Diamond No Ace: Life As Sawamura Eijun

Chapter 336: The Nationally Acclaimed Golden Duo

A lively and noisy bus ride through the city, filled with chatter and laughter, came to an end after half an hour.

Miyuki and Eijun arrived at their destination—the venue for the Autumn Tournament draw. Today, the entire tournament bracket would be decided here.

By the time they arrived, the venue was already packed.

The place was swarming with people—not just the organizers, staff, and team representatives but also numerous reporters and journalists from Tokyo and even across the Kanto region.

After all, this was the second most important official tournament of the year.

Moreover, the results of this tournament were directly tied to qualification for next year's Spring Koshien.

Naturally, the baseball media had their eyes glued to this event.

"Oh, that was quicker than I expected. I thought the ride would take much longer," Eijun remarked, looking around as they approached the venue.

"Well, the location is usually chosen to be in the middle so that teams from both districts don't have to travel too far," Miyuki explained with a smile.

Eijun simply nodded in acknowledgment, choosing not to comment further.

"Alright, let's head inside. It's about time."

"Yeah."

With that, the two of them walked side by side into the venue.

Their arrival, however, caused a noticeable stir.

It was no surprise—Seidou High School's performance this summer had been nothing short of extraordinary.

Among that stellar team, the pitcher-catcher duo of Eijun and Miyuki had especially stood out, stunning everyone with their synergy.

Even with Seidou's star-studded batting lineup—boasting sluggers like Yuuki and Isashiki—nothing could outshine the brilliance of their golden battery.

What made it even more remarkable was that Eijun wasn't just an ace pitcher.

He was also a formidable batter.

His number of hits in the Summer Tournament alone was impressive enough, but his performance in the West Tokyo Finals against Inashiro, especially that walk-off home run in the championship match, had left an unforgettable mark.

It was enough to make everyone acknowledge—and fear—his prowess as a batter.

A dual-threat player.

A monster.

And he was only a first-year.

Add Miyuki into the mix, one of the most renowned catchers in Kanto since his junior years, and it was no wonder that as soon as they entered the draw venue, the atmosphere shifted.

People took notice.

A lot of people.

"The strongest pitcher-catcher duo of the Heisei era—The Golden Battery."

That was the title the media had given them after the Summer Tournament.

Of course, a certain tsundere "Prince Narumiya" had nearly flipped his entire school upon hearing it.

Across the country, other elite batteries—top pitchers and catchers from powerhouse schools—weren't exactly thrilled about this label either.

Yet, none of that changed the fact that right now, Miyuki and Eijun were widely regarded as the number one battery in Japan.

It wasn't just because they had won the Summer Championship.

It was because their overall performances, outside of just pitching and catching, had been too outstanding to ignore.

And let's not forget the sheer quality of the teams they had defeated along the way—every opponent they took down had been a heavyweight contender.

So naturally, they had earned this reputation.

And naturally, as they stepped into the venue, nearly every eye in the building turned toward them.

Hundreds of people.

Even if most only stole quick glances, the constant murmurs and repeated second glances made it clear-

This autumn, Seidou High School, and more specifically, the Golden Battery of Miyuki and Eijun, would be under the spotlight.

"The national championship-winning duo… even for the lottery draw, they both came together."

"I was wondering what Seidou would look like this autumn without their third-year batting lineup, but…"

"Their threat level should have dropped significantly with the third-years gone, but that recent preliminary tournament… tsk, their batting lineup doesn't seem to have weakened at all."

"With Miyuki and Eijun still there, how many teams in Tokyo can even confidently say they can score against Seidou?"

"Probably just a few—Inashiro Industrial, Ichidaisan, Teito. Then there are the second-tier teams like Kasugaichi, Sensen, and Seikou. Those are the only ones that stand a chance."

"Hey, hey, you're forgetting something. There's another dangerous team in Tokyo now."

"Oh, you mean Yakushi? The one that faced Seidou in the summer? Yeah, I remember—they've won over thirty consecutive practice games during the off-season."

"Exactly. Yakushi's reputation has spread all over Kanto. Plus, don't forget, they even defeated Ichidaisan in the summer. They can't be underestimated this fall."

"Still, I think the top contender for the championship is Seidou. Their batting lineup hasn't weakened much, and their defense has actually gotten stronger. Besides the Golden Battery, their power pitcher is improving too. Their pitching rotation is solid as a rock."

"Yeah… that's true."

"I just hope Seidou gets a tough draw—let them face all the powerhouses early and get knocked out sooner!"

"Haha, you're as annoying as ever… but I like how you think!"

"Heh."

...

After reaching their designated seats, Eijun and Miyuki sat down.

The surrounding atmosphere was thick with murmurs and sharp gazes directed at them.

Eijun looked calm, but in reality, he was a bit restless.

During games, sure, he was used to being watched by tens of thousands of people, but that was different—his mind would be fully focused on pitching, and he wouldn't feel a thing.

This, though?

This was just a normal setting, and all those eyes on him felt weird.

Even during practice sessions, when too many people gathered around—especially when those excited female fans started screaming—he would feel a little awkward. He had slowly gotten used to it, but this situation was still uncomfortable.

Miyuki, on the other hand, was completely at ease.

But, well…

As Eijun often thought to himself—thick-skinned people never suffer in any situation.

Not that he'd ever say that out loud. He wasn't that reckless.

"What's wrong?"

Miyuki suddenly smirked, turning to glance at Eijun with an amused glint in his eyes.

"Our Ace, who's used to being watched by tens of thousands, is getting nervous now?"

"Tch. As if," Eijun scoffed, immediately denying it.

He knew full well that Miyuki could see right through him, but that didn't mean he had to admit it.

There was a huge difference between being figured out and saying it himself.

Thankfully, Miyuki didn't push the teasing any further.

Because the draw was about to begin.

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