Chapter 5: Minori Shigeru, Hanayama

The game reached the 9th inning, and the score was still 5:4.

Sanae High School was leading their opponent by one point.

"Who do you think will win?"

Miyuki suddenly asked.

Sawamura was taken aback by the question but quickly gave his answer.

"Strength rules!"

"…Which stupid manga series have you been reading recently?"

"Shut up!"

By the time the game reached this point, it was hard to say who would lose and who would win.

The key now was which team had the stronger belief in winning.

The team with a stronger belief in victory was more likely to win in this tug-of-war.

Although Sanae High School was leading by one point, their pitcher was their greatest weakness.

The final inning wasn't guaranteed to be safe.

Sawamura Eijun and Miyuki Kazuya could both see that.

The players from Sanae knew this too.

So the closer they got to the end, the more cautious they became.

They even compressed their defense and had everyone help out in the infield defense.

They had to ensure that once the pitcher's ball was hit, they would be able to pick it up immediately.

As for Minori Shigeru's long hits, they had been worried about them initially.

But in this game, none of Minori Shigeru's players managed a long hit.

It seemed like there were no long hits in the previous game either.

Almost 99% of Minori Shigeru's points were earned through positional battles.

Given this situation, it was no surprise that Sanae High School made such a desperate move.

They did it based on intelligence.

"Sanae is finished!"

Seeing Sanae's defensive formation, Miyuki shook his head and sighed.

"What's wrong?"

"If my memory serves me right, Hanayama was already hitting home runs in his second year of middle school."

When Miyuki said this, Sawamura almost immediately understood the meaning.

It was a trap, everything was a trap.

Although he didn't know what had happened between the two teams before,

From the intelligence Miyuki had revealed and the choices made by Sanae,

It was obvious that this whole thing was planned by Minori Shigeru.

If they had been set up, could they still win?

Perhaps they could, but it all depended on whether fate would help them.

Unfortunately, the players from Sanae High School hadn't accumulated enough good deeds.

At this moment, they couldn't expect any mercy from the heavens.

In the final moments of the game, they were once again reversed.

The one who hit the game-changing long ball was Hanayama, the player Miyuki had mentioned.

Ping!

As the small baseball flew to the back of the field,

Minori Shigeru's players gradually ran back to home plate.

It was over.

In the end, this intense game ended with Minori Shigeru winning 6-5, against Sanae.

After the game, the players from Sanae High School were crying terribly.

Sanae High School's baseball team had many excellent players.

Some of these players were not at all inferior compared to the players of top-tier schools.

To have such strength, they had endured hardships and worked harder than most could imagine.

In the end, it was such a result, so of course, they were sad and bitter.

Especially since they were so close to playing against Seidou High School.

That was the thing they couldn't accept the most!

The players from Sanae High School had also once imagined making it to Koshien.

But staying in Tokyo, the harsh reality made them realize how far they still were.

Yet even so, they still wanted to see just how much of a difference there was between them and the national champions.

Even if they lost, they wanted to lose to the National Champions.

They originally had this opportunity, but out of nowhere, Minori Shigeru had knocked them out.

A man doesn't cry easily, but when it's truly heartbreaking, tears flow.

Three years of baseball came to an end.

Their tears weren't just for this loss, but also as they reminisced about their three years of youth.

This is how it is for most losing teams in the end.

On the other hand, the victorious Minori Shigeru was jubilant.

Elimination rounds are a slaughterhouse, and every round passed feels like surviving a catastrophe.

At this moment, they didn't even think about their next opponent.

They were just celebrating today's victory!

"Let's go!"

In the stands, Miyuki and Sawamura were leaving.

They had seen everything in this game and had gained quite a bit of insight.

Although their opponent didn't seem particularly tough,

from this game, it was clear that Minori Shigeru was not a team that would easily accept fate.

This meant that their match against Seidou's baseball team would certainly be a tough one.

On the other hand, Seidou's baseball team could not afford to be careless.

Once they returned, they would need to seriously think it through.

As fate would have it, on their way back, they ran into Minori Shigeru's players.

At first, the two of them intended to bypass them, but unexpectedly, the players recognized them.

"Are those two from Seidou High School?"

"Yes, it's them!!"

"Captain Miyuki Kazuya and Ace Sawamura Eijun."

The players from Minori Shigeru surrounded them like fans.

They were so enthusiastic that neither of the two could bring themselves to refuse.

They could only smile and greet them.

"Long time no see!"

When they saw Hanayama, Miyuki Kazuya greeted him first.

"I thought that now that you're the captain of Seidou, you wouldn't recognize me, your old friend."

"How could that be!"

The two of them naturally started chatting.

This, in turn, shocked the players from Minori Shigeru.

They never expected that their Captain would be able to casually greet the Captain of Seidou High School's baseball team.

If they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, they wouldn't have believed it.

"Captain is amazing! He actually knows Miyuki Kazuya…"

This thought was not only held by one or two people but by many of them!

Although Minori Shigeru had considerable strength, the players themselves didn't really realize this.

They probably still viewed themselves as underdogs.

They probably never thought they could actually beat Seidou High School!

"Not going to introduce us?"

Miyuki looked at the burly man behind Hanayama and asked.

"This is Tekuno Kanden, my partner."

Hanayama smiled and introduced him.

Tekuno Kanden, looking simple and honest, nodded at Miyuki.

Just as Miyuki was about to introduce Sawamura,

Hanayama stepped forward and said, "You must be Sawamura, I've heard a lot about you. Please take care of me!"

Hanayama smiled brightly.

But for some reason, Sawamura didn't like it at all.

He could sense something dangerous in the man's smile.

'This guy is not simple!'

…