"Hey, Chris-senpai, you should be thanking me for discovering your injury," Kanzaki Ryou said teasingly.
Chris nodded seriously. "You're right. Dr. Guatai said that if the injury had been delayed any longer, it might've caused a rupture in my subscapularis and pronator teres muscles."
"That serious?" Kanzaki asked in surprise. He knew Chris had been injured, but he didn't remember the specifics being that severe.
"To thank you, I've prepared something," Chris said, a rare smile tugging at his lips.
"A gift?"
"A training plan," Chris replied gently. "It focuses mainly on body coordination, strength training, and your diet."
"Thank you, senpai."
"No matter how ambitious you are or how far your dreams reach, remember that your physical health is the foundation for everything. Don't end up like me," Chris said quietly, placing a firm hand on Kanzaki's shoulder. His tone carried weight — and just a hint of regret.
Kanzaki smiled confidently. "This year might be too late, but next year, Chris-senpai will definitely become the Koshien champion catcher!"
Chris shook his head, chuckling bitterly. "It's not easy to reclaim a starting spot after missing half a year of training and games — not in Seidou. Everyone here trains like their life depends on it."
And besides… among Seidou's catchers now, there was a true prodigy.
The sight of the upperclassmen still running wasn't exactly pleasant, so after a while, Kanzaki left the field and returned to the dorm.
'Oniichan, daisuki'
A sweet voice suddenly rang out — Kanzaki's phone ringtone.
Under Chris's puzzled gaze, Kanzaki answered the phone as if nothing was wrong.
"Stupid imouto," he said flatly.
"Ni-chan!" came the bright, chirpy voice of Kanzaki Kumiko — cheerful and full of life, like a songbird. The moment he heard her, the exhaustion from practice melted away.
"Kumiko, do you miss your brother?"
"Of course! I saw your name on Baseball Magazine!" she said excitedly. Although it was only a short online segment, Kanzaki's name had been mentioned.
"Baseball Magazine? They're pretty quick," Kanzaki mused. The magazine focused on high school baseball, so it wasn't strange for them to notice him. But the fact that they already published something after just one inning yesterday? That was impressively fast.
What Kanzaki didn't realize was that his overpowering presence and electric performance on the mound had already made waves — enough to draw the media's attention overnight.
"See? I always keep up with my brother's news!" Kumiko said proudly.
Kanzaki chuckled. "So, Kumiko really can't live without me. Maybe I should've kidnapped you to Seidou."
"No way! If I went there, your creepy sis-con personality would totally ruin your training," she shot back, half embarrassed, half amused.
"Eh? So that's what you think of me?" Kanzaki said, genuinely surprised — then smirked. "Kumiko, you've grown up."
Knowing her brother's teasing mode had been activated, Kumiko quickly changed the topic. "Next month is the Nichiun Festival! Our brass band will be performing at Sun Park, and I… I want…"
"Kumiko-chan wants her big brother to come watch?" Kanzaki asked gently.
"Mmh…" she hummed shyly in affirmation. It wasn't a competition, but it was her first performance in high school — and she wanted her brother there.
"When is it?" Kanzaki asked.
"May 2nd."
"Got it."
May 2nd — just before the Kanto Tournament. If it was only for one day, he could make time.
"Really?" Kumiko asked in surprise, her voice brightening with joy.
"Of course," Kanzaki said warmly. "When has your big brother ever lied to you?"
Kumiko fell silent for a moment. "Ni-chan… am I being too selfish? You're really busy too."
"Nah," Kanzaki replied with a grin. "It's a sister's duty to be spoiled and willful with her brother."
"Hmph! You're only a few minutes older than me!"
Their happy chatter went on for half an hour, and when the call finally ended, Kanzaki was still smiling.
"You have a sister, Ryou?" Chris asked, leaning back in his chair with a book in hand.
"Yeah, a twin sister. Super kawaii!" Kanzaki said proudly.
Chris raised a brow, intrigued. "I believe it. After all, you're quite popular yourself. Kuramochi said you got a lot of love letters today."
Kanzaki smirked, ready to brag — until Chris continued, "But remember, high school baseball only lasts two and a half years. If you want to reach your dreams, you'll need to put in ten thousand times the effort and never slack off."
"Eh… are you saying love slows down my pitch velocity, Chris-senpai?"
"More or less," Chris replied calmly. "Of course, if it's someone who supports your baseball dream completely, that's a different story." His tone wasn't strict — just thoughtful.
Kanzaki nodded, pretending to ponder deeply, then glanced at him slyly.
"From experience?"
"No." Chris's expression darkened immediately. He'd never been in a relationship — though the number of girls who admired him could fill an entire fan club.
"Hehe." Kanzaki chuckled softly. Teasing Chris was surprisingly fun.
After dinner, Kanzaki grabbed his bat and headed to the small yard beside the dorm.
After days of training, he'd realized that physical strength was the foundation for everything. His pitching had reached a temporary ceiling — without learning new techniques, improvement would be marginal.
That meant it was time to work on his batting.
His batting wasn't bad — in fact, he had talent. With his dynamic vision, he could track even the smallest changes in a pitch's trajectory.
He knew he wouldn't be in the heart of the batting order for the upcoming Capital or Kanto tournaments, but even at the lower end, delivering in clutch moments could change the game.
"Tonight, another 200 swings," Kanzaki muttered to himself. Since joining Seidou, he'd made a habit of doing an extra 300 swings every night.
"Yo, extra practice, huh?"
A familiar voice came from behind him. Kanzaki didn't even have to turn — he already knew who it was.
"Yeah," he said with a grin. "I've been waiting for you, Miyuki."
"Braggart. You just got here too, didn't you?" Miyuki scoffed, walking closer with a smirk. "So? Was the game fun?"
"Fun," Kanzaki replied simply, gripping his bat and taking another swing.
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