Diamond No Ace: The Strongest Hitter

Chapter 147: Early Third Year

"You'll be happy as long as you enjoy yourself!"

Though Sendo thought this in his heart, he would never say it out loud!

"But hey, it's impressive you managed to hold back from adding anything weird this time!" The king of teasing strikes again.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Exactly what I said!"

...

Fumino was furious! She punched Mr. Bear right in the face!

Poor Mr. Bear was sent flying off the bed!

...

"By the way, how many chocolates did you receive?"

"52! Almost all from girls! And that's even with a limit imposed—it's such a hassle! What about you?"

Fumino, with her "personal guard" of female admirers at school, didn't give regular boys any chance to get close.

Her guard was so large it was practically an army!

To manage this, there were even internal rules about who could give chocolates and who couldn't.

"Counting Wakana's, 34," Sendo replied honestly when asked.

"..."

And that was it. No follow-up. Don't ask what happened next!

Just know that someone's mental state completely crumbled.

Fumino stopped responding to messages altogether.

Seeing her go silent, Sendo happily went back to reading his novel.

Poor Mr. Bear! Sendo's lack of awareness had truly done you dirty!

...

Of course, Fumino only ignored him for one evening.

In about a month and a half, Sendo and his team would officially move up to their third year, marking the beginning of their final summer together—a time to push for victory or gracefully bow out.

Even though middle school baseball wasn't as intense as high school baseball, Akagi's players carried a determination not to lose to third-year high school players.

They knew these were their last days playing baseball with Sendo.

As for Sawamura, that carefree guy had long forgotten this fact!

But even Sawamura, with his carefree attitude, had a fighting spirit unmatched by anyone else.

Let's not forget, this team was built for Sawamura, to support him.

Sawamura carried the hopes of their friendship and the dream of making Akagi Junior High School a nationally renowned name.

...

"That opening ceremony was so long-winded! Especially since we're about to merge schools!" Sendo complained after the new term's ceremony.

"What did you just say, Sendo?! That's so rude! Apologize now!"

"Uh... fine, I'm sorry." Sendo glanced at Sawamura for a few seconds before surprisingly apologizing.

"Huh?" Sawamura was visibly stunned by his decisiveness.

"Hey there!" Some juniors nearby greeted them.

"Hey!" Sendo greeted back, though with a different tone.

"Being the seniors is awesome! Cute juniors greet you, and you don't have to greet anyone!" Sendo remarked.

"???" The others gave him a look of utter disdain.

"Wait, Eijun, what right do you have to look down on me?" Sendo thought incredulously.

In rural areas, these social norms weren't so rigid, which naturally led to a wave of disdain for Sendo's behavior.

This also explained why Sawamura, before entering high school, only knew of hierarchical concepts but had never experienced them.

Miyuki's antics were the only thing that had made Sawamura imagine such scenarios!

Still...

Nobody believed Sendo and Sawamura would grasp such concepts or adhere to such norms!

...

Although half a year had passed, Akagi's players never slacked off in training.

They even played two practice games against Susabano!

In the first game, Sendo acted as a bench coach.

Under his guidance, Akagi played with impressive coordination.

While players like Aoki had some individual cleverness, they needed Sendo's strategic vision to shine.

Without Sendo, they were left to play solo, with only minimal teamwork—a testament to Sendo's role as the team's anchor.

In the second game, Sendo personally took the field, resulting in a complete massacre! If it hadn't been a practice game, it would've ended even sooner.

Unlike the Autumn Tournament, this game saw Sendo as catcher, fully unleashing Sawamura's potential. With solid defense and Sendo's pitch calling, they shut out Susabano while scoring 13 runs.

Of course, this was with no intentional walks to Sendo!

These types of games were more of a fun exercise for Akagi.

Akagi's batting lineup hadn't made any huge leaps forward, but as their bodies grew, their technique also improved. Their progress was visible to the naked eye!

Interestingly, Susabano's lower batting order had new players, mostly junior baseball players brought in by their upperclassmen, including Takase.

In terms of potential, Susabano's roster now surpassed Tokugawa's, who couldn't afford an all-junior baseball team.

Susabano's case was an exception due to Takase's good relationships with his juniors.

Another noteworthy point: Susabano now had three female players, much like Wakana.

Unlike Wakana, though, these girls were absolute mainstays of their junior baseball teams, some even batting cleanup.

Even in middle school, their physical abilities weren't far behind the boys. And their skills and talent often surpassed them!

One of the girls even took over the fifth batting position from Takase!

After just one practice game, these three girls became huge fans of Sendo!

Despite his limited appearances, Sendo's impact across three years couldn't be understated.

The skill gap was simply too vast.

Sendo's physique, extraordinary looks, and cool yet comforting aura made it almost impossible for anyone—male or female—to dislike him.

For boys, they turned into his admirers, though not as fanatical as the girls. For girls, especially those experiencing their first crush, he was irresistible.

