Diamond No Ace: Life As Sawamura Eijun

Chapter 9: Eijun's Thoughts

"I am..."

After Eijun's self-introduction, there were only a few people left to introduce themselves, and most did so rather conventionally. One of them, nervously biting his tongue, elicited some suppressed laughter from the second and third-year students, making the first-year student feel quite embarrassed.

Of course, aside from Eijun's attention-grabbing speech, the real focus of this year's first-year students was the pair from Matsukata Senior League: Tojo Hideaki and Kanemaru Shinji, a duo who were key players in their middle school team that made it to the national top four. Tojo Hideaki, in particular, was the ace pitcher for Matsukata Senior League.

Naturally, they attracted significant attention.

However, Eijun knew well that the real spotlight for these two would only come during the fall tournament. Tojo, in particular, had been forced to switch to the outfield to qualify and be effective on the field.

But that's a topic for another time.

After a quick round of self-introductions, Coach Kataoka briefly addressed everyone before sending the first-year students to join the second and third-year students for their morning practice. At Seidou High School, this was a regular routine: morning practice came before breakfast.

This routine often led to a period of adjustment for the new students, especially regarding the demanding physical exercise and the rule of eating three large bowls of rice.

To be honest, very few could stick with it from the start.

"Second and third-year students, maintain a steady pace at the front. First-year students, form a group and follow behind. There are no speed requirements, but you must not stop!!!" an assistant coach shouted.

"Yes!!"

"Shout out! 1! 2! 3! 4!"

"1234!!"

With Captain Yuki Tetsuya's resounding call, Seidou High School's basic morning training for nearly a hundred members, including over thirty new recruits, began!

This was the first day of the new team formation at Seidou High School!!!

At 8:30 a.m., in the spacious cafeteria of Seidou High's Seishin Dorm, over a hundred members gathered in what seemed to be a large dining hall.

After the morning practice, everyone from Seidou High School gathered here for a communal meal. The meal times were strictly regulated, as you needed time to digest before more intensive training.

Training immediately after eating without proper digestion could lead to vomiting and health issues. Therefore, the Seidou High coaching staff and the logistics department enforced these regulations strictly.

A nutritious breakfast, served with heaping bowls of rice.

The sign overhead read, "Three large bowls of rice per meal."

This was the norm at Seidou High's cafeteria.

"The food tastes much better than I expected..." Eijun thought to himself as he ate heartily. Thankfully, despite differences, Japanese, Korean and Chinese food cultures are not that dissimilar.

This made it so that for Eijun, food wasn't a problem at all, and as for the issue of adapting to the massive appetite that comes after intense exercise? That was even less of a problem for him. A big appetite was never an issue; with heavy exercise comes high energy consumption, so naturally, he would eat more. The problem of not wanting to eat after intense exercise didn't apply to him at all.

In fact, over the past six months, Eijun had consciously started getting used to the eating habits at Seidou High School.

So, in the beginning, when almost 90% of the new students couldn't get used to it and couldn't even swallow their food, Eijun was eating quite happily. This astonished some of the other first-year students around him, and even the upperclassmen in the second and third years showed a hint of surprise.

This kid—should they say he has a big appetite or that he's highly adaptable?

It's worth noting that many of these second and third-year upperclassmen, when they first entered Seidou High School, couldn't even finish three bowls of rice. Many cut corners, and it wasn't uncommon for some to eat so much that they threw up.

Of course, the only exception back then was Masuko Tooru. This guy enjoyed his food so much that the coaching staff and cafeteria ladies deliberately controlled his portions. They couldn't let him go hungry, but they absolutely couldn't let him overeat either. If he got any bigger, it would be a serious problem.

So, when these upperclassmen saw how much Eijun was enjoying his food, they were genuinely surprised. After all, this kid didn't seem to be on the same level as Masuko Tooru.

Yet, he could eat so much. It was hard not to take notice.

"Next, I need to find a regular catcher and keep training myself. If I recall correctly, the Red and White Game takes place during the Spring Tournament. Seidou barely managed to beat a less-than-stellar Ichidaisan High in a slugfest, and Coach Kataoka decided to hold the Red and White Game to select players with potential and strength. Hmm, it should be in about three weeks... I think..." Eijun thought to himself while eating.

What did you say? Find Miyuki Kazuya?

Bro, wake up. Occasionally, Miyuki might have time to train with him, but regularly? He's not even a main pitcher on the first string. Even if Miyuki is interested in him, it's just not realistic.

As for the other senior catchers on the first or second string, that's not going to happen either. Who has the time or the inclination to catch for a first-year rookie like him? It's not about being harsh; it's just the reality of the situation.

So, the only ones he can look for are first-year catchers.

Most importantly, with intentional training, Eijun had managed to gain some control over his pitching. However, the moving ball was unique to him. Since he couldn't fully control it, with its random changes in trajectory, Eijun was worried that during the Red and White Game, the first-year catchers might not be able to handle his pitches without prior adaptation and repeated practice.

Furthermore, now that his basic control had somewhat stabilized, Eijun felt an irresistible urge growing inside him. This urge made him particularly eager to find a catcher who could regularly practice with him.

"I've decided—Kariba Wataru. He's the guy who was my regular practice catcher in the original story," Eijun thought to himself as he continued eating.

No special talent, no outstanding skills, but solid fundamentals.

In the original story, the fact that he could keep practicing with Eijun proves that he was a diligent catcher with a strong foundation. After all, Eijun's pitches aren't that easy to catch.

So, for Eijun right now, Kariba Wataru is definitely a good choice.

Before he joins the first string, before he can have Miyuki catch for him, and before he meets that person, Kariba Wataru is the best option.

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