Ep. 21: Rumors of Mizuki and Aoba spread while Seishu plays its first game.
School flyers label Mizuki and Aoba as a couple, prompting Ko to remove one only for Mizuki to replace it. After eating a meal Aoba cooked at the Clover Cafe, Ko learns from Ichiyo that she tried hard for him. Ko reveals he rejected a girl Aoba introduced, leading Ichiyo to note Wakaba’s indifference and her own serious feelings for Junpei. During Seishu’s first practice game, Aoba starts as pitcher, but Akaishi warns Ko not to overexert himself when he relieves her. Ichiyo observes the pair squabbling in the dugout, noting their similarities. Seishu wins, and Mizuki fulfills his promise to take Aoba to a movie, though she denies it is a date. On the way home, they encounter Ko and Aoba arguing again, which Mizuki observes has lifted Aoba’s spirits.
Episodes
- Ep. 17 · Azuma advises Ko to jog, while Aoba dates five boys to deter suitors.
- Ep. 18 · Aoba declines an audition while Risa trains with Midori and improves her pitching skills.
- Ep. 19 · Ko visits grandparents in a snowstorm and discovers Mizuki, Wakaba's son, moving in with the Tsukishimas.
- Ep. 20 · Aoba and Mizuki begin their Seishu High School life with baseball and romantic confusion.
- Ep. 21 · Rumors of Mizuki and Aoba spread while Seishu plays its first game.
- Ep. 22 · Aoba Agrees to Pitch for Satomi Girls' School Against Oka University
- Ep. 23 · Aoba pitches for Satomi against Oka, leading to a narrow loss and national team consideration.
- Ep. 24 · Ko scouts Ryuo Academy and supports Aoba on Wakaba's seventeenth birthday
- Ep. 25 · Ryuo's coach apologizes for benching Mishima while Seishu prepares for Sanno