Diamond No Ace: The Strongest Hitter

Chapter 102: Post-Game Routine and Pre-Match Anecdote

For Akagi, this was not just a fortunate victory—it was a morale-boosting one.

Sendo could see it in everyone's expressions as they headed back; confidence was radiating from all of them.

Now, all he had to do was ensure that confidence didn't turn into arrogance.

On the way home, Sawamura even started singing something that resembled a slow-paced rap.

To Sendo, though, it sounded more like a random howl—akin to the "genius song" that Sakuragi made up in Slam Dunk.

Clearly, this victory had done wonders for Sawamura's confidence. Of course, part of it also stemmed from his blissful ignorance.

Sendo had been rigorously training his teammates, but Sawamura, out of concern for his professional future, had been kept on a strict program of running and pitching.

As a result, Sawamura remained clueless about many aspects of the game.

Even when Sendo tried to explain, Sawamura either couldn't understand or wouldn't remember.

...

"Hey, I heard you beat the summer champions—Tokugawa, right? O(≧▽≦)O"

That evening, Fumino messaged Sendo during one of their usual chats.

"Yeah, Wakana told you, huh?" Sendo replied.

"Yup! She said everyone's super excited!"

"They are! They went wild! When we got back to school, they ran all over the field celebrating. We even canceled practice for the day."

"Isn't that great? I heard that just a year ago, your team was eliminated in the first round during summer. You never mentioned that before—just that you wanted to be a coach! ヽ(≧Д≦)ノ" Fumino added a sulky emoji, though her tone was more playful than upset.

"What's there to talk about? Why are you even mad?" Sendo asked, genuinely puzzled.

"I'm not mad! ˋ_ˊ"

"This sounds like you're mad."

"I said I'm not mad, so I'm not mad!" Even if she wasn't angry, Fumino was starting to feel exasperated.

"Alright, fine," Sendo relented.

...

"Hey!" After a brief pause, Fumino sent another message.

"What is it?"

"I'm a girl, you know! Can't you try to cheer me up a little?"

"Huh? Why?"

"What do you mean 'why'?"

"Well… uh…" Sendo typed halfway and then paused to think carefully.

"Are you saying I should cheer you up just because you're upset?"

"You made me mad, so of course you should cheer me up!" Fumino retorted. She wasn't usually this forward, but Sendo's clueless responses had pushed her to this point.

"But didn't you just say you weren't mad?" Sendo finally caught on but decided to tease her instead.

"I wasn't mad at first, but then—"

"Then?"

...

"Hmph! /Bite/" Fumino sent a cute cartoon emoji of a character baring tiny fangs, pretending to bite.

"When did that happen?" Sendo smirked and threw out a tricky question. He knew it would be hard for Fumino to give an honest answer to that.

Unbeknownst to her, Sendo was already grinning.

At first, he genuinely didn't understand why Fumino was upset, but as their conversation progressed, he pieced it together.

When he had said, "This sounds like you're mad," that must have triggered her frustration.

It wasn't exactly anger—more like playful embarrassment.

Although he still didn't know what had caused it, to Sendo, a flustered Fumino wasn't truly "angry" but rather adorable. Naturally, he couldn't resist teasing her a little.

But Fumino, a literature genius and the "Sleeping Beauty Princess" of the forest, wasn't easily fooled.

"If you're teasing me, I'll castrate you!"

"...!"

"/Smug/" Fumino sent a triumphant emoji, clearly pleased with herself after seeing Sendo's speechless reaction.

"Can we just have a normal conversation? No need to be so ruthless!" Sendo protested.

"You're the last person who gets to say that!" Fumino shot back, effortlessly gaining the upper hand in their exchange.

"Ah, I just remembered I have some materials to review. Goodnight!" Sendo quickly typed out an excuse and threw his phone onto the bed, escaping the conversation.

"As expected of a literature genius. Good thing I got out of there fast!" he muttered to himself.

"Who are you trying to fool?" Fumino saw through him instantly.

...

"Still there?" she messaged after a long pause.

