"Hehehe… this is great."
Kanzaki Ryou held the newly customized bat in his hands, grinning like an idiot.
He placed the second bat carefully in its case under the bed, then gripped the remaining one, preparing to head out for swing practice—when suddenly, someone knocked on the door.
"Who is it?" Ryou called out, still holding the bat like a club.
The moment he opened the door, Kawakami jolted in surprise.
"B-Bro… why do you look so fierce?"
"Huh? Kawakami? What's up?" Ryou asked, puzzled.
The two rarely interacted, so Kawakami showing up at his dorm was unusual.
"K-Kanzaki-san…"
"Stop, stop. Just call me Kanzaki or Ryou—we're both first-years," Ryou corrected.
"Okay… Kanzaki-san." Kawakami nodded stiffly, not changing a thing.
Ryou sighed. "Fine. What do you need?"
Kawakami instantly straightened his posture.
"I want you to teach me!"
Ever since the game against Inashiro ended, Kawakami had felt the gap between himself and Kanzaki Ryou like a knife to the throat.
He spent the entire rest day thinking about how he could improve.
In Seidou, if he stayed like this, he would be swallowed alive.
Whether it was Tanba, a second-year, or Kanzaki Ryou, a first-year monster, the pitching staff was becoming too competitive. If he didn't grow stronger fast, he'd end up a fringe pitcher with no future.
After agonizing over it for a day, he finally concluded—
The only person he could learn from right now was Kanzaki Ryou.
"Teach you? Teach you what?" Ryou blinked.
This guy really didn't warm up to topics—just straight to the point.
"Pitching," Kawakami said, eyes firm. "I want to become stronger."
"You want me to teach you pitching?" Ryou was genuinely surprised.
Shouldn't he ask the Coach instead?
"Yes. Even just your thoughts about pitching. Anything. Please."
Kawakami bowed sharply at a full 90 degrees.
"No, seriously—we're the same year. Why not ask the Coach?" Ryou asked.
Kawakami stiffened, lowering his head in embarrassment.
"The Coach and staff said first-years should focus on physical conditioning for now… As for pitching…"
He didn't finish, but Ryou understood immediately.
Most first-years hadn't even entered the bullpen.
Their "pitching" was just simple drill work under the assistant coach, and during self-practice they threw only with people their own age.
Kawakami wanted to improve—but didn't have the courage to approach Coach Kataoka directly. So he came here.
"I get it," Ryou said.
Kawakami's eyes brightened. "Really!? Can we do it now?"
Ryou laughed and tapped the bat against Kawakami's chest.
"You pitch. I'll hit."
"At night? We're hitting?" Kawakami froze.
"Yeah. We'll do it in the indoor training facility."
"Indoor…?" Kawakami's eyes widened in horror.
The indoor training facility was basically first-string territory.
As a newcomer who wasn't even second-string yet, walking in there was terrifying.
"It's fine. Just follow me. The senpai are all nice," Ryou reassured.
Kawakami let out two hollow laughs.
Nice?
The only "senpai" he saw was Azuma—who looked and acted like a gorilla.
"Well… alright."
He had already come for help; backing out now wasn't an option.
Ryou nodded and headed for the indoor facility, bat in hand.
He needed to practice his swings anyway—having someone pitch was a bonus.
As they approached the building, Kawakami's heart pounded faster and faster.
Inside the Indoor Training Facility
"Wow, lots of people today."
Ryou peeked inside.
Azuma, Nanjo, Tanaka, Yuki, Kominato Ryosuke, Isashiki…
A total of nine upperclassmen were all deep in their respective training.
"Kanzaki! Get over here!"
Isashiki shouted.
Ryou grinned and waved, then turned to Kawakami.
"Let's go. You'll get a chance to pitch to the upperclassmen."
"H-Huh? I have to let senpai hit my pitches!?" Kawakami went pale.
He only came to ask Ryou about pitching.
How did this escalate into facing actual monsters?
"If you're scared, say so," Ryou teased, smiling wickedly.
Kawakami trembled. Ryou wasn't wrong—Kawakami had the ability, but not the courage. If he had more backbone, he'd perform far better on the mound.
Still, even with his current nerves, he was strong enough to compete for the Ace position in many other schools.
Too bad this was Seidou—competition was brutal.
"I-I'm not scared!" he insisted—while shaking visibly.
Ryou just chuckled and led the way.
Inside, Isashiki was swinging his bat like a berserker.
Beside him, Kominato Ryosuke swung more slowly—thinking through every movement.
Meanwhile, Yuki stood silently, eyes closed, holding his bat.
His expression kept shifting dramatically—as if he was fighting inner demons.
"I feel… so nervous," Kawakami whispered.
Just then, Yuki moved.
He swung, unleashing a shockwave-like gust through the room.
"Hiss… Yuki-senpai's presence when he swings is always terrifying," Ryou commented.
"No matter how well you pitch, it feels like he can still crush it."
Kawakami nodded violently.
"I-I feel exactly the same!"
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