Diamond No Ace: The Strongest Hitter

Chapter 119: When Sawamura Learned to Rely on Others

After entering the cafeteria, for some people, it was heaven.

However, Sendo didn't feel much excitement.

The sight of someone's enormous appetite, though, left a row of jaws on the floor.

After the meal, Sendo had no intention of heading back right away.

Instead, he decided to visit Sakura Girls's University to observe their training, hoping to find elements worth incorporating into Akagi's training methods.

By the time he returned in the evening, Sendo had borrowed a bat from today's practice.

Being pushed around like that had made him realize the importance of adapting to wooden bats.

If he wanted to turn the tables and properly teach that little brat, Ozawa, a lesson, making her scream in frustration, he'd need to put in the extra effort.

Otherwise, he'd just end up embarrassed and unable to show his face.

As the saying goes, the more confident someone is without effort, the heavier their pride. Sendo's pride was ignited today.

...

"Sen-chan! Welcome back!" By the time Sendo arrived home, everyone was already resting. The first to greet him was Ohno, waving cheerfully.

"Yeah, I'm back!"

"How did it go, Sendo? How's Ozawa's pitching? Has she improved?" Sawamura, brimming with energy, immediately asked the questions he was most curious about.

"That girl has evolved. I really got beaten up today," Sendo replied casually.

"Seriously?" Several voices exclaimed in disbelief.

For them, the idea of Sendo being at a disadvantage was almost unthinkable.

"Well, it's mostly because I'm not used to using wooden bats. Besides, we're probably evenly matched. The outcome today was more or less a draw... I guess!" Seeing their amused expressions, Sendo couldn't help but explain a bit.

"Phew! You scared me!"

Surprisingly, it was Sawamura who spoke, showing just how much he respected Sendo despite their constant bickering.

"Wow, you actually care about me losing? I thought you'd be excited," Sendo teased.

"Shut up! You're our representative from Akagi Junior High! How can you lose?" Sawamura retorted with a red face.

It was obvious to everyone that this wasn't about Akagi.

Sawamura simply couldn't imagine Sendo losing to anyone.

There was an unshakable belief in him that Sendo was unbeatable.

Whether Sawamura or anyone else admitted it, they all felt the same.

Sendo was the true soul of Akagi Junior High.

As long as he maintained his unwavering demeanor, they could keep fighting.

To them, Sendo was an invincible figure—a belief that couldn't be shattered.

"How was practice today?" Sendo asked Wakana, shifting the topic.

"Not bad! Everyone worked hard and has mostly recovered."

Hearing this, the others lowered their heads, seemingly ashamed of their earlier slump.

"That's good. Let's keep it up tomorrow. Stick to the nutritional plan I drafted," Sendo said as he opened the sliding glass door to step into the yard.

"Got it!"

"Hey! Sendo, where are you going?" Sawamura called after him.

But Sendo didn't look back and went straight into the yard.

Wakana placed a hand on Sawamura's shoulder.

"Leave him be. He's probably going to train."

"Huh? Train? Him?" Sawamura's face instantly morphed into a surprised, childlike expression.

"Yep." Wakana nodded. "Don't let his laid-back attitude fool you. He's actually very competitive. He doesn't train much because he's confident in his skills, but he's the kind of person who hates losing the most."

"Really? I can't tell at all. Well, whatever. I still can't imagine him losing one-on-one," Sawamura said with his trademark grin.

"Actually, it was more like one-on-two. A pitcher-catcher duo is a combination, after all," Ohno chimed in teasingly.

"But it's better not to disturb him," Aoki said, adjusting his glasses as he looked at Sawamura.

At that moment, all the boys shivered.

The memory of Sendo massaging Sawamura's shoulders earlier was still fresh in their minds.

Even Sawamura, the person involved, nodded frantically, realizing who the real boss was.

...

In the yard, Sendo focused on his stance, replaying the day's matchups in his mind.

Right foot firmly planted, shift weight, swing!

Wham!

Right foot firmly planted, shift weight, swing!

Wham!

Right foot firmly planted, shift weight, swing!

Wham!

He repeated the motions endlessly.

Sendo's batting stance doesn't involve lifting his legs.

Instead, only the tip of his right foot touches the ground.

This allows him to clearly read the pitch trajectory.

His explosive power compensates for the lack of a full stride, making it a stance tailored specifically for him.

As his body has matured, the weight on his right foot has gradually lessened.

Even someone without the ability to read minds could see how serious Sendo was at that moment.

The deafening sound of his swings showcased not only the speed of the bat but also Sendo's terrifying explosive power.

"Oh! That lazy Sendo, who wishes someone would feed him at meals and dreams of solving bathroom needs indoors, is actually…" Even with some mental preparation, Sawamura's jaw dropped into an "O" as he commented.

It was almost as exaggerated as Miyuki's sarcastic quips about hitting singles with no one on base.

"Hey! I heard that, you idiot!" Sendo suddenly turned around.

"You heard my whisper?" Sawamura, still coming up with more descriptors, quickly covered his mouth before sneaking a peek.

"Your 'whisper' can be heard from 100 meters away! Looks like tonight, I'll need to loosen you up a bit," Sendo said, his eyes gleaming with menace from Sawamura's perspective.

With the speed of someone perpetually single, Sawamura darted behind Wakana, gripping her shoulders like a scared puppy and peeking out.

Finally realizing who the real boss was, he might as well have clung to her leg.

"Don't hide!"

"Only an idiot wouldn't hide!"

"Alright, you two, calm down. Sendo, get back to training. Sawamura didn't mean any harm," Wakana said, exasperated.

"That's right! That's right! Go back to training!" Sawamura, emboldened by Wakana's presence, poked his head out further.

