Ace of Diamond: Return of the Pitcher

Being able to compete on the same field as the Great Demon King, whether as an opponent or a teammate, was something these players could brag about for a long time.

Later, when talking to their friends, they could proudly say that they had played alongside the Great Demon King, Sawamura Eijun.

Otherwise, if they just said they were baseball players from Seidou High School, they'd feel awkward as if they hadn't experienced something significant.

As a member of Seidou High School's baseball team, how could anyone in the team not have interacted with Sawamura?

Of course, this was just an outsider's perspective.

In reality, they didn't know that Seidou High School's baseball team had three full teams.

Sawamura Eijun, as the core of the first-string team and the Ace pitcher, was also the most famous and star player of the team.

The first-string substitutes barely get a chance to interact with him, let alone players from the second and third-string teams.

Except for a few catchers, when Sawamura practiced fielding or similar drills, his usual partners were the main players from the first-string.

His time was precious and the team management on that as there is always a coach present in all of his trainings, so it wasn't possible for him to practice with everyone. Seventy percent of his time was spent on pitching and various pitcher drills, and the remaining 30% was mostly used for his batting practice.

After all that, there was little time left for him to practice fielding with his teammates.

Under these circumstances, players from the second and third-string teams had very few opportunities to interact with Sawamura when helping him in his training.

Even if they wanted to, seeing Sawamura work so hard, they didn't feel right wasting his time.

Sawamura's goal was the Major Leagues.

This was no secret within the Seidou High School baseball team. The Senpai players knew it very well, and even the freshmen were mostly aware.

In this context, they felt even more reluctant to delay Sawamura's practice.

Now, with Sawamura voluntarily suggesting they play a game with him, the teammates were, of course, very excited.

Whether as opponents or teammates, this was a good experience for them…

Not to mention, this was an extra opportunity to show themselves in front of Coach Kataoka.

It was easy to understand why the players from both sides were so excited.

But why was Sawamura doing this?

"Do you want to pitch this much?"

Kuramochi frowned in dissatisfaction.

Miyuki Kazuya, standing next to him, looked thoughtfully at Sawamura, who was heading toward the pitcher's mound.

He realized that things weren't as simple as Kuramochi had said. But no matter how he thought about it, he couldn't find a reasonable explanation for Sawamura's actions.

Honestly, even from his perspective, it seemed that Sawamura had no reason to stand on the mound at this moment.

Not to mention, he was risking provoking Coach Kataoka.

This kind of direct announcement to add a practice game was extremely reckless for a player.

But surprisingly the Coach agreed like he understood something.

'Honestly, what are they planning…'

Sawamura wasn't concerned with what his friends thought.

After stepping onto the pitcher's mound, he spread his arms wide and took in a deep breath of the air around him.

The pitcher's mound had been worn down from countless battles, and it was clear that a fierce game had already taken place here.

Continuing the game on this field wasn't a new experience for Sawamura; it felt familiar.

When all of his teammates were in position, Sawamura suddenly turned back and loudly shouted to them.

"THE BALL WILL COME FLYING!! EVERYONE AT THE BACK PLEASE TAKE CARE OF ME!!!"

He said it with such sincerity.

The teammates who heard those words couldn't help but feel the fire in their hearts grow intense.

They were all second-string players—those who had watched many of Seidou's baseball games from the stands as part of the cheering squad.

Whenever they heard Sawamura say something like this, they couldn't help but get excited.

It felt like seeing all their friends gather on the field, shouting the Seidou High School chant.

It was an overwhelming feeling that was impossible to control.

Now, Sawamura Eijun had fulfilled their imagination.

They couldn't help but imagine themselves in a Seidou High School game. They no longer saw the first-years as their opponents.

Instead, their opponents had become Inashiro Industrial or the powerhouse Komadai Fujimaki High School.

This game was no longer just a simple orientation match—it was a do-or-die battle for their team.

"Don't worry!"

"Let them hit the ball!"

"We'll stop them with our bodies!"

"Pitch to contact!!!"

