Back at school, the first-string players gradually dispersed to rest. Kanzaki Ryou, who hadn't expended much physical energy during the game, felt an unusual restlessness instead. After lunch, he dragged Miyuki to the gym to work on core training.
By the time school was dismissed in the afternoon, Kanzaki Ryou walked out of the gym, rubbing his waist with a satisfied look on his face.
"Kanzaki-senpai, you're back!"
The moment he pushed open the dormitory door, Arima Kazusa—who had just returned and was changing into his training uniform—turned around in surprise.
"Mm." Kanzaki Ryou smiled and nodded.
"Senpai, I watched today's game! Your batting was incredible—two home runs!" Arima's eyes sparkled with undisguised admiration.
Hearing this, Kanzaki Ryou sat down on a chair and looked at him with a faint, teasing smile.
"Why are you looking at me like that, senpai?" Arima grew inexplicably flustered under his gaze.
"Heh. You weren't paying attention in class, were you?" Kanzaki Ryou said lazily. "You were secretly watching the game broadcast."
Arima turned his head away guiltily, pretending not to hear him.
"Alright, it's nothing serious. Hurry up and get ready," Kanzaki Ryou continued. "If I'm not mistaken, your training today should be different."
Arima's eyes immediately lit up as he leaned closer.
"Really? What kind of training?"
His excitement was understandable. In the week since school started, nearly ninety percent of their training had been physical conditioning. Their time with bats and baseballs had been pitifully short.
"You'll find out soon enough," Kanzaki Ryou replied with a grin.
Afternoon practice was about to begin. Since the first string had played a game earlier, their workload was limited to lighter exercises.
When Chris returned to the dormitory, the three of them headed to the B Field together.
"Chris-senpai, I'll be counting on you to catch for me again today," Kanzaki Ryou said as he turned his head.
Perhaps because Coach Kataoka wanted Chris to regain his form as quickly as possible, Chris had been paired with Kanzaki Ryou far more often than Miyuki during training these past few days.
"Alright," Chris replied calmly. "Just focus on pitching. I'll handle the calls."
Today's training schedule had only one highlight—the live-game simulation at the very end.
Once they stepped onto the B Field, they saw the first-string members engaged in individual drills. From time to time, some of them glanced over at the rookies' training.
Just as Kanzaki Ryou had expected, after a week, the coaching staff began adjusting the freshmen's program. Defensive drills, batting practice, base running—everything was slowly being introduced.
Among the freshmen, Furuya Satoru and Sawamura Eijun were even given the chance to pitch in the bullpen.
Bang!
The sharp sound from the bullpen drew quite a few gazes.
"That Furuya guy…"
"What kind of velocity is that?"
Even among the freshmen, Furuya's pitching stood out with its sheer momentum.
The second- and third-years, however, only showed relaxed expressions—no surprise at all.
After all, they had endured Kanzaki Ryou's pitching for an entire year. Compared to that, Furuya's fastball, which relied purely on speed, didn't even come close to the shock Kanzaki had delivered back when he first challenged Seidou in middle school.
Standing by the B Field, Kanzaki Ryou casually swung his bat. However, his eyes were fixed on Ochiai Hiromitsu in the dugout. He wondered what the technical director was planning—and how Coach Kataoka would arrange things next.
Before long, the sun dipped lower in the sky, and the day's training came to an end.
As if by instinct, the first-string players gathered on the B Field. Kanzaki Ryou and Chris took their positions as well.
"Yahaha, I'm up first!"
Kuramochi Yoichi stepped into the batter's box, bat resting on his shoulder. Today's live-game simulation had a special restriction.
Only straight pitches were allowed. Cutters, sliders, and changeups were all forbidden.
Knowing this, Kuramochi was confident he could drive the ball into the outfield.
"Kuramochi," Chris suddenly said, lifting his head, "this pitch is coming inside."
"Huh?" Kuramochi froze for a moment before scoffing. "Nice try, Chris-senpai. I'm not falling for that."
Chris simply smiled without responding. Having been away from the field for so long, he couldn't resist teasing his juniors.
He set his mitt and decisively gave the sign.
All eyes around the B Field focused on home plate. Everyone wanted to see how far Chris and Kanzaki Ryou's partnership could go—even with only straight pitches.
The first pitch was a high, inside four-seam fastball.
Kanzaki Ryou nodded slightly. He had absolute trust in Chris's pitch calling. While Chris's body hadn't fully caught up to first-string intensity yet, his understanding of pitching theory surpassed nearly everyone present.
Whoosh!
The white ball cut sharply toward Kuramochi's chest.
Kuramochi's eyes widened.
It really is inside!
That split second of hesitation was enough.
"Strike!" Coach Kataoka shouted from behind the plate.
Kuramochi grinned.
So Chris-senpai's got a mischievous side too.
"Kanzaki! Bring it on!" Kuramochi shouted.
Catching the return throw, Kanzaki Ryou tilted his chin at him—a silent challenge.
Whoosh!
The second pitch flew out. This one broke away to the outside, and Kuramochi swung through empty air once again.
"A two-seam, huh?" Kuramochi clicked his tongue. "That's nasty."
Batting left-handed, the two-seam fastball tailed away from his body, making it extremely difficult to square up.
"The next one's coming," Chris said with a smile as he rose and tossed the ball back.
"Let's go!" Kuramochi roared, resetting his stance.
Chris grinned, squatted down, and gave the signal.
Forkball.
This was a pitch Kanzaki Ryou had only half-mastered during last year's Autumn Tournament. Back then, its completion was unstable, and it often turned into a bad ball. By the time of the Jingu Tournament, however, it had improved significantly.
After months of refinement, the current Forkball was a true vanishing pitch.
A high initial trajectory—followed by an exaggerated, sudden drop.
Once thrown, it completely shattered a batter's timing.
Kanzaki Ryou whipped his arm forward, and the baseball shot toward the center of the strike zone.
Right down the middle!
Heh—then I won't hold back!
Kuramochi reacted instantly, swinging his bat low. He had clearly anticipated the forkball.
But when the bat passed through—
The ball dropped even more than he expected.
Thud!
The bat clipped the top of the baseball, producing a weak grounder.
"That's ridiculous," Kuramochi muttered in frustration. "I was aiming for the very bottom of the zone!"