Diamond No Ace: The Strongest Hitter

Chapter 11: Practice Game (End)

"Coach, what's the name of that catcher?" Sendo asked as he walked off the field.

"Cleanup hitter and catcher, Harada. Harada Masatoshi. What's up, pretty skilled, huh?"

"I'm just a beginner. How would I know if he's skilled or not? But that name sounds familiar for some reason." Sendo had no idea just how strong his own team was.

Both teams were famous, and in terms of individual skill, there wasn't much of a difference.

Even though Harada had personal abilities that surpassed his teammates and perhaps even the Wildcats' starters, he couldn't fully showcase them in front of such a well-coordinated Wildcats team.

Without a reference for comparison, it was impossible to judge who was stronger.

Sendo didn't know how strong his teammates were, simply because their batting and pitching couldn't compare to his.

He had no idea of his own abilities, and even though he was a cleanup hitter, he didn't think much of his team.

Even though the coach had called him a "monster," Sendo half-wondered if he had joined a fake prestigious team.

Where was the legendary "rookie-crushing" power he had heard of? (Or so he imagined.)

Part of the confusion came from his father. His father only vaguely knew that the Wildcats were famous, so he sent him there without knowing much else. Sendo himself didn't care about such things.

"Uh..." Before Coach Nakani could even respond, Sendo had already gone off to put on his catcher's gear.

In the next two innings, aside from Sendo hitting a solo home run, the score didn't change.

Both teams got a few hits here and there, and the final inning's leadoff hitter was the second batter for both teams. However, the Mariners needed to tie the score to even have a bottom half of the inning.

In the top of the seventh, after a base hit from the third batter, the cleanup hitter hit a home run for the Mariners. However, they didn't score any more runs, and the game ended with a final score of 10-2.

In this game, the Mariners couldn't get Sendo out even once. Instead, he went four-for-four, all extra-base hits, driving in six RBIs.

After the teams lined up for handshakes, Harada called out to Sendo.

"Your name's Sendo, right?"

"Yes, senpai!" Sendo responded.

"You're really amazing! To be honest, during your last two at-bats, just seeing you step into the batter's box gave me chills."

In the original story, Harada disliked Miyuki because of his superior intelligence, but with Sendo, it was sheer physical dominance.

Even though Harada knew about Sendo's weakness in pitch selection, he was still overwhelmed.

When the skill gap is so wide, there's no room for resentment or dislike. Harada didn't even feel any sense of competition, showing just how much of a psychological blow Sendo dealt him.

"Thank you!"

Harada gently patted Sendo on the shoulder.

"The tournament's coming up soon. Keep it up!"

Before Sendo could reply, Harada moved on to chat with one of the Wildcats' players. Sendo overheard Harada's teammate say, "Pretty amazing, huh? That guy!"

And Harada replied, "Yeah, honestly, after his third at-bat, just seeing him stand there gave me a bit of a complex. It's hard to say if it's fear or something else, but it's there."

"Seriously? But yeah, the moment he steps into the batter's box, he's terrifying. Facing him as a catcher must be a nightmare, right?"

"Yeah!"

Sendo shrugged.

"Well, none of that matters," he muttered to himself.

After the Wildcats returned to camp, the team was dismissed for the day.

....

"I'm home!"

"Welcome back! Your dad's back too. Go freshen up; he has something to talk to you about."

"Got it!"

After a quick wash, Sendo sat down in the living room.

"You know our family runs a business, right? I've decided to expand to Dubai, so your mother and I will be moving there. However, I want you to stay here because I want you to have a rich and colorful childhood."

Sendo listened quietly as his father continued, "You tend to be a bit quiet, so I think life abroad might not suit you. I'll send you to the countryside to stay with your grandfather."

"Hmm, when do I go?" Without any objections, Sendo simply accepted his father's decision.

"Tomorrow, I'll take care of the paperwork. Say goodbye to your classmates and Coach Nakani from the Wildcats."

"Also, here's some money. You might not be able to buy some things in the countryside, so get what you need before you leave. It's okay if you start school a day or two late."

"I understand. I'll head to my room now." Sendo took a deep breath and spoke softly.

Although he hadn't made many friends on the Wildcats, he had spent a lot of time with Coach Nakani, and the sudden departure made him feel a bit down.

"Let him have some time alone," Sendo father said, stopping Sendo's mother from saying anything more.

In his room, Sendo absentmindedly played with his phone, opening and closing it repeatedly. If he had to describe it, he felt lost.

After a long while, he stood up and walked over to the full-length mirror in his room, staring at his face that resembled a cheerful and handsome character from Slam Dunk.

If anything stood out, it was his eyes—sharp, almond-shaped, with sapphire-like pupils that made people uncomfortable when looking directly at them.

"Really... I've got quite a face, huh? Should I try a spiky haircut like Sendo from Slam Dunk? I wonder if that Sendo had hair as stiff as mine, where even a slight trim makes it stand up like a porcupine."

"That's it—I'll get a haircut tomorrow! My hair is so stiff, a little hair gel should be enough to make it stand up!"

"Starting tomorrow, I'll be a new me! Time to say goodbye to the past!" Sendo weakly cheered himself up.

Even though he knew this was just a way to distract himself, he didn't want to wallow in sadness. Instead, he wanted to keep himself busy, masking the pain of parting.

So, he started packing his things, separating what to take and what to leave behind.

When he came across a family photo, he stared at it for a long time before eventually putting it in his bag.

Next, he packed away the basic practice manuals and books that Coach Nakani had given him.

Sendo had memorized the practice routines by heart, but all those baseball notes, Nakani's insights, and theory books…

"Since I'm choosing to quit the team, I'll leave all of this behind." He placed everything in the closet, filling it with things he wouldn't be taking with him.

As he closed the closet door, Sendo felt as though he was saying goodbye to the person he had been up until now.

With that realization, the heavy atmosphere that had been weighing him down suddenly lifted.

Sendo had always been like this, even in his past life. He could quickly accept reality and move on.

He focused only on what he could do, knowing what actions were in his control, what he needed to trust in others for, and what he simply had to wait for.

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