Diamond No Ace: The Strongest Hitter

Chapter 179: Intra-Team Practice Match (3)

After the first runner made it to base, many eyes in the field turned toward the first-year bench, specifically to the person who had just spoken.

The upperclassmen called for a timeout.

"That guy, Eijun, is as spirited as ever! That's how it should be!" Sendo thought to himself, observing Sawamura's fierce expression.

Although Sawamura wanted to pressure the pitcher while on base, much like Sendo, Kawakami, who had been well-trained, swiftly threw to first base after a pickoff attempt, neutralizing the threat.

This is the hallmark of players trained by an elite program—stealing bases isn't as easy as it seems.

No matter how much Sawamura wanted to steal a base, his attempts were futile, as he was closely monitored. He could only watch as two consecutive batters were struck out.

Feeling bored after two innings, Furuya finally uttered his characteristic line: "Can I go back now?"

"Hey! The game isn't over yet!"

Sendo, observing from the scout room, couldn't help but hear this comment.

But Furuya completely ignored it, even waving his hand in farewell as he started to leave!

"Pfft! That guy, Furuya, is funny!" Sendo chuckled at the scene.

Seeing Furuya stopped by Miyuki, Sendo shifted his focus back to the game.

"Excuse me! Requesting a player change!"

The voice from the field was unmistakably the same one that had reminded Sawamura earlier about a catcher's missed catch.

"Pinch hitter—me!"

...

"Hah! Looks like another spirited first-year has stepped up!" Sendo remarked calmly, pretending not to recognize Haruichi.

"Then you should look forward to it!" Rei said with a soft smile, glancing at Sendo's profile.

On the field, Haruichi's fake signs were mercilessly exposed by Sawamura, a scene that once again played out before Sendo's eyes.

This time, however, Sendo found it harder to laugh.

The game was entering its critical phase.

"I'll send you back to home plate. Let's score this run together!"

"That guy…" Sendo chuckled at Haruichi's declaration.

"Looks like the game is about to get interesting!" He said, both to Rei and Ota, and also to himself.

"From Kanagawa Xxxx Junior High—Kominato Haruichi!"

Seeing Sendo's expression, Rei instinctively flipped through the roster in her hands and found Haruichi's profile.

"Huh?" Rei was a bit surprised when she saw Haruichi's evaluation scores.

According to the records, Haruichi had a B-grade arm, B-grade base running, C-grade stamina, and a 50-meter dash time of 6.8 seconds.

"What was his middle school batting average?"

"Whoa!" Sendo played along, feigning shock.

"Ah!" Suddenly, Rei and Ota both exclaimed at the same time, their surprise heightened as they watched a spectacular long hit unfold on the field.

"I see!"

The game continued without stopping for the reactions of those in the observation room.

As Haruichi swung, Sawamura had already begun sprinting, recklessly charging toward home plate.

Unlike his past life, this time Sawamura's mind was filled with thoughts of Sendo.

After all, having played alongside Sendo for a year, Sawamura knew that this was something Sendo did almost every time.

He had always overlooked it before, but every time, Sendo would start running before the ball even reached home plate.

"Just like Sendo! I'll go home! …"

"Pfft!" Dust rose at home plate.

Everyone turned their attention to Coach Kataoka, waiting for the final call.

"Safe!"

Even Sendo clenched his left fist tightly in celebration of this dive into home plate.

The previously uninspired first-years were now shouting with renewed energy, and even the alumni in the stands couldn't contain themselves.

Afterward, when Coach Kataoka announced that the game would end unless all the first-years wanted to continue playing, Sawamura, displaying his magnetic personality, lifted the team's spirits. Of course, the first-years would never admit it.

"Hey! What kind of game are you playing with those first-year kids? At least score two hundred runs for me!" Sendo felt a wave of warmth upon hearing Jun-san's voice.

The first-string players were starting to arrive.

"Oh my! Sendo-kun, all the first-string players are here. Aren't you going out there?" Rei teased upon seeing the scene.

"N-no need! I'm not that close with them… or rather, I feel a bit pressured around the upperclassmen!" Sendo stammered as he tried to explain.

"If I go out there, Jun-san might actually kill me!" he thought to himself.

"Oh? You actually feel pressured? And hearing that, Isashiki-kun would probably be heartbroken!"

"Yeah! Heartbroken enough to kill me!" Of course, there was no way he could say that out loud.

Just watching Jun-san's unusually "spirited" demeanor from afar already made Sendo feel uncomfortable.

But Rei, reading Sendo's expression, had already understood everything.

