Late at night, Kanzaki Ryou once again picked up his weighted bat and began his self-training.
There was still some time before the Kanto Tournament. The Spring Tournament had just ended, and everyone finally had room to recover—but that didn't mean he could slack off.
"Well… the game only ended today, and you're already training again," a familiar voice said from the darkness. "That's not very healthy, you know."
Miyuki walked out, bat resting on his shoulder.
Kanzaki didn't even turn his head.
"Heh. Aren't you doing the exact same thing? Don't lecture me."
"It's a habit," Miyuki replied calmly. "I can't fall asleep without swinging a few times."
"Coincidentally," Kanzaki said, "same here."
Miyuki chuckled and moved beside him, the two quietly swinging their bats under the night sky.
The next morning, after finishing his run and breakfast, Kanzaki had just entered the classroom when he was immediately surrounded.
"Kanzaki-kun!"
"Congratulations on winning the Spring Tournament!"
"Your pitching yesterday was amazing!"
The girls chattered nonstop.
"This guy… why is he the only one this popular?" Kuramochi muttered, leaning against the window with a face full of jealousy.
"Haha," Miyuki laughed. "Strong and good-looking. That's probably why."
Kuramochi ground his teeth.
"Damn it!"
He was already a second-year and still didn't have a girlfriend. Worse, these two scoundrels were in the same class as him. Every day, he had to watch them get showered with praise while he stood there like invisible background furniture.
To make matters worse, their grades were better than his too.
Where's the justice in that?
After finally escaping the swarm of enthusiastic girls, Kanzaki sat down behind Miyuki.
That afternoon, after classes ended, the three headed to the baseball field together. They found the first-year students already lined up, with Coach Kataoka standing before them, expression stern as usual.
"Kanzaki, you guys came late," Ono Hiroshi said as he walked over. "You probably haven't heard yet—there's a Welcoming Match tomorrow."
"A Welcoming Match?" Miyuki blinked. "Isn't that a bit early?"
Kanzaki glanced toward the first-years.
Normally, the Welcoming Match was held after the Kanto Tournament. And right now, Seido wasn't desperate for manpower.
So why now?
"I heard it was Coach Ochiai's idea," Ono added.
Miyuki immediately understood.
"Oh. That explains it."
Ochiai Hiromitsu was now fully responsible for the second team. Holding the Welcoming Match early would allow him to quickly select promising first-years and start cultivating them.
Besides, Seido had just won the Spring Tournament. The first team had been resting for two days, and the coaching staff was relatively relaxed. The timing made sense.
"So it's mainly to pick candidates for the second team," Kanzaki said thoughtfully.
"Who do you think will make it?"
Kuramochi spoke up immediately.
"Haruichi, no question. His defense is solid, and his batting's one of the best among the first-years."
"Furuya's power is scary too," Kawakami said, having walked over at some point. "His long hits stand out."
"Heh," Ono laughed. "But if we're talking about batting, Arima Kazusa impressed me the most. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if he reached the first team before summer."
He glanced toward Arima in the crowd.
Kanzaki smiled—an expression that made him look like a proud parent.
"Ono, you've got good taste."
Everyone else fell silent for a moment.
Miyuki then raised his chin slightly.
"What about the others? Kanemaru and Toujou are solid too. Their overall abilities are good."
"They're both reliable," Kanzaki nodded.
"They should make the second team without issue. After summer, they might have a shot at competing for the first team."
Both had excellent fundamentals, though neither had anything explosively standout—yet.
After watching for a while, everyone dispersed for individual practice. Kanzaki found Chris, who was swinging alone, and invited him to pitch later.
That evening, not long after dinner, Sawamura came charging into Kanzaki's dorm room.
"Big brother! Master!!"
Inside, Chris and Kanzaki exchanged helpless looks.
For reasons no one could explain, Sawamura was extremely enthusiastic about calling them that.
With Sawamura practically vibrating with excitement, Chris picked up his glove.
"Senpai, let's go too!"
Arima Kazusa stood beside him, bat in hand, eyes shining with anticipation.
Heading downstairs, they found Furuya Satoru and Kominato Haruichi already waiting.
"Thank you for the trouble, senpai," Kominato said politely.
"It's fine," Kanzaki smiled. "I won't make you hit too much."
They walked together toward the indoor training facility.
At Chris's insistence, the first-years were forced to do a full twenty-minute warm-up. During that time, Chris patiently explained pitching theory and batting concepts.
"Ryou," Chris finally called out, "you can start."
Kanzaki, who had been chatting with Kawakami, turned around.
"Kawakami, want to throw a few pitches?"
"Huh? Me?" Kawakami pointed at himself. "Aren't they here to hit your pitches?"
"It's fine," Kanzaki said lightly—and before Kawakami could object, he physically pushed him forward.
The four first-years immediately lined up obediently.
Kanzaki wrapped an arm around the visibly nervous Kawakami and grinned.
"Gentlemen, you're in luck. Your senpai Kawakami is going to test you today. How about it? Got the confidence to hit his pitches?"
"K-Kanzaki, I—"
Kawakami was flustered. He hadn't agreed to testing anyone.
"Really?! Kawakami-senpai, thank you!!"
Arima Kazusa nearly shouted in excitement.
A first-team pitcher. A sidearm at that. His sinker and slider were no joke.
"Thank you, senpai," Kominato said seriously.
Sawamura and Furuya were half a beat late, still processing what was happening.
Seeing no objections, Kanzaki patted Kawakami's shoulder.
"I'm counting on you. Give these brats a proper lesson."
Kawakami sighed helplessly, then turned to Chris.
"Chris-senpai… would you mind catching for me?"
"Of course," Chris replied with a smile.
They'd never paired up before—but that only made it more interesting.
Soon, everything was ready. Kanzaki stood behind Chris.
Arima Kazusa stepped into the batter's box first. After a few excited practice swings, he bowed deeply.
"Kawakami-senpai! Please throw it!"
Kawakami smiled gently.
"Alright. Try to hit it."