Diamond No Ace: Life As Sawamura Eijun

Chapter 23: The Potential of the Future Core

"Crack!"

"Out! Three outs, change sides!!!"

As Coach Kataoka's voice echoed across the field, everyone around couldn't help but gasp, their expressions showing signs of astonishment.

The seamless coordination with the catcher, the calm pitching, the perfect outcome—this inning's performance by Eijun Sawamura on the mound.

It clearly hinted at the shadow of an ace's presence, faintly emerging.

This completely left the crowd in awe, but in a corner, one particular senior with a Maltese was suddenly infuriated.

"Dammit! What are you guys doing out there? Not even a single base hit!? And a three up, three down? Against that fastball, damn it, let me at 'em!!!!"

"Jun-san, you really can't do that. Coach is already looking this way," Kuramochi said with a resigned tone as he held onto the already rampaging Jun Isashiki, trying to calm him down.

Especially with Coach Kataoka's cold gaze sweeping across the field, Kuramochi couldn't help but shiver. He had no doubt that if he didn't hold Jun Isashiki back, not only would this explosive senior get punished, but he'd also get dragged into it.

That resolve made Kuramochi even more determined to stop Jun Isashiki.

Getting punished for something someone else did—that was something he really didn't want to go through again.

Nearby, Ryosuke Kominato stood quietly with a gentle smile, eyes narrowed.

"The moving ball, a pitch that changes direction right in front of the batter—it's really tricky," the calm and composed captain Tetsuya commented, his eyes showing a slight trace of admiration.

"As expected of Captain Tetsu, you saw through it so quickly..."

Not far away, Miyuki gazed at Tetsuya with a hint of surprise and admiration.

"But this probably isn't your limit yet, right? Come on, let me see just how much you've grown, Eijun Sawamura!"

Miyuki's lips curled into a slight smile as he looked at the back of Eijun, who was jogging back to the dugout, and murmured softly.

In the first-year dugout, everyone was staring at Eijun in shock as he returned, almost as if they were seeing him for the first time.

Among them, Tojo's expression was the most complicated. As a pitcher himself, he could better understand the high level of Eijun's performance in this inning, especially against such experienced upperclassmen who were already in their groove.

To deliver a no-hit inning in this situation—there was no denying it—Eijun truly had the right to say those words.

"The game isn't over yet. I'll give it my all to stop the upperclassmen from scoring. Now, it's our turn to counterattack!!!"

In the silent dugout, Eijun's eyes shone with a different kind of determination. His words, full of fighting spirit, resounded in everyone's ears with a sense of weight.

In the world of baseball, it's also a place where the strong rise and the weak fall, where the weak submit to the strong.

Eijun had already proven his strength through his actions.

So, everything that followed felt natural.

"First, let's aim to make contact with the ball, then target getting on base!" Eijun, now clearly assuming the role of the first-year team's leader, spoke in a steady voice to the surrounding players.

Among the new first-year players, there was certainly some discomfort, perhaps even resentment.

But in the end, when faced with Eijun, who was currently the best among the first-years in both pitching and batting, everyone, despite their pride, couldn't help but temporarily lower their heads, even if they didn't want to fully submit to him.

"Let's work together to score a run. You all want to see those upperclassmen get angry, don't you?" Eijun extended his left hand in front of him as he spoke. Out of all the things he had said, this was the one sentence that made every first-year's expression shift slightly, their eyes flickering with a different kind of light.

Indeed, scoring a run would open up a whole new world for them.

After a moment of hesitation, one by one, they all reached out and placed their hands on top of Eijun's.

"Alright, let's go!!!"

"Yeahhh!!!"

The charisma of a leader—the ability to lift the spirits of a team on one's own.

"The atmosphere among the first-years has changed."

"A good pitching rhythm, solid defense—it naturally boosts morale."

"Maybe this kid even has the potential to be a captain."

"Haha, it's possible."

The change in the first-year dugout didn't go unnoticed. In the control room, Rei Takashima's smile grew even wider. The qualities she had noticed in Eijun were all on full display in this game.

This made Rei feel even more certain that recruiting Eijun for their team was an incredibly wise decision.

At home plate, Coach Kataoka's eyes also flashed with a hint of surprise and satisfaction.

A simple sign distribution, straightforward tactical arrangements—these were the only things that could be done during the short break.

And starting from this inning, a second-year pitcher, Kawakami, was on the mound.

With excellent control, his strikeout pitch was a slider.

Eijun was quite familiar with this second-year senior.

At this point, you could call Kawakami cautious—or, less charitably, timid.

If they could seize this opportunity, there was a chance to hit one out of the park.

The growing momentum among the first-years was making the upperclassmen in their dugout increasingly displeased, fueling their resolve. They were determined to end this inning's attack as quickly as possible.

They wanted to move on to the next inning and show that cocky first-year pitcher that the upperclassmen's strength was on a whole different level.

"Whoosh"

"Crack"

"Boom"

"Thwack"

"Out!!"

Just as Eijun had said, as long as they could fully utilize their abilities and employ the right strategies, the upperclassmen's strength wasn't enough to keep them from even making contact with the ball.

In the bottom of the fifth inning, when the first-years began their offensive.

The fourth and fifth batters in the lineup managed to keep up with Kawakami's pitches, causing Miyauchi at home plate to grow increasingly uneasy.

Then, the sixth batter stepped up and sent the ball slicing toward the first base line, nearly breaking through the infield. The batter reached first base, and this surge in the inning's momentum left most of the upperclassmen visibly displeased.

In their minds, it was all because of that kid—Eijun Sawamura!

Next inning, next inning—they were determined to make that arrogant kid understand what the hardships of baseball really felt like!

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