Diamond No Ace: The Monster

Chapter 150: Furuya Satoru's Special Treatment!

After watching Akikawa Academy's baseball game, the Seidou High School baseball team returned to their school.

"Head straight to the meeting room!"

Coach Kataoka wasted no time and immediately gathered everyone in the baseball team's meeting room.

"After watching the game, what are your impressions? Share your thoughts."

Faced with such an open question from their coach, the members of Seidou High's baseball team didn't quite know how to start.

Watching Akikawa's game had left them with mixed feelings.

Did they think their opponent was strong?

Honestly, the players of Seidou couldn't quite say that out loud.

Although Akikawa's performance wasn't bad, the gap between their team and Seidou was still very apparent. If there was one troublesome element, it would undoubtedly be their pitcher, You Shunshin.

"Their ace has excellent control, and their teamwork is incredibly cohesive. If the game falls into their rhythm, it could become very tricky to handle…"

Seeing the silence of his teammates, Miyuki took the initiative to speak up.

Unlike most of the Seidou players, Miyuki had a high regard for You Shunshin. Something about that pitcher made him feel uneasy.

"That pitcher, You Shunshin, might not have been pitching at full strength," Furuya interjected, breaking the silence.

While Miyuki's assessment hadn't initially drawn much attention from the team — since they had similar observations themselves — Furuya's comment took them by surprise.

Sure, Akikawa's players were decent, and their cohesion was admirable.

But Seidou's players firmly believed that with their skills, overpowering Akikawa wouldn't be a problem.

The hesitation among the team wasn't because they felt threatened, but rather because Akikawa seemed more complex than they appeared.

Why did they have that impression?

Even they couldn't explain it.

In such a situation, no one felt comfortable voicing their thoughts.

Furuya's remark, though unexpected, struck a chord.

It offered a plausible explanation for the uneasiness they all felt watching the game.

"That's actually possible," someone murmured.

As all eyes turned to Furuya, he frowned, knowing he had just opened a can of worms.

Sure enough, both Coach Kataoka and Chris fixed their gaze on him, their curiosity evident.

"It's just a guess!" Furuya replied, bracing himself.

"Even if it's a guess, there must be a reason behind it. What's your reasoning?" Chris pressed on.

Now I have to come up with an explanation? Furuya thought to himself.

Closing his eyes, he recalled every detail of the game he had watched so intently, paying particular attention to You Shunshin.

After all, his keen observation stemmed from his interest in the pitcher.

"I don't know if you seniors noticed, but he mostly threw fastballs throughout the game. Even when trying to secure strikes, he rarely used breaking balls," Furuya stated.

Hearing this, someone immediately questioned, "Is there a problem with that?"

"The problem is, You Shunshin is perfectly capable of throwing breaking balls. At the start of the game, when his stamina was at its peak, he relied entirely on fastballs, even in high-pressure situations. However, towards the later stages, he began using breaking balls more frequently to secure strikes. This indicates that his breaking balls are fine — he simply chose not to use them at the beginning," Furuya explained.

"That makes sense," Chris nodded in agreement. "Akikawa Academy's overall strength is clearly superior to their opponents. Yet, during the game, this advantage wasn't particularly evident. Furuya's analysis is spot on. It's highly likely that they were conserving their strength."

"But why would they hold back?" Sawamura asked, his face full of confusion. "Shouldn't a real man give it his all on the field without holding back?"

Admittedly, Sawamura's words were compelling.

Giving it your all on the field not only shows respect for your opponents but also for yourself.

"Idiot. They're holding back because of us!" Kuramochi finally couldn't hold it in and flicked his junior on the forehead.

"Ouch!" Sawamura rubbed his head, looking aggrieved.

"In baseball, there's no such thing as too much strategy. As long as the rules don't explicitly forbid it, any tactic that helps the team win is fair game," Kuramochi explained. "In other words, from this game onwards, Akikawa Academy's ace has already set his sights on us."

The players of Seidou High were quick to catch on.

Many were sharp thinkers, and Furuya's theory made perfect sense to them.

In the end, everyone agreed with Furuya's assessment: Akikawa Academy's ace was likely hiding his true strength.

"Although the opponent may have held back, his core skill set won't change. His pitching focus is still on control," Coach Kataoka summarized.

The Seidou players didn't dispute this.

Judging from You Shunshin's pitching style, he clearly couldn't throw pitches with the blazing speed that Furuya could.

Relying on breaking balls as his main weapon also seemed impractical.

In this case, You Shunshin's greatest weapon had to be his control.

"To deal with a pitcher like this, bunting and speed on the bases will be key," Kataoka continued, casting a deliberate glance at Kuramochi and Ryousuke.

Against such a pitcher, Seidou's first and second batters undoubtedly had the most experience and were critical to the strategy.

"Don't worry, leave it to us!" Kuramochi declared confidently, brimming with assurance about their upcoming game against Akikawa.

Coach Kataoka nodded, satisfied with their attitude.

The next day marked the team's open day.

After finishing their basic training, Seidou High School's baseball players began practicing bunting and stealing bases.

Seidou's pitching staff was not limited to just the first-string players.

It also included the second-string starters, substitutes, and even some third-string players—adding up to more than a dozen pitchers.