In the second match, after Akagi crushed Susabano with a 13-run victory, Sendo decided to sit out the final match. The boys breathed a sigh of relief; being his fans didn't mean they enjoyed getting obliterated on the field.

The girls, however, were a different story. They vehemently protested. In their words, "As long as Sendo plays, no matter how bad it gets, it's worth it."

Even Takase and the others were dumbfounded by this display.

That game earned Sendo a remarkable record: not a perfect cycle, but close—four consecutive home runs and an inside-the-park home run in five at-bats.

In the end, the girls compromised, agreeing that in the next match, Sendo would be intentionally walked every at-bat.

For context, a "perfect cycle" means hitting a single, double, triple, and home run in one game. An inside-the-park home run is when the batter rounds all bases without the defense being able to stop them, despite the ball staying in play.

...

After the new term started, Akagi's life fell back into a monotonous rhythm of classes and training.

One noticeable change was that Wakana and Sendo now had their own fan clubs, with groups of people cheering them on daily.

Sendo was no longer the carefree player he was a year ago. Back then, he would frequently skip practice without notice, disappearing for days.

Now, with their final summer ahead, Sendo was determined to give his all, ensuring their championship defense would not be jeopardized.

In fact, Sendo entertained the idea of completely dominating the Nagano tournament, as a way to celebrate and bid farewell to baseball.

The National Tournament, however, was a different story. While middle school softball wasn't as competitive, the nation's top teams could rival even elite youth baseball teams.

Top-tier youth baseball teams, coached by retired professional players with aspirations for the pros, were a level far beyond typical middle school clubs. Even ordinary youth teams, trained by competent staff, were leagues ahead.

For regular middle school softball teams?

Their coaches were often simply enthusiasts who knew basic tactics, with only a handful having any high school baseball experience.

It was no wonder the talent disparity was insurmountable.

Unless you had a one-of-a-kind player like Sendo, who could single-handedly overturn the hierarchy, such teams had no chance.

Even then, that advantage was limited to single games. In tournaments with consecutive matches, a team relying solely on one ace couldn't survive.

For this reason, Sendo never entertained dreams of Akagi winning the National Tournament.

However, within Nagano, the strongest Akagi team in history could dominate with ease.

Following their autumn championship, Akagi, as the defending champion, was naturally the biggest contender for the title in Nagano.

Still, Sendo believed in keeping the team grounded, particularly Sawamura.

He refused to let his presence ruin the potential of such a rare talent.

Yet Nagano didn't have a team capable of consistently suppressing Akagi, even if Sendo didn't play.

So he sought external opponents: Sakura Girls's University.

Since their autumn of first-year students, Sakura Girls's had been the undisputed champions of Japanese collegiate softball.

They had never missed a championship and were now transitioning to hardball.

This year marked their debut—and farewell—in Japan's collegiate baseball league, a historic moment for what was widely regarded as the strongest team in Sakura Girls's history.

Even so, Sakura Girls's University was still considered a top contender for the championship.

The reason?

After last summer's "360-degree no-escape spiral beatdown" by Sendo, Ozawa emerged as the undisputed ace of Japanese collegiate softball pitchers—a talent that towered over her peers.

So much so that several professional teams had already begun reaching out to her.

This brought Sendo great satisfaction.

After all, the countless challenges he'd thrown her way had ensured he never felt overshadowed by her talent.

Interestingly, in recent months, Ozawa's attitude toward Sendo had significantly improved.

She was no longer the hot-tempered girl he'd first met.

Her growth over the years, particularly in terms of her mentality, was evident. It was rare to see her lose her temper now.

It could be said that Sendo's "360-degree beatdowns" had always left Ozawa utterly overwhelmed.

Yet, last summer, Sakura Girls's University had delivered an equally flawless defeat to Akagi.

Even with a relaxed approach, Sakura Girls could easily crush Akagi—provided they walked Sendo every time.

After all, no pitcher could maintain their composure after being hit for consecutive long balls or home runs.

Even if their mind stayed intact, their mechanics would falter, and their body would betray them.

Especially since Sendo's home runs weren't just ordinary—they flew so far beyond the fences they'd lose the ball entirely.

Such hits inflicted the most psychological damage on pitchers.

When Sendo reached out to Sakura Girls's University for another match, they graciously agreed.

For Ozawa, after enduring so much humiliation at Sendo's hands, this was the perfect chance to regain her pride.

If she couldn't settle the score with Sendo himself, then pounding his team into the ground repeatedly would have to suffice.

Especially since Sendo personally requested that his team be taught a lesson, to keep them from getting overconfident.

To Sakura Girls, this was an irresistible opportunity—a punching bag delivered straight to their doorstep. Why not take full advantage of it?

So, when Ozawa heard she'd get to see Sendo's face again while thrashing his team, she was thoroughly delighted.

Sendo, on the other hand, felt a twisted sense of satisfaction imagining his teammates getting crushed.

If Ozawa knew what he was thinking, though, her delight would vanish in an instant!

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