Diamond No Ace: Life As Sawamura Eijun

Chapter 31: Training and Daily Life

Of course, Chris didn't let his emotions show on the surface. The slight softening of his expression was fleeting, gone in an instant.

At this moment, Chris's first impression of Eijun was evidently a positive one, but it remained just that—a first impression. Furthermore, in his words, Chris had no intention of coddling Eijun.

"Having confidence is great, but arrogance is a flaw. Carrying the expectations and recognition of everyone? You've only been in school for a month, and yet you speak with such bravado. If you understand what the pitcher's mound means to the team, then you should also realize that words hold little value. In the world of baseball, actions are the most effective proof. Remember that," Chris said, looking at Eijun with a calm, emotionless expression.

Chris initially thought Eijun might show dissatisfaction or frustration.

However, once again, Eijun surprised him.

"Yes, I understand, Chris-senpai. I still have a long way to go. Please take care of me from now on!" Eijun responded with his trademark cheerful smile, still showing a respectful tone as he spoke to Chris.

There was no trace of the expected dissatisfaction or defiance in his demeanor, which caused Chris to pause slightly.

This young junior before him seemed to be a bit different than expected.

This made Chris's favorable impression of Eijun grow just a little more.

Moreover, considering what he had observed privately before, the recordings of Eijun's games (at Seidou, not just official games but also some practice games and scrimmages are recorded), and the information he had gathered from Rei Takashima and Miyuki, combined with his direct impressions of Eijun, overall, Eijun had already made a good initial impression on Chris.

Perhaps training and nurturing this boy would become the most important thing in his high school career, Chris thought to himself, his eyes revealing a hint of a different emotion.

"Alright, let me help you with some stretches. Warm up and throw a few pitches. I'll take a look," Chris said, his eyes flickering slightly, while Eijun's face showed a hint of joy.

"Yes!" Eijun responded loudly at once.

For baseball players, training is rigorous but also joyful.

On the field, running between offense and defense, for them, playing baseball is a great joy. It's not just their dream but also their passion.

With this mindset, every day of training and every game seems to pass quickly in their eyes.

This was especially true for Eijun at this moment.

The various training regimens and different practice partners made Eijun cherish the current moment even more. To him, training time seemed to fly by.

During his one-on-one training with Chris, Eijun could say that he was enjoying baseball even more. In his previous life, his favorite catcher was Chris, and now, in this life, being able to form a battery with Chris—even if only in the bullpen, not on the field—was enough to satisfy the current Eijun.

His greater wish, of course, was to form a battery with Chris on the field. But Eijun also knew that, given Chris's physical condition at the moment, that might not be possible.

In the original story, after just three innings, Chris's shoulder had already reached its limit.

To truly get back on the field, it might take about a year of recovery.

"Whoosh!"

"Pop!"

"Alright, that's it for today," Chris said as he steadily caught the final pitch, addressing Eijun from a short distance away.

While Eijun felt a bit disappointed inside and wanted to keep pitching, he understood the situation. In the original story, Chris's father mentioned that by this time, Chris's shoulder had almost fully recovered, but he was still in the rehabilitation phase and not suited for prolonged catching sessions.

Moreover, it was indeed getting late, so Eijun wisely chose not to push for more, and he nodded gently.

"Thank you for your hard work, Chris-senpai," Eijun said with a slightly respectful tone.

"I'll organize the specific training items and have them delivered to you by one of your peers tonight," Chris said as he slowly stood up, still maintaining his calm demeanor.

"Yes, I understand, Chris-senpai," Eijun responded softly, still in a respectful tone.

"Alright." After packing his belongings and giving Eijun a deep look, Chris nodded and left.

As he watched Chris's departing figure, Eijun was well aware of why Chris had shown that expression.

It was mainly because of himself.

"Looks like I got a little too excited and respectful today. I couldn't hold back my excitement..." Eijun murmured to himself.

But finally, I've met you, Chris-senpai. Let's make the most of this last year together. The regrets from the original story—I won't let them happen again this time.

I swear on my pride as a pitcher!

A bright determination gleamed in Eijun's eyes as he thought to himself.

The brief training session passed quickly, and time soon brought them to May. Seidou High School, having secured a spot in the Kanto Tournament through the Spring Tournament, would now compete in the Kanto Spring Tournament, which was held in May and featured the champions and runners-up from various regions of Kanto.

Eijun and all the other first-year members attended that tournament to watch the games.

Just as Rei Takashima had mentioned earlier, Coach Kataoka did indeed include Furuya Satoru in the first string for this Kanto Tournament, assigning him the number 18 jersey.

In the first match, Seidou faced off against the strong team from Kanagawa, Yokohama Kohouku Academy. As a team that had won the championship in a highly competitive region during the Spring Tournament, Yokohama was one of the top teams in the country.

The game unfolded much like it did in the original story.

In the seventh inning, the ace, Koichiro Tanba, collapsed and gave up four runs.

In this situation, Furuya Satoru got his first chance to pitch in an official high school game, marking the beginning of his reputation not only in Tokyo but throughout the entire Kanto region.

He struck out six batters in a row. Although Seidou High ultimately lost the game by a narrow margin of 5-6, the name of the power pitcher—Furuya Satoru—spread across Kanto. Nearly all the strong teams in the region now knew about Seidou High's formidable newcomer, whose fastball was rumored to exceed 150 km/h.

As the days went on, Eijun continued his basic training with Chris, just as they always had. Eijun's diligent and uncomplaining attitude in training only increased Chris's recognition and satisfaction with him. It was under these circumstances that Eijun and Haruichi faced their first high school match.

Their debut came in a practice game with the second-string team.

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