Diamond No Ace: The Monster

Chapter 5: The Dormmate, First Meeting!

Room 5.

Is that him?

A small question mark appeared in Furuya's mind.

But soon, he brushed aside the question.

Meeting that boy was not as important as the issue he was dealing with right now.

After all, they would run into each other sooner or later.

If all goes well, it should be tomorrow morning.

"Come in and don't mind those idiots. If you run into anyone from Room 5 in the future, remember to keep your distance. Idiocy is contagious!"

Kusunoki said matter-of-factly.

As if the people from Room 5 had "idiot" labels stuck on them.

Furuya obediently entered the dorm.

It was clear that the dorm was very tidy.

The two seniors in the dorm, who were now Furuya's seniors, were probably quite clean and organized.

Under the light, a boy with glasses was sitting at his desk, writing something.

When he saw Furuya enter the room, he turned his head.

"A new guy has arrived. Hello, I'm Miyuki Kazuya."

Miyuki Kazuya, sitting in his chair, greeted Furuya.

"Hello, Miyuki-senpai! I'm Satoru Furuya!"

There was no dramatic scene or stirring dialogue.

They simply greeted each other like ordinary seniors and juniors meeting for the first time.

That night, they didn't speak again.

It wasn't that Furuya was intentionally avoiding conversation.

Mainly, Miyuki was busy—first writing at his desk, then watching some DVDs.

The DVDs were of individual players.

Don't misunderstand; he was mainly studying the technical movements of players.

This main catcher for the Seidou High School baseball team was clearly preparing for the new school year.

Compared to the busy Miyuki, Kusunoki was much more enthusiastic.

"Don't get me wrong; he's not intentionally ignoring you. That's just how he is!"

After defending his dormmate, Kusunoki began to chat away.

"I've heard this year's new recruits are quite impressive. Not only are there well-known players from little leagues, but there's also a specially recruited pitcher. Rei-chan and Mister Oota each brought someone back…"

Kusunoki seemed not only good-looking but also well-versed in socializing.

Strictly speaking, apart from the specially recruited players, the new students hadn't officially started yet.

Yet, Kusunoki spoke in great detail about these prominent players.

Every time he mentioned someone, Furuya's mind automatically recalled their name.

This was quite an extraordinary little miracle.

Given that it was based on a years-old anime series, Satoru Furuya's memory wasn't that clear.

The people he remembered must have had significant roles in the series.

In other words, even if they weren't the main characters, they were important supporting ones.

Except for a player named Haruichi Kominato.

Among the people Furuya remembered—referring to first-year students like himself—Kusunoki seemed to have mentioned all of them.

Tojo, Kanemaru, Sawamura, and of course, Furuya himself…

"Where did you get all this information?"

With such detailed and thorough information, Furuya found it hard to imagine anyone other than the admissions office staff knowing so much.

"Why ask? You can learn it from just chatting around."

Kusunoki replied with confusion.

"If you ever choose to go to college, I'd suggest you consider studying journalism and communications…"

Furuya genuinely gave him a thumbs up.

From his perspective, if Kusunoki pursued that career, his future would be boundless.

Even considering the alternative, it would be far more promising than playing baseball.

Kusunoki was not a bad baseball player.

But in Furuya's memory, this handsome senior's future didn't seem very bright.

He was an important outfielder for the team.

However, it appeared he lost out to two others in the competition for the outfield position.

As a result, he ended up as a substitute.

The first night at Seidou High School passed in conversation.

The next morning, Furuya woke up on time.

It wasn't that his biological clock was particularly impressive; it was mainly because he was in a new environment, so his sleep was unsettled.

He woke up twice during the night.

By the time he fell asleep again, it was already past 3 a.m.

This made Furuya unavoidably anxious.

He was afraid he might oversleep in the morning.

Fortunately, thanks to setting an alarm, he woke up as soon as it went off.

By the time he woke up, Kusunoki was already dressed.

The other senior, probably due to staying up too late the previous night, hadn't managed to get up.

Just as Furuya was about to wake him, Kusunoki grabbed him.

"Huh?"

Furuya was puzzled.

"Give this guy a lesson; otherwise, he'll keep sleeping in!"

Kusunoki grinned like a fox that had stolen a chicken.

"Isn't that a bit much…"

"Don't worry, this guy has a special position on the team. He won't lose his main position just because he's late once."

Kusunoki was evidently quite confident about this.

"Well, alright then."

Since the senior suggested it, Furuya had no choice but to stop what he was doing and leave with him.

Before leaving, he thoughtfully turned off the alarm clock on the desk.

He couldn't disturb the senior's sleep, right?

Of course.

The reason Furuya did this was also because he wanted to test the effect of the butterfly wings.

If he turned off the alarm clock, would Miyuki not wake up early?

And thus, the classic scene might not unfold.

If that scene hadn't played out, would that guy have avoided running those few weeks?

Before dawn, the Seidou High School baseball team players had already gathered.

Strictly speaking, Seidou High School hadn't officially started yet.

Classes would begin at 8:30 a.m., but now it was 5 a.m., and the players had already assembled and completed their lineup.

The "three giants" of Seido High School baseball team appeared through the morning mist in front of everyone.

"Welcome to Seidou High School and to the baseball team."

After a few formal words from Coach Kataoka, he allowed the players to introduce themselves.

The newcomers each lifted their heads.

This was their first meeting with the team's coach, and everyone clearly wanted to leave a good impression.

With so many players in the baseball team and such intense competition, whether they could make a strong impression on the coach would directly affect their future prospects.

In this situation, they naturally gave it their all.