Meanwhile, on the Tokyo Nakano Senior baseball field...
"Yeeeahhh! Nice, Satoshi!" - Toji shouted as he ran over excitedly, he had just caught the pitch that ended the game.
"Haha, that's it, everyone!" - Akira also dashed from third base to the mound, thrilled. They had just won the final game of the season, crowning themselves champions of the senior league this year.
All the Tokyo Nakano players gathered on the mound, celebrating joyfully, while the younger players on the bench also cheered, coming out of the dugout to join in.
"Heh, looks like my time training these boys is over, huh?" - The Tokyo Nakano Senior coach sighed as he watched his players celebrating on the field. Though he was happy with the victory, he also felt a bit sad about losing his best players.
After all, this generation led by Toji, Satoshi, and Akira was simply the best he had ever coached in his long baseball career. But as much as he felt a bit sad, as a true baseball fan, he couldn't deny that he was eager to see these boys reach the next level.
After the awards ceremony, where the Tokyo Nakano players received their medals and the trophy, with Toji receiving the MVP award and Satoshi receiving the Best Pitcher award...
"Congratulations, everyone!" - A beautiful girl with brown eyes and black hair said with a smile, she was Kaori Saito, one of the assistants for Tokyo Nakano. She was with two other girls, watching their friends with gold medals hanging around their necks.
"Yeeeahhh! We won!" - Toji shouted excitedly as he ran towards the girls. He was overjoyed by the victory, and without much thought, he went to celebrate with Mika. The boy then gave her a big hug, not considering the consequences.
"Huh?" - Mika froze, not knowing how to react when she felt Toji hugging her tightly. Her mind was spinning, unsure of what to do, and she didn't even realize that Toji had hugged her while covered in dirt and sweat.
They would have long months of studying to prepare for the finals. Luckily, the three would probably get scholarships to any school in the country, otherwise, Hana really didn't trust these baseball idiots to pass on their own.
"You know, studying isn't everything! If we don't have some fun, how can our minds be ready for studying, huh?" - Akira came up with the biggest excuse a lazy person could give, he really didn't want to be stuck at home studying until high school.
"Well, if you're so eager to do something, tomorrow Shun's team plays in the sixth round of the Tokyo tournament..." - Mika said offhandedly.
"Really?!" - Akira and Toji said at the same time. Their faces lit up with excitement, making it obvious that they had already made up their minds, they would go watch their old friend Shun's game instead of studying!
The girls exchanged glances and couldn't hold back their laughter after seeing their friends' exaggerated reactions. Mika would probably watch the game with her family anyway, but Hana and Kaori didn't mind watching Shun's game with their friends either.
Meanwhile, Shun was training hard for tomorrow's game, having no idea that his crush would be there watching him. This was a good thing because, given the bundle of nerves he was feeling about the sixth round, if he knew Hana would be watching, he'd probably explode from anxiety.
---
Meanwhile, at the Takahashi house...
Kenshin was sitting in his armchair, resting. He then picked up his phone and dialed a number.
"Hello?" - A man's voice sounded from the phone.