Whoosh!
Kawakami's pitch shot forward—the first was a fastball straight down the middle.
Thump!
Arima Kazusa's bat met the ball cleanly, sending it flying forward.
"Hehe, Kawakami, you should be more serious," Kanzaki Ryou teased. "A fastball right down the middle is a bit disrespectful, don't you think?"
Kawakami rolled his eyes.
He's just a first-year. What's wrong with giving him an easy one to start?
Chris, squatting behind the plate, smiled faintly. He had no intention of calling pitches—this session was entirely up to Kawakami.
Unlike the two of them, Arima Kazusa grew even more excited after hearing Kanzaki's words. He knew Kanzaki was deliberately pushing Kawakami to show more.
Sure enough, the next pitch was an outside slider.
The ball swept sharply across the plate, far trickier—and noticeably faster—than the previous fastball. Seeing it for the first time, Arima swung hard.
Whoosh!
He missed completely.
"So amazing!" Arima blurted out instinctively.
"Right?" Kanzaki said proudly. "Our Kawakami is a very reliable pitcher."
"Mm! Kawakami-senpai's slider is really hard to hit," Arima said honestly.
Kawakami scratched his cheek awkwardly.
"…Again."
"Okay!"
Over the next ten pitches, Kawakami showed everything—slider, curveball, sinker.
Out of the ten, Arima managed to connect with two: a fastball and a curveball.
Next up was Kominato Haruichi. After politely greeting Kawakami, he stepped into the batter's box. Calm and focused, he also managed to hit two out of ten pitches.
After that, Furuya Satoru connected with one.
Sawamura Eijun… missed all of them.
"Damn it!" Sawamura turned back angrily. "Can I bunt?"
"No," Kanzaki replied flatly.
He shrugged. "Keep practicing your swing, kid."
"Hmph! One day, I'll hit a home run off your pitch!" Sawamura said, narrowing his cat-like eyes.
"Oh?" Kanzaki replied lazily. "That'll probably only happen when I'm eighty."
With that, Kanzaki put on his glove and walked to the mound.
"Arima," he called. "Didn't you want to hit my changeup?"
"Yes, senpai!" Arima eagerly stepped back into the batter's box.
Kanzaki's lips curved slightly. He glanced at the target Chris set and released the ball without hesitation.
Fastball.
Fastball.
Changeup.
Three pitches.
Three strikes.
The highly motivated Arima Kazusa didn't even touch the ball once.
"Next," Kanzaki said calmly.
After thoroughly tormenting the juniors, Kanzaki looked quite satisfied.
"I thought you'd go a little easier on them," Chris said as he stood up.
"How could I?" Kanzaki smiled. "Arima asked for this himself."
"Mm… even though I couldn't hit it," Arima said seriously, "standing in the batter's box and watching senpai's pitch is completely different."
"It's like Furuya's super-upgraded version," Kominato Haruichi said suddenly.
Kanzaki froze for a second—then burst out laughing, slapping Kawakami on the shoulder.
"I want to pitch too," Furuya said quietly.
"Pitch my ass," Kanzaki replied immediately. "Tomorrow's the Welcoming Match. Save your energy."
At the mention of the Welcoming Match, a flame ignited in Furuya's eyes.
A game.
"Do well tomorrow," Kawakami said. "Get into the second string first. Once you're there, you'll have practice games."
The first-years nodded seriously.
The first string was still a distant dream—but the second string was something they had to reach.
Back in the dorm, Arima Kazusa still looked full of energy. Seeing him like that, Kanzaki raised his hand and lightly chopped him on the head.
"Go to sleep. Now."
"Yes, senpai!" Arima replied energetically—clearly not sleepy at all.
The next morning, when Kanzaki saw Arima with dark circles under his eyes, he could only sigh helplessly.
Young people… just a Welcoming Match and they can't even sleep.
That evening, on the A-side field—
The Red–White match between the first-years and the second string was about to begin.
Kanzaki Ryou lounged leisurely in the dugout, holding a slice of watermelon. He ate casually while chatting with Fujiwara Takako, looking completely relaxed.
"I'm telling you, Ryou, aren't you going a bit too far?" Miyuki walked over and sat beside him, unable to hold back his complaint when he saw Kanzaki's carefree appearance.
"What's wrong with it?" Kanzaki replied lazily. "I've always been like this, haven't I, senpai?"
"Mmm." Fujiwara Takako covered her mouth and chuckled.
"Senpai, you really spoil him too much," Miyuki said helplessly.
Just then, Takashima Rei walked over.
"Ryou, since you're free, how about acting as a guest umpire?" she asked.
"Huh? Me? An umpire?" Kanzaki stared at her. "Are you serious? You must be joking."
This was a rare break—eating chilled watermelon while watching others train. Why would he voluntarily make life harder for himself?
"Is that so?" Takashima Rei narrowed her eyes. "Then at least keep a low profile. Everyone else is training, and you're sitting here eating watermelon. That's a terrible example."
"Hehe, my bad, my bad." Kanzaki twisted his neck casually, then opened his mouth wide and finished the watermelon in one huge bite.
Ten minutes later, the Welcoming Match officially began.
Coach Kataoka and Coach Ochiai each took charge of one team.
The process went exactly as expected—brutal.
In the top of the first inning alone, the second string, going all out, scored nine runs against the first-years.
By the second inning, the first-year pitcher was replaced. The moment Furuya Satoru stepped onto the mound, he all but secured his place in the second string—his 150 km/h fastball spoke for itself.
After that, talented first-years began to stand out one by one. With the coordination between Arima Kazusa and Kominato Haruichi, the first-year team finally managed to score their first run.
When the score reached 39–1, the first-years changed pitchers again.
Sawamura Eijun walked onto the mound.
His pitching form—one that made the release point extremely difficult to read—immediately caused trouble for the second string batters. With a combination of four-seam fastballs and cutters, Sawamura pitched three full innings, allowing only two runs.
"That was a solid performance," Kanzaki Ryou commented. "If not for the defensive errors behind him, he probably wouldn't have given up any runs at all."
His opponents were Seido's second string. Even they could defeat most West Tokyo teams outside the powerhouses.
"Yeah," Miyuki nodded. "At this point, Sawamura's barely good enough to be put straight into an official game."
Compared to when he had first arrived at Seido half a year ago, Sawamura's growth was undeniable.
"Then who's better?" Fujiwara Takako suddenly asked. "Sawamura or Furuya?"
Kanzaki and Miyuki exchanged glances.
That was a genuinely difficult question.
The two pitchers had completely different styles, and both were already more than qualified for this level.
"They're about the same," Kanzaki said after a moment. "Both half-baked."
"They still have a long way to go," Miyuki added.
Unable to get a clear answer, Fujiwara Takako could only sigh and give up.
Time passed quickly.
When the Welcoming Match finally ended, the scoreboard read 45–1.
The first-year team had been completely overwhelmed.
In the end, Arima Kazusa, Kominato Haruichi, Sawamura Eijun, and Furuya Satoru were all officially promoted to the second string by Coach Kataoka.
"In three days," Coach Kataoka announced, "the second string will have a practice match against Kokushikan High School. Prepare yourselves."
"Yes!!"
The voices rang out in unison—loud, excited, and full of anticipation.