The season's preliminaries begin, and Oikawa is every bit the destructive pitcher Miyuki was searching for. Their first few games pass in a flurry of perfect pitches and devastating swings; their starting lineup is powerful, and Seidou coasts through the early rounds with ease.

Miyuki pretends not to notice their opponents crying openly into balled fists when they line up after each match.

Oikawa pitches with pinpoint accuracy every match, but there's a tension that he carries as they progress, growing with every victory they take. He brushes it off when Miyuki brings it up, eyes shuttered before he throws up a cheery change-of-topic, and Miyuki doesn't press.