Soft pink cherry blossom petals drifted through the air, made all the more dazzling by the setting sun.
Takashima Rei stood at the school gate, as if she had been waiting there for quite some time.
Rinichi paused and looked up at the towering buildings of Seidou.
The corners of his lips curved into a slight smile as he walked over to her.
"How was the trip? Everything go smoothly?"
Takashima asked as she turned and began walking, guiding him along.
Rinichi gave a simple nod.
"That's good."
"For lodging, you'll be staying with other members of the baseball club."
Rinichi nodded again. "That's great."
"In a new environment, it might take a while to adjust. If you run into any issues, feel free to let me know."
Surprisingly thoughtful—Rinichi quickly acknowledged her with a polite response.
After that, neither of them said another word.
They finally arrived at a building with the words "Seishin Dormitory" displayed on it. Takashima stopped in front of it.
"We're here," she said, turning to face Rinichi. "There should be a nameplate at the entrance listing the room occupants."
"Once you're done unpacking, get some rest. Seidou's spring training can be intense."
With that, she turned and left.
Rinichi was left standing alone.
It was quiet. No one else around.
He glanced around—there was training equipment and baseball gear everywhere.
But this wasn't the time to get distracted. First, he needed to find his room.
Just as he was planning to check the rooms one by one, he caught a glimpse of his name out of the corner of his eye.
On the nameplate, alongside his own, were two other names.
It looked like there were three people to a room.
"Kuramochi… Yoichi."
"Masuko… Tooru."
Rinichi murmured the names under his breath.
Most likely… upperclassmen.
His hand rested on the doorknob. His expression turned serious.
—A new beginning.
With that thought, he opened the door.
What greeted him was a horrifying sight—a pale face, with blood dripping from the corners of its mouth, eyes, and forehead. Lit from below by a flashlight, it was utterly terrifying.
Then the figure slowly turned its eyes toward Rinichi—with a creepy grin.
"…"
Without a word, Rinichi's hand slipped—and slammed the door shut with a loud bang.
A yelp of pain followed from inside.
A person?
Well, of course it was. There's no such thing as ghosts.
He opened the door again.
The room was now fully lit, and the "ghost" from earlier was clutching his nose, tears in his eyes.
He looked like he was actually in pain.
The tears mixed with the blood on his face, making the whole scene even more frightening.
"S-Sorry…" Rinichi apologized instinctively.
Thanks to some tissues and wiping things down, everything looked clean again.
"You little punk!"
Kuramochi Yoichi was about to lunge at him, ready to fight, but luckily Masuko Tooru held him back.
Thankfully, the incident ended without further chaos.
The three of them sat on the floor, kneeling in silence.
The guy who had just scared Rinichi by pretending to be a ghost pointed to himself with his thumb. "I'm Kuramochi, second year."
Then he gestured toward the person next to him. "And this is Masuko, third year."
Masuko Tooru slowly held up a piece of paper with "Nice to meet you" written on it.
Rinichi quickly caught on. "Nice to meet you."
Though he couldn't help but wonder—why was Masuko-senpai "speaking" with a sheet of paper?
"Don't worry about it," Kuramochi explained. "He made a mistake during training yesterday, so he's punishing himself by not talking. Kinda weird, right?"
Rinichi was taken aback.
Surprisingly strict with himself for someone who looked so physically imposing.
Masuko looked a bit embarrassed and turned his gaze away.
Kuramochi casually picked up a game controller and grinned. "Alright, let's get started!"
"Welcome, rookie—video game tournament!"
As soon as he finished speaking, both of them sat down in front of the screen.
"Hurry up, let's start already!" Kuramochi said. "We've got practice early tomorrow!"
Masuko held up another note: "Bring it on."
Rinichi asked, "If practice is early tomorrow, shouldn't we go to bed early instead?"
Kuramochi's smile froze—clearly missing the point. "The faster we finish playing, the sooner we can sleep!"
Somehow, that kind of made sense.
Rinichi thought about how he usually went to bed early at home.
Oh well—playing with upperclassmen could help build some friendships. It was necessary socializing.
So, Rinichi sat down.
"So, so—do you know how to play games?" Kuramochi asked eagerly.
"Nope," Rinichi replied honestly.
"No problem! We'll teach you!"
They seemed like… genuinely good guys.
That was Rinichi's impression.
Though he still felt something a little off.
But once they started gaming, that uneasy feeling faded.
He figured it was just nerves from staying in a dorm for the first time.
The next morning, Rinichi was the first to wake up.
He looked around—still dark, but the faint light peeking through the window signaled the start of a new day.
His body felt tired all over.
He suddenly realized that staying up late playing games with his senpai had definitely been a mistake.
He fumbled around next to his pillow and picked up his watch to check the time.
It was 5:30 a.m.
There was no difference between the time Rinichi woke up now and when he was at home.
But seeing that his upperclassmen were still asleep, he lay back down on his bed.
He didn't fall asleep again, just lay there lost in thought.
He spaced out like that for quite a while.
When he noticed the two senpai quietly getting up, he also got out of bed.
Kuramochi looked startled. "You're up already?"
"Yeah, it's just an old habit," Rinichi replied as he started changing clothes.
Once all three of them were dressed, Rinichi spoke up, "Shall we go together, senpai?"
Of course, they agreed.
The three of them walked out as a group.
Rinichi had wanted to ask whether they were part of the First String, but just as the question reached his lips, he held it back.
Because the first-year students were grouped separately from the second and third years, and they were split apart once they got to the field.
Surrounded by unfamiliar faces, Rinichi felt a little uneasy.
The feeling made him deeply uncomfortable.
He furrowed his brows and tried to mentally calm himself down.
They assembled into formation and began to march forward as a group.
It felt a little… militaristic.
Rinichi thought.
Eventually, they all came to a stop.
A tall, dark-skinned man approached from the front.
Behind him stood the second and third-year members of the baseball team.
"I am Head Coach Kataoka," he said in a stern tone that was downright intimidating. "Are these all the new recruits?"
"Yes, sir!"
Rinichi joined in the chorus.
Kataoka scanned over all the newcomers.
"Who is Kamishiro Rinichi?"
That was unexpected.
He was the one being singled out?
Rinichi thought nervously.
"Here!" he responded, stepping forward.
Kataoka fixed his gaze on him, with a hint of scrutiny.
"Miyuki," he called out.
But no one answered.
Kataoka turned around and scanned the second and third years.
So it was one of the upperclassmen, Rinichi thought.
In the blink of an eye, he spotted someone trying to sneak in quietly.
Not only Rinichi noticed—Kataoka saw him too.
Everyone did.
The latecomer froze in place.
Kataoka's voice rang out, sharp and commanding: "Run laps until morning practice ends."
"Yes, sir!"
That must be the one Kataoka had just called—"Miyuki."
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