The next day, Hirofumi catches the first pitch of the game from Kiryu, and he's impressed with the young pitcher's ability to throw strikes. He's also impressed by the fact that Kiryu is a first-year player, and that the other players on the team know how to play the game better than they did last year. Hirofumi is worried about how Kiryu will react to his first pitch, but he assures himself that he'll do his best.