The moment Kanzaki Ryou finished speaking, it felt as if Sawamura Eijun's soul had been sucked out of his body.
His eyes went blank, unfocused, and his mind fell into complete chaos.
After a long while, as if waking from a dream, Sawamura murmured softly,
"…Just being happy is definitely not enough."
The words seemed to be squeezed out from the depths of his heart—so quiet that only he himself could hear them.
All this time, Sawamura Eijun had carried an intense passion for baseball.
Back in his hometown, not only did he love the sport wholeheartedly, he had also dragged along friends who weren't particularly interested in athletics, forcing them to form a baseball team together. Every training session was filled with loud laughter and passionate shouts about reaching the National Tournament.
But now, for the first time, Sawamura began to question himself.
For his friends… were the National Tournament and Koshien truly their dreams?
If it was just about playing baseball happily, Sawamura believed they could play together for a lifetime.
But if the goal was truly the Nationals—or even Koshien—then what would that mean for them?
Slowly, Sawamura turned his head.
His gaze landed on the players training on the field.
One by one, he watched them—sweat dripping under the blazing sun, movements sharp and focused, expressions unwavering. The emotions swirling in his chest grew increasingly complicated.
Just then—
"Oi, kid. Since you're already here, want to try our training?"
Kanzaki Ryou spoke up casually, noticing that his words had clearly struck their mark.
If there was one thing Kanzaki excelled at, it was delivering a heavy blow at the perfect moment—right when someone's heart wavered—then following it up with just the right push.
Sawamura snapped back to reality.
Looking at the man who had just lectured him so seriously, now wearing a teasing smile, a surge of irritation suddenly burst forth.
"Bring it on! Who's afraid of whom?!" Sawamura shouted.
Kanzaki rested the bat on his shoulder, relaxed and confident.
"What's your name? And what position do you play?"
"Sawamura Eijun! Pitcher!"
"Good," Kanzaki nodded. "Go change and warm up. You'll pitch later, and I'll bat. Let me see what you're made of."
That calm, condescending tone only fueled Sawamura's fighting spirit even more.
I'll show you!
Takashima Rei, who had observed everything from start to finish, quietly gave Kanzaki a thumbs-up. Then she turned and called out,
"Fujiwara Takako, please take this young man to change his clothes."
"Got it!" Fujiwara responded cheerfully, jogging over to lead Sawamura away.
Once Sawamura left, Takashima Rei walked up to Kanzaki and asked in a low voice,
"What exactly are you planning?"
"Letting him experience real high school baseball," Kanzaki replied with a smile. "Isn't that what you wanted, Rei-chan?"
Takashima Rei nodded. "Yes—but don't go too far."
"Mmm, mmm. Don't worry. I know what I'm doing."
Soon after, Sawamura Eijun returned, now dressed in Seido's training uniform.
Kanzaki turned toward the corner of the field and called out,
"Kazuya! You're catching."
"Huh?" Miyuki blinked. "Why am I involved in this?"
Despite his reluctance, he slowly stood up and walked over.
At that moment, Takashima Rei leaned in and whispered,
"Miyuki, this kid's pitching is interesting. He hasn't even realized his true potential yet. Can you bring it out?"
"Oh?" Miyuki glanced at Sawamura with curiosity. "That sounds fun."
As he put on his catcher's gear, Miyuki looked toward Kanzaki, who was already stepping into position with a bat in hand. For some reason, excitement surged within him.
Heh… striking out Kanzaki would be pretty fun.
Miyuki snickered inside his glove.
Bang!
A solid kick landed squarely on Miyuki's backside.
"What are you grinning about? You look like a pervert on a packed train," Kanzaki said flatly.
Miyuki turned around, laughing awkwardly. "I'm just saying—you specifically asked me to call pitches. There's got to be a reason, right?"
"Is there?" Kanzaki rolled his eyes. "You're overthinking it."
"You're planning to go easy, aren't you?" Miyuki whispered. "After all, no one knows your pitching better than me."
Kanzaki stared at him like he was an idiot.
"If I wanted to go easy, would I need you? I could just miss on purpose."
"…Ah, I see." Miyuki nodded solemnly. "I understand."
"Go talk to him first," Kanzaki said. "At least find out what kind of pitches he throws."
Just then—
"What are you two whispering about, huh?!"
Sawamura shouted from the mound.
"I know! You're discussing how to deal with me, right? You've realized how amazing I am already, haven't you?!"
...
Kanzaki and Miyuki slowly craned their necks to look at Sawamura.
Then they turned to look at each other.
He's an idiot, right?
Definitely.
"Huh?"
Sawamura tilted his head as well, suddenly feeling like the two of them were thinking something rude about him.
At that moment, Miyuki casually tossed the ball in his hand toward Sawamura. Sawamura caught it, then froze.
"…Eh? Is this your first time using a hardball?" Miyuki asked, noticing his reaction.
Sawamura looked down at the ball in his palm and seemed to realize something.
"Throw it back. Toss a few pitches and get used to it," Miyuki said.
Sawamura nodded without hesitation and threw the ball.
Whoosh!
The pitch flew out.
Nothing special, Miyuki thought.
But just before the ball reached the plate, its trajectory suddenly shifted—unnaturally.
Snap!
Miyuki reacted instantly, moving his glove to catch it.
His pupils trembled.
Interesting…
With just one pitch, Miyuki—the seasoned catcher—had already seen the essence of Sawamura Eijun's pitching.
Yet judging by Sawamura's expression, the pitcher himself was completely unaware of it.
"One more," Miyuki said, tossing the ball back.
They continued pitching and catching for a while.
Finally, Miyuki nodded. "That's enough. We can start."
Sawamura nodded silently.
At the same time, Kanzaki Ryou stepped into the batter's box, bat resting loosely on his shoulder.
"Kid," Kanzaki said, squinting his eyes with a familiar smile, "watch closely. I'm going to send this flying. Don't get scared."
"Huh?!"
"You're the one who should be scared!" Sawamura snarled like an angry puppy, steam practically puffing from his nostrils. "Don't cry if I hit you!"
Kanzaki shook his head helplessly, then said quietly to Miyuki,
"Let's begin."
The unusual standoff immediately drew everyone's attention. When the players realized that Kanzaki Ryou was about to duel a middle school pitcher, cheers erupted across the field.
A duel—
between Seido's ace
and a boy from the countryside—
was about to begin.