Diamond No Ace: The Strongest Hitter

Chapter 161: Black History (2)

"What baseball exchange program?

Sure, having resolve and a fighting spirit might be admirable."

"But does being talented mean you can do whatever you want and still be forgiven?"

"Looking down on teammates and even trying to send them away? Even if the whole world accepts that, I refuse!"

"Baseball isn't something you can play alone!"

Unable to keep up the act any longer, Sawamura finally voiced his true thoughts!

At that moment, Azuma approached and playfully bumped Sawamura with his stomach.

Sendo, watching from the sidelines, couldn't help but think:

You were just teased about your stomach—how do you still have the energy to bump someone with it?

"Can a team that's called elite really forget such a basic principle?" Sawamura continued, saying what was on his mind.

The two started glaring at each other, but fighting wasn't an option. If they did, Seidou could face disbandment, and the penalties from the baseball association were no joke!

Rei quickly reacted, flashing a faint smile before stepping forward to apologize to Azuma.

Sendo, meanwhile, stopped recording to save space on his device.

Incidentally, only Rei was aware of Sendo's habit of secretly recording events.

However, the escalating conflict between Sawamura and Azuma caused her to forget all about it!

Even though Sawamura felt disheartened when Rei referred to him as a "clueless country boy," he didn't bother correcting her.

"This kid's a pitcher, right? Can we show him what real batting looks like?" Rei asked.

"I don't mind!" Azuma, calmed by Rei's charm and demeanor, agreed.

However, his tone remained harsh when addressing Sawamura, trying to intimidate him:

"But! … I won't let this brat leave the mound until he's crying!"

Sawamura wanted to refuse, but Rei firmly convinced him, showing her authority.

"She's got that 'big sister' energy!" Sendo silently gave Rei a thumbs-up.

He stayed quiet, trying to fade into the background, but couldn't help thinking how fun it would be to show this recording to the juniors in the future.

The thought made Sendo smirk, his expression taking on an unusually mischievous charm.

Unfortunately, everyone was too focused on Sawamura and Azuma to notice.

"This looks interesting," a sly voice suddenly commented.

Everyone's attention, including Azuma's and Sawamura's, shifted toward the voice.

Miyuki appeared, sitting on the ground with his right leg crossed and his left knee raised to form a triangle.

Resting his left arm on his knee, he held a baseball in his hand, his cap covering most of his face.

Sendo recalled how, in the anime, Miyuki never wore his hat properly.

Though, Sendo thought to himself, I don't exactly have the right to criticize him.

When everyone looked his way, Miyuki lifted his head, revealing his gleaming eyes.

"Rei-chan! Mind if I catch this guy's pitches?"

"Who's that?" Sawamura asked.

"Miyuki Kazuya! A catcher, by the way."

"Miyuki! Don't run your mouth so casually, first-year!"

"Haha, sorry! But Azuma-san, you've been a bit too full of yourself lately. Playing with younger players might help you regain your humility!"

"Who's full of themselves?!" Azuma snapped, clearly agitated.

Sendo watched their banter with a look of pure happiness.

To be honest, Sendo found Miyuki's personality somewhat similar to his own, which was why he liked him.

Similar personalities naturally gravitate toward each other, making interactions easy and natural.

Miyuki, meanwhile, was surrounded by his peers, trying to calm him down.

Even if Sendo didn't know the story's future, his observation of Azuma was enough to understand why Miyuki's approach made sense.

Azuma was the kind of person who appeared gruff on the outside, like a classic tough guy.

Knowing how to handle such people was one of Sendo's strengths.

Of course, Sendo also liked Azuma.

"But you should ask that guy first. That man and this kid were a battery in middle school," Rei said, pointing to Sendo, who had been deliberately keeping a low profile.

From the way Rei addressed them, it was clear she saw everyone else as kids, while she treated Sendo as an equal.

"???"

Sendo thought to himself, You guys can have your fun—why drag me into this?

"I just want to stay unnoticed, record Sawamura's embarrassing moments, and enjoy the show!"

"You guys go ahead! Don't mind me!" Sendo replied immediately.

"What? Why? Are you abandoning me, Sendo?" Sawamura, realizing he wasn't entirely alone, began to pout.

