Three days later—Saturday morning.
Because of today's Red–White Game, the usual morning practice was changed to self-training so that participating first-years could adjust their condition.
As expected, Kanzaki Ryou and Miyuki Kazuya were excluded by Coach Kataoka.
These two were a matched pair—if one participated and the other didn't, it would be unfair. And since they were both first-years, Kataoka knew that putting them into a freshman scrimmage would completely defeat the purpose of the match.
The Red–White Game existed to test the other freshmen—those still unpolished, still untested.
If Kanzaki and Miyuki joined, they would simply dominate the entire game.
Carrying his black custom bat, Kanzaki Ryou wandered toward the B Field.
"Hoh…How lively."
From a distance, he saw a large crowd gathered along the outer fence.
Seidou's annual freshman scrimmage was practically a local attraction—fans, alumni, and nearby residents always came to watch. This year, because it was Saturday, even more people arrived, including many graduates of Seidou Baseball Club.
Especially those who failed to reach Koshien in their own era—
they carried a deeper attachment, a deeper regret, and a stronger desire to see their juniors succeed.
"Kanzaki! Kanzaki!"
Someone shouted the moment he was recognized.
The crowd immediately shifted their attention from A Field's warm-up to him.
"Kanzaki-kun! Will you play in today's Red–White Game?" a fan rushed over and asked excitedly.
"Nope," Kanzaki said with an easy smile.
Another person asked, "What about Miyuki? He's not playing either?"
"No," Kanzaki replied.
A collective sigh.
To the spectators, seeing Kanzaki Ryou and Miyuki lead the first-years against the second string would have been the highlight of the day.
Just then, a stout man with a fisherman hat and a camera approached him.
His name tag read "Baseball Kingdom."
"Hello, Kanzaki-kun. I'm Fujio, reporter for Baseball Kingdom. Would it be possible to chat for a moment?"
Baseball Kingdom had already requested multiple interviews with Kanzaki in recent months—
Seidou rejected all of them.
"Interview?" Kanzaki frowned. Reporters weren't allowed to approach players privately. Doing so put them on the school's blacklist.
Fujio quickly waved both hands.
"Of course not! I'm an experienced reporter—I wouldn't make that mistake. Just think of this as… a friendly conversation."
Kanzaki smirked.
He wouldn't break rules, but he didn't mind bending them.
"Okay. We can talk over there."
He pointed toward a shaded bench under a large tree.
Fans made room politely as Kanzaki passed—nobody tried to mob him.
Kanzaki bought two drinks from the vending machine and handed one to Fujio.
"This conversation won't be in your report, right?" Kanzaki asked.
"Not unless you request it," Fujio replied. "I'm not here to dig for scandal."
For several minutes, he asked harmless lifestyle questions—favorite foods, movies, hobbies. No baseball questions, no school questions. Kanzaki noted the respect and kept answering normally.
Just as Fujio was about to leave, his eyes went to Kanzaki's bat.
"Ah… is that a custom bat?"
Immediately, Kanzaki's eyes lit up.
"Yes! Look—this engraving is my sister's name."
Kanzaki happily posed with the bat, making Fujio take more than ten photos.
"Send them to me! And edit them nicely!"
Fujio could only nod and retreat in defeat.
Meanwhile, on A Field, dozens of first-years were preparing. Some swung bats, others pitched, and a few huddled together discussing strategies to score at least one run.
Winning was nearly impossible—the second string had the obvious advantage in experience, strength, and tactical understanding.
Their goal today was simple: score even one run.
Coach Kataoka wasn't looking for victory.
He wanted to see who among the first-years could shine under overwhelming pressure.
Who could stay calm.
Who could perform despite the fear.
That was what determined whether a freshman was worth developing.
When Kanzaki entered B Field, many first-string seniors were watching the situation on A Field while swinging their bats.
"Kanzaki, over here," Yuki Tetsuya called out.
"Yuki-senpai, taking a break?" Kanzaki walked over.
Yuki sat cross-legged like a monk, eyes closed.
"Heh. I'm meditating."
"Imagination training? For batting?" Kanzaki asked.
"No. I'm replaying shogi."
Yuki's eyes snapped open, burning with intensity.
"I lost to Miyuki last night. I'll win next time!"
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