　The bus inched forward, then stopped again almost immediately.

“There’s still a little time before the game starts, right?” Vice Principal Kiyohara spoke, not to anyone in particular, hoping to dispel his own unease.

“They’ll probably spend some time on field maintenance. Maybe thirty minutes.” “Either way, we won’t make it in time at this rate.” Principal Arita said, as if resigning himself to the situation.

　It had been nearly an hour since the traffic jam began in Suita. The time was 1:17 p.m.

　The principal turned to Tabuchi. “Can you look up the phone number for the High School Baseball Federation?”

“Sure, that’s easy. Just a moment.” Tabuchi quickly found the number and gave it to the principal, who dialed it on his mobile phone.

　After the call, Kiyohara leaned forward to ask, “What did they say?”

“They said the game will start as scheduled at 2:30 p.m., due to precautions against heatstroke.” Upon hearing this, Kiyohara let out a deep sigh and sank back into his seat.

　The bus began to move slowly, and the students erupted into applause and cheers. “That’s it! Go, go!”

　But it didn’t last long. The bus stopped again. Disappointment filled the air, their voices echoing inside the vehicle.

　At 2:00 p.m., warm-up drills began at Koshien. The siren sounded, and B Commercial High School, the visiting team, took the field. Ten minutes later, A High School began their drills to the sound of another siren. Once both teams finished, the grounds crew came out again to prepare the field.

　The radio broadcast announced that the game was about to begin and introduced the commentator.

“The third match today features A High School, making its first-ever appearance at Koshien, versus B Commercial, appearing for the twentieth time. What should we watch for in this game?”

“Well, in terms of skill, B Commercial has the advantage. But A High School made it here through a series of miraculous wins. The question is whether that streak of luck will hold at Koshien.”

“They were called ‘Miracle A High’ during the Gifu Prefectural Tournament, weren’t they?”

“That’s right. They pulled off dramatic comebacks, benefited from opponent errors… Of course, they have real talent too. You can’t reach Koshien on luck alone.”

“It’s almost 2:30 now. Both teams are lined up in front of their benches, ready to go.”

　The umpire crew appeared, and the players burst onto the field with shouts. After bowing at home plate, A High School’s nine players spread out across the field.

　The pitcher finished his warm-up throws, and B Commercial’s leadoff batter stepped into the box.

“A High School’s pitcher winds up… here comes the first pitch!” The announcer’s voice rang out, accompanied by the distant sound of the siren.

“It’s finally started…” Tamae said, sounding disappointed.

　The bus still hadn’t passed Toyonaka Interchange. Skyscrapers loomed overhead, casting shadows over the bus. Misuzu could sense the scent of the city. The bus was moving—slowly but steadily. But at this pace, they wouldn’t make it in time.

“The leadoff batter walked on a full count.”

“Looks like the pitcher’s nervous in his first Koshien appearance. His control is off. B Commercial will want to capitalize here.”

　The pitcher walked the second batter too. Then the third batter, a power hitter, smashed the first pitch deep into right-center for a double. Both runners scored. B Commercial took an early 2–0 lead.

　The radio was hard to hear, and Misuzu couldn’t follow what was happening. She looked over at Tamae, who had her fingers tightly interlocked in front of her nose, eyes closed.

“What happened?”

“They scored two runs,” Tamae replied curtly, opening her eyes.

　The fourth batter walked as well. The fifth seemed flustered and hit a grounder to second—double play.

“Yes!” Tamae shouted, raising a clenched fist toward the ceiling.

“What happened?”

“Double play. Two outs now.”

　Misuzu didn’t fully understand, but she clapped anyway, sensing that A High School had gained the upper hand. But then the pitcher threw a wild pitch, and the runner on third scored. The next batter popped out, finally ending B Commercial’s attack.

“We weren’t there to cheer, so they scored three runs!” Tamae said, blaming herself.