Ace of Diamond: Return of the Pitcher

Kuramochi returned to home plate and, after helping his team score, calmly walked back to the Seidou High School baseball team's dugout.

Throughout this process, no one could detect any sign of excitement on his face.

It seemed as though everything was effortless and simple to him…

This scene dazzled the spectators and fans in the stands.

No wonder Seidou High School's first batter was as calm as a rock—this composure was not something ordinary people could compare to.

Seidou High School's baseball team smoothly took the first point, and the situation on the field was now: no Outs and a runner on second base.

Looking at the current play, Seidou's offense was undeniably sharp.

And this was only the first inning. Seidou's team had easily taken the lead.

From the looks of it, their offensive surge was far from over.

It felt like an ocean with waves crashing—each one stronger than the last—yet the end of it couldn't be seen.

Right now, that's what Seidou's baseball team felt like.

The third batter up to the plate was Shiratsu.

Today, the big Ace, Sawamura Eijun, wasn't directly assigned to the field.

He was sitting quietly in the dugout.

Sawamura wasn't just Seidou's Ace pitcher but also a key member of their offense.

After much deliberation, Coach Kataoka and the coaching staff decided to promote Shiratsu to the third spot in the lineup.

Though Shiratsu's performance wasn't quite on the level of Sawamura, he had something no one else had: his all-around hitting skills.

When it came to seamlessly connecting the first and second batters with the fourth, Shiratsu was the best choice.

Shiratsu was, without a doubt, in the spotlight.

All the Seidou players, including their supporters and fans in the stands, were eagerly anticipating his performance.

They hoped he could hit the ball and bring Haruichi home.

When everyone's eyes are on one person, it's hard for that person not to be affected.

Under such pressure, most players would likely swing their bat without thinking.

But Shiratsu didn't let the pressure affect him. He seemed to pay no attention to the cheers and encouragement.

Before hitting, he glanced toward the dugout.

If Coach Kataoka gave him a signal to avoid a direct confrontation with the opponent, Shiratsu would follow that order.

As long as it benefited the team, as long as it was Coach Kataoka's command, he would follow it.

Simplicity was Shiratsu's biggest trait.

He might seem ordinary, but once he took action, his opponents would be in for a surprise.

In the dugout, Coach Kataoka didn't give any special instructions to Shiratsu, who was preparing to bat.

In simple terms, he was leaving it up to the players to handle the situation themselves.

This was a strong display of trust in his team.

Even though Shiratsu wasn't someone with an extremely strong competitive mindset, seeing Coach Kataoka's silent approval still made him excited.

He nodded towards the Coach, then turned his sharp gaze towards his opponent.

It was as if he was ready to give his all for the one who trusted him.

On the other side, Fukuoka High School's Ace, Taiga, seemed to be deep in thought.

His entire demeanor appeared strange as if he was hesitating about something.

From time to time, he glanced at Haruichi, who was standing on second base.

Kominato looked well-behaved and showed no intention of stealing third base.

This seemed to make Taiga relax slightly.

He let out a long breath and focused his attention back on Shiratsu in the Batter's Box.

However, in a place where Taiga's eyes weren't watching, Kominato, who had been still, suddenly made his move.

He slowly advanced, edging closer and closer to third base.

Not only did the pitcher, who had already lowered his guard, fail to notice, but even the catcher missed this crucial detail.

Their focus remained entirely on Shiratsu.

Before the game, Fukuoka High School had thoroughly studied Seidou High's baseball team.

And that, of course, includes Shiratsu.

His swing didn't look particularly intimidating.

Yet, in reality, his skill was exceptional.

Shiatsu was proficient in all kinds of hitting techniques and could handle nearly any situation with ease.

Trying to strike out a batter like him?

An absolute headache.

Fukuoka High's Ace, Taiga, was starting to feel anxious.

Back in Seidou's dugout…

Ochiai's sharp eyes locked onto the field.

"The opponent… looks afraid."

He slightly squinted his eyes as his brain raced.

At first, Ochiai didn't think along these lines.