The arrival of the first-string players caused a minor commotion on the field, but Yuuki naturally suppressed it with his overwhelming presence.

"Finally, the kid Takashima-sensei has her eye on is stepping onto the mound!"

"I wonder how the third-years will deal with such a uniquely styled pitch? This should be interesting to watch!"

Sendo was surprised to realize how eloquent Ota was.

You see, Rei, adjusting her glasses, had a slightly flushed face, looking happy and proud—as if her own child had finally grown up. Her expression radiated both joy and pride.

Sendo found himself completely taken aback by the sight.

"To be honest, you might laugh at me for this, but what made me decide to invite him wasn't his pitching. It was the last game of his middle school career at Akagi Junior High."

"At that time, Sendo had fallen ill, and the entire team was out of sync. The catcher missed crucial pitches, and the team made so many errors in critical moments that it felt like an amateur team."

"Their previous chemistry was completely gone."

"But even then, he didn't give up. Instead, he encouraged his teammates and carried the team with his tenacious pitching!"

"In that moment, I felt like I saw the true ace within him!" Rei spoke lightly, her tone tinged with a smile, recounting the events of that time. However, she didn't notice that Sendo, sitting beside her, had lowered his head.

"Huh?" Rei suddenly realized that Sendo had stood up.

"I'll head out now!" he said before leaving.

"What's wrong with him?" Ota asked, puzzled.

"They're on the same team, after all," Rei said with a hint of emotion, realizing her slip of the tongue.

"The reason Sendo came to our school was because of that game—the process and the ending…

"He probably feels like everything was his fault.

"That's why Sendo, who had originally intended to give up on baseball, vowed to go to the same high school as Sawamura and play baseball together!"

"I see…"

"Well then, would this count as our luck?" After a while, Ota muttered this sentence.

"Pfft! Although I feel bad for Sendo, that seems to be the case," Rei replied with a faint smile. She had already decided to apologize to Sendo in person later.

...

Just as Sendo re-entered the field, Sawamura's loud laughter echoed through the air. It seemed like his goofy side was in full swing!

"Huh? Why are you out here?" Miyuki, noticing Sendo nearby again, couldn't help but ask.

"Nothing much! It was just too stuffy inside…" Sendo's words trailed off, unable to complete the sentence.

"Where have you been all day?" Jun had already grabbed him in a playful yet firm chokehold.

"I can't breathe… Jun-san!" Sendo gasped.

After venting his frustration, Jun finally released his grip on Sendo, leaving Furuya watching in wide-eyed amazement from the side.

"So… this is the first string?" Furuya thought, his expression blank with awe.

"Ugh, fresh air!" Sendo coughed and caught his breath.

"Speak up! You disappeared all day—what kind of lazy slacker are you?"

"Jun-san! Look, Eijun is my childhood friend! Of course, I had to go catch up with him!" Sendo pointed at Sawamura on the field as he explained.

This blame is yours to bear, Eijun! Sendo silently complained in his heart.

"Fine, then! Watch the game!" Jun reluctantly accepted this excuse.

"But you should train more on regular days!" After venting, Jun temporarily retracted his fierce demeanor and spoke gently.

…If only for a brief moment.

Sendo wisely kept silent, offering only a slight smile.

"Yo! Hi there, Furuya! Welcome to the first string! Finally, someone from my grade made it! It's been so awkward being the only one until now!" Sendo called out to Furuya, hoping to avoid any further conversation with Jun.

"What's so awkward about it?" Practically all the first-string players present chimed in simultaneously, including the captain, Yuuki.

This response clearly reflected Sendo's popularity—and perhaps a touch of resentment?

After all, the third-years' grueling journey to the first string could probably fill a book!

"So, these people are the first string?" Furuya pondered, his expression blank as he tried to process it all.

Despite the noise, none of it interfered with their ability to watch the game.

At this moment, Sawamura had just managed to secure an out with a single pitch!

However, some spectators on the sidelines dismissed it as luck, thinking the ball was easy to hit and that the defense had bailed him out.

To them, it was only a matter of time before he got shelled.

"Hmph!" Miyuki merely chuckled without saying a word.

Sendo, on the other hand, had resumed his usual cool demeanor.

The second batter lasted just one pitch as well, and while the third batter made decent contact, Haruichi handled it cleanly.

From the perspective of the first-string players, Sawamura had just achieved three outs with three pitches in one inning!

"Whoa!!! Amazing!!! I was completely mesmerized just now!" Sawamura exclaimed excitedly.