With so many pitchers, each with unique skills, it wasn't difficult to find someone with a pitching style similar to You Shunshin's.

In addition to live pitchers, Seidou High also utilized advanced pitching machines.

These machines could simulate pitches with speeds around 135 km/h and pinpoint accuracy. With the combination of these pitchers and machines, Seidou's players practiced hitting relentlessly.

"Man-to-man competition should always be fair and square!" declared Sawamura as he stepped up to the plate, raising his bat high. His posture radiated determination, as though he intended to give it his all.

Whoosh!

The white baseball shot out of the pitching machine at a speed of 135 km/h, reaching Sawamura in the blink of an eye.

Gritting his teeth, Sawamura swung with all his might. "Fly out of here!"

His wish was heartfelt, but it seemed fate wasn't on his side. Despite his full-force swing, he didn't even graze the ball.

Pop!

The ball landed cleanly in the catcher's mitt, followed by the catcher's cold remark: "Strike!"

"Come on, Shunshin Jr.! You can't do me like this!" Sawamura groaned in frustration.

The catcher, maintaining his composure, barked, "Idiot, the next pitch is coming!"

"Watch my full-power swing!" Sawamura shouted.

Pop!

"Strike!"

Pop!

"Strike!!"

The catcher, crouching behind the plate, shook his head with a disapproving expression. "You just struck out against a pitching machine."

"Unbelievable! This can't be happening!" Sawamura cried dramatically, his face full of tears, unwilling to accept the outcome.

Since it was an open day, many fans had gathered to watch, along with several reporters.

As one of the nation's top-tier baseball teams, Seidou High naturally attracted significant attention.

Furthermore, their recent victory in the Kanto Tournament championship only heightened expectations for their performance in the upcoming summer season.

Among the reporters, two stood out. One was a tall woman who, with her height, towered over the surrounding men. This striking woman was Owada Akiko, a rookie journalist from Baseball Kingdom Magazine.

Accompanying her was a stocky man wearing a baseball cap, his name Fujio Mine. Unlike Akiko, he was a veteran reporter for the same magazine.

Thanks to her height, Akiko had an unobstructed view of Sawamura's antics. After watching for a while, she finally commented, "That first-year player from Seidou is… lively."

Other than the word "lively," Akiko struggled to find a more fitting description.

Just as she finished speaking, Chris's voice rang out.

"Bunt!"

Although reluctant, Sawamura never disobeyed orders from his mentor. As the next pitch came, he decisively adjusted his stance for a bunt.

Ping!

This time, the ball connected with his bat.

The ball rolled along the third base line, bouncing gently and precisely, neither too fast nor too slow — just perfect.

"Wow!!!"

The Seidou High players couldn't hide their astonishment as they watched this unfold. Such an exquisite bunt was a rarity, even for a top-tier team like theirs.

"Boring," Sawamura muttered, seemingly unimpressed by his own bunt.

Unbeknownst to him, his roommate, Kuramochi Yoichi, was on the verge of tears — tears of envy.

A bunt this flawless, performed by Sawamura of all people, felt like a waste of talent.

"If only I could bunt like that…" Kuramochi thought. He was certain that, with such skill, he would become Seidou's top scorer.

Life was truly unfair.

"What an incredible bunt!" exclaimed Fujio, the veteran reporter.

"Is this kid's batting really that remarkable?" Akiko asked, puzzled.

"In baseball, especially in games between powerhouse teams, the chances of getting a clean hit are slim. For top teams, converting hits into runs becomes even more critical. That's where bunting plays a far larger role than you might imagine," Fujio explained. "A player with such precise bunting ability is guaranteed a key role in Seidou's offensive strategy."

"Sawamura Eijun!" Fujio mentally bookmarked the name of this first-year rookie from Seidou.

"Impressive! I wonder who's stronger — him or Furuya?" Akiko asked eagerly.

Fujio barely resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"How can you even compare the two?" he thought. "From what we've seen, Sawamura is just a talented rookie with potential. But Furuya… he's already in a league of his own, a nationally recognized young star with a shot at being the best high school pitcher in the country."

Akiko, unaware of Fujio's internal monologue, started scanning the field, looking for Furuya.

After all, if anyone was the biggest star on Seidou's roster, it was undoubtedly Furuya Satoru.

For reporters, mentioning Furuya's name in any article guaranteed a spike in magazine sales — he was pure gold for the press.

"Where is he? As Seidou's ace, he should be practicing his pitching in the bullpen. Let's head over there," Fujio suggested, his familiarity with Seidou's setup evident from his past interviews, including one with Miyuki Kazuya.

Guiding Akiko, Fujio turned a few corners and arrived at Seidou's bullpen.

Inside, third-year pitcher Tanba and second-year pitcher Kawakami were practicing their pitching.

"Tanba's pitching again? Looks like his injury has almost fully healed," Fujio remarked in surprise.

When Furuya was named Seidou's ace, speculation ran rampant. Many believed Tanba's injury was the main reason he had been sidelined and that Seidou wouldn't have replaced their senior ace with a first-year rookie unless absolutely necessary.

But Fujio wasn't just surprised by Tanba's return.

What truly caught his attention was Furuya Satoru.

Instead of practicing, Seidou's ace was lounging on the bench in the bullpen, holding a watermelon slice in one hand and a cold cola in the other.

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