"Sawamura!!"

"We got your back, Sawamura!!!!"

The resolute spirit of the Senpai players was overwhelming to the newly entered first-years.

Before, they had seen their peers perform well on the field and thought they could do the same when it was their turn.

So, they were full of confidence when they first stepped onto the field.

But standing there now, facing their opponents, they couldn't help but wonder if they had been watching a different game.

Their eyes were full of intensity, like wolves who had spotted their prey.

They were burning with fierce determination.

There was no doubt in their minds. As soon as the game began, the Senpai players would crush them without hesitation.

They had originally been excited to challenge Sawamura, but now it seemed that things wouldn't go as smoothly as they had hoped.

With these doubts in mind, the first freshman batter stepped up to the plate.

As he stood in the Batter's Box, he repeatedly recalled the advice given by the star players.

The star rookies, who hadn't made it onto the field, were almost going crazy with frustration.

They eagerly gave their teammates tips and advice as they prepared to step in.

"The current catcher is Kariba-senpai, and Sawamura-senpai won't be able to pitch at his full potential!" Yui earnestly explained.

"Sawamura-senpai isn't even using 10% of his power now. We definitely have a chance to hit the ball!" Okumura added.

They were continuously trying to bolster the confidence of their teammates.

The batter, who was about to step in, had his eyes wide open like it is about to pop out.

'Wasn't it easy for them to talk since they weren't the ones batting?'

They weren't even stepping up to the plate, so how could they possibly know how much strength Sawamura could really bring?

If the batter hit the ball, it was thanks to their advice. If not, it was his own fault.

Why did the star players seem to be so unreliable?

"Just focus on the fastball or the usual breaking ball. Aim for those and swing!"

Nishiyama was more direct.

Although the advice from the star players filled the batter with frustration, he still had no choice but to follow their lead.

The opponent was the Demon King. If he didn't follow his teammates' advice, he wouldn't even know how to hit.

For a moment, the freshman batter felt completely blank. As he got ready to bat, his mind was empty.

Fortunately, with his teammates' reminders, he managed to avoid freezing up.

'I am too nervous!'

Watching the game from the dugout and actually playing on the field felt completely different. Even famous players like Mogami couldn't bring out 50% of their usual strength and were quickly taken out of the game.

Luckily, thanks to reminders from Yui and Okumura, he didn't freeze entirely.

He still had a vague memory of the fastball and Moving ball.

So, the batter decided to focus on those two pitches.

He prepared mentally and finally focused on Sawamura.

The sunlight fell on Sawamura's head, which glinted into the batter's eyes.

For a moment, the batter thought Sawamura was glowing.

Shaking his head, he dismissed this unrealistic thought.

Now, he focused on waiting for Sawamura's pitch.

Whoosh!

The small ball flew toward him.

'The Demon King's pitch was surprisingly…ordinary.'

It wasn't that Sawamura's speed wasn't fast or his control was unstable. It wasn't even a bad pitch overall.

In fact, his pitch speed was above 135 km/h, close to 140.

The pitch was slightly down the middle.

It seemed easy to hit, but it actually needed to sink.

So, it wasn't as easy to hit as it seemed.

Overall, it was still a decent pitch.

If it had come from another pitcher, it might have been considered a good pitch.

But coming from the Demon King, Sawamura Eijun, the effect was entirely different.

'It feels…'

'Was my own mind playing tricks on me?'

The batter wondered.

'No, it shouldn't be like that.'

After all, he had been playing baseball since childhood and was confident in his judgment.

He was sure this pitch wasn't his imagination, and he believed he could definitely hit it.

Without hesitation, he swung his bat.

'I can hit it out!'

As he swung the bat, the first freshman batter felt this way.

There's no reason, no particular cause. Those who have played basketball or soccer for a long time must have had moments like this too.

It's that moment before a shot or a kick when you suddenly feel it.

This shot is going in, or it's not.

Baseball players experience this as well. Sometimes, before hitting the ball with the bat, they just feel that they can hit it out.

The first freshman batter felt exactly that.

