'

With the score at 1-0.

There were two Outs and no one on base.

The next batter, Miyuki, was eager to play.

Taking advantage of the opponent's low morale to deliver the most devastating blow.

Miyuki was more than happy to do so.

After all, his nature was to seize such moments with relish.

***

Kanagawa, at Okumura's home.

Seto Takuma had originally come over just to call Okumura and practice hitting together.

However, he found Okumura Koushuu staring intently at the TV screen.

"Has the game started?" Takuma asked, surprised.

Okumura gave a noncommittal nod.

The TV was replaying the home run hit by Sawamura Eijun.

Ping!

The small white ball flew out of the field, carried by the strong wind outside.

It was spectacularly impressive.

In the batting zone, Sawamura's demeanor was incredibly calm. He raised one hand to the sky and then clenched it into a fist.

The camera then switched to the stands.

The cheerleaders from Seidou High School were shouting Sawamura Eijun's name hoarsely.

Sawamura's two fan clubs also received a lot of camera time.

They had specifically traveled from Tokyo and Nagano.

The crowd was large.

Whether Sawamura Eijun is the best high school player overall currently, no one can confidently guarantee.

But when it comes to popularity and having the most fans?

There is no doubt—it must be Sawamura Eijun.

"Awesome!" Takuma, as a Kohai, was a fan of Sawamura Eijun.

In his notebook, his favorite players were ranked.

Number one was Sawamura Eijun and number two was Mukai Taiyou from Teito High School.

As for the third?

It was his childhood friend Okumura Koushuu.

"Sawamura-senpai always steals the show," Takuma said, generous with his praise.

"He knew it was going to be a home run the moment he hit it," Okumura said quietly.

"What?" Takuma didn't understand.

Okumura Koushuu didn't know how to explain it further.

"This kid is incredible!"

At Yui Kaoru's home, his mother exclaimed in surprise.

Although she thought Furuya Satoru was a better pitcher, Sawamura Eijun clearly shone brighter in terms of overall strength, especially hitting power.

"Of course, he's the Demon King Sawamura Eijun!" Yui Kaoru said proudly, filled with excitement.

He was very excited.

When he had just graduated from middle school, he had thought that with his qualifications, securing a recommendation from a top school would be easy.

But reality had delivered a harsh slap.

None of the prestigious schools he was interested in had offered him a chance.

"Why?" Yui Kaoru had asked his teacher and also questioned himself.

With his abilities, why were these schools overlooking him?

The teacher seemed indifferent.

"They probably dislike your size and think you lack potential in baseball."

Had he been overlooked because of his short stature?

At that moment, Yui Kaoru felt utterly frustrated and hopeless.

"But there's always a place for you elsewhere. They might not want you, but better teams are waiting for you. However, you need to be mentally prepared. This school is not local; it's in Tokyo."

'Tokyo!'

Yui Kaoru looked at his teacher in shock.

The teacher, not wasting time, straightforwardly presented an invitation letter.

'Seidou High School!'

The very school that had just won the summer Koshien championship and dominated the nation.

In short, it was the best school in the country.

Prove your abilities by leaving your hometown for such a school.

"I'm going!"

Fourteen-year-old Yui Kaoru made a firm resolution.

He was determined to go higher.

He was also surprised that his former partner from the Little League World Series was also going to Seidou.

He was truly happy.

He felt fortunate that the lesser teams hadn't invited him, allowing him the opportunity to go to Seidou.

'Sawamura-senpai!'

He couldn't wait to meet the Senpai who had become a legend in middle school.

In Chiba, Yui's former partner was also watching the game.

Nishiyama Kibo watched the online broadcast with similar excitement.

But he also felt restless.

After all, the game is only interesting when you play it yourself.

He wondered if he would grow differently after joining Seidou High School.

"Kibo!"

Outside the door, his mother's voice rang out.

Nishiyama frowned in annoyance.

"Have you packed your bags?"

"Yes, but don't worry, there is still a long time."

"You still have to get ready early young man."

His mother had the habit of preparing for things a mile away.

Nishiyama's parents supported his decision to go into Seidou.

However they felt a bit reluctant, as his father was not in favor of his talented son going to the battle zone West Tokyo is, and in the same team Sawamura in to warm the bench for a whole year. Also, he shares his wife's reluctance to have their son study away.

However, they knew how much their son loved baseball, and how much he looked up to Sawamura.

Now that he was heading to Tokyo and Koshien, they had no reason not to support him.

They hoped at least he would be happy and alright.

In South Korea, Busan, at the Gimhae International Airport.

A simple boy closed his iPad and followed the check-in staff.

He was alone, with no one to see him off.

The only person accompanying him was one of the Exchange Program personnel.

They could only spare one person, as they didn't have the manpower or resources for more than that with the program now running at full force.

But Lee Hyun didn't care about that.

He had already said goodbyes to his family and friends, and he was excited about going to a new environment and a new school.

And not just him.

Yuuki Masashi who was listening to the game while running, Asada Hirofumi who was cleaning his baseball mitt while watching the game on TV, and so was Kuki Youhei who was lying on a hospital bed while his leg was in a cast watching the game on his tablet.

And many many other young talents who have great dreams for baseball while getting ready to go to Seidou and chase their Youth.

The wheels of fate had started turning.

Although Sawamura and the others were still battling in Koshien, a new chapter had already begun.

…