Miyuki couldn't help but laugh when he saw the number.
"…Your pitching has changed."
"Huh?" Kanzaki Ryou tilted his head. "Changed how?"
"Two-stage acceleration," Miyuki said.
"Two-stage acceleration?" Kanzaki froze for a moment, then quickly reacted. "You mean spin rate?"
Miyuki nodded. Talking with Kanzaki was always effortless.
"Your spin rate has clearly increased. The ball loses less velocity in the second half of its flight. To the batter, it looks like the ball suddenly speeds up halfway—like it's accelerating again."
"Oh?" Kanzaki lifted his chin slightly. "So my Fastball just got stronger?"
"Yes," Miyuki said bluntly. "Much stronger."
Then he frowned slightly.
"But how did it suddenly change? You haven't been pitching recently. Did you consciously adjust your spin?"
Kanzaki thought for a moment, then shrugged.
"If I had to guess… maybe it's just growth?"
"Growth."
A calm voice came from outside the bullpen.
Kanzaki turned his head and immediately saw Ochiai Hiromitsu standing there, hands behind his back, watching them with interest.
…When did this guy get here?
"Coach Ochiai?" Fujiwara Takako jumped slightly. "How long have you been standing there?"
Ochiai coughed lightly, his mustache twitching.
"Ahem. From the beginning."
"Heh." Kanzaki rolled his eyes, then asked, "Coach, what did you mean by growth?"
Ochiai nodded seriously.
"Growth in technique, growth in mentality—and growth of the body itself."
"Over the past year, your physical strength has increased significantly, especially your control over that strength. You may not have noticed it while constantly pitching and accumulating fatigue."
"But after resting and eliminating that fatigue, once your body returned to its optimal condition…"
Ochiai's eyes gleamed.
"…your true pitching emerged."
As he spoke, his gaze toward Kanzaki grew increasingly fervent.
A pitcher like this…
Born for baseball.
What a pity he wasn't personally cultivated by him.
For the first time, Ochiai felt a faint, unfamiliar emotion.
…Was this envy toward Kataoka?
"Alright," Kanzaki said, suddenly energized.
"Miyuki, squat down. I need to feel this properly."
Miyuki nodded immediately and dropped into position.
Whoosh—
Bang!
Swish—Thwack!
Pitch after pitch, Kanzaki carefully sensed every change—his fingers, wrist, arm angle, and release.
From the side, Fujiwara Takako watched silently.
For some reason, Kanzaki Ryou seemed to glow while pitching.
It was impossible to look away.
After a dozen pitches, Kanzaki finally stopped.
"Hahaha—got it."
He rolled his shoulder, satisfied.
"I can consciously throw it now."
Two Fastballs.
One ordinary.
One accelerated.
Miyuki stood up slowly and sighed.
"…This is ridiculous."
Not only had Kanzaki's pitching evolved—but he could freely switch between two different Fastball types.
Unfair didn't even begin to describe it.
And yet—
It really is amazing, Miyuki thought.
Coming to Seido…
Meeting teammates like this…
After high school—
Professional baseball—
He wanted to catch for Kanzaki Ryou then, too.
No matter what.
"Alright, enough showing off," Miyuki said, masking his emotions.
"Keep throwing."
Two days later, the Kanto Tournament officially began.
Five rounds.
Elite schools from across the region.
Led by Kanzaki Ryou, Seido advanced straight to the finals—where they once again faced Inashiro Industrial.
A fierce clash.
Pitch against pitch.
Bat against bat.
In the end, Seido prevailed 6–4, claiming the championship.
The runs allowed came from Kawakami and Tanba.
Kanzaki Ryou allowed six hits—
But zero runs.
After the tournament, Seido and Inashiro were widely acknowledged as the two strongest teams in Tokyo—perhaps even all of Japan.
"West Tokyo Overlord."
"West Tokyo Prince."
The media spread these titles everywhere.
Afterward, Seido entered a rest period before the Summer Tournament in July.
The baseball club received a rare two-day holiday.
"Let's go, Kanzaki."
Outside the dorm, Miyuki stood with a backpack and knocked.
"Coming."
Kanzaki emerged as well, equally prepared.
Today—
He was visiting Miyuki's home.
"It's settled," Kanzaki grinned.
"You're cooking."
Miyuki pushed up his glasses confidently.
"Just wait. You won't regret it."
Soon, they arrived at a detached house.
Kanzaki carried the small gifts he'd bought and greeted politely.
"Nice to meet you, Uncle. I'm Kanzaki Ryou."
Miyuki's father nodded quietly and led him inside.
Miyuki sighed helplessly.
After finding a topic for the two to chat about, he escaped to the kitchen.
An hour later—
"Delicious!!"
"This is amazing!"
Kanzaki was genuinely stunned.
After dinner, Miyuki's father left for work.
The two played chess, video games, and watched movies.
"…This is boring," Miyuki said suddenly. "Let's go play baseball."
"Hey," Kanzaki protested. "It's a holiday."
"There's a batting cage nearby."
"…You planned this."
Still, they went.
The pitching machine was set to 150 km/h.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Kanzaki sent ball after ball flying.
At the adjacent cage, a blond teenager frowned slightly.
"Kei, what are you staring at?"
A taller, sturdier black-haired boy asked.
Kei Kaname shook his head and smiled.
"Nothing."
"Let's keep training, Kiyomine."