"Oh? That voice just now—was that Kanzaki's girlfriend?"
Chris raised an eyebrow at the teasing murmurs spreading through the room.
"It can't be his sister, right? What kind of brother uses his sister's voice as his ringtone? That's basically sis-con behavior!"
Hearing the whispers, Chris chuckled. "Don't overthink it. That's Kanzaki's sister, Kumiko."
"Tch, boring."
"Uninteresting."
"Perverted sis-con!"
Losing interest once they found out it was just family, Seidou's players scattered to mind their own business.
Inside the locker room restroom, Kanzaki Ryou answered his phone. His sister's playful voice imdiately filled his ear, tinged with mock irritation.
"Ni-chan, why did you take so long to answer?"
"Kumiko, your big brother's still in the locker room," Kanzaki said, his fatigue from the match instantly fading at the sound of her voice.
"Ni-chan, I watched your ga just now!" she said excitedly. "Four innings, no runs allowed! You were amazing!"
"Wait, since when do you understand baseball?" Kanzaki asked, surprised.
Kanzaki Kumiko huffed, pretending to be offended. "I've been learning, okay? Unlike you, who can't even read sheet music and doesn't care about at all!"
Kanzaki Ryou laughed softly. In their family, both of his sisters, Mami and Kumiko, had incredible musical talent. He was the odd one out—soone who got dizzy just from looking at a score sheet.
"You know what I'm like," he said gently. "So, why are you really calling ? Don't tell you just missed ?"
"Can't I?" she cooed.
"You can—but you definitely have another reason. What is it? Out of pocket money again?" he teased fondly.
"No, it's not that," Kumiko said with a tiny hum. "Ni-chan, rember those two custom bats you ordered before school started? They still haven't shipped."
"Oh right! I completely forgot about that," Kanzaki said, rubbing the back of his head. "So, they were delivered to the house?"
"Mm-hmm! Should I send them to you, or will you co ho to get them?"
"Mail them. I won't have ti to visit soon," he said.
"Got it. I'll mail them after school today." She leaned against the hallway wall, absentmindedly tapping her heels on the floor.
"Thanks, Kumiko."
"Mmm-hmm~ Ni-chan…"
"What is it?"
"Good luck in the finals tomorrow."
"Yeah, thanks. But don't you dare secretly watch the ga during class again," Kanzaki said with a chuckle.
"Hmph! I'm not talking to you anymore—I'm going to practice!" she said, hanging up with mock indignation.
Kanzaki smiled helplessly, slipping his phone into his pocket before heading back out.
The semifinal between Inashiro Industrial and Teito High had already begun. Kanzaki glanced at the scoreboard—and froze.
Only one inning had passed, yet Inashiro was already leading 4–0.
"Seriously? Did Teito eat sothing bad last night?" he muttered.
"You're here?" Miyuki Kazuya called, patting the seat beside him. "Sit down."
Kanzaki sat and asked, "What's going on with Teito?"
"Teito's ace isn't playing," Miyuki said with a sigh. "They're getting completely overpowered."
"Oh? In a semifinal? They're holding back now? That's just asking to lose," Kanzaki remarked.
Miyuki shook his head, pointing toward Teito's bullpen. "No, their ace probably has a problem. Look—he's not even the one warming up."
"Then Teito's finished," Kanzaki said bluntly. "Without their ace, they can't possibly take down Inashiro."
"Exactly. And look closely," Miyuki added. "Our opponent tomorrow will almost certainly be them."
The ga progressed quickly. By the end of the fifth inning, the score had ballooned to 9–3 in Inashiro's favor.
Suddenly, movent stirred in their dugout.
"Wait, is that—Narumiya i?" Kanzaki's eyes widened. "He's pitching already!?"
According to his mory, Narumiya i wasn't supposed to make his debut until the sumr tournant. Why now?
Could Coach Kunitomo have been provoked by Kanzaki's recent performance? No—that didn't fit his personality. More likely, Kanzaki thought, i himself demanded to play.
Once that willful "Little Blondie" set his mind to sothing, he never backed down. Perhaps Kunitomo simply let him throw a few innings since Inashiro had such a huge lead.
"There's nothing strange about it," Miyuki said calmly. "With a comfortable lead, letting a first-year like i pitch is natural."
His gaze, however, remained fixed on i, who was bounding cheerfully toward the mound.
"Besides," Miyuki added, "Coach Kunitomo probably wants to test how well i performs against a strong team in an official setting."
Kanzaki nodded in understanding. "So, you think i might actually pitch against us tomorrow?"
"Very possible," Miyuki said. "Inashiro's ace is strong, but he won't last an entire ga against Seidou's lineup without giving up runs. Sa goes for our ace, Nanjo."
Kanzaki turned around. "What do you think, Chris-senpai?"
Sitting quietly behind them, Chris Yuu Takigawa smiled faintly.
"What Miyuki said is right," he replied. "Tomorrow's match will be fierce. Both teams will need pitchers who can hold the line once their aces begin to tire."
"If you hadn't revealed yourself this early, Ryou, Inashiro probably wouldn't have sent i out today. But your appearance shifted the balance. Coach Kunitomo had no choice but to respond."
Kanzaki and Miyuki nodded thoughtfully.
On the field, Narumiya i, making his high school debut, looked ecstatic—like an eager puppy finally let off its leash.
The crowd buzzed with anticipation. The genius pitcher who had dominated middle school baseball was stepping onto the high school stage.
As the old saying goes—
The past was the past, and the present is the present.
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