"This is terrifying. We have to face a guy like that?"
"Aren't we just unlucky? Running into strong opponents two games in a row?"
"Yeah, and the next game is against the team led by that tyrant."
"Who drew the lots back then? It would've been great if we were in the other half of the bracket."
Just then, Coach Todoroki suddenly slammed the table.
"Raichi! If you can hit a home run off that guy in the next game, I'll treat you to an all-you-can-eat barbecue!"
"Eat as much as you want!"
Hearing this, Todoroki Raichi immediately jumped up, his eyes shining with an intense longing for barbecue.
"Really? You're not tricking me?"
"I'm your father! When have I ever tricked you?" Coach Todoroki said, turning his head away with a guilty look.
"Damn it!"
Raichi instantly saw through his father's act and rushed over, grabbing him by the neck and shaking him violently.
The other Yakushi players were already used to this scene.
After a brief scuffle, the father and son finally stopped. Coach Todoroki straightened his collar, which Raichi had pulled crooked, and spoke seriously.
"For tomorrow's training, set the pitching machine to maximum speed. Even if you can't hit it, you must at least get your eyes used to that speed."
"After all, our opponent is Kanzaki Ryou. If we can't defeat him, we can't beat Seido. That's the consensus!"
Hearing this, the atmosphere among Yakushi's players immediately turned heavy.
Coach Todoroki had no better solution. Saying they would defeat Kanzaki Ryou was easier said than done. It was a problem every powerhouse school in high school baseball had been trying to solve but so far, none had succeeded.
The next day, after a full day of classes, Kanzaki Ryou casually strolled to the training ground without even changing into his training uniform.
Before long, all the players except the first string began their practice.
"Kanzaki, you look pretty relaxed today," Isashiki Jun said as he walked over, already dressed in his training uniform and holding a bat.
"Aren't you resting today, Senior? The game is tomorrow," Kanzaki Ryou asked with a smile.
Isashiki Jun laughed heartily and swung his bat hard.
"No way. I don't feel right if I don't swing a few times every day."
"Haha, that just means baseball has become part of your life, Senior."
"Is that so? Haha, you really know how to talk, kid."
Isashiki Jun laughed loudly, clearly pleased with the compliment, and his swings became even more powerful.
"Yes, yes, we're counting on you tomorrow, Senior. You have to hit a home run."
"No problem at all. Leave it to me."
Kanzaki Ryou smiled.
The third-year seniors were playing their final summer. Perhaps because of that, they cherished every moment even more. Even though Seido was already extremely strong, none of them dared to relax in the slightest.
After watching practice for a while, Kanzaki Ryou slowly walked toward the bullpen. There, he saw Furuya and Sawamura practicing their pitching. Since Miyuki and Chris had declined, Ono Hiroshi and Miyauchi Keisuke were catching for them.
"Hey, hey, don't throw too much. Take it easy. There's a game tomorrow," Kanzaki Ryou said.
Even Tanba and Kawakami were resting. These two guys, however, clearly had no sense of moderation.
"Ono, how many pitches have they thrown?"
"Sawamura—23 pitches."
Miyauchi Keisuke added, "Furuya—31 pitches."
"Huh?! You threw more than me?!"
Bang!
A fist landed squarely on Sawamura's head.
"Is this a competition about who threw more?"
"Aniki~"
"Pitch until you reach 40, then do a proper cool-down and go back to the dorm."
At that moment, Furuya looked at Kanzaki Ryou with determined eyes.
"I want to pitch a bit longer."
"No. If you don't listen, you won't play tomorrow."
Kanzaki Ryou glared at him. Furuya was far too stubborn—without a firm attitude, it was impossible to rein him in.
Sure enough, as soon as Furuya heard he wouldn't be allowed to play, he immediately looked like a pitiful abandoned puppy.
"Don't look at me like that. It won't work. Conserve your energy so you can perform tomorrow."
"Besides, the weather forecast says tomorrow's high will reach 36°C. You don't want to perform as badly as in the previous games, right?"
Furuya shook his head vigorously.
"What should I do about the weather?"
"Just endure it. You won't pitch many innings anyway. Hang in there you can do it."
Kanzaki Ryou gave him a thumbs-up, flashing his teeth in a grin.
Furuya nodded firmly.
"I understand. Even if it's just one inning, I won't let them hit my pitches."
"Heh… I'm not superstitious, but maybe don't make promises like that. Every time you do, you end up getting hit pretty hard."
Patting Furuya on the shoulder, Kanzaki Ryou turned and left the bullpen.
He was confident that after hearing those words, Sawamura and Furuya would definitely not dare to overwork themselves.
That evening, in the indoor training facility, Chris and Miyuki continued working with Kanzaki Ryou on his pitching.
Four-seam fastball.
Two-seam fastball.
Forkball.
Slider.
Circle changeup.
Palmball.
Five pitches of each—just enough to maintain his rhythm, not enough to tire him out.
"Very good. The Palmball is becoming stable now. It can be used in games," Chris said with a satisfied smile.
Miyuki felt the same. After tossing the ball back to Kanzaki Ryou, he said:
"We probably won't need the Palmball tomorrow. Just pitch like before."
"Saving it for Koshien again? There's no need. I want to use it," Kanzaki Ryou said firmly.
With his current strength, even if opponents knew all his pitches, it wouldn't matter much.
There was no need to hide anything.
"Alright. Whatever you want," Miyuki replied.
He had simply wanted to keep a secret weapon in reserve, but if Kanzaki Ryou wasn't interested, he wouldn't insist.
After practice, everyone returned to the conference room.
Coach Kataoka announced the starting lineup for tomorrow's game.
Shortstop – Kuramochi Yoichi
Second Base – Kominato Ryosuke
Center Field – Isashiki Jun
First Base – Yuki
Pitcher – Kanzaki Ryou
Catcher – Takigawa Chris Yu
Third Base – Masuko Toru
Right Field – Shirasu Kenjiro
Left Field – Sakai Ichiro
Two days later, at Jingu Stadium.
The Seido team arrived at the venue and, as expected, ran into their opponent for the day—Yakushi High School—in the hallway.
The moment the two teams crossed paths, Kanzaki Ryou immediately felt several hostile gazes fixed on him, as if they wanted to tear him apart.
"Heh, you really attract a lot of hatred, don't you?" Miyuki whispered, lowering his head and covering his mouth as he chuckled.
"Maybe it's because I'm too handsome. Look at them—besides Sanada Shunpei, what's the difference between the others and monkeys? Especially Todoroki Raichi."
"Uh…"
Miyuki wanted to argue, but when he looked at the Yakushi players—everyone except Sanada Shunpei wearing grim expressions—he hesitated.
Could it really… be because of his looks?