Ace of Diamond: Return of the Pitcher

In early May, several holidays occurred one after another. According to the rules of Seidou High School, students were given six days off.

However, these six days off had absolutely nothing to do with the members of Seidou's baseball team.

Since joining the baseball team, they lived and died for the team. (Figuratively of course)

The idea of enjoying a holiday was too extravagant for them, and they didn't dare to even hope for it.

During this period, Seidou had arranged a large number of practice games.

The first team members would board a bus and travel to Kanagawa, Gunma, and Chiba.

In each of these three places, two practice games would be held.

In total, there would be six practice games.

The second team members were even busier than the first team.

They would remain at Seidou High School, ready to face challenges from opponents.

A total of eight teams would visit Seidou High School.

These included the second teams from four prestigious schools, as well as four strong teams from the Tokyo area.

Even the third team had two practice games scheduled.

The first team had more than 20 players, and the second team had more than 20 players.

The third team, however, had a full roster of almost 70 players.

Even though the competition was fierce, there were still quite a few players with real ability.

The internal competition within the third team was intense, and it would not be easy to make it into those two practice games.

With Seidou High's team growing larger and larger, the third team would also be developed more thoroughly.

In time, the third team's players would likely have more opportunities to play in practice games.

In the future, even if the players didn't have the strength to make it into the first or second teams, joining the third team wouldn't be much different from joining an average team.

For average teams, the main competition in large tournaments is often short-lived, as half the teams get eliminated after the first round.

In comparison, the third team at Seidou High, despite their differences, were mostly engaged in practice matches, just like other teams.

Once the campaign plan was put forward, the Seidou High baseball team members were all excited.

Although they would still be focusing on baseball in Kanagawa, Gunma, and Chiba, the chance to get out and play in different places was something they looked forward to.

Spending every day locked within the walls of Seidou High felt almost like being in prison.

Even though it was a choice they had made, who wouldn't yearn for freedom?

So, being able to get out—even if it was just to play baseball in a different location—was enough to lift their spirits.

With Superintendent Kataoka at the helm, the first team was about to embark on their long-awaited campaign.

The second team, under coach Ochiai's guidance, would also be busy. Several promising players from the second team might even get promoted to the first team.

At this stage, it was essential to have a reliable coach for them, which is why Coach Ochiai was assigned to guide them.

The third team, naturally, would be led by a few assistant coaches from the team.

Though Seidou High's core strength lay in the first team, they had never neglected the management of the second and third teams. In this respect, the school had done a commendable job.

Some prestigious teams might not even acknowledge their second or third-team members. The second team members were slightly better off, but the third team players were often seen as mere backups.

However, in Seidou Baseball Club, training and practice matches were taken seriously by everyone.

In terms of atmosphere, Seidou's baseball team was undeniably in a good place.

Though the players sometimes felt unsure about whether their hard work would yield the expected results, as long as they continued to push forward with that uncertainty, Seidou remained a paradise for young baseball enthusiasts.

Becoming a first-team player at Seidou High was like reaching the pinnacle of that paradise.

Inside Dormitory 5,

Sawamura Eijun and Kuramochi were busy packing their things when Sawamura's phone suddenly buzzed.

Upon checking, it was a message from Wakana.

"Who's that?" Kuramochi asked, stretching his neck like a giraffe to sneak a peek at Sawamura's phone.

"Hey, that's an invasion of privacy!" Sawamura quickly hid his phone.

"You're trying to be sneaky for a while and have been texting someone secretly for days. What if someone was trying to scam you? This is the care I, as a Senpai, am showing to my Kohai. How can you not appreciate it?"

Kuramochi's cheeky response made Sawamura roll his eyes.

Though the two often teased each other, they had established a very weird friendship. They both knew when to hold back and when to joke around.

But the Kohais watching the scene seemed nervous.

Kuramochi noticed the unease in their expressions and felt a bit awkward. After all, he was supposed to be a senpai with authority. How could he be acting like this with Sawamura?

Reluctantly, Kuramochi let go.

"Tch, like I wanted to see it," he muttered.

"Well, you won't get to see it!" Sawamura shot back, grinning.

Only by engaging in these verbal sparring matches with Kuramochi could Sawamura regain some sense of normalcy. Otherwise, the gap in their ages would make Kuramochi seem immature in comparison, which felt a little off to him.

After Kuramochi left in defeat, Sawamura pulled out his phone again.

-What's your plan for Golden Week? Will you be able to come back? If you do, I have something I want to talk to you about.

'What did she want to talk about?'

-Since the team is going on the campaign, I won't be able to return. During the summer break, I'll be participating in Koshien. After that, the new team will have just been formed. I might not come back...

Sawamura typed out his reply carefully, one word at a time.