"No way! Did we just hold the third-years to zero runs?" The first-year players, unfamiliar with Sawamura's pitching style, couldn't believe their eyes.

"That second baseman is really impressive!" Jun unexpectedly praised Haruichi, making Ryousuke grin broadly—so broadly that he resembled Rei just moments ago.

"Fifteen years old and already living such a leisurely lifestyle? That's practically like being an old grandpa!" Sendo muttered under his breath.

"Leisurely?" Jun turned his head, his face suddenly menacing.

"Old grandpa?" Yuuki, cluelessly adorable, focused on the oddest part of the comment.

"Hey! What do you mean by 'leisurely'?" Jun, seeing Sendo's refusal to answer and his cool facade, pressed the question further.

Sendo: "Facade? Has my character been exposed?"

"And what about 'old grandpa'?" Yuuki chimed in innocently, looking as clueless as when arguing about what sushi to get.

"Grandpas are the ones who take things leisurely, right? Look at Eijun out there—using so few pitches in this inning, like he's avoiding overexertion to maintain his health. Doesn't that feel like… leisure?"

"Uh…" Jun hadn't expected this explanation.

"I see!" Yuuki nodded seriously, his face the picture of understanding.

"Ryousuke -senpai, that second baseman—he's your brother, right? You both have the same hair color!" Sendo asked, pointing at Haruichi.

"Yeah, he's my annoying little brother!"

"I see!"

In his heart, Sendo thought: You tsundere, you're practically over the moon with joy!

"Your little brother, huh?" Kuramochi muttered in surprise before sighing.

"You're not thinking something scary, are you?" Sendo gave Kuramochi a sidelong glance, his inner thoughts unusually active.

"A moving ball that starts breaking near the batter's hands? That's definitely tricky!" Yuuki, seemingly freed from the "grandpa" topic, remarked.

"But that guy's pitches are only going to get nastier!" Miyuki added, backing him up.

"What?"

…

Regardless of how relaxed the atmosphere was in the observation room, the energy on the field had clearly shifted.

Unconsciously, the first-years had all gathered around Sawamura.

"The real showdown starts now!" Only Miyuki, who had been watching closely, understood the meaning behind Sendo's words.

It didn't take long for the others to understand too—because Masuko was now stepping up to the plate!

"Oh…" Kuramochi looked as if he suddenly understood everything.

"Yahaha! Interesting! A dorm-mates showdown? How's Masuko-san doing today?"

"He's in great form—three hits and five RBIs! He's giving it his all to reclaim his spot on the starting roster."

At the same time, Sawamura's fighting spirit had been fully ignited.

Following cather's instructions, his pitches began to grow more aggressive.

The first pitch to Masuko, while being observed carefully, was a wild one.

The catcher missed it entirely, and Coach Kataoka, viewing from the umpire's perspective, saw everything clearly.

Even the catcher, overwhelmed by what he had just seen, froze in disbelief.

Masuko, after observing the pitch, immediately abandoned any pretense of pride and positioned himself at the very front of the batter's box.

Thanks to Yuuki's explanation, the first-string players understood the reason for this adjustment, but the spectators were left confused.

"That pitch was so fast he had to choke up on the bat to hit it?"

Sawamura, seemingly oblivious to the murmurs of doubt from the audience, continued his aggressive pitching with glee.

The second pitch was even more ferocious!

Masuko hit a powerful foul ball, its destructive force clear to everyone.

"What incredible strength! Even with a shortened grip, his power is unbelievable!"

Everyone on the field was awestruck by Masuko's strength.

But Sendo noticed something else—Sawamura's eyes were practically glowing with excitement.

The final pitch wasn't a home run, but it was a perfect long hit. The only reason it didn't clear the fence was the insufficient height of its trajectory.

"Alright!!! Get your head back in the game!" After a brief chuckle, a loud, confident voice echoed from the pitcher's mound.

"That's the way, Eijun!" Sendo muttered under his breath.

In the end, Sawamura gave up only one run in the game—not the three runs he had allowed in his past life.

After all, while Sendo had never made him practice anything extra, three years of running had given Sawamura an exceptionally stable lower body.

And six years of explosive training had increased his pitching speed by several kilometers per hour compared to the same time in his previous life.

Now throwing in the low 130s (km/h), his pitches weren't easy to hit.

Ultimately, the final score wasn't as outrageous as the 12-run first inning many had feared.

The practice game ended 27-1.

From the stands, the alumni who had come to watch the game left with two names etched in their minds: Furuya Satoru and, somewhat begrudgingly, Sawamura Eijun.

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