"It got through!"
Team B cried out, urging their sixth batter to hurry to first base. But Lang Zhi raised his glove and, with his eyes unable to keep up, blindly snatched the ball. His off-balance body crashed heavily to the ground. He did not get up or adjust his posture, merely sat on the ground and threw upward toward first base.
"Out!"
A wave of uproar swept through the field and the stands. "Amazing! He could still throw that accurately?"
"Could he have inherited his brother's pitching accuracy?"
"Idiot, Sasaki-kun and Kōshū-kun aren't related by blood! Besides, you shouldn't use the word 'inherit' between brothers!"
No matter how everyone else marveled, Kōshū was not particularly surprised. For one, he had seen Lang Zhi's training over all this time. For another, he trusted Coach Ninomiya's ability. After all, those drills had been specially tailored for Lang Zhi.
"Whew... Your little brother really is impressive." Hayakawa rarely praised Lang Zhi in front of Kōshū.
Kōshū gave him a questioning look.
"No, I should say both you brothers are impressive. You were a complete beginner, while Lang Zhi was a hardball beginner."
"He was a regular shortstop in rubber-ball baseball before. This level should be normal, shouldn't it?" Kōshū did not quite understand. He had never dealt with rubber-ball baseball.
"There's a huge difference. While the difference between rubber-ball and hardball baseball is greatest for pitchers, the balls are also very different when infielders handle bouncing balls. Rubber balls bounce higher, so it hasn't been easy for Lang Zhi to reach this level so quickly."
"Oh, is that so?" That long speech earned only two indifferent words from the ace.
Hayakawa Aki said with interest, "Didn't I praise you just now too?"
"Hah? Do you think I'm jealous of that shorty?" Kōshū sat on an upside-down bucket, beginning to stomp and shake his legs restlessly.
"Lang Zhi is already 168 centimeters. He isn't short anymore."
"Tch—" Kōshū gestured to his own chin. "He's still short to me."
"Haha, you brothers really are alike in that regard."
"Shut up—though he seems to have grown taller again these past two days. He's probably 170 centimeters now."
As they spoke, Sato had already retired Team B in a Three Up, Three Down inning. Hayakawa Aki also went out to play defense, leaving Kōshū feeling oddly empty and chilly without anyone beside him.
He looked around. "Lang Zhi—come here for a second." Team A's dugout was on Kōshū's side of the field.
"Hm? What is it?" Lang Zhi had already put on his batting helmet. He was Team A's sixth batter.
"You did great just now!" Sitting on the bucket as though he were about to start playing an African drum, Kōshū gave him a thumbs-up.
"Uh..." Lang Zhi paused at the praise, then asked cautiously, "Are you okay? If you're really bored, you can come chat by the dugout. Coach Ninomiya isn't here anyway..." Then his brother's abruptly darkened expression startled him.
"What, you're that impatient to talk to me? The moment you open your mouth, you're chasing me off to the dugout!"
"Uh..."
"Besides, I'm the team's ace! The ace's mood is extremely important!"
"Okay, okay." Faced with Kōshū, who was clearly so bored he wanted to pick a fight, Lang Zhi could only pray that the batter ahead of him would either get on base quickly or strike out quickly. He really could not handle his brother when he was acting this strange.
Before long, the person beside him darted away again. Kōshū sighed. There was still an entire day before his life of watching practice would end. It was all because he had not taken the coach's words to heart. This time, he had truly learned his lesson.
In the end, the game concluded with a score of 2–3, Team B taking the win. Shibasaki's performance today had been commendable. Both his fastballs and changeups were sharp, and with regular catcher Hayakawa guiding him, even Team A's batters, who had already grown accustomed to his pitching, fell one after another.
"Sato, your pitches were very good today. They didn't start running wild late in the game." After the game, everyone cleaned up and returned to the outdoor practice field. The three pitchers were left to tidy the Pitcher's Mound.
"Ah, thank you, Kōshū-senpai." Receiving praise from the ace left Sato flattered and overwhelmed.
"Why are you calling me senpai again? Don't you always call me Kōshū-kun?"
"Haha, I don't know why." Standing alone on the Pitcher's Mound, he had suddenly felt the steadiness of an ace.
"By the way, wasn't Coach Ninomiya walking with several people just now?"
With no one supervising them, the boys quickly began chattering as they cleaned up.
"Yeah, I've never seen them before."
Kōshū leaned closer to Hayakawa. "Seriously, I can't play this week, yet they had to invite scouts over this week."
"Haha, Kōshū-kun, didn't you already say you were going to Seido? Give the others a chance to show themselves. I'm sure Coach Ninomiya will help you fight for a Direct Admission spot."
"Sigh, I guess that's all I can think."
After that week ended, life did not become any easier. Final exams were coming again at the end of January, and the whole family was worried about Lang Zhi's grades. Kōshū also had to spare some time to help him review.
"What do I do? The exam is tomorrow, and I really need to pee."
Kōshū kicked him. "Then go already!"
"But I just went!"
"Then go again!"
The noise by his ear instantly stopped, and only then did Kōshū realize just how annoying the person beside him had been. He packed up all of Lang Zhi's books and piled them by the door.
"Takano, what are you doing?" The boy downstairs saw and shouted.
Kōshū only sped up, placing the pencil case and water bottle outside as well. By the time Lang Zhi bounded upstairs two steps at a time, the door had already slammed shut with a bang, followed by the crisp sound of the lock clicking into place.
"You can't kick me out!"
"You keep chattering nonstop. You're annoying me to death. Go back to your own room!"
"Mom told you to tutor me!"
"Shut up. Neither of them is back yet anyway!"
...Lang Zhi was powerless. He could only wait for their parents to return from the prenatal checkup, so he dragged his chair over and studied outside his brother's door. The moment their parents got home, he would complain immediately and let them see how his brother abused him whenever the adults were away.
"You're finished! I'll definitely expose the true face of you model student later!" With his parents backing him up, Lang Zhi instantly became much bolder.
Separated by a door, the clamor was much weaker. Kōshū finally had the rare chance to enjoy his room alone. As for that childish threat? What a joke. How could he let Lang Zhi succeed?
Lang Zhi also made calculations outside. Oh no, what if he drags me inside later? Then there won't be any evidence at the scene, will there? So he returned to his own room, traded his swivel chair for a small stool, and curled up in the corner by the wall to read.
A little after eight, the sound of a car engine drew closer. There were sounds from the garage, then voices at the front door. Those noises were like a starter pistol for a sprint, and both brothers sprang into action.
Lang Zhi began reading loudly, making sure their parents knew how his brother had shut him outside, while also guarding against being dragged indoors. As for Kōshū, he directly opened his door and was surprised to see that his brother was not sitting in the swivel chair, but instead huddled in the corner, leaving no openings on either side.
"Hehe, didn't expect that, did you? I knew you'd try something like this... Ah—"
Bang— As their parents opened the front door, a door upstairs slammed shut as well, followed by silence.
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