Diamond No Ace: The Strongest Hitter

Chapter 178: Intra-Team Practice Match (2) - The Eerie Atmosphere in the Observation Room

Being called out, the first-Years couldn't look Sendo in the eye.

The players, exposed by Sendo's sharp words, avoided eye contact, their guilt evident.

"If you're harboring such thoughts, then you should just step aside! Look at this—12 runs in one inning! Surely, you're capable of more than that?"

"Alright! All first-year pitchers and outfielders, switch out! Sendo, you've got nothing to do today, so get out of my sight!" Coach Kataoka barked from the first-year bench.

Although Coach Kataoka had heard Sendo's words, he didn't believe a few sentences could shake the first-years' wavering mindset.

Sendo himself wasn't particularly convinced either. But some things aren't said because they'll work; they're said because they need to be said.

Hearing the coach's instructions, Sendo slowly left the field and headed toward the observation room where Rei Takashima and Team Ota were stationed.

Meanwhile, Sawamura pointed at himself with an innocent expression, hinting desperately.

"Hmph! Fine, you can join the defense!" Coach Kataoka chuckled lightly and gave a calm reply.

The reactions from Miyuki, Rei, and Haruno varied, but all were amused. Even Sendo, now walking away, momentarily froze.

"Wait, does he get to play at this point? I forgot this happened! Thought there wouldn't be much worth filming today," Sendo muttered.

Memory is like a storage box—things often don't come to mind until something related triggers them. So, Sendo picked up his Aibo camera and began recording.

"Oh-oh-oh-oh!" Sawamura couldn't believe his antics had actually worked.

"Could this be the origin of him stealing the spotlight in future games?" No one had an answer.

"Finally!!!"

"Hahaha! This moment, this moment has finally arrived!"

"...Is he crying?" The nearby first-years were dumbfounded.

"Coach, thank you for your wise decision! I won't disappoint you!" Sawamura ignored everything else, genuinely feeling trusted and needed.

However, in his excitement, he didn't even ask which position to defend and marched straight to the pitcher's mound in tears.

"Where are you going? You're in right field!"

"...Oh."

Meanwhile, Sendo stepped into the observation room, noticing the slight delay in the game.

"Hey, Sendo!" Ota greeted him warmly.

"Oh my, not lazing in your dorm room today?" Rei quipped coldly, her sarcasm cutting as usual.

"Nothing much! Watching Sawamura play is far more entertaining than sleeping. Do you know how much fun this guy brought me back in middle school?"

...Why does that sound like he's treating Sawamura like a toy?

"Is that so?" Rei replied with a strange tone.

"Why does the atmosphere feel so weird between these two?" Ota wondered, glancing at them.

"Have a seat, Sendo! This spot has the best view," Ota said, attempting to lighten the mood.

"Thanks!" Sendo settled in, adjusting his Aibo to find the best recording angle.

"What are you planning to record?" Ota asked, intrigued by Sendo's actions.

"Oh, this? It's going to capture something hilarious!"

"Hilarious?"

"Yup! The Sunglasses Uncle actually assigned Sawamura to the outfield. Back in middle school, he never played outfield defense, and I always had him running laps. Combine that with his not-so-bright head, and there's bound to be mistakes—hilarious ones!" Sendo deliberately stretched the word "hilarious" for emphasis.

"Sunglasses Old Uncle…" Ota, hearing this nickname for Coach Kataoka for the first time, decided to skip over it and focus on the humor aspect.

"Haha! Now I'm really looking forward to it!"

Rei, on the other hand, pinched the bridge of her nose, exasperated.

Honestly, she wanted to argue with Sendo just to vent, but she didn't even know where to start.

"Ping!"

A high fly ball on the field caught everyone's attention.

"Hey! What are you spacing out for? The ball's coming your way!" The center fielder's shout echoed clearly into the observation room.

Sawamura, unfamiliar with hardball defense, misjudged the play.

The center fielder's reminder left him panicked and clueless, flailing around before freezing in place with his arms raised.

"Whoa! Did he just do a 'banzai'?"

"This is humiliating. I've never seen a 'banzai' catch at Seidou before!"