The reasoning was simple. The opponent is the strongest team in the country, Seidou High School, so the opponent should be afraid.

However, that isn't the case here.

Matches between other teams are like balanced bets, where both sides put in roughly equal stakes.

Even if there are slight imbalances, they're generally even.

But a game against Seidou High School is different.

Because Seidou High School is the King, the feeling is more like buying a lottery ticket.

Winning would bring enormous profits, but losing doesn't bring much loss.

'In this case, how could the opponent's mindset not be positive?'

Even if they won against Seidou, they wouldn't necessarily continue winning, but beating the legendary Seidou would make them famous.

With such a deal, how could the players possibly be this afraid?

For many teams, their players saw games against Seidou High School as a match against professional players.

This indirectly caused two obvious problems.

The first one was that Seidou High School's opponents had increasingly better mental states.

Meanwhile, the mental pressure on Seidou's players was getting bigger and bigger.

So, when the game against Fukuoka High School started today, even though Kuramochi and many of his teammates felt something was off about the opponent, they didn't consider the possibility that the opponents might be afraid.

They had already gotten used to seeing their opponents acting daringly and confidently against Seidou High School.

Habit is a terrifying force. So much so that now the Seidou players couldn't even imagine the opponent being scared of them.

Those who have nothing to lose are naturally fearless.

Compared to Seidou, Fukuoka High School was pretty much penniless in terms of strength.

'They should have no reason to be anxious, right?'

After all, even if they lost by a large margin, it would be completely normal.

In this case, players can strive and fight back, but there's no need for heavy mental burdens.

But strangely, the opponent was carrying such pressure.

There must be something he hadn't thought of.

Sawamura's gaze deepened.

Once you've figured out the result, deducing the reasoning isn't that hard.

For example, Fukuoka may have nothing, but their Ace pitcher, Taiga, is completely different.

He is famous, and rumor has it that even professional scouts are paying attention to him.

Before graduation, especially before the summer game in their third year, he had already attracted the attention of professional scouts.

Undoubtedly, he is a highly regarded superstar.

In the previous three rounds, Taiga's performance had been impressive.

Slowly, the outline of a situation appeared in Ochiai's mind.

He had roughly guessed why the opponent had become so sensitive. This sensitivity was even affecting their players' performance.

'It turns out that the opponent had already positioned themselves as well-known players!'

There were many scouts on-site. Although Ochiai couldn't see them in the audience, he could guess that a lot of scouts had come to observe.

Most of them were probably there to watch Miyuki, Furuya, and Sawamura.

Of course, there were also scouts watching Taiga.

Otherwise, Taiga wouldn't have been so sensitive.

As soon as someone reached base, Taiga immediately showed obvious anxiety.

Having figured everything out, Ochiai quickly approached Coach Kataoka and shared his reasoning.

At first, Coach Kataoka was surprised.

As the head coach of Seidou, he had also fallen into the same misconception. He had gotten used to no opponents fearing Seidou.

Opponents were always eager to clash head-on with Seidou, excited to face them every time.

He never imagined there would be someone completely indifferent to Seidou's fame.

At first, he hadn't thought of it, but with Ochiai's hint, Coach Kataoka immediately understood.

The opponent's unstable mindset and the urgent desire to get Outs were clear.

Once Coach Kataoka understood this, he decisively gave a signal to Shiratsu, who was in the Batter's Box.

'No need to hold back—attack mercilessly. Make the opponent feel the pressure from Seidou High School's baseball team.'

Even though the opponent's mindset was clearly unstable, Taiga still maintained a decent level of pitching.

By observing these small details, Coach Kataoka quickly deduced the opponent's skill level.

Without a doubt, Taiga was a skilled pitcher. If he was allowed to stabilize, scoring would be harder.

Therefore, they had to capitalize on the opponent's unstable mindset and aggressively score during this period.

'Let's go, keep pushing!'

'Let the opponent truly feel the fear that comes from Seidou High School's baseball team.'

Initially, Shiratsu hadn't received a signal and had decided to act on his own.

