Two days later, the newly formed first-string team of Seido High School played its first practice game.
Seido High School vs. Akikawa High School.
Because of Kanzaki Ryou's prior arrangement with You Shunshin, setting up the practice match went very smoothly.
"Long time no see."
"Yeah," You Shunshin replied as he shook Kanzaki Ryou's hand. "I originally planned to come to Seido right after the regional tournament, but I didn't expect to wait an entire month."
"Good things are worth waiting for," Kanzaki Ryou said with a grin. "Today's game should be pretty interesting."
"I'm looking forward to it."
Soon, both teams gathered on the field. After a brief warm-up, the practice game officially began.
Akikawa High School batted first in the top of the first inning.
Seido High School Starting Lineup
Kanemaru Shinji — Shortstop
Kijima Mio — Second Baseman
Seki Naomichi — Right Fielder
Furuya Satoru — Pitcher
Ono Hiroshi — Catcher
Yamaguchi Ken — First Baseman
Higasa Shoji — Third Baseman
Aso Takashi — Left Fielder
Kawashima Kengo — Center Fielder
"Huh?"
The moment Kanzaki Ryou saw the lineup, he immediately turned toward the coaching staff.
"Coach… is there a mistake here?"
Coach Kataoka's lips curled slightly upward, but before he could answer, Ochiai Hiromitsu stroked his mustache and spoke first.
"Kanemaru has good vision, quick reactions, and decent speed. He has potential at shortstop."
Takashima Rei also added, "At third base, there's already Higasa Shoji from the third years, as well as Arima Kazusa from Kanemaru's own class. Competing there wouldn't be easy for him."
"A few days ago," Coach Kataoka explained calmly, "Kanemaru came to me himself and said he wanted to switch to shortstop. That's why he was able to make the first string."
Hearing that, Kanzaki Ryou clicked his tongue in admiration.
Kanemaru really did have grit.
To earn playing time, he was even willing to change positions.
Not bad, you stubborn rascal…
Kanzaki Ryou stopped talking and looked toward Kanemaru on the field. He had to admit the first-year was smart. Among the current first-years, very few could compete for the shortstop position, and none were more suitable than him.
Kuramochi's starting spot was rock solid, but as long as Kanemaru could stay on the first string and become the backup shortstop, opportunities to play would eventually come.
On the opposite bench, since Kanzaki Ryou wasn't playing, Akikawa also chose not to send out their Ace, You Shunshin.
After another summer of training under You Shunshin, Akikawa's overall strength had clearly improved.
Without either Ace pitcher on the mound, the game quickly turned into an offensive battle.
After four innings, Seido led 6–4.
"Not bad. Your team's improved a lot compared to before," Kanzaki Ryou said as he sat beside You Shunshin with a sports drink in hand.
The two had already slipped away from their benches to chat while the game continued.
"Of course," You Shunshin replied with a faint smile. "They may not be especially talented, but they work harder than anyone."
"It's a shame you'll be graduating this year," Kanzaki Ryou said with a sigh. "If you stayed, next summer would definitely be even more exciting."
"There's nothing to regret," You Shunshin said confidently, the lenses of his glasses flashing white. "I'll come back here through professional baseball. When that time comes, we'll still be rivals."
Kanzaki Ryou froze for a moment. He hadn't expected to hear something like that today.
Then he smiled.
"Alright. I'll be waiting for you."
The first practice game ended soon after, with Seido defeating Akikawa 13–8.
After a thirty-minute break, the second game began.
Akikawa made a few adjustments before looking toward Seido's dugout again.
This time, Seido's lineup had changed completely.
Seido High School Starting Lineup — Game 2
Kuramochi Yoichi — Shortstop
Kominato Haruichi — Second Baseman
Shirasu Kenjiro — Right Fielder
Arima Kazusa — Third Baseman
Ono Hiroshi — Catcher
Maezono Kenta — First Baseman
Aso Takashi — Left Fielder
Tojo Hideaki — Center Fielder
Sawamura Eijun — Pitcher
The game moved along quickly, and by the end of the second match, Seido had won again with a score of 15–7.
Then came the third game.
This time, Kawakami Norifumi started on the mound with Miyuki Kazuya as catcher, while Akikawa finally sent out their Ace pitcher, You Shunshin.
The final score was 4–3.
Seido won once again.
After playing three consecutive games, both teams were completely exhausted.
It wasn't until evening that a resentful-looking You Shunshin finally cornered Kanzaki Ryou.
He had been tricked.
This guy hadn't played at all the entire day!
Originally, You Shunshin had been looking forward to facing Kanzaki Ryou during the practice matches, but the fellow had spent the whole day relaxing on the sidelines instead.
"Hehe, don't be mad," Kanzaki Ryou said awkwardly. "Today was mainly for training the younger players. We'll have another chance next time. Let's arrange more practice games in the future."
Seeing Kanzaki Ryou's apologetic attitude, You Shunshin couldn't stay angry for long. In the end, he only made Kanzaki promise another practice match before the Autumn Tournament officially began.
Over the following days, Seido only managed to arrange one more practice game due to time constraints.
Every first-string player was given a chance to play.
It was obvious that the coaches were using these games to finalize the starting lineup and jersey numbers for the Autumn Tournament.
Finally, before the regional qualifiers began, Coach Kataoka gathered everyone in the meeting room and announced the official jersey numbers.
Seido High School Autumn Tournament Jersey Numbers
Kanzaki Ryou — Pitcher
Miyuki Kazuya — Catcher
Maezono Kenta — First Baseman
Kominato Haruichi — Second Baseman
Arima Kazusa — Third Baseman
Kuramochi Yoichi — Shortstop
Aso Takashi — Left Fielder
Tojo Hideaki — Center Fielder
Shirasu Kenjiro — Right Fielder
Kawakami Norifumi — Pitcher
Furuya Satoru — Pitcher
Sawamura Eijun — Pitcher
Ono Hiroshi — Catcher
Yamaguchi Ken — First Baseman
Kijima Mio — Second Baseman
Higasa Shoji — Third Baseman
Kanemaru Shinji — Shortstop
…
After the jersey numbers were announced, Kanzaki Ryou stared quietly at the Ace number in his hands.
Number 1.
For some reason, he felt a little absent-minded.
This time, Fujiwara Takako wasn't here to sew the number onto his jersey for him.
He really wasn't used to that.
"Yoshikawa-san, sorry to trouble you."
The number definitely had to be sewn on.
And naturally, it had to be done by a cute girl.
So Kanzaki Ryou went to find Seido's new first-year manager, Yoshikawa Haruno.
Although she was clumsy in most things, basic sewing should still be manageable.
"Eh? M-Me, Kanzaki-senpai?"
Being personally approached by the team captain and Ace pitcher instantly threw Yoshikawa Haruno into panic. Her whole body trembled nervously.
"Yes, you," Kanzaki Ryou replied seriously. "I'm counting on you."
"I-I'll do my best!"
The girl answered with the determination of someone heading into battle.