Miyuki's blunt question left Kaname Kei frozen.
Behind him, Haruka Kiyomine tilted his head in confusion. After a brief pause, he leaned closer and whispered,
"Kei… you don't like baseball?"
Kaname Kei's fingers tightened slightly.
He forced a small smile.
"Don't worry. I'll always play with you. Your goal of becoming Japan's number one pitcher still hasn't been achieved yet."
He thought that would be enough to brush it off.
But Haruka Kiyomine didn't smile.
Instead, he stared straight at Kaname Kei, unusually serious.
"Kei… are you playing baseball because of me?"
The simple question struck straight at the core.
Kaname Kei opened his mouth—
then closed it.
For once, even his sharp mind couldn't find an answer.
Miyuki's eyes narrowed slightly.
Just a few short exchanges, yet the meaning behind them was heavy.
In Miyuki's mind, an image had already formed—
A boy who didn't love baseball.
A boy who stayed on the field only for someone else's dream.
A boy who forced himself to become excellent… while slowly suffocating inside.
Seeing Kaname Kei's conflicted expression, Miyuki stepped forward and lightly patted Haruka Kiyomine on the shoulder.
"You two should talk about this properly when you get back."
He smiled faintly.
"You wouldn't want Kaname Kei to keep playing baseball unhappily, right?"
Haruka Kiyomine nodded slowly.
Kanzaki Ryou scratched his cheek.
"Yeah. Baseball is supposed to be fun. Don't corner yourself too much."
Kaname Kei took a deep breath.
The secret he had buried for years had been exposed just like that.
At first, there was only confusion and unease.
But when he saw the worry in Haruka Kiyomine's eyes—
he realized he could no longer pretend everything was fine.
"Thank you, Seniors," Kaname Kei said seriously.
"I'll try to adjust myself."
Miyuki nodded.
"This isn't something you have to solve alone. Talk it through with Kiyomine."
He added,
"Mental problems aren't small matters. If you ignore them, they only get worse."
Miyuki genuinely valued Kaname Kei's talent.
He didn't want to see such a promising catcher collapse before even reaching high school.
After the two middle schoolers left—
Kanzaki Ryou poked Miyuki in the back.
"Not bad. You noticed that."
Miyuki pushed up his glasses with a grin.
"I observe people. Unlike someone who only knows how to show off."
"Heh."
Kanzaki Ryou snorted and turned away.
Time quietly advanced to mid-June.
During this past month, all uniform numbers for Seidou's first string had been reset.
Today, after the final evaluations by Coach Kataoka and Coach Ochiai, every member of the baseball club gathered inside the indoor training hall.
Everyone knew—
The first-string roster for this summer was about to be announced.
Kanzaki Ryou stood in the front row.
To his left was Miyuki.
Two spots away stood Chris.
Since his injury had fully healed, Chris had officially returned to regular training.
Over the past month, he had appeared in three practice games—
and in all of them, he performed nearly perfectly.
One of those games was arranged by Coach Ochiai against Kokaidai Sugata High School, a strong team invited from afar.
In that match, Kanzaki Ryou and Chris formed a battery.
For five full innings—
Kokaidai Sugata High School failed to score and managed only a single hit.
Afterward, Miyuki partnered with Tanba and Kawakami.
They allowed two runs over the remaining four innings.
Seidou ultimately won 7–3.
Both catchers were outstanding.
For Seidou, having two elite catchers was a blessing.
For Coach Kataoka—
it was a headache.
Who should be the starting catcher this summer?
From a technical standpoint, either Chris or Miyuki could take the role without issue.
In Coach Kataoka's heart, he leaned slightly toward Chris.
This was Chris's third year.
His final summer.
His last chance to stand on the Koshien stage as Seidou's starting catcher.
But—
Miyuki had been the starting catcher all along.
He and Kanzaki Ryou had formed the core battery that captured:
Summer Koshien
Autumn Tournament
Jingu Tournament
Spring Koshien
Spring Tournament
Kanto Tournament
Those achievements carried enormous weight.
If Miyuki were suddenly removed from the starting role, it would feel cruel—
almost heartless.
Just as Coach Kataoka wrestled with this dilemma—
Chris and Miyuki, separately, came to him.
Both said the same thing.
They hoped the other would be the starting catcher.
Normally, players shouldn't interfere with the coach's decisions.
But facing these two—
Coach Kataoka found himself completely at a loss for words.
Miyuki stood before Coach Kataoka and spoke calmly.
"I've already received all the honors I could ever ask for. I have no regrets."
He lowered his gaze slightly.
"Besides… if Chris-senpai hadn't been injured back then, the achievements that belong to me now would have originally been his."
Not long after, Chris also came to see Coach Kataoka.
"I'm already satisfied just being able to wear Seidou's uniform and stand on the field again," Chris said quietly.
"Whether I start or not doesn't matter to me."
He paused, then added,
"The glory of this team was built by Miyuki and Kanzaki together.
Compared to me… Miyuki is more qualified to be the starting catcher."
After both of them left the office—
Coach Kataoka finally made his decision.
Inside the indoor training hall.
Coach Kataoka stood in front of all the players, silently scanning their faces.
No one spoke.
Even breathing felt loud.
The third-years were especially tense.
This was their final summer.
If they failed to make the first string today, then their high school baseball careers would end right here.
After a long moment, Coach Kataoka opened his mouth.
"Now… I will announce the first-string roster."
Several players unconsciously swallowed.
"Number 1!"
"Kanzaki Ryou!"
There was no surprise.
It was the most natural result.
Kanzaki Ryou stepped forward steadily and accepted the uniform number.
"I'm counting on you this summer," Coach Kataoka said.
Kanzaki Ryou met his gaze.
"Yes, Coach. This summer's Koshien championship will still belong to Seidou!"
He returned to the lineup.
Coach Kataoka then took the number 2 uniform from Takashima Rei.
The number of the starting catcher.
Countless eyes immediately locked onto that jersey.
Between Chris and Miyuki—
no one could confidently predict the choice.
Coach Kataoka's gaze shifted.
First to Miyuki.
Then to Chris.
"Number 2!"
"Takigawa Chris Yu!"
For a split second, the hall was silent.
Chris's eyes widened.
He had already expressed his wish.
So why…
Beside Kanzaki Ryou, Miyuki quietly exhaled.
Although he had said he wanted to compete fairly with Chris—
in truth, at this moment, he hoped the starting catcher would not be himself.
Not because he lacked confidence.
But because—
Chris-senpai deserved to stand on the Koshien stage as Seidou's catcher.
This wasn't about winning or losing between them.
It was about respect.
And about passing on pride.