He believed that he could hit the ball out of the park.

What happened next was exactly what he imagined.

Ping!

The bat struck the incoming ball, sending it soaring into the air.

The ball flew like a dazzling white light, crossing several meters in an instant, heading straight for an open space in the defense.

'I actually hit the Demon King's ball out of the park!'

He stood there, waiting for the ball to fly, a look of disbelief on his face, as if he couldn't believe his own luck, as if he'd just won five million in the lottery.

He couldn't believe his luck!

But it turned out that the ball really flew out, and the trajectory was quite good.

'Lucky!'

Could it be that he was the protagonist from an anime world?

After this game, he would become famous, earn the coach's trust, and get promoted to the first team. He'd fight alongside the Demon King, Eijun Sawamura, to dominate the country and reach the peak of his life…

Slap/Snap!

"OUT!"

Before the batter could finish his daydream, a mitt suddenly reached out, pulling him back to reality.

The Senpai second baseman had somehow moved behind their first baseman and caught the ball easily.

"Nice catch!!"

Sawamura gave the second baseman a thumbs-up.

The second baseman, a bench player from the second team, was equally excited and returned the thumbs-up to Sawamura.

"Nice pitching Sawamura!"

Playing alongside Sawamura was truly a different experience.

For a brief moment, it felt like the whole world was full of goodwill toward him.

Especially before the pitch, Sawamura subtly used his hand to signal a sign,

'From behind first base.'

He quickly picked up on it and decisively executed the plan.

That was how he managed to catch the ball so steadily.

'It felt great!'

The feeling of completely controlling the game was exhilarating!

It was like playing with the opponent in the palm of his hand.

Especially when he saw the freshman batter's confused expression as he left the field, not understanding what had just happened.

It was refreshing, truly refreshing!

"Nice pitching, Sawamura!"

"Sawamura!!!"

Outside the field, the fans of Seidou High School seemed to have completely lost control of their emotions, shouting Sawamura's name in unison.

Cheering for Sawamura!

Actually, cheering for the Senpai team during a freshman game was not very appropriate. But the supporters and alumni did it anyway, which showed just how popular Sawamura was.

In the freshman's dugout.

Takuma watched the scene with a bitter smile, muttering to himself.

"It feels like we've all become the villains now!"

Though his words weren't pleasant, they were unexpectedly close to the truth.

It felt as if all the freshmen had somehow become the baddies.

In a proper Orientation game, such a scenario would almost never occur.

Yet, this highly unreasonable scene had appeared so blatantly.

Sawamura Eijun.

The media called him the most popular player in high school.

Now it seemed, that title wasn't wrong at all.

After handling the first batter, Sawamura used the same approach to deal with the second batter.

This time, the ball was caught by the shortstop.

Sawamura gave the shortstop a thumbs-up.

At first, the shortstop felt a bit embarrassed, but quickly adapted to Sawamura's rhythm and returned the thumbs-up.

This simple interaction made Yui's expression turn cold.

"Just as expected from Sawamura-senpai, he really knows how to set the pace!"

Unknowingly, the Senpai team had completely taken control of the game's rhythm.

All of this was because of Sawamura's few simple words and small actions.

Now, standing on the opposing side and re-evaluating his Senpai's abilities, Sawamura was nothing short of a super versatile monster.

This wasn't an exaggeration; it was just the plain truth.

To all the freshmen, Sawamura was a super all-around monster.

His abilities were comprehensive—his terrifying pitching and immense personal strength.

He also led the team in a unique, impressive way.

"I finally understand why Senpai Sawamura was able to lead the unknown Akagi Middle School baseball team to dominate the nation twice!" Yui sighed.

He had thought about this before, but never as clearly as now.

This man was truly dazzling. As soon as he stepped on the pitcher's mound, the whole game seemed to fall into his rhythm. Whether it was his teammates or his opponents, everyone followed his lead.

Yui had seen many people and was somewhat famous worldwide. But he had never encountered a pitcher like Sawamura.