"Idiot!" Back in her luxurious room in Tokyo, Fumino's voice, tinged with frustration and a hint of amusement, filled the space. Though her tone was one of gritted teeth, the sound was oddly captivating.

...

For Akagi, yesterday's practice game victory was not only a lucky break but also a significant morale booster.

However, by the time Sendo arrived at school the next day, the excitement had spiraled out of control.

Ohno and a few others had already spread the story of their win against the prefectural champions throughout the class, and Sawamura basked in waves of praise.

The students, their imaginations running wild, began equating Akagi with Tokugawa's level, fantasizing that they were on equal footing.

Sendo had to step in and explain the situation, dampening the inflated egos before they spread further.

After all, if the rumors got out, Akagi's reputation would be tarnished beyond repair.

Even with Sendo's explanation, the students' expectations for the baseball team remained high. "If not this year, then next year!" they said.

Particularly after summer, when other teams would be reshuffled while Akagi's team remained intact, the gap between them and their opponents could shrink dramatically. "Maybe next year, they'll make it to Nationals!" The students enthusiastically analyzed the situation, their collective optimism even predicting Sendo's original strategy.

Of course, this was still a school environment, and discussions like these were limited to breaks.

Japan's emphasis on balanced education meant there were plenty of lessons and activities to attend, and the buzz soon died down.

...

Sendo, satisfied with his morning, even managed to snag a novel from Sawamura.

While unrelated to the earlier discussion, he had successfully coaxed it out of Sawamura, who was left speechless.

Reflecting on the day's events, Sendo realized how quickly time was passing.

Half of his cherished middle school years were already gone.

Wanting to make the most of the time he had left, he spent the swimming and gym classes dominating his teammates in freestyle swimming, vaulting, gymnastics, and basketball, building memories to savor later.

Naturally, this earned him the frustration and protests of his peers, but Sendo waved them off with a grand gesture, declaring their complaints invalid—unless they wanted double the training.

His declaration silenced everyone instantly, except for the fearless Sawamura, who was promptly "dealt with" through brute force.

"Think I can't handle you?" Sendo muttered with a grin.

...

The first day of the week turned out to be unusually lively.

After school, everyone trained with greater determination.

Having experienced it firsthand, they understood that the gap between Akagi and Tokugawa was still massive.

They might not be able to defeat Tokugawa in the summer tournament, but they were resolved to advance further and, as their classmates had said, aim to beat Tokugawa next year and make it to Nationals.

They wanted to take their beloved heroes to the grand stage.

As the summer tournament drew closer, Sendo's training regimen became stricter, with longer hours spent on the field.

Unknowingly, he was investing even more effort in baseball, pouring his heart into the sport.

...

"First base!"

Ping!

"Faster! In a game, a tenth of a second determines whether it's safe or out!"

"One more ball!"

"Don't rush! Focus on stable fielding first. Speed comes after consistency; don't sacrifice one for the other!"

"Takada, have you lost weight yet? If not, I'll help you with it personally!"

"Ohno, what are you doing? Move faster!"

Sendo repeated his instructions tirelessly as his teammates practiced the same drills over and over, making mistakes they had already corrected in the past.

These errors tended to resurface when expanding their defensive range, often due to mental pressure.

Sendo patiently reminded them, helping them regain their composure.

They knew they couldn't afford to waste a single second.

They had to grow stronger and take their ace, their coach, themselves, and their school to Nationals.

If they didn't give their all, they would never overcome the final obstacle and would end their three years in tears, regretting their lack of effort.

Sendo's philosophy was clear: If you don't want to regret it, give everything you've got today.

...

Day by day, summer approached, and so did an important practice match before the summer tournament.

It was a game they knew they would be crushed in, but they were determined nonetheless.

Sendo spent his days training his team, coaching, and enduring nightly "value extraction" sessions from a certain someone.

His life was relentless, and he resolved that after middle school, he would never, ever touch baseball again—no matter what his teammates said.

...

On a sunny Sunday, Akagi's baseball field was bustling.

With no classes, the campus was nearly empty except for the baseball team, who arrived early to prepare.

