After training ended, Kanzaki Ryou went back to his dormitory after dinner and collapsed on his bed, unwilling to move at all.
"Kanzaki, how do you feel?" Chris asked, a rare mischievous glint in his eyes.
"Chris-senpai, I… I suddenly don't want to play baseball anymore," Kanzaki Ryou said weakly.
"Heh, this is just the beginning. Afternoon training will be even tougher. Keep it up," Chris said with a smile.
"Sigh…"
In the blink of an eye, the second day of summer training camp arrived. Kanzaki Ryou dragged his exhausted body to the baseball field.
With him were two others who were similarly struggling: Miyuki and Kuramochi.
"I want to die so badly," Kuramochi yelled to the sky.
"Ah… after so many years, I realize I don't really like baseball that much either," Miyuki muttered, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Hey, hey… you just don't like physical training, do you?" Kanzaki Ryou said.
Miyuki twisted his body and leaned on Kanzaki Ryou's shoulder. "Carry me to the field."
"Huh?"
"Can't you?"
"No way!"
Kanzaki Ryou pushed Miyuki away and gave him a light kick.
The second day of training started with running, and naturally, the three first-years were at the very back of the team.
"Kuramochi, didn't you call yourself a speed demon? How are you at the back now? Weakling?!"
"Kanzaki, Miyuki… aren't you two the Twin Stars? You look more like Twin Turtles now!"
The seniors shouted from the sidelines.
But the three of them had no strength to retort, moving forward step by step, legs heavy as lead.
"Hoo… hoo…"
"Ha… ha…"
Even if a tiger were behind them, it wouldn't make a difference.
Meanwhile, the other first-years on the sidelines were organizing training equipment for later, while keeping an eye on the field.
It was still morning, yet the training was already brutal.
After an hour of running, barely five minutes of rest came before the next drill: defensive training, base running, hitting, throwing—a relentless cycle that left everyone breathless.
With constantly changing drills and defensive positions, the day slowly passed. By evening, Coach Kataoka had everyone do ten sets of shuttle runs before ending the training.
These grueling days continued, increasing in intensity each day. By the end of the week, the accumulated fatigue made it nearly impossible for the three first-years to keep going.
Supporting each other, they listened as Coach Kataoka summarized the camp.
Just as they thought it was over, his voice rang out again.
"Alright, finally… run 10 laps around the field again. Azuma, lead the way!"
"What?!" Kanzaki Ryou stared in disbelief. This person must be a devil. Couldn't he see the three of them were already spent?
Kuramochi collapsed on the ground, turning entirely pale.
Kanzaki Ryou: "Help! Kuramochi's dead!"
Miyuki: "He's not breathing! He can't be saved!"
The week-long summer training camp finally ended, and in his great mercy, Coach Kataoka gave everyone a day off to rest.
Kanzaki Ryou, planning to relax after class, was stopped by Chris as soon as he entered the door.
"Chris-senpai, what are we going to do?" Kanzaki Ryou asked, yawning and rubbing his arms.
Chris smiled and walked ahead. "Pitching."
"Huh? We have a day off!" Kanzaki Ryou protested. Could it be that Chris, being Coach Kataoka's assistant, was gradually turning into a devil too?
"Today's pitching is practice when you're tired," Chris explained.
Kanzaki Ryou followed him to the field. "What do you mean? What kind of ball are we practicing?"
"Slider," Chris said.
At the bullpen, Chris instructed him to warm up.
Kanzaki Ryou nodded and asked, "Chris-senpai, is there any problem with my Slider?"
After modifications, Kanzaki Ryou's Slider used a cutter grip for added speed and a large break, and could now reliably hit the strike zone.
Chris shook his head. "No problem. But if you want it to be truly effective, you need long practice under normal conditions."
"With your current Slider, if the speed is too high, the break is reduced. If you slow it deliberately, the break is exaggerated. This comes from subconscious actions. To solve it, you must find the balance."
Kanzaki Ryou nodded. Finding that balance—considering ball speed, spin, fingertip force, and release timing—was extremely difficult.
"You're tired now, so you can't exert more force. It's a perfect time to practice control. Take advantage of it—you might finally master your tricky Slider," Chris said.
Kanzaki Ryou felt fired up. "You little flat ball, I'll get you today!"
After warming up, he stood on the mound, Chris fully equipped opposite him.
Taking a deep breath, Kanzaki Ryou was about to pitch—but then remembered Chris's injury.
"Senpai, is your hand okay?" he asked.
Chris shook his head, smiling. "Don't worry. Just catching won't be a problem."
Satisfied, Kanzaki Ryou finally relaxed.
"Then I'll pitch," he said.
Chris nodded. "Focus on feeling that momentary sensation when releasing the ball."
Kanzaki Ryou inhaled deeply. Despite the week's fatigue, his arm swung freely, and the baseball arced out from his hand.
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