"Wow—!!"
"Kid, strike him out!"
"Hehehe! Hey kid, if you strike out Kanzaki, I'll treat you to ice cream!"
"Go for it! We're rooting for you!"
...
Listening to his teammates' teasing, Kanzaki Ryou felt a bit helpless.
Sawamura Eijun, on the other hand, looked left and right in confusion. He didn't quite understand why these people were cheering for him.
Weren't they all on the same team?
Hmph. There must be some trick, Sawamura thought, narrowing his eyes as he focused entirely on the batter in front of him.
Whew—
Sawamura took a deep breath.
He didn't feel any obvious hostility from Kanzaki Ryou, but there was a strange, inexplicable pressure bearing down on him—like an invisible force slowly swallowing him whole.
Suppressing the unease rising in his chest, Sawamura gathered his strength and fired the pitch.
Kanzaki Ryou stared at the incoming baseball.
He didn't swing.
But just before the ball reached home plate, it suddenly changed.
A dark shadow flashed through Miyuki's vision.
Bang!
The crisp, explosive sound froze Sawamura on the mound.
"H-Home run!"
"Hey, hey, that's way too cruel! He's just a middle schooler!"
"Bullying the weak—despicable, Kanzaki!"
"Tch, definitely a bad guy."
"I told you, Kanzaki and Miyuki are both black-hearted."
The teammates whispered among themselves, half-joking, half-resigned. This outcome had been completely within their expectations.
After all, the middle schooler clearly had no idea who was standing in the batter's box.
This was the monster rookie who had hit six home runs at Koshien.
If counted from the time he entered high school, he had already blasted thirteen home runs in just half a year—and that was with limited appearances.
Ignorance truly was bliss.
Poor kid.
"You're really not holding back at all, huh?" Miyuki asked quietly, looking up.
That first swing alone had practically scared the kid stiff.
"I never said I would," Kanzaki Ryou replied calmly.
Miyuki raised an eyebrow. Something felt off.
Based on his understanding of Kanzaki Ryou's personality, he shouldn't be this ruthless toward a rookie—especially a middle schooler.
"I'll explain later," Kanzaki said. "Go stabilize him first."
"Got it."
Miyuki stood up and jogged to the mound, only to see Sawamura staring blankly ahead, as if his soul had been knocked out of his body.
"Hey," Miyuki said casually. "Don't overthink it. There's nothing shameful about giving up a home run to him. Even top pitchers across the country wouldn't dare say they could strike him out."
Sawamura snapped back to reality at those words.
He clenched his fists tightly.
This… is high school baseball?
That swing… what kind of monster is he?!
"Alright, stop staring," Miyuki said, patting Sawamura's shoulder familiarly. "Tell me—what pitches do you have? Let's figure out a way to deal with him together."
"What?!" Sawamura slapped Miyuki's hand away angrily. "Aren't you and that guy on the same team?!"
Even if he didn't hate Kanzaki Ryou, no one would be in a good mood after getting blasted like that.
"If you don't cooperate," Miyuki said seriously, "then we absolutely can't beat him. Absolutely."
Sawamura fell silent.
With just one pitch, he had already felt the terror of high school baseball firsthand.
Still, he refused to lose verbally.
"This is a showdown between him and me," Sawamura shouted. "I don't need your help!"
Miyuki grinned. "Huh? Didn't you say baseball is only fun when you play it with teammates? Now that we're partners, are you planning to play all by yourself?"
Sawamura froze.
His face instantly turned red. "W-Who said we're partners?!"
"Don't be shy~" Miyuki said, slinging an arm around his shoulder. "Come on, tell me. What pitches do you have?"
"I—I—!" Sawamura shouted in embarrassment and frustration. "I only use my straight ball to decide the game!"
"Seriously?" Miyuki looked skeptical.
"Mm!" Sawamura snorted and nodded fiercely.
Miyuki was silent for a moment, then sighed deeply.
"It's over. We're done for. There's no hope."
"Huh?" Sawamura asked. "What do you mean?!"
Miyuki shook his head.
Even with the strange late movement on Sawamura's fastball, a straight under 135 km/h had absolutely no chance against a fully serious Kanzaki Ryou.
In front of those eyes, such speed and movement were practically meaningless.
"Good luck," Miyuki said, patting Sawamura's back with unconcealed sympathy. "I'll do my best."
"Bastard!" Sawamura roared. "I knew you guys were on the same side! Just watch—I can beat him on my own!"
"Hehehe." Miyuki laughed and returned to home plate.
Kanzaki Ryou smiled faintly.
Although he didn't know what the two had discussed, Sawamura's fighting spirit had clearly reignited.
Then—
A fired-up Sawamura continued pitching.
The result?
Four home runs. Two long hits.
That was the final score.
The teammates watching could no longer laugh.
It was too cruel.
Far too brutal.
Doing this to a middle schooler, Kanzaki was truly ruthless.
Never provoke him again.
A chill ran down everyone's spine.
Looking at Sawamura on the mound—standing there like an empty shell—Kanzaki Ryou knew it was time.
If this continued any longer, Rei-chan would be anxious to death.
Carrying his bat, Kanzaki walked over and pressed it lightly against Sawamura's chest.
"Sawamura Eijun, right?"
"Do you understand now?" Kanzaki said calmly. "If you want to walk far on the path of baseball… if you want to see the scenery at the very top… passion and enjoyment alone will never be enough."
Sawamura lowered his head, teeth clenched.
Everything today had been too shocking.
Too cruel.
Seeing this, Kanzaki sighed, his tone softening.
"Your pitching isn't bad. Don't let today's beating stay in your heart."
He placed a hand on Sawamura's shoulder.
"It's not that you're weak," Kanzaki said evenly. "It's just that I'm strong."
"I can see your passion for baseball. If you want to test your limits… if you want to see the scenery at the top—"
"Come to Seido."
"The training here is hellish," Kanzaki continued. "But someone like you should enjoy that kind of hell."
Sawamura's hands trembled.
He slowly looked up, his eyes filled with confusion and struggle.
"I… I can't betray my hometown friends!" he said through clenched teeth.
Kanzaki smiled.
Finally—this was the real issue.
"I don't know how deep your bonds with them are," Kanzaki said calmly. "So I'll only ask you one thing."
"Baseball—do you like baseball?"
"Of course I do!"
"Then put your hand on your chest and answer me," Kanzaki said, locking eyes with him.
"If you don't seize the opportunity in front of you right now… and regret it in the future—"
"Will you blame your friends for it?!"
"Answer me," Kanzaki said firmly.
"Look into my eyes, Sawamura Eijun."