Diamond No Ace: Life As Sawamura Eijun

Chapter 388: Shattering Reality

Furuya's breathing became uneven as he stood on the mound, his chest rising and falling in response to the hitter's disdainful attitude.

That scornful gaze from the batter—it was as if he were being looked down upon by someone unworthy.

This was supposed to be a weak team, an insignificant opponent. What right did they have to act superior?

They should just quietly step off the field.

"My target is him. My dream… there's no way someone like you could understand it."

"So… go down here and now!!"

Miyuki called out calmly, "Good. His form is starting to fall apart. Furuya, throw a fast forkball next. Use this pitch to finish him off."

Furuya's slight body movements—his shifting gaze, the barely noticeable tremble in his chest, and the subtle shake of his arm—went unnoticed by Miyuki.

Instead, the catcher was impressed. Furuya's pitches were getting sharper, more precise. Each throw felt heavier, more forceful.

Miyuki was satisfied, convinced Furuya was hitting his stride.

"If we can retire this batter smoothly and set the stage for the bottom half of the inning, it'll be easier to score. If we can add a run here, this game will be completely under our control," Miyuki thought.

But he didn't realize the danger signals quietly surfacing within Furuya.

And so, when Furuya let his anger guide his next pitch—

When his right leg lifted high—

When his left leg strode forward—

"Whoosh!"

The roaring light.

The moment of flight.

As the ball approached home plate, Miyuki's eyes glimmered with expectation. But the sharp drop he anticipated didn't come.

The decisive, crisp pitch he had envisioned failed to materialize. The satisfying snap of the ball hitting the mitt never rang out.

Instead, a shadow swung into view.

A chilling glint of metal flashed in Miyuki's line of sight.

"PING!"

A thunderous blast exploded in his ears.

Umemiya's ferocious glare met Miyuki's startled gaze. That fierce, snarling expression etched itself into Miyuki's mind.

What followed was a streak of brilliance arcing through the sky, captivating the entire stadium.

"Ohhhh!"

"Ahhh!"

"What?!?"

Amid the crowd's exclamations of disbelief, Furuya stood frozen on the mound, his expression starkly changed.

The ball streaked through the air, quickly flying past the infield. Out in center field, Eijun gritted his teeth, backpedaling furiously.

The shadow of the ball danced, its roar echoing through the stadium.

Ugumori's cheers.

Seidou's gasps.

And then, at a height far beyond Eijun's reach—

"Bang!"

The ball crashed into the electronic scoreboard, a thunderous clap that seemed to shake the stadium.

Furuya's face reflected stunned disbelief as the impact echoed like a bolt of lightning on a clear day.

The crowd erupted.

"It's gone! It's gone! With two outs and their backs against the wall, Ugumori's ace and cleanup hitter, Umemiya, seized this one and only chance! A stunning home run—he caught that fast forkball dead-on and drove Seidou's power pitcher Furuya's decisive pitch to the deepest part of the park. A two-run shot to center field in the top of the fourth gives Ugumori control of the game!"

"Whoa! Great job, Umemiya!"

"So cool, Umemiya!"

"Amazing, Umemiya!"

"Home run! Home run! Home run!"

"I knew you could do it, Umemiya!"

As Umemiya rounded the bases, laughing with a manic intensity, the third-base side of the stands and Ugumori's dugout erupted with joyous cheers.

Matsubara Nao, seated in his wheelchair, slowly unclenched his hands from its armrests and allowed a calm, familiar smile to return.

"It's always you we have to count on, Umemiya…" he murmured softly.

Back in the dugout, Umemiya was greeted by his teammates' jubilant cheers.

The beaming smiles of his teammates, the overwhelming sense of accomplishment—this was no ordinary hit; it was a game-changing home run.

On the Seidou side, however, the mood was heavy. In contrast to Ugumori's celebrations, the players and coaches appeared solemn.

Coach Kataoka's expression was more serious than ever, Ochiai's eyes narrowed in thought. Kanemaru, Asou, and Kanai exchanged uneasy glances.

"Was it a bad pitch?"

"No, that was Miyuki's call."

"Furuya's pitch got taken deep?"

"Was it too forced?"

"I think the batter guessed right."

Out in center field, Eijun tugged at the brim of his cap, shading his eyes. He had hoped this wouldn't happen, but it had.

He turned his head back toward the mound, where Furuya stood amid the gathered infielders.

Eijun's eyes reflected a flicker of concern.

On the mound, Furuya muttered, "I…"

But before Miyuki could say a word, Furuya suddenly lifted his head, a resolute glint in his eyes.

"Miyuki-senpai, don't pull me out. I can still pitch!"

Miyuki, along with Maezono, Kuramochi, and the other players around the mound, froze for a moment.

Furuya's unyielding tone and determined gaze caught them off guard. They had expected him to look downcast and shaken.

Miyuki couldn't help but chuckle inwardly. Good. As long as he's not losing heart.

"No one said we were going to pull you out. Even the coach hasn't made a move, has he? All you need to do is pitch well from here on out."

On the surface, Miyuki kept a serious expression—after all, they had just given up a home run. But inside, he knew he didn't need to offer words of comfort. Seeing that Furuya hadn't collapsed mentally, there was no need to console him. Now was the time to push him harder.

It seemed that Furuya didn't pick up on the full meaning of Miyuki's words. His gaze drifted toward the bench, and he exhaled a breath of relief on his own. Miyuki's lips curled into a faint, amused smile. This guy...

"That last pitch may have been my fault for calling it and getting read, but you're also at fault for not fully following through. The timing and the drop weren't on point. You need to understand, this team's strength isn't as weak as you might have thought. There's still one out to get. Take it down. Most importantly, figure out what to do after giving up a hit like that. Got it?"

Miyuki's tone was sharp as he addressed Furuya.

"Understood, Miyuki-senpai."

Furuya's response came with an uncharacteristically serious expression.

"If your goal is really that guy, that number, then give me more effort, more focus!"

Miyuki's words were full of encouragement, though they also carried an undercurrent of rivalry. This left Maezono and Kuramochi speechless on the side.

Does he have to stir up tension like that between guys in the same year?

Neither Kuramochi nor Maezono knew how to respond.

"Yes!"

As if triggered, Furuya's entire being reignited with fighting spirit.

Miyuki nodded inwardly. Good. This should be fine now.

But was it really that simple?

Did Miyuki truly understand Furuya's current mindset? Was he really in tune with Furuya's thoughts at that moment?

For the first time in his life, Miyuki misjudged a pitcher's state of mind.

And that mistake led to an even harsher outcome.

"Whoosh!"

"Ping!!!"

After issuing four balls, a sharp, thunderous blast rang out once more. The ball soared high over left field, sailing beyond the fence. As everyone turned their eyes to the scene, they finally grasped the brutal truth.

This was what it meant to face a truly shattering reality.

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