Sawamura Eijun stood there as if struck by lightning.
Kanzaki Ryou's words echoed relentlessly in his ears.
"I… I…"
Sawamura opened his mouth several times, yet no complete sentence came out.
Kanzaki Ryou's voice remained calm, mercilessly pressing forward.
"If your friends knew you gave up the chance to enter Seido because of them, what do you think they would feel?"
"Happy? Proud?"
"No."
"They'd feel guilty."
Sawamura's pupils trembled.
"Or," Kanzaki continued indifferently, "is it that you were simply afraid? Afraid to leave your hometown alone and come to Seido—so your friends conveniently became an excuse for you to escape."
He looked straight at Sawamura.
"Are you really that much of a coward?"
"Huh?! Temee—what did you say?!" Sawamura roared, lifting his head in fury.
Kanzaki Ryou chuckled lightly, completely unfazed.
"If you want your friends to carry guilt for the rest of their lives, then go ahead—turn around and leave now."
"Or you can choose not to tell them the truth, bury it deep inside, and regret it silently decades later… licking your wounds like a wounded stray dog."
...
That was too much.
Far too cruel.
The surrounding teammates were stunned.
Takashima Rei clenched her fists, several times wanting to interrupt. No matter what, this was a newcomer she had personally taken a liking to. If Kanzaki pushed him too far, it could completely crush him.
"Think it over carefully," Kanzaki said calmly, already turning away.
"If you truly can't decide, go back and ask your friends—if you really consider them your friends."
With that, he left without another glance.
"Rei-chan, I'm going to the gym."
"I'm going too!" Miyuki shouted, immediately following after him.
Takashima Rei nodded and waved at the stunned onlookers.
"Alright, enough watching. Everyone go back to training!"
She then walked over to Sawamura, who was standing there motionless, staring blankly ahead.
Takashima Rei sighed softly.
Kanzaki was too ruthless… Was it right to ask him for help?
"Although Kanzaki's words were harsh," she said gently, "he isn't wrong. Think about it carefully."
Sawamura suddenly lifted his head, his gaze locking onto Takashima Rei.
"He… what's his name?" Sawamura asked.
Takashima Rei's eyes lit up.
There was hope.
"Kanzaki Ryou," she replied. "First-year. This year's Koshien champion pitcher—and Seido's Ace."
"Koshien champion… pitcher? Ace?!" Sawamura exclaimed.
This time, he was genuinely shaken.
"Yes," Takashima Rei nodded. "So losing to him is perfectly normal. Don't take it to heart."
Unexpectedly, Sawamura's eyes began to shine.
"I've decided!" he shouted, fists clenched.
"I want to join Seido!"
"Sooner or later, I'll strike him out—no, I'll become the Ace and make him admit how amazing I, Sawamura-sama, am!"
"Ahahahahaha!"
Takashima Rei's glasses slipped down her nose.
What… what kind of emotional whiplash is this kid experiencing?
He didn't break, did he?
"Since you've decided," Takashima Rei said seriously, "there's no turning back."
Sawamura stopped laughing and nodded firmly.
"Mm."
He had to admit it.
Kanzaki Ryou's words had made him realize many things.
He once thought leaving Nagano meant betraying his friends—making them sad.
But now…
They would probably be happy for him, right?
Meanwhile, downstairs in the dormitory.
"Didn't you say you were going to the gym?" Miyuki asked, following behind Kanzaki Ryou. "Why are you back at the dorm?"
"How else would I sneak away?" Kanzaki replied calmly.
"Even if it's self-training, slacking off openly isn't a good habit."
Miyuki blinked, then burst out laughing.
"Ohhh~ Kanzaki, you sly bastard."
Back in the dorm room, Kanzaki pulled out a notebook from a drawer, opened it, and handed it to Miyuki.
"Take a look."
Miyuki flipped through it, curiosity quickly turning into surprise.
"Basic Reshaping Training?"
"Correcting baseball habits… establishing a scientific pitching framework… stamina reserves…"
The more he read, the stranger his expression became.
"This is… ridiculously detailed."
"Three five-kilometer runs per week, hip explosive power, shoulder and elbow stability, joint flexibility, pivot foot positioning, pitching posture correction, four-seam fastball training…"
Miyuki closed the notebook.
"This is for that kid just now?" he asked.
"Yes," Kanzaki replied with a smile.
"…Why?" Miyuki stared at him. "Is he your relative or something?"
Kanzaki shook his head.
"Rei-chan thinks highly of him. Consider it helping her out."
"And besides," he added calmly, "that kid is extremely malleable. You saw it too."
Miyuki chuckled. "Even so, you're way too dedicated."
He had to admit it—Sawamura's pitching intrigued him.
With proper mechanics, posture correction, and a stable force chain, increasing his velocity to 135 km/h wouldn't be difficult.
Reaching 140 km/h in the future wasn't unrealistic.
Coupled with his naturally weird breaking balls, he would be more than qualified for high school baseball.
"I'm also doing this for myself," Kanzaki said.
"Next year, Tanba-senpai will retire. The team can't rely on just Kawakami and me. That would be exhausting."
"I need a reliable helper."
"That reason… barely passes," Miyuki nodded.
"But this plan already covers all of his weaknesses," Miyuki continued, tapping the notebook.
"Except…"
"Except what?"
"Batting training," Miyuki said. "Why is there only bunt practice?"
Kanzaki chuckled. "Don't worry about it."
"Since you also think it's fine, I'll give it to him later."
Miyuki shrugged. "As long as you're happy. But won't you get tired doing all this?"
From Kuramochi, to Kawakami, and now to a middle schooler—
Kanzaki Ryou truly spared no effort for Seido's dream of three consecutive championships.
"For something this small," Kanzaki said dismissively, retrieving the notebook,
"who do you think I am?"
He then took another notebook from the drawer—another training plan.
The two left the dormitory.
Miyuki headed for the gym.
Kanzaki pulled out his phone and called Takashima Rei.
"Rei-chan, where are you?"
"Oh, Kanzaki," she replied. "I'm at the parking lot, about to send Sawamura to the station."
"Wait a moment," Kanzaki said as he quickened his pace.
"I have something to give that kid."