At this point, the third batter of the freshman team stepped up to the plate—his pitcher, Haruyama.

Haruyama's personal abilities were a bit lacking compared to some of the star freshmen.

But he was definitely stronger than the previous two batters.

When he stepped into the Batter's Box, the freshmen held a glimmer of hope.

Sawamura seemed to realize that this opponent was different from the first two.

His pitch appeared a bit more cautious.

Whoosh!

After preparing, he threw the ball steadily.

The pitch was right down the middle!

This made Haruyama, standing in the Batter's Box, frown.

'Is he looking down on me?'

He didn't believe that Sawamura had accidentally thrown the ball to this spot.

Anyone who knew Sawamura Eijun's control would understand that his pitching ability was among the best.

He would never casually throw a pitch right down the middle.

'A Moving ball?'

The thought quickly flashed in his mind.

Haruyama let the pitch go by.

Snap!

"STRIKE!!"

The count was one Strike, no Ball, and the Senpai team led in the count.

After taking the lead, Sawamura's face showed little joy.

Clearly, this result didn't satisfy him.

'Why don't you swing?!'

Sawamura was a bit annoyed. He had thrown such a perfect sweet pitch, but his opponent didn't even attempt to swing.

As an excellent batter, how could he let such a good pitch go by?

It was unacceptable.

He had wanted to finish the batter with as few pitches as possible, but the freshman was just standing there, pretending to be cool.

'What was he playing at? He had no fighting spirit at all. How unlikable.'

He silently complained and immediately threw his second pitch.

It was nearly identical to the first.

In the Batter's Box, Haruyama, facing this incredibly simple pitch, felt his whole body tense up. His muscles quivered.

He narrowed his eyes, watching the ball coming toward him.

Now one Strike behind, if he didn't swing, he'd be forced into a disadvantageous position.

So, he had no choice but to swing!

Whether it was a fastball or a quirky pitch, as long as he could swing with all his strength and perfectly execute his power, he'd have a chance to hit it.

Ping!

'I hit it!'

The moment the bat met the ball, Haruyama felt a rush of joy.

But then his face tightened.

For some reason, he felt that the ball he had just hit seemed to have its trajectory set in advance.

It flew straight to the left fielder's front!

The Senpai team's left fielder ran a few steps forward and caught the ball.

Snap!

"OUT!!"

With a clean and efficient four-pitch sequence, three Outs were recorded.

Sawamura's performance was a bit surprising.

The players who made the catches—the shortstop, second baseman, and left fielder—each looked flushed, clearly excited.

Although they knew that their successful defense was largely thanks to Sawamura's pitching, they were still happy to contribute to the team.

It felt great to play and contribute.

Three Outs, offense and defense exchange.

Back in the dugout, Sawamura and the bench players eagerly discussed the next offensive strategy.

This scene caught the attention of the three captains watching from the side.

"Sawamura's having fun bullying a bunch of rookies?" Kuramochi frowned quietly.

To be honest, he didn't understand why Sawamura was doing this.

Next to him, Miyuki also seemed to be thinking deeply. He had a vague idea of what Sawamura was up to.

"He's not enjoying this. He's giving them a gift."

Maezono spoke in a low, grumbling voice.

This comment piqued the interest of both Miyuki and Kuramochi, who turned to look at Maezono.

"You guys are only thinking about the Summer Tournament and Koshien, but you've probably never considered how the players who can't make it onto the field feel. Of course, we can't criticize you for that, since we're in different positions."

"But Sawamura... he's paying attention to the guys who can't get on the field and are about to retire. He knows that these players are the true foundation of Seidou!"

"This game is just a gift for those guys…"

A gift to thank them for their contribution to Seidou High.

As he spoke, Maezono was deeply moved by Sawamura's actions.

Kuramochi and Miyuki both wore thoughtful expressions.

The difference was that Kuramochi looked like he had suddenly realized something.

While Miyuki's gaze was a bit more profound.

He felt that Sawamura's intentions weren't just to honor the third-year Senpais.

There had to be something else going on...

…