"Ahahaha!" Sendo couldn't hold back his laughter. No matter how many times he saw this, it was always funny!

And let's not forget—Sendo had been recording the entire time.

He could replay this as many times as he wanted in the future and even show Sawamura to help him "reminisce" about his "glorious" past.

Just thinking about it, Sendo remembered that his video collection of embarrassing moments wasn't small, making him laugh even harder.

"Quick, throw to third! The runner's still going!" the center fielder shouted again.

In a panic, Sawamura, with no outfield experience, launched a laser throw—thanks to his pitcher training, the ball's spin was incredible, making it look exceptionally fast.

However, just like in Sendo's "previous life," the throw curved off course and hit the runner.

Even Rei couldn't bear to watch anymore, while Coach Kataoka mentally relegated Sawamura to the realm of amateur baseball.

The second and third-years' batting lineup continued to dominate.

After the 12 runs in the first inning, they racked up 9 more in the second.

Coach Kataoka, unable to watch any longer, called for Furuya.

Sendo, curious if the sleeping giant had awakened, turned his attention to the bench.

Furuya, who had been lying down moments ago, suddenly sat up zombie-like, startling the people nearby.

Sendo nearly slapped the table laughing but held back out of consideration for Rei's presence.

"Damn, I didn't record that!" As Furuya walked toward the mound, Sendo realized he had missed filming his dramatic awakening.

"Who knew Furuya had this in him? What a mistake on my part."

Furuya, as natural as ever, didn't even rotate his shoulders, looking adorably clueless.

While people on the sidelines were buzzing, Rei pinched the bridge of her nose again.

What was going on today? Everyone seemed like a troublemaker.

And the biggest troublemaker was sitting right next to her, stifling his laughter.

"What's wrong, Rei? Are you feeling unwell?" Sendo noticed Rei's gesture and asked with a hint of concern.

"Nothing," Rei sighed, brushing it off.

"Really?" Sendo leaned in, closing the distance to confirm.

When Rei realized their faces were only a few centimeters apart, her heart skipped a beat, and a faint blush appeared on her cheeks.

"Well, if you're fine, that's good. If you have a headache, be sure to see a doctor!" Sendo pulled back, noticing her reaction and feeling he might have overstepped. He casually returned to his seat, acting as if nothing had happened.

"Good grief…" Rei exhaled deeply, relieved.

Sendo was, after all, a guy.

Despite their usual banter, she'd never seen him as a child, and having him so close was undeniably nerve-wracking.

If someone shyer were in her place, her face would Be bright red by now.

If It were Fumino, she'd probably be waving her arms around frantically, shouting, "No way!" While pushing Sendo away!

Rei, however, despite her slightly flushed cheeks earlier, managed to remain relatively composed.

Meanwhile, Ota hadn't noticed anything unusual between the two, as he was completely stunned by Furuya's pitch.

Whether it was because the pitch had knocked off Coach Kataoka's face mask—potentially injuring him—or because of the speed and power of the ball, Ota was at a loss for words.

"That pitch…!" Ota pointed at Furuya and looked at the other two in the room.

For a moment, he felt something was off.

"Is it just me, or has the atmosphere in this room suddenly gotten weird? Did something happen?" His previous shock was momentarily forgotten as he glanced back and forth between Sendo and Rei.

"What's wrong?" he couldn't help but ask.

"Nothing!" Rei responded with the decisiveness of a seasoned elder sister.

"Oh…"

"That guy's pitch is fast! Not just fast—it has an unusually high spin rate, which causes it to rise slightly as it approaches the plate," Sendo commented with a feigned sense of expertise.

He hadn't actually seen Furuya's pitch but felt confident enough to make a plausible observation to ease the awkwardness.

Surprisingly, Rei believed him, though internally, she couldn't help but wonder, Am I feeling flustered because of him?

Well, this was coming from a single woman who had been alone for far too long.

"He's the same type as me… huh? Furuya Satoru. But he's like a broken version of my right-handed pitching. He's still got a long way to go," Sendo thought to himself, secretly evaluating Furuya.

...

