Diamond No Ace: Echoes Of The Ace

Chapter 3: A New Beginning

"Are you ready, Eijun? Do your best in the game, alright? I'm so sorry I can't come and watch," Sawamura's mother said apologetically, looking at her son, fully geared up and ready to leave, with a hint of guilt in her voice.

"Don't worry, Mom. Everything will go smoothly. I'll be off now!" Eijun reassured her with a bright smile, shouldering his bag and heading out the door.

"Be careful on your way, and good luck," his mother called after him, though the worry in her heart remained. Will he really be alright? she thought anxiously as she watched him disappear down the road.

The older Eijun, standing nearby in his invisible form, had spent the previous day watching his younger self train with his teammates.

Seeing his friends work so hard brought back memories he thought he had forgotten—memories that had simply been buried deep in his heart, carefully preserved.

Some of his teammates back then weren't particularly suited for baseball or even sports in general.

Yet, because of him, they had pushed themselves and eventually fell in love with the game.

Despite lacking talent, enduring exhausting practices, and only achieving the status of a bench player by their senior year, they still loved baseball.

That kind of unyielding passion was something that stayed with them, something Eijun himself could never let go of.

As his younger self stood by the empty field, Eijun instinctively placed a hand on his shoulder and said softly, "Good luck."

"Sensei! Over here! You're so slow—we've been waiting forever!" young Eijun shouted loudly, spotting their coach, Sano, arriving late with his hands full of equipment.

"Why do you guys always have to make such a fuss? The game isn't for hours! And Eijun, where's this enthusiasm when it comes to studying?" Sano sighed, clearly exasperated. (Once again contemplating giving up on the baseball team entirely.)

"Alright, everyone, grab your gear! Let's head to the dugout for check-in!" Sano gathered the team, ensuring they didn't leave anything behind, and led them to their assigned resting area.

Ever diligent, Sano had visited the venue the day before to familiarize himself with the layout, repeatedly locating the dugouts, medical rooms, and restrooms to ensure nothing went wrong.

He was the classic example of someone who says they don't care but always puts in the effort.

"Hey, look! That's our opponent over there. They look pretty tough."

"Their swings seem fast too!" The sight of the opposing team warming up only added to their nervousness—except for the ever-energetic and optimistic Eijun.

After all, they had been eliminated in the first round for two consecutive years.

Being in their final year of middle school and the last batch of students from this soon-to-be-closed school, they desperately wanted to create a lasting memory.

"Haha, don't worry about it! They're just like us—middle schoolers! We won't necessarily lose to them. Like I said, we just have to play our baseball, and we'll win!" Eijun's cheerful smile and unwavering confidence calmed his teammates.

Shin, the catcher, and Wakana exchanged a glance, clenched their fists, and felt their tension ease.

"Ei-chan, let's warm up with some throws," Shin called. The others checked their bats and water dispensers before joining in the warm-ups.

When the air raid siren marking the start of the game sounded, the team lined up and sprinted to the infield. After bowing to their opponents, the game officially began.

Akagi Middle School was the first to bat.

Ohno, their leadoff hitter, observed the first two pitches—a ball and a strike—before making contact on the third.

Unfortunately, the ball was slightly jammed and easily fielded by the second baseman, resulting in an out at first.

The second batter, Aoki, managed a base hit over the third baseman, advancing to first.

The third batter, Oyama, laid down a sacrifice bunt to move Aoki to second.

However, their cleanup hitter, Kondou, hit the ball straight to the third baseman for an easy out, ending their inning scoreless.

"Damn it! So close… Sorry, everyone," Kondou apologized, visibly upset over missing the chance to score first.

"Don't worry about it! It's only the first inning. Let's focus on holding them in defense," Eijun said, patting Kondou's back with a smile.

Eijun stepped onto the pitcher's mound, looking down at the dirt beneath his feet.

As he glanced at Shin crouching behind home plate, a grin spread across his face.

Taking a deep breath, he lifted his head high, raised his arms, and shouted, "I'm probably going to get hit a lot, so I'm counting on everyone in the field to back me up!"

"Bring it on, Ei-chan!"

"Hit it my way!"

His teammates, inspired by Eijun's straightforward nature, shouted back enthusiastically, their morale soaring.

The older Eijun stood silently in the dugout, watching his younger self on the mound, loudly proclaiming his bold "strategy." For a moment, he didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

Riding the wave of their high morale, Eijun started strong in the bottom of the first inning, striking out the leadoff batter.

The second batter hit a high fly ball toward third base, and the third batter sent a grounder toward second—both were flawlessly caught by the defense.

The team wrapped up the inning with no hits, no runs, and no errors, sealing a perfect first inning.

The second inning began with Shin, their fifth batter, capitalizing on a misplaced pitch to hit a weak ground ball, managing to reach first base.

However, Eijun, with his trademark three "Yosh!" shouts, was swiftly struck out.

Though he muttered complaints on his way back to the dugout, no one paid his batting much mind.

Watching his younger self's awkward swing, the older Eijun cringed and rubbed his forehead.

Witnessing his own strikeout was embarrassing, though he knew this younger version of himself would eventually find a hitting style that worked, even earning his own walk-up song in later years.

Their seventh batter, Takada, hit a lucky single to right field, allowing Shin to take advantage of an opponent's throwing error and dash home, scoring their first run.

Though their eighth and ninth batters, Omura and Wakana, struck out after a few foul balls, the team remained jubilant at taking the lead.

