"Hey, Chris-senpai, you should be thanking for discovering your injury," Kanzaki Ryou said teasingly.
Chris nodded seriously. "You're right. Dr. Guatai said that if the injury had been delayed any longer, it might've caused a rupture in my subscapularis and pronator teres muscles."
"That serious?" Kanzaki asked in surprise. He knew Chris had been injured, but he didn't rember the specifics being that severe.
"To thank you, I've prepared sothing," Chris said, a rare smile tugging at his lips.
"A gift?"
"A training plan," Chris replied gently. "It focuses mainly on body coordination, strength training, and your diet."
"Thank you, senpai."
"No matter how ambitious you are or how far your dreams reach, rember that your physical health is the foundation for everything. Don't end up like ," Chris said quietly, placing a firm hand on Kanzaki's shoulder. His tone carried weight — and just a hint of regret.
Kanzaki smiled confidently. "This year might be too late, but next year, Chris-senpai will definitely beco the Koshien champion catcher!"
Chris shook his head, chuckling bitterly. "It's not easy to reclaim a starting spot after missing half a year of training and gas — not in Seidou. Everyone here trains like their life depends on it."
And besides… among Seidou's catchers now, there was a true prodigy.
The sight of the upperclassn still running wasn't exactly pleasant, so after a while, Kanzaki left the field and returned to the dorm.
'Oniichan, daisuki'
A sweet voice suddenly rang out — Kanzaki's phone ringtone.
Under Chris's puzzled gaze, Kanzaki answered the phone as if nothing was wrong.
"Stupid imouto," he said flatly.
"Ni-chan!" ca the bright, chirpy voice of Kanzaki Kumiko — cheerful and full of life, like a songbird. The mont he heard her, the exhaustion from practice lted away.
"Kumiko, do you miss your brother?"
"Of course! I saw your na on Baseball Magazine!" she said excitedly. Although it was only a short online segnt, Kanzaki's na had been ntioned.
"Baseball Magazine? They're pretty quick," Kanzaki mused. The magazine focused on high school baseball, so it wasn't strange for them to notice him. But the fact that they already published sothing after just one inning yesterday? That was impressively fast.
What Kanzaki didn't realize was that his overpowering presence and electric performance on the mound had already made waves — enough to draw the dia's attention overnight.
"See? I always keep up with my brother's news!" Kumiko said proudly.
Kanzaki chuckled. "So, Kumiko really can't live without . Maybe I should've kidnapped you to Seidou."
"No way! If I went there, your creepy sis-con personality would totally ruin your training," she shot back, half embarrassed, half amused.
"Eh? So that's what you think of ?" Kanzaki said, genuinely surprised — then smirked. "Kumiko, you've grown up."
Knowing her brother's teasing mode had been activated, Kumiko quickly changed the topic. "Next month is the Nichiun Festival! Our brass band will be performing at Sun Park, and I… I want…"
"Kumiko-chan wants her big brother to co watch?" Kanzaki asked gently.
"Mmh…" she humd shyly in affirmation. It wasn't a competition, but it was her first performance in high school — and she wanted her brother there.
"When is it?" Kanzaki asked.
"May 2nd."
"Got it."
May 2nd — just before the Kanto Tournant. If it was only for one day, he could make ti.
"Really?" Kumiko asked in surprise, her voice brightening with joy.
"Of course," Kanzaki said warmly. "When has your big brother ever lied to you?"
Kumiko fell silent for a mont. "Ni-chan… am I being too selfish? You're really busy too."
"Nah," Kanzaki replied with a grin. "It's a sister's duty to be spoiled and willful with her brother."
"Hmph! You're only a few minutes older than !"
Their happy chatter went on for half an hour, and when the call finally ended, Kanzaki was still smiling.
"You have a sister, Ryou?" Chris asked, leaning back in his chair with a book in hand.
"Yeah, a twin sister. Super kawaii!" Kanzaki said proudly.
Chris raised a brow, intrigued. "I believe it. After all, you're quite popular yourself. Kuramochi said you got a lot of love letters today."
Kanzaki smirked, ready to brag — until Chris continued, "But rember, high school baseball only lasts two and a half years. If you want to reach your dreams, you'll need to put in ten thousand tis the effort and never slack off."
"Eh… are you saying love slows down my pitch velocity, Chris-senpai?"
"More or less," Chris replied calmly. "Of course, if it's soone who supports your baseball dream completely, that's a different story." His tone wasn't strict — just thoughtful.
Kanzaki nodded, pretending to ponder deeply, then glanced at him slyly.
"From experience?"
"No." Chris's expression darkened imdiately. He'd never been in a relationship — though the number of girls who admired him could fill an entire fan club.
"Hehe." Kanzaki chuckled softly. Teasing Chris was surprisingly fun.
After dinner, Kanzaki grabbed his bat and headed to the small yard beside the dorm.
After days of training, he'd realized that physical strength was the foundation for everything. His pitching had reached a temporary ceiling — without learning new techniques, improvent would be marginal.
That ant it was ti to work on his batting.
His batting wasn't bad — in fact, he had talent. With his dynamic vision, he could track even the smallest changes in a pitch's trajectory.
He knew he wouldn't be in the heart of the batting order for the upcoming Capital or Kanto tournants, but even at the lower end, delivering in clutch monts could change the ga.
"Tonight, another 200 swings," Kanzaki muttered to himself. Since joining Seidou, he'd made a habit of doing an extra 300 swings every night.
"Yo, extra practice, huh?"
A familiar voice ca from behind him. Kanzaki didn't even have to turn — he already knew who it was.
"Yeah," he said with a grin. "I've been waiting for you, Miyuki."
"Braggart. You just got here too, didn't you?" Miyuki scoffed, walking closer with a smirk. "So? Was the ga fun?"
"Fun," Kanzaki replied simply, gripping his bat and taking another swing.
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