Early the next morning, although Kanzaki Ryou's body was still heavy with fatigue, he got up as usual and went to the field to start running.
Not long after, Miyuki caught up.
"How's your body today? How's your condition?" Miyuki asked while jogging beside him.
"I'm fine. Anyway, I'm not playing," Kanzaki Ryou replied calmly.
"Hehe, you don't even know. When I came over just now, I saw Sawamura trying to sneak out, but Kuramochi put him in a scissor lock and pinned him at the door," Miyuki laughed.
Kanzaki Ryou chuckled.
"The training camp just ended. Letting him rest properly is for his own good. Besides, he still has to play in the practice game this afternoon."
The two chatted as they ran.
After morning practice ended, Kanzaki Ryou had just finished showering and changed clothes when he entered the dining hall.
Sawamura Eijun and his three little companions were already seated across from him.
Kanzaki Ryou glanced up and immediately noticed the thick dark circles under Sawamura's eyes.
Furuya Satoru beside him didn't look much better.
What did these two idiots do last night?
"Sawamura. Furuya. Didn't sleep well?" Kanzaki Ryou asked.
Sawamura lowered his head, clutching his chopsticks.
"…I was too excited thinking about today's practice game."
As expected.
Kanzaki Ryou sighed and turned to Furuya.
"Hey. Wake up."
He slapped Furuya lightly.
A snot bubble popped from Furuya's nose.
"You two better sleep during class later," Kanzaki Ryou said seriously. "Otherwise you'll be nodding off on the mound this afternoon. That would be a real embarrassment."
Although telling juniors to sleep in class sounded improper, Kanzaki Ryou knew these two would do it anyway.
Better to sleep openly than secretly.
"Aniki! Can we really play?" Sawamura suddenly perked up.
"You're not even sure you'll get on the mound. Why are you so excited?" Kanzaki Ryou said speechlessly.
Beside him, Arima Kazusa frowned.
"The opponent is Osaka Kiryu. Their batting lineup is super strong. We just finished training camp, so to win, Coach Kataoka should definitely use Senior Kanzaki, Tanba-senpai, and Kawakami-senpai, right?"
"In that case… Sawamura and Furuya probably won't have many chances."
Kanzaki Ryou looked at Arima strangely.
This kid is usually smart. Why is he suddenly so dense?
"You're wrong about one thing," Kanzaki Ryou said.
"This is a practice game. The opponent being Osaka Kiryu is exactly because Coach wants to see what kind of combat power we can show under extreme fatigue."
"If I pitch, what exactly would be tested?"
Arima Kazusa's eyes widened.
"Oh! That makes sense!"
"Maybe the training camp scrambled your brain," Kanzaki Ryou said.
Just then, Sawamura slammed the table.
"I get it! This is Boss's test for me!"
"Ya hahaha! As expected, I'm highly anticipated by the team!"
"…Mm. Me too."
Furuya muttered drowsily.
Kanzaki Ryou swallowed his last bite of food and stood up.
These two are hopeless.
At four in the afternoon, all Seido players assembled at the field.
"Thank you for coming all this way. Please take care of us."
"Haha, Coach Kataoka. Let's have a good game today."
Coach Kataoka and Osaka Kiryu's manager,
Takahiro Matsumoto, exchanged formal greetings.
Afterward, both teams began warming up.
"Ho?" Matsumoto glanced toward Seido's side.
"Coach Kataoka, your starting pitcher today is actually a first-year? Aren't you afraid of leaving a psychological scar on the newcomer?"
Training a rookie this early?
Especially when Seido has Kanzaki Ryou.
Why send a first-year?
"He can do it," Coach Kataoka replied calmly.
After more than two months of systematic training, Sawamura and Furuya had both changed greatly.
But how much could they display against a powerhouse like Osaka Kiryu?
Coach Kataoka himself was very curious.
"Is that so?" Matsumoto smiled faintly.
"Could this be Seido's hidden weapon?"
Given past experiences, no one dared underestimate Seido's first-years anymore.
"Heh. You'd better be careful," Coach Kataoka said, then turned and left.
He did it on purpose.
He wanted Osaka Kiryu to treat this game seriously from the first pitch.
Only under real pressure could the first-years truly be tested.
Matsumoto narrowed his eyes.
Seido had just finished a brutal training camp.
Their first-string players all looked exhausted.
Yet Coach Kataoka still dared to send out a rookie.
Either he was reckless…
Or that first-year truly had something special.
Better stay cautious.
"Please guide us!"
The game began.
Osaka Kiryu batted first.
Seido's starting pitcher—
Furuya Satoru.
Starting catcher—
Miyuki Kazuya.
Before Furuya took the mound, Coach Kataoka suddenly said:
"Even if you get blown out today, it's fine."
Furuya froze.
"The training camp was exhausting. Your fatigue hasn't been fully recovered," Coach Kataoka continued.
"There's no need to blindly pursue results."
Furuya walked toward the mound.
"Get blown out…"
The words echoed repeatedly in his head.
He looked down at the baseball in his hand.
How could I get blown out?
I'm going to become the number one pitcher in Japan.
His eyes slowly sharpened.
Almost fierce.
On the sidelines, Sawamura shouted.
"What's wrong?! Did you get hit already?!"
"It's okay if you get blown out! I'm still here!"
"Why don't you let me play now?!"
Furuya didn't even glance over.
I won't let anyone hit my ball.
And I don't want to be taken off the mound.
Furuya raised the ball high.
The battle against Osaka Kiryu—
began.