Awesome!
Watching the Seikou pitcher being carried off the field on a stretcher, then seeing the helpless and furious expressions on the faces of Seikou's players, Kanzaki Ryou felt an indescribable sense of satisfaction.
Ah...
That feels so good.
The world suddenly seemed much brighter.
Behind home plate, Miyuki was equally pleased.
However, when he looked toward the mound and saw Kanzaki's completely undisguised smug expression, he couldn't help feeling a little worried.
Nobody had said anything.
Even the umpire had remained silent.
But everyone knew.
That pitch had been retaliation.
Intentional retaliation.
There would definitely be people who developed a negative opinion of Kanzaki because of it.
Miyuki's worried gaze met Kanzaki's triumphant grin.
A moment later, he rolled his eyes.
Forget it.
Why am I even worrying?
In the end, strength was everything.
Something like this wasn't going to affect a monster like him.
Let's finish the game.
Turning his attention back to the field, Miyuki glanced at the replacement first baseman before looking toward Seikou's next batter.
Heh.
They're already scared.
The fear on their faces was impossible to hide.
That last pitch hadn't simply sent one player to the hospital.
It had shattered the morale of Seikou's entire lineup.
The eighth batter.
Strikeout.
The ninth batter.
Strikeout.
The leadoff hitter.
Strikeout.
Three straight outs.
At this point, Kanzaki had completely entered the zone.
Every pitch he threw crushed another piece of Seikou's confidence.
Then came Seido's offense.
Bottom of the third inning.
Seven runs.
Fourth inning.
Six runs.
Fifth inning.
Six runs.
Sixth inning.
Five runs.
Seventh inning.
Eight runs.
Eighth inning.
Five runs.
Ninth inning.
Seven runs.
When the final out was recorded, the scoreboard displayed an absurd result.
Seido 54 – Seikou 0
Complete destruction.
—
After the game ended, Kanzaki, Miyuki, Coach Kataoka, and Takashima Rei headed straight to the hospital.
Coach Ochiai brought the rest of the team back to school.
When they arrived, they quickly contacted Manager Oota, who had accompanied Arima Kazusa to the hospital.
Soon, Yoshikawa Haruno came downstairs and guided them to Arima's room.
Arima had already completed his treatment.
Seeing so many people come to visit him left him deeply moved.
After chatting briefly, Coach Kataoka and Takashima Rei went to speak with the doctor while Kanzaki and Miyuki stayed behind.
The two told him everything that had happened after he left the game.
"Senpai..."
Arima looked worried.
"This is going to affect you, isn't it?"
He hadn't expected Kanzaki to retaliate so openly.
While he was touched, he was also concerned.
If Kanzaki became the target of criticism because of him...
"It's fine."
Kanzaki waved his hand casually.
"It was just one hit-by-pitch."
Then he looked carefully at Arima's shoulder.
"Did you tell your parents?"
Arima shook his head.
"No."
"I didn't want them to worry."
Kanzaki immediately looked helpless.
Beside him, Miyuki smiled.
"You should still tell them."
"Maybe they already know and just haven't called because they don't want you worrying."
Arima thought for a moment before nodding.
Borrowing Oota's phone, he stepped aside to make the call.
Just then, Coach Kataoka and Takashima Rei returned.
"Boss, what did the doctor say?" Kanzaki asked.
Coach Kataoka's eyebrow twitched.
We're in a hospital.
Could you stop calling me that here?
"It isn't serious."
"However, Arima will need some time to recover."
"That's good."
Kanzaki visibly relaxed.
"As long as there aren't any broken bones."
"That fat guy's pitch was pretty heavy."
The group finally returned to school.
After hearing that Arima was back, his teammates immediately gathered around to check on him.
—
The following day.
Because of the semifinal, Seido's first-string players were given a day off.
The coaches wanted everyone to relax after the emotional roller coaster of the previous game.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Sharp sounds echoed across the court.
A figure darted left and right with incredible agility.
Powerful serves.
Heavy topspin.
Explosive baseline rallies.
Serve-and-volley attacks.
Precise volleys.
Elegant one-handed backhands.
On the neighboring court, Kuramochi and Miyuki stood frozen.
Both were dressed in tennis outfits and holding rackets.
"...No way."
Kuramochi stared blankly.
"Our ace can do this too?"
"I had no idea."
Miyuki was equally shocked.
Tennis.
Kanzaki Ryou actually knew how to play tennis.
And he was ridiculously good at it.
"Ace!"
The shout echoed from the opposite court.
WHOOSH!
A blistering serve flew past the receiver untouched.
Ace.
Direct point.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!"
Kuramochi pointed at the speed gun beside the court.
"Two hundred and one kilometers per hour?!"
Even professional tennis players would take that seriously.
The serve was absurdly fast.
"I swear..."
Miyuki rubbed his forehead.
"If he switched sports, he might actually have a brighter future in tennis."
Several minutes later, Kanzaki defeated a regular member of Seido's tennis club.
6-2.
Straight sets.
"Hahaha!"
The tennis club captain laughed loudly.
"Kanzaki, why don't you join our club?"
"With your level, we might actually reach Nationals this year!"
"Sounds good."
Kanzaki nodded seriously.
"I like tennis too."
"Maybe I'll ask Coach Kataoka if I can join both clubs."
The captain immediately turned pale.
"Actually..."
"Let's not do that."
"If Coach Kataoka hears me trying to poach you, he'll kill me."
The surrounding players burst into laughter.
After finishing his match, Kanzaki walked over to rescue Kuramochi and Miyuki from their endless task of chasing tennis balls around the court.
That was the reality of beginners.
One light swing and the ball disappeared into another zip code.
"Hey, Kanzaki."
Kuramochi narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
"When exactly did you learn tennis?"
"Tell the truth."
"Did you secretly learn it to pick up girls?"
Everyone knew the tennis club had one of the highest ratios of female members among Seido's sports clubs.
The image of girls practicing tennis was extremely popular.
"What are you even talking about?"
Kanzaki looked speechless.
"I learned in my previous life."
Kuramochi immediately rolled his eyes.
"Stop talking nonsense."
"Give me the real answer."
Kanzaki sighed dramatically.
"Fine."
"I had a childhood friend named Tezuka."
"I learned from him for a while."
"I see."
Kuramochi nodded seriously.
Then paused.
"Wait."
"Tezuka?!"
Kanzaki pretended not to notice his reaction.
"Anyway, come on."
"I'll teach you guys."
As he explained the basic techniques, time quietly passed.
Half an hour later, several familiar figures appeared at the entrance of the courts.
Yuki Tetsuya.
Isashiki Jun.
Kominato Ryosuke.
And Fujiwara Takako.
"Yo!"
Jun shouted from a distance.
"You guys got here pretty early!"
The peaceful atmosphere of their rare day off finally began.