Diamond No Ace: Life As Sawamura Eijun

Chapter 19: His Perseverance, Everyone's Shock

"Bang!!"

At the moment when the intense sound of the bat striking the baseball echoed across the field, everyone present showed expressions of shock. Even Coach Kataoka, standing behind Miyauchi Keisuke, had a flicker of astonishment in his eyes.

"Whoosh."

A bright streak shot out, the light speeding away from home plate. In that instant, it illuminated the disbelief on the faces of Miyauchi Keisuke, Tanba Kouichirou, and many other senior players, as well as the stunned expressions of the first-year students.

"Thud!"

Eijun ultimately lacked the power to hit the ball beyond the infield. The ball slammed hard into the ground between the pitcher's mound and third base, bouncing toward the area between second and third.

The moment the ball left the bat, Eijun quickly discarded the bat and sprinted toward first base.

Get on base, get on base, I have to get on base—this is my only chance to fight back.

At this moment, there's no room for retreat!!!

Eijun gritted his teeth and sprinted with all his might, a sight that made Miyauchi Keisuke's expression suddenly change.

"Third base, throw to first base!!!!"

The defensive actions of upperclassmen who have been through one or even two years of high school baseball are not something the rookies can compare to. The moment the white streak flashed out, the third baseman and shortstop had already sprung into action.

Their finely-tuned coordination allowed them to cover the gap between second and third base seamlessly.

The upperclassman shortstop intercepted the ball without much delay. In the corner of his eye, he saw that Eijun had already covered more than half the distance to first base, causing the third-year shortstop's expression to shift slightly.

Without a moment's hesitation—

"Whoosh."

A streak of light shot from his hand, speeding toward first base.

As the white light rapidly approached, Eijun was already closing in on the first base bag.

In that split second, at that very moment, everyone held their breath, their eyes fixed on first base.

"Let me make it!!!!"

Eijun screamed in his mind.

"Boom!"

"Smack!"

Two sounds rang out in quick succession.

A second later.

"Out!!!"

The first base umpire's call echoed through the field. Eijun, sprawled out on the ground, pounded the dirt in frustration. The determination in his eyes sent chills through everyone watching.

Especially Tanba who felt a deep sense of awe.

"This first-year..."

"This first-year has some real fight in him..."

"A truly spirited performance."

"He was so close to getting on base—what a shame."

"Even hitting the ball was impressive."

"But the most remarkable thing is this guy's perseverance. Just a moment ago, we were saying that someone with a strong personality would step up, and here he is."

"Do you know this guy's name?"

"Uh, I actually don't."

"But I do..."

"This guy's name is Sawamura Eijun. When he first joined the team, he made a bold declaration that he'd become the ace," someone explained with a laugh. "Haha, that's quite the unique introduction."

Eijun's performance, coupled with these additional details, caught the attention of the onlookers around the field. They were intrigued, whispering among themselves and showing a growing interest in him.

On the other side, Miyuki had an inscrutable expression on his face.

In the office, Takashima Rei wore a satisfied smile, nodding slightly. Yes, this is exactly what she valued in Eijun—the stubbornness and fighting spirit that refused to give up.

"Whoosh."

"Smack."

"Strike! Batter out! Three outs, change sides!"

After Eijun was called out, the first-year batters that followed were just as powerless. Three up, three down—Tanba and Miyauchi made quick work of the first-year lineup, ending the inning after just three batters.

But before leaving the field, Tanba cast a deep glance at Eijun, who was preparing to bat on the bench. There was a subtle yet unmistakable respect in his eyes.

In the first-year bench area, the other freshmen also stared at Eijun, who sat calmly to the side, with mixed emotions. Kanemaru Shinji's lips twitched as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he remained silent.

However, the atmosphere in the first-year dugout was no longer as gloomy as before. Eijun had backed up his words with action, proving his determination to never give up, using his skills to fight back in whatever way he could.

This sparked a different emotion in the hearts of the other first-year players.

"Twenty-one runs? Barely acceptable. Come on, offense, offense! Get me 200 runs, you idiots!!!"

"Yahaha, Jun-san, 200 runs is impossible."

"Well, it looks like everyone's in pretty good shape."

"Haha, this is actually kind of fun. If the coach hadn't forbidden us from playing, I'd have joined in already."

"Uh, Ryou-san, please don't joke around."

As the game reached its midpoint, a few figures appeared on the other side of the field. It was none other than the core members of Seidou High's first-string team: the third-year captain Yuki Tetsuya, third-year Jun Isashiki, third-year Ryousuke Kominato, and Eijun's dormitory senior, second-year Kuramochi Youichi.

They watched as the two batters in the third inning were easily taken down.

Coach Kataoka subtly shook his head, almost unconsciously. This group of first-year players… Putting aside their skill and potential, very few of them had the mental stability or the presence needed to stand out.

"Alright, player change."

Coach Kataoka had seen enough of the current first-year players on the field. It was time to switch them out and take a look at the next group, including a certain someone he was particularly interested in.

At the sound of Coach Kataoka's words, Eijun suddenly looked up, his eyes full of anticipation as he stared intently at the coach standing near home plate. The fiery intensity in his gaze seemed to scream, "Let me on the mound, let me on the mound, let me on the mound!"

After a brief moment of eye contact, Coach Kataoka quickly averted his gaze, as if it was nothing. The blazing fire in Eijun's heart was instantly doused.

It seems... my chance hasn't come yet.

"Third base, change. Center field, change..." Coach Kataoka proceeded to swap out most of the players on the field.

"Catcher, Kariba Wataru."

"Yes!" Kariba responded loudly, a bit surprised but eager.

"Pitcher, Furuya Satoru!"

After a brief pause, Coach Kataoka's eyes locked onto Furuya, and he announced the name in a deep voice.

Eijun was momentarily stunned.

That guy is up?

He turned his gaze to the tall, lanky figure slowly rising from the corner of the bench.

The Northern prodigy, the power pitcher—Furuya Satoru.

A genius of this generation, just like Eijun.

Eijun took a deep breath. His greatest rival... is about to take the stage!!!

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