They waited eagerly for their opponent to arrive.

"Before they get here, let's clarify something," Sendo began. "They won't underestimate us again. They won't come unprepared. They'll even have special bats designed to counter Eijun's pitching.

"Yes, we might lose badly today, but don't forget the soul of Akagi Junior High!" (Though, truthfully, Sendo wasn't entirely sure what that soul was.)

"Yeah!!!"

"After this practice game, the summer tournament groups will be announced. Unlike the autumn tournament for team-building, the summer tournament is where teams are at their strongest. Let's treat today's game as our baptism for the summer!"

"Awoooo!!!" Ohno howled, leading the charge.

"Awoooo!!!" The team echoed, their morale at an all-time high.

"Uh, can we drop this habit? It's so cringy—feels like we're a bunch of middle school edgelords," Sendo muttered, his face dark with embarrassment.

Hearing it once or twice was fine, but repeated howling truly made him question their sanity.

"Awoooo!!!" The team howled even louder in response.

"Pfft!" Even Wakana couldn't hold back her laughter.

"Dammit! My reputation! I can't show my face anymore!" Sendo groaned, covering his face with one hand.

Just then, the bus from Sakura Girls' University arrived.

"Yo! Long time no see, Sendo-kun!" The captain and catcher of Sakura Girls, along with the rest of the team, stepped off the bus one by one, greeting Sendo warmly.

Finally, their ace, Ozawa, approached Sendo directly. Just as Sendo braced himself for a sharp remark, she...

"It's been a while, and you've grown taller!"

Sendo widened his eyes, questioning if he had misheard. Not only did Ozawa refrain from her usual taunts, but her tone was unusually gentle.

"Is this the wrong reality? She's actually being... gentle? And why does her gentleness make her so captivating?" Sendo was genuinely questioning his perception of reality.

To be fair, Ozawa was undeniably beautiful—sweet-faced, tall, with perfect proportions.

As an athlete with training in flexibility and movements akin to dance, she exuded a natural elegance.

The only thing that stood out as a "flaw" was her personality. Yet, with her current gentle demeanor, there was nothing to criticize.

"A little taller," Sendo replied after a moment of stunned silence.

"That's nice! How tall are you now?"

"Uh, 182 centimeters. I grew a little, just 7 centimeters."

"...!" Ozawa suddenly felt a twinge of annoyance.

"Um..." Sendo hesitated, clearly not adept at dealing with girls.

"Hmm?"

"Um, Ozawa-san, are you... okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"It's just that... you seem a bit different," Sendo said, inadvertently activating his steel-straight man mode again.

"Different? How so?"

"Well, you were kind of fierce before. Uh, fiercer than most guys. Why are you suddenly so gentle?"

A vein popped on Ozawa's forehead.

"Are you saying I'm not feminine?" she asked through gritted teeth.

"No, it's just that your personality is a bit... like one!"

"How is that any different?" she said, her demeanor turning wild in an instant.

If any guys had been present, they'd have been utterly mesmerized by this untamed beauty, unable to resist her charm.

Wild girls had their admirers, especially when paired with a perfect face and figure.

However, Sendo, hearing her outburst, finally understood the issue.

It turned out that Ozawa cared deeply about her femininity.

He had thought she was the carefree, uninhibited type.

"... It's different. Being like a man is... a drag queen!" Sensing the danger, Sendo's usually dormant EQ and IQ surged to their peak, and he blurted out a witty reply.

"Pfft!" As expected, Ozawa burst into laughter. In that moment, she looked as radiant as a blooming flower garden.

Sendo sighed in relief, realizing he had narrowly avoided disaster.

Phew, that was close! Thank goodness for my quick wit, or I'd have been done for!

"You're surprisingly good at making girls laugh. How many hearts have you stolen already?" she teased.

"Uh, well—"

"Judging by how awkward you are, I bet you don't even have a girlfriend yet. Still a virgin, huh?" she added, deliberately licking her lips for effect.

---------------

If you want to read 20 advance chapters.

Visit my patreon: patreon.com/Shu_21