Sawamura's pouting was rare for most people to witness, except for his childhood friends and Kanemaru.

In this moment, Sawamura looked just like he had when Rei visited his home, crying to his grandfather about everyone leaving him behind. It was oddly adorable.

"Who cares about you? I only brought my eyes today!" Sendo mercilessly teased.

In the end, Sawamura could only change into his uniform with tears in his eyes.

"Miss Takashima! Is this really okay? If the association finds out we're letting a middle schooler join our practice, we're done for!"

The association strictly forbade middle schoolers from participating in high school training after several fatal incidents in the past.

The intensity difference between middle and high school, coupled with the weight of a hardball, made it extremely dangerous.

"It's fine! There are no spectators today, and no one will talk!" Rei reassured them.

The students could only relent.

This also explained why this showdown was never mentioned in the original story—most of Sawamura's generation didn't even know it had happened.

...

Things returned to their original course.

While Sawamura warmed up, Rei and Miyuki exchanged a few casual words.

Sendo, meanwhile, enjoyed a VIP viewing experience—completely ignored by everyone else.

In fact, except for Rei Takashima, no one even realized Sendo was there to observe.

They simply assumed he was tagging along.

But Sendo didn't mind.

This was better for him.

He was already prepared to create Blackmail Material Part 2!

Now that Sawamura was wearing the team uniform, it didn't matter if he recorded the events.

His camera didn't display timestamps anyway.

Both teams entered the field, and Miyuki tossed the ball to Sawamura to start warming up.

As in the original story, Sawamura was surprised by the hardness and weight of the hardball.

Miyuki noticed it immediately.

Azuma walked over.

He walked over!

Sendo, who had been quietly forgotten, raised his camera once again.

And sure enough, the iconic moment arrived.

"Hey, kid! If you want to apologize, now's the time! Once you're on the mound, there'll be no escape!"

The moment Azuma finished speaking, Sendo turned the camera toward Sawamura.

If anyone had noticed him, his movements practically screamed:

"Your turn to respond!"

"You think you're some big shot? Acting all high and mighty! Shouldn't the one with no escape be you?"

"Huh?" Azuma's voice came from off-camera.

"I'm saying!" Sawamura held up the ball.

"If this hits you, don't complain about it breaking something!!" he shouted, full of defiance, delivering the line Sendo had been dreaming of hearing.

Hearing that, Azuma's expression briefly tightened.

He faltered for a moment.

Then Miyuki, squatting behind the plate, burst into laughter.

Embarrassed and angered by Sawamura's boldness, Azuma lashed out at Miyuki instead.

Miyuki immediately backed down and apologized.

"Perfect!" Sendo ended the recording with a satisfied smile.

For Sendo, this was the ultimate blackmail material against Sawamura.

He could tease him about this for the rest of his life.

"Pfft!" The thought made Sendo smirk as he stifled a laugh.

Of course, Sendo kept himself completely hidden, blending perfectly into the shadows.

After putting away his camera, he found a spot to sit and watch the rest of the scene unfold.

After all, besides Sawamura's embarrassing moments, the rest of this story was pretty entertaining too.

Sendo's eyes sparkled with anticipation.

The showdown between Sawamura and Azuma proceeded just like in the original.

Miyuki displayed his cunning side, eventually striking out Azuma.

Although Sawamura's pitch speed was faster than in the original timeline, it was still too slow for batters of Azuma or Sendo's caliber.

The result remained the same, which was satisfying enough.

"What?! No way! Azuma-senpai actually struck out!" Sawamura wailed dramatically from the mound, while the people around him stood in stunned silence.

"What do you think of our starting catcher?" Rei casually approached Sendo, striking up a conversation as though asking about a dish at a food tasting.

"He's a good catcher! His pitch-calling skills show a deep understanding of the batter's psyche. His technique is miles ahead of an amateur like me."

"If it were you, do you think you could take his position?" Rei asked with a smile.

"???" Sendo looked up at her, confused.

"It's just a hypothetical," Rei clarified.

"It doesn't matter. That kid, Eijun, will probably join Seidou."

"And?"

It was clear Rei was directing the question at him.

"Of course, I'll follow him. When that happens, I'll count on you for a recommendation."

"Of course! But in that case, it's no longer hypothetical. Do you think you could take his position?"

