"Aniki!!"
From a distance, Sawamura Eijun spotted Kanzaki Ryou entering the field and waved his arms wildly as he shouted.
Kanzaki Ryou didn't respond. He focused on his warm-up, stretching methodically, completely ignoring the noisy junior.
An hour later, at exactly six o'clock, all club members had gathered on the field. As usual, the twenty first-string players occupied one side of the grounds.
With the Spring Metropolitan Tournament approaching, the first-string's training intensity wasn't particularly high.
After finishing a series of basic fielding drills, Kanzaki Ryou was about to head toward the bullpen when his peripheral vision caught sight of a somewhat familiar figure standing on the grass outside the field.
The man was short and stocky, repeatedly stroking the small mustache beneath his nose.
…No way.
Kanzaki Ryou narrowed his eyes and deliberately walked a few steps closer.
Confirmed.
Ochiai Hiromitsu.
Why is this guy already here?
A sense of disbelief surfaced in Kanzaki Ryou's mind.
Is this the butterfly effect?
"Ryou, what are you staring at?" Miyuki asked curiously from beside him.
"Nothing," Kanzaki Ryou replied calmly. Then he added, "Aren't you catching for Tanba today? If you don't hurry, he might get grumpy."
"Heh," Miyuki laughed. "Tanba just went to the bathroom."
Kanzaki Ryou shrugged. "Then stay here. I'm heading to the bullpen."
Inside the bullpen, Chris Yū Takigawa had already finished putting on his gear.
Today, he was Kanzaki Ryou's catcher.
That's right—Chris had officially resumed training.
After Coach Kataoka personally confirmed that Chris's injury had fully healed and his physical condition was back to normal, he immediately allowed him to participate in first-string training, even though Chris technically hadn't rejoined the roster yet.
There was almost no objection.
Both the third-years and second-years knew very well what Chris was capable of.
Only a few uninformed first-year freshmen muttered quietly, unsure why someone not officially on the first string was allowed to train with them.
"Chris-senpai… it's been a year," Kanzaki Ryou said, looking at the fully equipped catcher.
Chris smiled faintly, memories from a year ago surfacing in his mind—the day he was forced to step away from the first string.
Thinking back on it now, his emotions were complicated.
"Ryou," Chris said softly, "you really did exactly what you promised."
Kanzaki Ryou froze for a moment, then laughed.
"Then you have to work hard too, Chris-senpai. This summer, pull that crafty guy Miyuki off the starting catcher spot."
Before Chris could respond, a voice came from behind.
"Hey, you bastard! Talking bad about me when I'm not around?"
Miyuki walked over together with Tanba, having clearly heard the word crafty.
Kanzaki Ryou chuckled awkwardly. "Heh heh."
Miyuki rolled his eyes, then turned serious as he looked at Chris.
"Chris-senpai, let's compete fair and square. I won't lose."
Chris nodded.
Over the past year, he had watched Miyuki grow into an extraordinary catcher. As the catcher who led Seidou to both Summer Koshien and Spring Koshien championships, calling Miyuki the top catcher in high school baseball wasn't an exaggeration.
For Chris—who had lost an entire year of competitive time—taking back the starting position would be anything but easy.
Soon, Kanzaki Ryou and Chris began their pitching and catching practice.
Facing Kanzaki Ryou, whose presence had grown even more imposing, Chris squatted down and spoke calmly.
"No need to hold back. Pitch the same way you do with Miyuki. I'll catch it."
Kanzaki Ryou nodded.
He had planned to start slower, to let Chris adjust—but his intentions were seen through instantly.
The first pitch screamed out of his hand.
A fastball exceeding 150 km/h tore through the air.
Chris reacted instantly, snapping his glove upward and catching the ball firmly.
The power… it's completely different.
As he felt the weight of the pitch, Chris instinctively compared it to Kanzaki Ryou's fastball from a year ago.
The difference was undeniable.
"This guy… has grown ridiculously fast."
"Nice ball," Chris said, tossing it back.
Thwack!
Kanzaki Ryou caught it cleanly. Their eyes met, and both saw the same spark of excitement.
Another fastball followed.
The bullpen soon echoed with the steady rhythm of pitching practice.
Kanzaki Ryou cycled through his entire arsenal—Straight, cutter-slider, Fast Forkball, and Changeup. Chris caught every pitch cleanly and accurately.
In terms of pure catching technique, Chris and Miyuki were nearly equal.
Nearby, Miyuki and Tanba were also training seriously. Their coordination was smooth, a result of countless repetitions. As Seidou's current starting catcher, Miyuki was intimately familiar with all three first-string pitchers—something Chris would need time to catch up on.
While the players trained, outside the field, Ochiai Hiromitsu slowly walked around, observing from different angles.
"Coach Ochiai," Takashima Rei said as she came to his side, "what do you think of the team?"
Ochiai Hiromitsu glanced at her but didn't answer immediately.
To be honest, when he first received Seidou's invitation, he was genuinely shocked.
This was Seidou—and not just any Seidou, but Seidou at its absolute peak.
Even if his title was only Technical Coach, with Coach Kataoka above him… did Ochiai Hiromitsu care about authority?
No.
He cared about salary.
He had a family to support. A mortgage. A car loan.
And Seidou's offer—double pay—was impossible to ignore.
But what truly sealed the deal was one sentence Takashima Rei had said.
"Come to Seidou—for our three consecutive championships."
Three consecutive championships.
When he heard that, Ochiai Hiromitsu felt his blood boil.
Even at his age, the fire in his heart was reignited.
Once he calmed down, he understood—this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
If he could help Seidou achieve consecutive Koshien titles as a technical coach, it would be an unparalleled achievement in his career.
Money.
Future.
Honor.
There was no reason to refuse.
From Seidou's perspective, inviting Ochiai Hiromitsu was also a huge gain. Although he had never led a team as head coach, his ability to refine and develop player techniques was widely acknowledged in high school baseball circles.
With Ochiai's arrival, Coach Kataoka's burden would be lightened—and the collision of their philosophies could bring profound changes to Seidou.
Watching the training unfold, Ochiai nodded at times, frowned at others—prompting Takashima Rei's curiosity.
"For now," Ochiai Hiromitsu finally said, "it's only my first day. I'd like to observe a little longer before making any evaluations."
Takashima Rei smiled. "Of course. As you requested, we won't announce your position to the players yet."
"Mhm," Ochiai Hiromitsu nodded. "That's for the best."