The next day brought yet another practice match.
Seido, Shuubei, and Inashiro—three teams—were set to play a round-robin series.
Early in the morning, all three squads gathered at Field A of the Seido Baseball Grounds.
"Yo, isn't this our adorable little blondie, Narumiya Mei?" Kanzaki Ryou strolled over with a bat resting on his shoulder, grinning. "Coming all the way to Seido's turf—pretty bold of you."
At the sound of that infuriating voice, Narumiya Mei burst out from behind Masatoshi Harada, pointed straight at Kanzaki, and shouted:
"Chestnut-Hair Monster! What are you pretending for?! You clearly promised me limited-edition pudding on the phone last night, and now you're mocking me the moment we meet! You're a two-faced villain—humph!"
For a full three seconds, Kanzaki Ryou froze.
…Since when did Narumiya Mei become this articulate?
"Uh… are you okay?" Kanzaki asked cautiously.
"Huh?! What do you mean by that?!"
Kanzaki stepped closer, looking genuinely concerned.
"Overusing your brain might cause permanent damage."
Whack!
Narumiya Mei slapped his hand away, his cheeks flushed red, steam practically rising from his head.
"You bastard! I'm going to beat you into the ground today!"
"Hahaha, that's unfortunate," Kanzaki laughed. "I'm not playing today."
The entire Inashiro lineup stiffened.
Not playing?
Seido… wasn't sending Kanzaki Ryou?
Were they looking down on them?
Despite losing to Seido several times over the past year, those matches had never been easy. Without Kanzaki Ryou, Inashiro felt their odds jump dramatically.
"Why are you all staring like that?" Kanzaki said lazily. "Did you really think Coach Kunimoto would let Narumiya pitch against us today? Aren't you afraid we'd figure something out?"
"…!"
Inashiro snapped back to reality.
Right—Narumiya Mei wasn't pitching either.
Damn it. This guy's presence alone messed with their heads.
Off to the side, Shuubei's players watched the exchange in silence, looking completely forgotten.
Half an hour later, Seido vs. Shuubei began on Field A.
Seido's starting battery was Tanba Koichiro and Takigawa Chris Yu.
The game moved briskly. Freed from the pressure of an official match, Tanba pitched aggressively, confidently using his full repertoire.
After five innings, Shuubei had managed only one run.
In the sixth inning, Kawakami and Miyuki took over, while Arima Kazusa and Kominato Haruichi once again rotated into the lineup.
Meanwhile, on the grass beside the field, Kanzaki Ryou and Narumiya Mei sat together, watching.
"Tanba-senpai's in great form today," Narumiya said with a laugh, covering his mouth. "Totally different from an official game."
Tanba's mental fragility under pressure was well-known throughout Tokyo.
"What are you laughing at?" Kanzaki rolled his eyes. "Tanba-senpai's still strong."
"Hehe, true. If he could stabilize his mentality, he'd be terrifying," Narumiya nodded seriously.
Kanzaki glanced at him.
"By the way, brat—any new weapons?"
"Huh?"
Narumiya looked at him like he was stupid.
"You think I'd tell you something like that?"
Kanzaki sighed dramatically.
"Then I guess you don't have any. What a pity."
"Heh. That trick won't work," Narumiya said smugly, chin raised. "I'm not the same as before."
They continued chatting casually as the game wrapped up.
Final score: Seido 8 – Shuubei 2.
"It's almost our turn," Kanzaki said, standing up. "Even if we're not playing, it's probably not smart to keep ditching our teams."
"Yeah, yeah," Narumiya said, brushing dirt off his pants. "If I disappear again, Coach'll murder me."
The second match soon began: Seido vs. Inashiro.
Seido's starting pitcher was Sawamura Eijun, with Miyauchi Keisuke catching.
Sawamura's unique pitching form caused Inashiro trouble early on. Balls were hit, but solid contact was rare.
After five innings, Seido held a 5:4 lead.
Then, the pitcher changed.
Furuya Satoru took the mound.
A fastball approaching 150 km/h exploded into the strike zone.
In the dugout, Narumiya Mei's face turned red from neck to ears.
A first-year.
That speed… was already comparable to his own.
Infuriating.
Coach Kunimoto stared at Furuya with narrowed eyes. Even with all his experience, he couldn't help but marvel.
First Kanzaki Ryou.
Now two monstrous first-years.
Seido's luck was absurd.
Under relentless fastballs, Inashiro's hitters struggled to keep up.
"Even after that bastard Kanzaki graduates," Carlos muttered, "Seido will still be a pain."
"That's later," Shirakawa replied calmly. "When he graduates, we'll be different too."
Neither side had sent out their full lineup. It was a pure test of depth.
"Hmph!" Narumiya snorted, glaring at Seido's dugout.
"Even when he graduates, Chestnut-Hair Monster will still be my biggest enemy!"
By evening, after a full day of games, all three teams were exhausted.
"Chestnut-Hair Monster!" Narumiya called out. "See you on the field!"
"Mm. Don't lose too early," Kanzaki replied.
"You're just as annoying as Kazuya," Narumiya said, punching his chest. "Leaving already, but still disgusting me!"
Kanzaki ignored the weak punches and shoved a bag into Narumiya's arms.
"Here. The pudding you wanted."
"…!"
Narumiya's eyes lit up instantly.
"Next time I go to Inashiro, you're treating me."
"Hahaha! Of course!"
"Mei!"
Miyuki walked over with a grin.
"Kazuya!"
"Shame I didn't get to see you pitch today," Miyuki said mischievously.
Narumiya was about to retort when Masatoshi Harada stepped forward.
"We won't give you a chance to gather information."
"Heh."
Kanzaki and Miyuki exchanged a look—speechless.
Harada really did guard Narumiya like an overprotective parent.
After a brief exchange, Inashiro and Shuubei departed.
As Seido returned to the dorms, discussions turned serious.
The warm-up phase was over.
From here on, everything would be for the Summer Tournament.