"Why would I compete for his position?"

"Huh?" This time, it was Rei's turn to look completely baffled.

"Aren't you a catcher? Aren't you the protégé of that Major League catcher, Coach Nakani?" Rei was mentally ranting furiously but refrained from saying anything, deciding instead to glare daggers at Sendo.

"Why would I still play catcher in high school? Seriously! I only played catcher in middle school because we didn't have one! Wearing all that gear is exhausting, stuffy, and hot. Not to mention, you constantly have to be on guard against getting hit by wild pitches! And don't even get me started on the pain when you catch the ball wrong!" Sendo, noticing Rei's questioning look, started counting on his fingers and passionately ranting about all the downsides of being a catcher.

Rei quickly realized that Sendo had only taken up the role of catcher out of necessity, essentially passing the responsibility onto someone else whenever possible.

Judging by his attitude, forcing him to be a catcher again would probably feel worse than death.

She couldn't help but wonder how Miyuki would react if he overheard Sendo's comments.

Would it spark a debate between the two?

Probably not, considering how similar their personalities were.

They'd likely brush it off.

"By the way, what about that recording?" Rei suddenly remembered that this sneaky guy had been secretly filming earlier.

"Don't worry! There's nothing in the footage that could prove a middle schooler was playing on a high school field," Sendo reassured her.

"In that case, I'm relieved! But I'm curious—what exactly were you recording?" Rei's tone had softened, and their conversation had become surprisingly casual, as if they were old friends.

"Of course, I was filming Eijun's blackmail material!" Sendo whispered excitedly, his face lighting up as he leaned closer to Rei.

"Just imagine his reaction in the future when he sees how ridiculous he looked today! Just thinking about it gets me fired up!"

In truth, by the summer of his first year in high school, Sawamura was already adamantly denying that this event ever happened.

It had become his biggest—and only—undisputed black mark.

If he ever found out that Sendo had footage of it...

"Your personality is really something, isn't it? You're quite similar to Miyuki-kun in that regard," Rei chuckled softly, covering her mouth.

She couldn't help but evaluate Sendo while simultaneously imagining Miyuki, who shared such a similar temperament.

"It's hard to imagine how those two will get along in the future... but it'll definitely be entertaining!" Rei shook her head, amused by the thought.

Sendo stood up, his attention caught by Sawamura yelling nearby.

"Hey! Idiot! Haven't you yelled enough? It's time to head back. I still need to go home and read the new manga release today!" Sendo finally made his presence known to the group.

"Huh? Oh!" Sawamura suddenly realized they had a long journey ahead and stopped his yelling.

"Oh my, are you leaving already?" Rei walked over, still as composed as ever. "Sendo-kun, since you're here, why not try out the pitching machine if you're itching for some action?"

"It's fine! I'm not an idiot like him!" Sendo waved her off dismissively.

"Idiot? Did you just call me an idiot? You called me that earlier too!" Sawamura immediately latched onto this and began his protest.

"If you don't like the pitching machine, you could always face one of our pitchers in a one-on-one showdown," Rei suggested, her tone playful but with a hint of persuasion.

Her suggestion stemmed from a misunderstanding.

She had heard Coach Nakani praise Sendo as a bakemono (monster), but given her experience in baseball, she understood the gap between middle and high school players.

Naturally, she assumed Nakani's praise was relative to the best middle school players in Japan.

In her view, even if Sendo was stronger than someone like Kawakami, it couldn't be by much.

Besides, with Miyuki's talent as a catcher, Kawakami could likely handle him.

No matter who won, it might take Sendo down a peg or two.

Miyuki also seemed interested, having already guessed that Sendo was a strong middle school hitter scouting for Seidou under a sports recommendation.

Otherwise, Rei wouldn't be so eager to push him into the spotlight.

"Are you talking about that senior?" Sendo's casual tone gave the impression that he didn't care in the slightest.

Despite Sendo's usual friendly and approachable demeanor, he wasn't the type to engage in small talk with strangers.

In fact, for acquaintances he only met once, he often wouldn't even greet them.

Sendo's aloofness could be described as downright cold.

"If you're interested in facing Kawakami-kun, that's fine too!" Rei mistakenly thought Sendo was agreeing to the challenge.