"Furuya, you're qualified. Starting tomorrow, you'll be training with the First String," Coach Kataoka announced, stirring up excitement among the players.

Some of the upperclassmen wanted to take a shot at hitting his pitches but were quickly denied when none of the first-years could even catch them.

Kataoka didn't spell it out, but the implication was clear: the only exception among the first-years was Sendo.

Sendo understood this perfectly, silently thanking the "Sunglasses Dad" for his protective care.

On the sidelines, the reactions ranged from shock to surprise, while Haruichi, sitting on the bench, played a handheld game and quietly admired Furuya.

If Sendo had seen this, he might have regretted going to the observation room.

Then again, Kataoka would never have allowed Sendo to sit on the first-years' bench in the first place.

"Don't worry! If you join the First String, you'll get to bat every day. You'll have training partners like nowhere else in the country!" Kataoka offered some motivational "chicken soup for the soul" to one of the upperclassmen in front of him.

If Sendo had heard this rare speech from Kataoka, he would've exclaimed, "This chicken soup is damn good!"

There was no need for Sendo to chime in, as the upperclassman was already fired up, practically brimming with adrenaline.

Meanwhile, the fact that Furuya had changed the momentum of the game with just one pitch couldn't be denied.

After the upperclassmen scored 21 runs in the first two innings, they managed only four runs in the next two following Furuya's appearance.

In the fourth inning, Kataoka subbed out Tanba, who had shown the poise of an ace from a prestigious school. With Kataoka's acknowledgment, Tanba stepped off the field confidently.

The next inning brought Sawamura to bat.

"Wasn't he one of the players Ms. Takashima strongly recommended for our school? How's his batting?" Ota asked as Sawamura stepped into the batter's box.

"Right, he's from the same middle school as you, isn't he?"

"Honestly, quite average," Rei emphasized the word average.

"Huh?" Ota was puzzled.

"Haha! Eijun's batting has already surpassed average. I'd say… it's terrible!" Sendo added with a sharp jab.

"Huh?"

"That guy's swing speed is impressive, and his joint flexibility is something even I can't match. So he's got power… but only if he can make contact."

"…" Ota didn't know how to respond.

Rei, however, listened carefully. No insight was more valuable than an evaluation from a smart and talented hitter like Sendo.

"His flexible joints lead to two issues:

First, his swing is too fast. Second, it's like a whip—hard to time and even harder to control its trajectory.

"My joints are considered flexible too, but compared to Eijun's, they're just ordinary. Still, this helps me understand his batting flaws. Solving them is up to you experts!" Sendo concluded, flashing a mischievous grin at Rei.

But instead of her usual eye-roll, Rei took serious notes.

She knew this wasn't a problem that could be fixed overnight.

Still, identifying the issue was the first step.

Even Sendo had admitted—once Sawamura overcame this weakness, he'd become an exceptional batter.

Of course, this hypothetical conversation never happened.

As if to validate their assessment, Sawamura took an exaggerated, flashy swing and completely missed the first pitch.

"Wasn't the bat at least 20 centimeters away from the ball?" The OBs on the sidelines couldn't believe their eyes.

"I see…" Ota finally understood the earlier explanations from Rei and Sendo.

"Wait, something feels off," Ota thought, suddenly noticing something about the two beside him.

"They seem unusually in sync, almost… complementary? No, it must be my imagination. Their words weren't exactly harmonious, but this atmosphere… what's going on?" He rested his chin on one hand, deep in thought.

While the peculiar dynamics in the observation room remained unresolved, Sawamura, down on the field, was unfazed by the situation.

The second pitch had already been thrown.

The one feeling it most directly was Kawakami, the pitcher who had just taken the mound.

After a brief discussion with his catcher, they decided to use Kawakami's signature slider to strike Sawamura out.

However, as Sendo anticipated, Haruichi's shout of encouragement spurred Sawamura to beat the odds, reaching first base on a strikeout passed ball.

This was likely Sawamura's first—or maybe second—time on base in his life. Either way, it wasn't a great track record.

Finally, after four innings of harsh lessons, the first-years managed to put their first runner on base.

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