"Sawamura's brain doesn't always work properly. You know that."

"Exactly! Exactly—wait, what?" Sawamura froze, turning to stone.

Meanwhile, Wakana, unaware of her own sharp words, continued nonchalantly. Her unintentional barbs carried more weight than Sendo's usual snark.

"Fine!" Sendo chuckled heartily and went back to training.

Sawamura, thoroughly defeated, was left sulking in silence.

As the night went on, the sound of Sendo's swings echoed powerfully, marking the end of the day.

...

The next day, Sendo arrived on time at the Sakura Girls's's University baseball field.

This time, there was no need for someone to guide him in; he headed straight to the clubroom.

"Yo! Did you sleep well last night?" Ozawa greeted him at the door with a playful smirk, her tone laced with ambiguity, instantly twisting what would have been a normal greeting.

"Ah! (A confident 'yes!') I was thinking about you the whole time, senior! Thinking about every inch of you!" Sendo, of course, wasn't one to take such teasing lying down.

He immediately fired back with a double entendre, both answering her question and countering her flirtatious tone with one of his own.

"Ugh!" Frustrated at not getting the upper hand, Ozawa clicked her tongue and headed toward the field.

"Ozawa-san, is there anyone left in the locker room?" Sendo asked.

"No one! I'm the last one out! At this hour, who else would be here but you, you lazy pig?" Ozawa snapped without even turning back.

Shrugging, Sendo went inside to change.

...

"Please take care of me today as well!" Sendo greeted Coach Mitani politely upon reaching the field.

"It's us who should be saying that! Let's get started. The same routine as before—three rounds of practice—but Sendo-kun, you'll have a new training exercise today."

"What is it?"

"You'll find out soon! Warm up first."

"Alright!"

What Sendo didn't know was that the coach had recorded his performance yesterday and handed it over to Coach Nakani for review.

As Sendo's biggest advocate, Coach Nakani had poured his heart into figuring out ways to develop Sendo's immense but unconventional talents.

After a night of analysis and a sudden flash of inspiration, he had devised a new plan to challenge and hone Sendo's abilities, which already far exceeded his peers.

...

"Are you warmed up? Let's begin!" Coach Mitani said, seeing that Sendo was ready.

"Got it. Let's do this!" Sendo said as he stepped into the batter's box.

"Huh?" Coach Mitani frowned slightly as he noticed where Sendo had positioned himself, then relaxed as if coming to a realization.

Sendo had placed himself at the very back of the batter's box—a stance often adopted by elite MLB players.

By standing further back, batters gain more time to observe the ball's trajectory, particularly its movement after breaking.

However, this stance is typically effective only for world-class hitters with exceptional dynamic vision, reaction speed, and bat speed, allowing them to make contact even after the ball has fully broken.

While Sendo's bat speed and technique weren't nearly at that level, his extraordinary dynamic vision and reflexes allowed him to compensate for his shortcomings.

For example, if his reaction time was 0.05 seconds faster than an elite hitter's, combined with his superior vision, he could begin his swing 0.1 seconds earlier than them.

This unique combination of talents let him overcome the disadvantages of his lackluster technique.

However, Sendo's current physical development still lagged behind the prime of top-tier hitters, which he wouldn't reach until his mid-twenties.

For now, Coach Mitani had his doubts about whether Sendo could handle such a stance effectively.

"He must have thought about this after going home yesterday," the coach mused. "Still, this will be tricky. How much of the ball's movement can Sendo track before swinging?"

While Coach Mitani deliberated, Sendo remained focused.

The coach had no idea how well Sendo could control his body.

After all, this was the same "monster" who had mastered pinpoint pitching control on his first try.

Ozawa had also taken her position, ready to pitch.

Pop!

"That's a strike!" Coach Mitani called out teasingly.

"Ugh!" Sendo hadn't expected such an uncharacteristically bold call from the usually steady coach and ended up letting an inside strike pass.

"Ugh, all these little tricks!" Sendo muttered, realizing his momentary lapse in focus had cost him.

He knew such distractions were fleeting, though; he just needed to regain his concentration.

...

Compared to yesterday, the scales tipped more in Sendo's favor during their match-up.

Though he still hit some grounders and was occasionally retired, he managed to hit five line drives through the infield.

While none of them traveled more than 60 meters, it was clear progress.

After three rounds, Ozawa was even more exhausted than she'd been the day before.

Despite retiring Sendo in six at-bats, each encounter had been grueling.

While the total number of pitches hadn't increased significantly, the mental pressure had grown exponentially.

Every swing from Sendo made her heart skip a beat—a testament to how well she understood his potential.

"Alright, that's enough for today!" Coach Mitani finally declared.

As soon as he spoke, Ozawa collapsed into a sitting position, her legs splayed out.

Even the strongest girls were still just girls at the end of the day.

Meanwhile, Sendo stood, bat in hand, lost in thought.

He recognized the benefits of standing further back in the box, such as compensating for his occasional lapses in focus.

Still, he couldn't figure out why the results hadn't been as good as he'd expected.

"Incredible," Coach Mitani praised. "In just one night, you've clearly improved your handling of wooden bats. While most of your hits were aided by the ball's elasticity, it's evident you're making more accurate contact. Looks like I'll need to prepare Ozawa for what's coming next."

"Thank you!" Sendo replied modestly, his expression showing he understood the compliment was deserved.

"Alright, Ozawa, rest up. It'll be lunchtime soon. Sendo-kun, after lunch, I'll take you to your next training exercise. Look forward to it!"

"Understood!" Sendo replied, while Ozawa, visibly drained, could only manage a weak nod.

Sendo, however, was left with a head full of questions.