"Oh? That voice just now—was that Kanzaki's girlfriend?"
Chris raised an eyebrow at the teasing murmurs spreading through the room.
"It can't be his sister, right? What kind of brother uses his sister's voice as his ringtone? That's basically sis-con behavior!"
Hearing the whispers, Chris chuckled. "Don't overthink it. That's Kanzaki's sister, Kumiko."
"Tch, boring."
"Uninteresting."
"Perverted sis-con!"
Losing interest once they found out it was just family, Seidou's players scattered to mind their own business.
Inside the locker room restroom, Kanzaki Ryou answered his phone. His sister's playful voice immediately filled his ear, tinged with mock irritation.
"Ni-chan, why did you take so long to answer?"
"Kumiko, your big brother's still in the locker room," Kanzaki said, his fatigue from the match instantly fading at the sound of her voice.
"Ni-chan, I watched your game just now!" she said excitedly. "Four innings, no runs allowed! You were amazing!"
"Wait, since when do you understand baseball?" Kanzaki asked, surprised.
Kanzaki Kumiko huffed, pretending to be offended. "I've been learning, okay? Unlike you, who can't even read sheet music and doesn't care about me at all!"
Kanzaki Ryou laughed softly. In their family, both of his sisters, Mami and Kumiko, had incredible musical talent. He was the odd one out—someone who got dizzy just from looking at a score sheet.
"You know what I'm like," he said gently. "So, why are you really calling me? Don't tell me you just missed me?"
"Can't I?" she cooed.
"You can—but you definitely have another reason. What is it? Out of pocket money again?" he teased fondly.
"No, it's not that," Kumiko said with a tiny hum. "Ni-chan, remember those two custom bats you ordered before school started? They still haven't shipped."
"Oh right! I completely forgot about that," Kanzaki said, rubbing the back of his head. "So, they were delivered to the house?"
"Mm-hmm! Should I send them to you, or will you come home to get them?"
"Mail them. I won't have time to visit soon," he said.
"Got it. I'll mail them after school today." She leaned against the hallway wall, absentmindedly tapping her heels on the floor.
"Thanks, Kumiko."
"Mmm-hmm~ Ni-chan…"
"What is it?"
"Good luck in the finals tomorrow."
"Yeah, thanks. But don't you dare secretly watch the game during class again," Kanzaki said with a chuckle.
"Hmph! I'm not talking to you anymore—I'm going to practice!" she said, hanging up with mock indignation.
Kanzaki smiled helplessly, slipping his phone into his pocket before heading back out.
The semifinal between Inashiro Industrial and Teito High had already begun. Kanzaki glanced at the scoreboard—and froze.
Only one inning had passed, yet Inashiro was already leading 4–0.
"Seriously? Did Teito eat something bad last night?" he muttered.
"You're here?" Miyuki Kazuya called, patting the seat beside him. "Sit down."
Kanzaki sat and asked, "What's going on with Teito?"
"Teito's ace isn't playing," Miyuki said with a sigh. "They're getting completely overpowered."
"Oh? In a semifinal? They're holding back now? That's just asking to lose," Kanzaki remarked.
Miyuki shook his head, pointing toward Teito's bullpen. "No, their ace probably has a problem. Look—he's not even the one warming up."
"Then Teito's finished," Kanzaki said bluntly. "Without their ace, they can't possibly take down Inashiro."
"Exactly. And look closely," Miyuki added. "Our opponent tomorrow will almost certainly be them."
The game progressed quickly. By the end of the fifth inning, the score had ballooned to 9–3 in Inashiro's favor.
Suddenly, movement stirred in their dugout.
"Wait, is that—Narumiya Mei?" Kanzaki's eyes widened. "He's pitching already!?"
According to his memory, Narumiya Mei wasn't supposed to make his debut until the summer tournament. Why now?
Could Coach Kunitomo have been provoked by Kanzaki's recent performance? No—that didn't fit his personality. More likely, Kanzaki thought, Mei himself demanded to play.
Once that willful "Little Blondie" set his mind to something, he never backed down. Perhaps Kunitomo simply let him throw a few innings since Inashiro had such a huge lead.
"There's nothing strange about it," Miyuki said calmly. "With a comfortable lead, letting a first-year like Mei pitch is natural."
His gaze, however, remained fixed on Mei, who was bounding cheerfully toward the mound.
"Besides," Miyuki added, "Coach Kunitomo probably wants to test how well Mei performs against a strong team in an official setting."
Kanzaki nodded in understanding. "So, you think Mei might actually pitch against us tomorrow?"
"Very possible," Miyuki said. "Inashiro's ace is strong, but he won't last an entire game against Seidou's lineup without giving up runs. Same goes for our ace, Nanjo."
Kanzaki turned around. "What do you think, Chris-senpai?"
Sitting quietly behind them, Chris Yuu Takigawa smiled faintly.
"What Miyuki said is right," he replied. "Tomorrow's match will be fierce. Both teams will need pitchers who can hold the line once their aces begin to tire."
"If you hadn't revealed yourself this early, Ryou, Inashiro probably wouldn't have sent Mei out today. But your appearance shifted the balance. Coach Kunitomo had no choice but to respond."
Kanzaki and Miyuki nodded thoughtfully.
On the field, Narumiya Mei, making his high school debut, looked ecstatic—like an eager puppy finally let off its leash.
The crowd buzzed with anticipation. The genius pitcher who had dominated middle school baseball was stepping onto the high school stage.
As the old saying goes—
The past was the past, and the present is the present.
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