August 20, 2011, the 93rd National High School Baseball Championship, final day.

Outside Koshien Stadium, people are bustling—each entrance crowded with lines of people waiting to get in, despite the slightly cooler morning failing to hold back the rising heat.

At each entrance of Koshien Stadium, large event billboards display with clear black text against a white background today's match-up:

"The 93rd National High School Baseball Championship Final"

"Waseda Jitsugyo (West Tokyo) VS Koushing Academy (Aomori)"

Affected by the electricity problems caused by the earthquake, this year's Koshien final started much earlier than usual—normally, to ensure ratings and attendance, the final is held at 1 PM in the afternoon. This year, however, it started at 9:30 AM;

But according to the data from the organizers, Asahi Shimbun, even with the earlier start, today's final still attracted a large number of fans: Koshien issued a total of 47,000 tickets to the public, and they sold out quickly. Besides the cheering squads from both schools, a large number of neutral fans also came to the scene.

"Koutaro, watch out for the crowd, don't get separated from everyone—"

Amidst the crowded entry flow, a man leading a large group of middle school baseball teenagers called out to the child beside him.

"Got it, coach, I will be careful."

Seiomi Koutaro nodded and responded loudly.

Finally finding his seat in the stand, Seiomi Koutaro struggled to break free from the crowd and settle down, afterward focusing his gaze toward the nearby field.

Their position is average, roughly around the central right field. If you talk about the viewing experience, aside from the chance to catch a home run ball, there's hardly anything thrilling—however, Seiomi Koutaro didn't complain, getting a ticket for such a popular game is already nice.

It's still early, and the players from both sides haven't entered for warm-up yet; within the vast Koshien Stadium, only the staff are tidying up the field.

Looking around this historically grand stadium, Seiomi Koutaro, who just entered middle school this year, became bold and even began to fantasize about himself batting on the field.

Just thinking that in a few years, he too could be part of Waseda Jitsugyo, hitting a home run as a first-year like last year's Elder Lin Guanglai, a smile that he couldn't stop appeared on his face.

To outsiders, such thoughts might seem a bit shallow; but to those around Seiomi Koutaro and to himself, everyone knows this is bound to happen.

For no other reason than the fact that this baby-faced boy is indeed a genius: the 12-year-old Seiomi Koutaro, originating from Tokyo, has already become a well-known young talent in the Tokyo Region upon entering middle school.

The soft baseball that ordinary middle school students play holds no interest for him at all. Currently, Seiomi has joined Tokyo's top hardball junior baseball club "Tokyo Beisai," securing a starting position with his outstanding batting talent, and has even received an invitation from the same-age Japan National Team.

Being a player from Tokyo Region like Lin Guanglai, Seiomi Koutaro early on considered him as his role model; after entering Waseda Jitsugyo and making a name for himself, this sentiment grew increasingly strong, gradually transforming into a hero worship.

"What kind of performance will Elder Lin deliver in today's match—I really look forward to it!" sitting in the stands, Seiomi Koutaro thought.

As time passed, Koshien Stadium gradually became crowded—the Alps stands on both sides were already set up:

Seiomi Kenta looked toward third base to his right, which had already been saturated with various chestnut-red cheering items, extending as far as the eye could see in a wash of color;

Meanwhile, the opposite first base stand was filled with vast expanses of yellow, the primary cheering color for Koushing Academy.

Though the players hadn't entered yet, the cheering supporters from both sides had already begun competing, the momentum of cheering in the stands was immense, each trying to outdo the other and gain a psychological edge for their team.

After some competition, even though the cheering squad from Waseda Jitsugyo is considered among the best nationwide, they were unusually outdone today—for no reason other than the "Northeast Wish" and "Disaster Area Hope," which attracted a massive number of neutral spectators to support Koushing Academy, making cries of "Go Northeast" resound throughout the stadium before the game even started.

Especially when the players entered the field, the atmosphere became increasingly intense—even the seasoned Waseda Jitsugyo players, experienced in finals, were startled by the fervor shown by the audience today.

The Koushing players on the other side weren't in much better shape: already tense with no finals experience, having the majority of Koshien's fans cheering for them was great, but it also acted as an invisible pressure, which, if not handled well, could turn into an advantage for the opponents.

Any team that has made it this far is certainly among the strongest two in Japan this summer; regardless of whether it's Waseda Jitsugyo or Koushing, both schools have reasons they must win:

Waseda Industries aims for their second Summer League victory in school history and their 7th consecutive Senbatsu triumph;

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