That night, the members of the Seido Baseball Club gathered in the conference room.
"Kanzaki, where did you go? You're only getting back now."
When Kanzaki Ryou stepped into the room, everyone turned to look at him.
"Nowhere special. My sister came over, so I took a walk with her," Kanzaki Ryou replied as he casually found a seat.
Hearing that, the others stopped asking questions.
Not long after, Coach Kataoka, Coach Ochiai, Takashima Rei, and Ota entered together.
Tonight's meeting mainly focused on their opponent for the next game.
"Sensen High School is an old powerhouse in West Tokyo. Their baseball club has nearly a hundred members. For many years, they've consistently ranked among the top eight teams in the district. They have solid fundamentals and deep roots."
"This spring, they even pushed Ichidai Third High into the ninth inning before losing by just one run," Coach Kataoka explained.
At that moment, Takashima Rei adjusted the equipment and began playing footage of Sensen High School's games.
"Whoa! What a tall pitcher!"
"He must be close to two meters tall."
"About that."
"Tall and strong—his pitches must be really heavy."
"That's not all. With that height, his release point must be extremely high. From the batter's box, it'll feel like the ball is coming straight down. Completely different from the pitches we usually face."
The players around them began discussing animatedly.
Kanzaki Ryou also remembered this pitcher. He couldn't recall his name clearly, but he remembered that the guy had been a Seido fan since childhood. His dream had always been to play for Seido.
Unfortunately, after graduating from junior high, he waited a long time but never received an invitation from Seido.
Since then, the boy had held a grudge. Love had turned into resentment, and he now dreamed of defeating Seido to prove himself and make them regret it.
Thinking about it, Kanzaki Ryou couldn't help but sneer.
In his opinion, the guy clearly had a problem.
If he wanted to attend Seido, why not just study harder and get admitted through the normal entrance exam? Did he really need an invitation?
Turning love into hate over something like that…
What a waste of such an impressive physique.
"Yosuke Maki, pitcher. Height: 195 cm. Weight: 87 kilograms," Coach Kataoka said while pointing at the screen.
"His main weapons are a high-angle fastball that uses his height advantage, and a curveball with one of the highest release points in the country."
Hearing that, Kanzaki Ryou thought for a moment before speaking.
"Tanba-senpai is 185 cm tall, right?"
"That's right. What are you getting at?" Tanba asked in confusion as he turned toward him.
"There's only about a ten-centimeter difference, and Tanba-senpai also throws a good curveball. How about we raise the pitching mound a little tomorrow and have Tanba-senpai act as the practice pitcher?" Kanzaki Ryou suggested.
"You—"
"Tanba, can you do it?"
Before Tanba could finish speaking, Coach Kataoka interrupted and asked directly.
Can he?
Tanba gave a wry smile. Since the coach had already asked like that, how could he possibly refuse?
"I have no problem with it," Tanba replied.
Coach Kataoka nodded in satisfaction.
Just then, Coach Ochiai suddenly had an idea.
"Kanzaki is also 183 centimeters tall. If we're raising the mound anyway, he can also serve as a practice pitcher for the fastball."
"…Uh."
Kanzaki Ryou's face instantly fell.
This damned sergeant… why drag me into this?
"Hm. Kanzaki will participate as well. Your fastball, thrown from a steeper angle, will help everyone adapt to that kind of pitch in advance. It should make facing Yosuke Maki easier during the game," Coach Kataoka said with a nod.
And just like that, the practice pitchers for the next day were decided.
Kanzaki Ryou would handle the fastballs.
Tanba would handle the curveballs.
After finishing the game analysis and watching the footage of Sensen High School, everyone had a clear idea of what to expect and returned to their rooms to rest.
Just as Kanzaki Ryou was about to go to sleep, he received a message from his younger sister.
However, after reading only one sentence, he immediately sensed that something was wrong.
"You're not Kumiko… you're Reina, right?"
"!! How did Ryou know?"
Back at the Kanzaki household, Reina and Kumiko were lying together under the same blanket.
The two girls—both lovely and youthful—were looking at the phone screen while giggling.
"Heh. Because you didn't act spoiled. Kumiko always acts spoiled when she messages me."
Seeing the reply, Reina turned to Kumiko with a mischievous smile.
"I knew it, Kumiko. You're such a brother-complex. But I didn't expect you to be this clingy."
Kumiko's cheeks immediately turned red. She quickly snatched the phone back and replied.
"Stupid big brother! You're so annoying!"
Holding his phone, Kanzaki Ryou couldn't help but smile.
He hadn't expected the two girls to be sleeping together.
Wait!!
They're not… lesbians, are they?!
The thought suddenly flashed through his mind.
He quickly shook his head.
No, no. They're just good friends.
With his mind wandering in strange directions, Kanzaki Ryou ended up falling asleep much later than usual.
The next morning, Kanzaki Ryou—who normally woke up before dawn for his morning run—was woken up by Arima Kazusa.
When he opened his eyes, he saw Arima Kazusa and Chris looking at him with worried expressions.
"Ryou, are you not feeling well?" Chris asked.
"Is senpai too tired?" Arima Kazusa added.
Kanzaki Ryou sat up and shook his head.
"I just didn't sleep well last night. Don't worry about it."
Chris carefully examined his complexion. After confirming that he really seemed fine, he nodded.
"Get up, wash up, and eat something first. There's no need to rush to the field. I'll inform the coach."
Kanzaki Ryou nodded and got out of bed to change clothes, while Chris and Arima Kazusa headed to the field first.
When Coach Kataoka heard that Kanzaki Ryou might be feeling unwell, his expression changed immediately.
Takashima Rei and the others beside him also looked concerned.
Kanzaki Ryou was Seido's treasure. Absolutely nothing could happen to him.
Even lack of sleep wasn't acceptable!
Who knew if it might develop into insomnia? After all, not being able to sleep at night was often caused by psychological stress.
After thinking it over, Coach Kataoka even considered having the team psychologist check on him.
Not long afterward, Kanzaki Ryou arrived at the field holding a cup of hot milk.
The first-year players were already training enthusiastically, and the second-year players who weren't in the first string were also working hard.
"Yo, you're late today. That's not like you," Miyuki called out loudly the moment he saw Kanzaki Ryou arrive.
The other first-team players who were doing their own training also looked over.
This was the first time Kanzaki Ryou had ever arrived this late.
Hearing Miyuki's words, Kanzaki Ryou shook his head helplessly.
"I just went to bed late and overslept. Don't overthink it."
"Heh… could it be that you're in love?" Miyuki suddenly asked with a teasing grin.
In his mind, for someone as disciplined as Kanzaki Ryou to miss morning practice because he stayed up late… the only possible reason had to be romance.
The moment he said that, everyone stared at Kanzaki Ryou with curiosity.
Big news!
Even Fujiwara Takako, who was organizing training notes nearby, looked up.
"Bastard Kazuya! Didn't I tell you not to spout nonsense?!"
Kanzaki Ryou immediately walked over and kicked Miyuki hard in the butt.