But after he abandoned his initial plan, Coach Kataoka sent him instructions.

As a stable and skilled player, Shiratsu wasn't affected by this change and played to his full potential.

He immediately set up for a bunt.

With no Outs and a runner on second, Seidou's intention was now clear.

Anyone familiar with Seidou's playing style would know what they were about to do.

Seidou's baseball team never blindly swung their bats.

Their philosophy was to aggressively aim for the next base with everything you can.

In a game where scoring wasn't too uncertain, and their lead was secure, Seidou's team would usually prefer to take the first point.

Only when the game had little suspense, and they had a large lead would they swing wildly.

Of course, another situation would be when they were trailing by a large margin and hoped to turn the game around in the final moments.

But since Sawamura joined Seidou's baseball team, though they've lost games, they've never lost by such a big margin.

Even the opportunity to fall behind by such a large margin had never occurred.

So, when Shiratsu made this move, Fukuoka had no doubt about what Seidou was trying to do.

They thought Seidou was just trying to grab another point.

Leading by two runs in the first inning was a result even the mighty Seidou could accept.

Taiga, on the pitcher's mound, seemed to be gasping heavily. Though the game had just started, he seemed to be losing stamina quickly.

When Shiratsu lined up for a bunt, Taiga's heart relaxed for a moment.

Losing another point wouldn't matter too much now; what he desperately needed was to get Outs quickly.

The scouts in the stands were busy people. They might not have the time to watch the entire game.

If they left and Taiga still hadn't shown anything impressive, he would lose face.

At 17 years old, soon to graduate from high school, his thoughts weren't those of an average teenager anymore.

This game wasn't just about his final high school baseball moments—it could affect his future.

That's why his performance was so nervous.

'Since you want a bunt, then give me an Out!'

In a bid to quickly get Outs, Taiga threw a decisive pitch.

He wasn't concerned about the runner advancing to third base; his main focus was getting the current Out.

Unfortunately, Taiga was about to be disappointed.

Shiratsu wasn't really attempting a bunt.

As soon as Taiga pitched, Shiratsu smoothly pulled his bat back.

'A trick—an obvious trick!'

Taiga on the mound couldn't believe his eyes.

He had fallen for the trick!

In the Batter's Box, Shiratsu didn't pay any attention to Taiga's bitter feelings.

He swung at the incoming ball, having guessed correctly!

The ball, a small white sphere, landed outside the zone he had blocked with his bunt, making his target area smaller.

Without hesitation, he swung at the ball.

Ping!

The ball was hit cleanly, flying into the outfield gap.

Already prepared, Kominato Haruichi, despite his small build, was fast enough.

As a key player for Seidou, he efficiently advanced to third base and then rounded home.

This series of actions left the crowd thrilled.

Seidou High School scored their second point.

Not only did Kominato reach second base, but Shiratsu also ran to first base.

Seeing the ball being thrown home, Shiratsu didn't hesitate and advanced to the next base.

"SAFE!!!"

With no Outs and a runner on second, Seidou's strategy was now in full motion, leaving everyone stunned and excited.

PAAAK!!

Soon, Miyuki hit an impressive long ball to extend their lead to 3-0.

The most terrifying part? Seidou hadn't even lost a single Out yet.

After dominating the previous three rounds, Taiga was suddenly overwhelmed in this match.

Ignoring how many more points Seidou would score or when their offense would stop…

In Fukuoka's resting area, the once confident coach, who had been giving advice to his players, now slumped as though drained of life.

He had known this would happen before the match started.

But Seidou was really too much!

At the start, they had sent out a first-year pitcher. Even though this pitcher had been highly regarded in middle school, he was still just a freshman.

But no matter how much they struggled and how hard they tried, the result was already set.

The gap between the two teams was too wide to bridge.

Even with their Ace pitcher out of form, the difference in skill was undeniable.

The game had just begun, but Fukuoka's Coach had already given up hope.

Sitting down in his suit, he knew the inevitable outcome of the game.

They were probably going to lose!

…

T/N: Well, That's it for now.

As always, Thank you all for reading!!

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