Buoyed by this momentum, Akagi Middle School entered the bottom of the second with confidence and cleanly defended the inning.

However, in the top of the third, their opponents' pitcher dominated, striking out three consecutive batters.

In the bottom of the third, Eijun took the mound again.

With two outs and a count of 1-2, he allowed the leadoff batter to hit a double to left field.

The second batter then delivered an unexpected ground ball.

As their inexperienced first baseman, Kondou, scrambled to field it, the runner advanced safely to first.

Eijun, unable to react in time to assist, silently cursed his own lapse in judgment.

Things worsened when the third batter hit a powerful shot to right field, bringing in two runs and flipping the score.

Staring at the scoreboard, Eijun's teeth clenched in frustration. "Damn it!" he hissed under his breath.

"I… I'm sorry, Ei-chan…" Kondou muttered, guilt-ridden. If he had been faster, the situation might have been avoided.

"Don't worry about it. What's done is done. Let's focus on getting the next batter out," Eijun reassured him with a smile.

Deep down, though, he knew both of them shared responsibility.

If he had reacted faster and thrown to first, they could have secured the out.

That failure was what stung the most.

Eijun adjusted his cap, pressed the ball firmly into his glove, and took a deep breath to calm himself.

---The score doesn't matter right now. Mistakes don't matter. What matters is the batter in front of me.

Fixing his gaze on the cleanup hitter, his eyes burned with determination.

---I won't let you score again!

With that thought, he hurled the ball—but the next three pitches missed the strike zone entirely.

Standing on the mound, Eijun glanced at the worsening situation he had created.

His anxiety was evident as his pupils narrowed into cat-like slits, almost as if he could hear a distressed meow echoing in his mind.

Seeing Eijun unravel, Shin called for a timeout and jogged to the mound. "Hey, Ei-chan, what are you doing? You're so tense you can't even hit the strike zone!" Shin said, half-scolding, half-joking, as the infielders gathered around the pitcher's mound.

"Was it my mistake earlier?" Kondou asked nervously, glancing at Eijun.

Looking at his teammates' worried faces, Eijun froze for a moment.

---What am I doing? I'm so nervous I can't even throw a strike. Wait… it's not just nerves.

He clenched his fists.

---I'm afraid. I'm afraid they'll hit the ball, and our defense won't be able to catch it. I don't trust them anymore.

---Damn it! What am I thinking? If I can't trust the people who've stood by me all this time, then who can I trust?

The realization struck him like a bolt of lightning. Eijun's heart tightened, but he knew what he needed to do.

Feeling deeply ashamed, Eijun began furiously pounding his head with his fists, alarming his teammates.

"Ei-chan, are you okay?!"

"Does your head hurt?!"

"Do we need to call a medic?!"

"No, I'm fine. I'm so sorry." Eijun bowed deeply in apology.

"Huh?!" Everyone stared at him in confusion.

"What's wrong, Ei-chan?" Shin asked.

"I'm sorry, everyone," Eijun began, his voice filled with regret. "While I was pitching just now, I thought I had to fight alone."

"I didn't want the batter to get a hit, but I'm not strong enough to strike him out. Without realizing it, I ended up throwing all bad pitches."

"And worst of all, I doubted our defense—I didn't trust you all. That's my biggest mistake. Argh! I need to punish myself for this!" Saying so, he started hitting his head again.

Shin quickly grabbed his hands to stop him. The teammates exchanged glances and then burst out laughing. Now it was Eijun's turn to look bewildered.

Wiping tears of laughter from his eyes, Oyama spoke up, "I thought it was something serious. Honestly, we're all pretty weak."

"If it weren't for you pulling us into baseball, I'd probably still be on the sidelines, watching and wishing I could play."

"But you told me, 'Oyama, I need you. Come play baseball with me!' and that made me so happy. So even if I mess up, can't hit, or fail to catch the ball, I still want to stand behind you, Ei-chan. I'm not giving this spot to anyone else."

"Exactly!"

"That's right!"

"Let me stand behind Ei-chan. I'll work harder."

"Timeout is over! Back to your positions!" the umpire called out, warning Akagi Middle School.

Before returning to his position, Shin turned to Eijun and said, "Ei-chan, I'll be right in front of you!"

Watching his teammates return to their positions, Eijun wiped his eyes with his sleeve.

---I'm so lucky to have them.

Completely calm now, Eijun focused on Shin's glove. Taking a deep breath, he pitched with all his strength.

"Strike! Batter out! Three outs! Change!" The umpire raised his arm, signaling the end of the inning.

Standing on the mound, Eijun let out a victorious roar. His teammates gathered around him as they headed back to the dugout.

"Ei-chan, that was incredible!"

"You struck out the cleanup hitter after three straight balls! Amazing!"

Their excitement was so infectious, it felt as though they had already won the game.

"It's not like that," Eijun said sheepishly, scratching his nose. "I just thought, even if they hit it, it's okay because you guys will back me up. Once I thought that, pitching became so much easier."

"Never mind that!" Shin grinned. "Are you ready? It's time to fight back and take the lead again!"

"Yeah!!!" Even Sano found himself unexpectedly fired up.

"This time, I'll definitely get a hit!" Eijun said confidently as he practiced his swing outside the dugout, aiming for a home run in his next at-bat.

"We're counting on you, Ei-chan! We'll back you up!"

"Alright! Let's do this together!"

With renewed determination, the team stepped into the top of the fourth inning, ready to turn the game around.

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