When Kanzaki Ryou said that, Kominato Haruichi lowered his head and replied softly.
"…Mm."
He hadn't expected to be discovered even after hiding in such a secluded spot.
"Kominato Ryosuke-senpai," Kanzaki continued casually, "he's your older brother, right?"
Haruichi looked up in surprise.
"H-How did Kanzaki-senpai know?"
Kanzaki was momentarily speechless.
"…You share the same surname, the same hair color, and you look ridiculously alike. It'd be stranger not to notice."
Kominato Haruichi's face flushed.
Did he… really look that much like his brother?
Watching his reaction, Kanzaki sighed inwardly.
These two brothers… one's a brother-con, and the other's also a brother-con.
"Besides," Kanzaki added, "I heard Kominato-senpai mention before that he had a younger brother."
Haruichi's eyes suddenly lit up.
"My brother said that…?"
"He did," Kanzaki replied smoothly.
"He said his younger brother has more talent than him and will definitely surpass him in the future."
It was a lie.
But it was a kind one.
For Haruichi, his brother's recognition was worth more than anything else.
Sure enough, the moment those words landed, a strange, bright gleam appeared in Haruichi's eyes.
So… his brother really thought that way?
"Work hard," Kanzaki said, patting Haruichi on the shoulder.
"And now go back and sleep. You've got training tomorrow."
"Yes, Kanzaki-senpai!"
The two returned toward Seido Dormitory together.
As Kanzaki looked up, he noticed a familiar figure leaning over the balcony of the Koshien floor.
Kominato Ryosuke.
"Yo," Kanzaki called out.
Haruichi followed his gaze—and the moment he saw his brother sprawled over the railing, he panicked.
He bolted into the dormitory like a startled kitten.
Bang!
The door slammed shut.
A moment later, Kominato Ryosuke walked downstairs, his eyes narrowed into a dangerous smile.
"Kanzaki," he said lightly, "want to chat?"
"Haha…" Kanzaki laughed dryly.
"It's pretty late, Kominato-senpai. I was just about to go to sleep."
Everyone in Seido knew that expression.
When Kominato Ryosuke smiled like that, someone was about to suffer.
"What do you think of Haruichi?"
"…Huh?"
Kanzaki blinked.
"Senpai," he said helplessly, "why do you guys always phrase things in a way that's easy to misunderstand?"
"What do you mean, 'what do I think'?"
"Don't play dumb," Ryosuke said, staring at him.
"You talked to him just now, didn't you?"
After a year as teammates, Ryosuke knew Kanzaki well.
This guy wouldn't interact with a first-year rookie without reason.
"Heh, I can't hide anything from you, Senpai," Kanzaki admitted with a smile.
Ryosuke leaned against the wall, arms crossed, silently waiting.
"…Sigh."
Kanzaki scratched his head.
"Honestly, I don't know him that well. I've only seen him a few times during training. But according to the data recorded by the Director and coaches—his batting average is the highest among the first-years."
"…Is that all?" Ryosuke muttered.
"That's all for now," Kanzaki said, spreading his hands.
"I really don't know much else."
What he didn't say was this—
Haruichi had entered Seido with a dream of standing on Koshien together with his brother.
Among the current first-years, if someone asked Kanzaki who was most likely to make the first string by summer—
Kominato Haruichi would absolutely be one of them.
Sawamura Eijun and Furuya Satoru still needed time to mature, and Seido wasn't urgently dependent on their strength.
Haruichi, on the other hand, already had a solid foundation—and even more dazzling batting talent than Ryosuke himself.
After a few months of true high school baseball, his bat would definitely become a weapon for Seido.
"Two brothers in the same school, on the same team…" Kanzaki suddenly said.
"That's really enviable."
"If you could stand on the Koshien field together someday… that'd be a pretty amazing sight."
Ryosuke fell silent.
For a brief moment, that image appeared in his mind.
Then he let out a long sigh.
"…Impossible."
"It's not that easy to enter the first string," Ryosuke said quietly.
"And even if Haruichi makes it, we're both Koshien players. There won't be a chance for us to play together."
Kanzaki smiled.
"It's not entirely impossible. If there's a big lead, maybe the Director would let you both go on."
"…It's too early to talk about that," Ryosuke said, turning away.
But as he headed upstairs, the corner of his mouth lifted ever so slightly.
"Tch. Tsundere older brother," Kanzaki muttered before returning to his dorm.
A few days later—early morning.
Kanzaki Ryou arrived at the field earlier than usual.
He wasn't running laps—just doing light warm-up exercises.
Today was the third round of the Spring Tokyo Tournament.
Even though he wouldn't be pitching, wasting physical strength now would be foolish.
Nearby, Sawamura Eijun was already running energetically.
This kid had been waking up early every day lately.
Just then, several people entered through the field gate.
The team managers.
"Kanzaki-kun, you're early even on game day," Fujiwara Takako said as Kanzaki finished a lap and walked over.
"You too, Senpai. Thanks for your hard work," Kanzaki replied.
On game days, the managers had even more to prepare than the players.
"It's nothing," Fujiwara smiled, then gently pushed the girl beside her forward.
"Kanzaki-kun, this is our new team manager—Yoshikawa Haruno."
"Yoshikawa," she added, "this is Seido's Ace, Kanzaki Ryou."
Kanzaki looked at the petite girl in front of him.
She looked nervous, a bit clumsy… and extremely shy.
"H-Hello, Kanzaki-senpai," Haruno said, bowing deeply.
"Welcome to Seido Baseball Club," Kanzaki said with a gentle smile, deliberately softening his tone so as not to scare her.
After the brief introduction, Kanzaki glanced toward the track—Sawamura was still running.
Fujiwara handed him a wet towel.
"Wipe your sweat."
"Thank you, Senpai."
As Kanzaki wiped his forehead, Fujiwara suddenly spoke.
"It must be tiring… being the Ace."
Kanzaki exhaled slowly.
"It's alright. With our current pitching staff, I'm not that tired," he said honestly.
"And there are some really promising first-years."
"You mean Sawamura Eijun and Furuya Satoru?" Fujiwara asked.
Kanzaki smiled slightly.
"…And maybe more than just those two."