Summer break arrived, and high schools across Japan officially went on vacation.

On the very first day of the break, Otani Shohei slung a backpack over one shoulder, dragged a suitcase with the other, and headed off alone to the Hanshin Tigers' training camp.

Tanaka Kota also woke up earlier than usual, ate breakfast, went for a slow walk to aid digestion, then made his way to a cluttered storage shed behind a middle school.

From inside, he pulled out a massive tire, tied a thick rope tightly around it, fastened the other end to his waist, and dragged it out to the schoolyard.

Taking a deep breath, he began sprinting.

The tire behind him kicked up a cloud of dust as it scraped along.

At 9 a.m., inside a private gym, one figure was doing weighted squats. His legs trembled, but his motion was quick and powerful—this was explosive strength training.

After several fast-paced reps, his rhythm shifted to slow, steady motion.

That was endurance training.

After several sets, Takashi collapsed backward onto a mat, his chest heaving.

As soon as he stopped, a massage therapist came over to help relax his leg muscles.

"Your arm hasn't fully healed yet, and it's summer break—everyone's on vacation. Can't you rest a little?"

Ogitsu Yoshiko handed Takashi a bottle of ice water.

Takashi didn't drink it—he just pressed it to his forehead to cool down. Eyes still closed, he replied,

"Just because school's out doesn't mean everyone is on vacation."

"You really think everyone's relaxing? Sure, some are. But anyone with ambition isn't."

"You want to bet there's a ton of students at Aoba in cram school right now?"

Sure, Takashi was ranked #1 at Aoba, and that was impressive—but beneath him were plenty of talented, hard-working students just waiting to steal his crown.

Take his close friends, for example.

Even if Tanaka Kota and Otani Shota seemed like goof-offs with average grades, Takashi knew they were probably putting in extra effort behind the scenes.

He knew the Aoba crowd too well.

They all talked about playing during summer break—but as soon as vacation started, they went into hardcore grind mode.

"Besides, the Gyokuryu Cup is coming up. I have to win."

Hype doesn't sustain itself.

If a star only had scandals but no real talent, people would quickly lose interest.

Takashi wasn't aiming to be a showbiz idol like Sakurajima Mai. He had no intention of entering the entertainment industry.

To maintain his popularity, he needed championships and honors.

Even LeBron James, the king of marketing, had the stats and accolades to back it up.

Takashi was determined to win the Gyokuryu Cup.

"With your swordsmanship and Aoba's current roster, winning shouldn't be hard, right?"

Ogitsu Yoshiko had seen Takashi fight—she believed in his skill completely.

Once Takashi cooled down a little, he opened the bottle and took a sip—but instead of swallowing, he held it in his mouth for a moment, then spat it into a trash can and smiled.

"But what if I told you I wanted more than just winning the Gyokuryu Cup?"

Ogitsu Yoshiko blinked in surprise. A moment later, her pupils trembled. "You want a clean sweep?"

"Exactly."

To be honest, just winning the Gyokuryu Cup didn't compare to the hype around the Summer Koshien.

Baseball was Japan's national sport.

Winning the Gyokuryu Cup would be like adding frosting to the cake.

But what if someone swept the entire tournament from start to finish?

Other tournaments, due to their formats, made that almost impossible.

But the Gyokuryu Cup had a unique system. It didn't emphasize formations or average team strength.

It was all about whether your team had a powerhouse.

Winners stayed on the field. Losers were out.

First team to lose five players lost the match.

The rules were simple, brutal—and perfect for showcasing individual strength.

"That's impossible."

Ogitsu Yoshiko shook her head in disbelief at Takashi's ambition.

Since the founding of the Gyokuryu Cup, no one has ever achieved that feat.

The highest number of consecutive victories in history was only twelve or thirteen.

The reason is simple. Everyone is the same age—no matter how much stronger you are in power and technique, in a high-intensity gauntlet match, everyone has a point where they'll run out of stamina.

"There's no such thing as impossible. When I said I would win Koshien, how many people believed me?"

"But I did it."

"And precisely because I'm the only one who did it, that's why I have the popularity I do now, right?"

Countless high school baseball teams have won the Summer Koshien.

But no single player has ever matched Takashi's popularity.

Because no other player could completely shut down an opposing lineup from start to finish.

Even in the finals against the evenly matched Takashi High, all of their points were scored before Takashi took the mound.

Once Takashi stepped onto the field, they didn't score even a single point.

The public's evaluation of Takashi: He is the only player to ever display absolute dominance as a pitcher, someone who overpowered tactics purely through personal strength.

In a hundred years, only Takashi has truly led a team to victory as a solo core.

Precisely because only he did it—that's what makes it legendary.

Yoshida Kosei came closest to matching him, but that's all—he only came close.

Because he lost. And Takashi won.

"It's exactly because no one's done it that it's worth trying."

Takashi never aimed just to win the Cup—he aimed to make history.

He wants to create a legacy no one can ever surpass.

So long as the Gyokuryu Cup continues to be held, the name Takashi will be an unavoidable landmark for every future competitor.

They'll compare themselves to him again and again.

Just like Faker in League of Legends—an inescapable legend.

Takashi wants his name to be carved forever into the history of the Gyokuryu Cup, to become the tallest mountain and the longest river in kendo.

That's why he began training from the very start of summer break.

"...I understand."

After a long silence, Ogitsu Yoshiko nodded slightly.

If anyone else had said they wanted to sweep the Gyokuryu Cup, Ogitsu Yoshiko would've thought they were just boasting.

But if the one saying it is Takashi… she wouldn't fully believe it, but she would at least hold some hope.

Maybe—just maybe—he could do it.

And if Takashi really did accomplish it, even the biggest A-list celebrities in Japan wouldn't be as hot as him.

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