-I also have things to tell you, but I don't want to say them over the phone. Let's talk properly when the winter break comes.

Once the winter break ended, Sawamura's high school years would be in its final stage. Though technically, there was still a full year left according to the school calendar, for a baseball player like Sawamura, once the summer tournament was over, his high school life would essentially be finished.

It would be the start of a whole new stage.

Before that, though, Sawamura wanted to ensure that certain things were settled.

He knew what she wanted to talk about, he was not the clueless kid anymore…

After sending the message, he set the phone aside and fell into a deep reverie.

The late autumn breeze rustled the maple leaves, and they fluttered down to the ground.

In Sawamura's memory, that scene was incredibly beautiful. Though he couldn't quite find the words to describe the beauty of it, he could feel it in his soul.

It was like a painting.

In that painting, a graceful figure in sadness turned away with hesitation and left...

"I'm sorry," Sawamura murmured softly.

Before and after his regression, he had thrown himself entirely into baseball, letting many things slip by.

He promised to not leave any regrets but little did he know that some new regrets would appear and some old ones would persist.

He knew, he knew the weight of his goals and ambitions, the price he had to pay, and the people he had to push away…

He was okay with it, he was ready for it. Nevertheless, that doesn't mean that it won't leave any regrets.

'Of all the regrets I have, I really don't want this one to remain as a regret.'

'But can I do it…?'

Beep beep!

Soon, a message arrived on his phone.

It was, as expected, from Wakana.

Her message was brief, only a few words…

-I'm waiting for you.

There was no conversation, but between the lines, they both understood each other.

For a whole minute, he stared at the message silently.

He had many things on his mind recently, and there were many decisions that he needed to make.

When he saw this message, it gave him the final push.

He thought about the offer the strange offer he received from Nakagawa Wataru and decided to accept it.

And with him accepting it, he now has a road map to walk forward.

'Before going to the MLB, I will stay in the NPB for a bit.'

'I have already seen what the MLB has to offer, and better than staying in the Minor League to train for a few years, spending them in the NPB will be more productive.'

'On one hand, I will face the best of the best in the NPB and see a different baseball than the MLB, and also be close to my family and friends.'

'But even before that, I have to make up for all the regrets we had in Seidou.'

In the days ahead, Sawamura would lead the Seidou baseball team to forge their legendary success.

And he would make up for the regrets from before his regression.

In Sawamura's memories, despite all the obstacles, they had made it into the Summer Koshien, but they fell short of the final victory.

They had only made it to the quarterfinals.

In the Fall Tournament, they were defeated by Yakushi High in the third round, missing out on the Koshien again and the Jingu in the spring.

And in his final summer, they failed to reach Koshien at the last step.

It was like a scar that never healed, constantly reminding Sawamura of the pain.

This time, he couldn't allow such things to happen again. He was determined to fulfill his dream and lead Seidou's baseball team to victory, making their name known as the number one in the nation, perhaps even in the world.

"Senpai, your eyes suddenly look so fierce!" Asada said, trembling.

Usually, Sawamura was easy to approach and get along with, but today, something about his demeanor seemed off.

"I guess every person has their own secrets. Sawamura-senpai probably has his own secret too," Nishiyama said.

Sawamura placed his phone aside and picked up his training wooden bat, heading out the door.

He couldn't calm down, so he needed to release some of his pent-up energy and clear his head through practice.

After he left, Kuramochi quietly sneaked over and grabbed Sawamura's phone.

The phone was the latest model and required a fingerprint to unlock.

Kuramochi smirked and easily unlocked it, knowing the password.

It was a coincidence that he had seen it before.

Sawamura had set his own birthday as the password. It was a bit embarrassing, but given that Sawamura wasn't great with other details besides baseball, it made sense.

He entered the number "0-5-1-5" and the phone was unlocked.

When he opened the messages, he saw Wakana's name pop up.

"That bastard, he's already in a relationship? He said it was a childhood friend, but they're obviously childhood sweethearts!"

Jealousy burned fiercely in Kuramochi's chest as he decided to use this "evidence" to make Sawamura give in.

At the very least, he wanted a couple of treats as compensation.

He opened the message and saw Wakana's four-word reply, making him mutter angrily.

"This little shit!"

…

T/N: BEFORE THE RIOT BEGAN!! THERE WILL BE NO ROMANCE IN THIS NOVEL!!!

While this point won't be expanded on later(so you guys could simply ignore it) But just not even a hint for it would be weird. So this Chapter will be that hint, and it would hardly ever mentioned later.

His focus will continue on his teammates and career don't worry guys.

Anyway, That's it for Today.

Thank you all for reading!

Have a nice day!

You also can check my Patre0n for extra Chapters.

https://www.patre0n.com/ColdColt

There are +150 Chapters there.