Diamond No Ace: The Strongest Hitter

Chapter 174: Watching from the Sidelines

Coach Kataoka had announced the practice match scheduled for tomorrow well in advance, but Sawamura, busy with his running drills, was completely unaware.

Sendo, however, knew that the starting lineup players would be resting, which included him.

With Tanba stripped of his ace status and the former fifth batter not making it back into the main lineup, Sendo had taken over the left field position.

This meant only seven players were on the resting list, while everyone else had to participate.

Effectively, this arrangement temporarily removed all bench players from the First String roster.

Though nothing was said explicitly, the backup players understood that poor performance in the practice game could mean they wouldn't make it back to the First String.

Since the Kanto Tournament allowed only 18 players on the bench, spots were limited.

For example, Furuya's jersey number, 18, symbolized this cap.

What only Sendo knew, however, was that two players wouldn't make it back—one because of performance, and another because Furuya was set to take their spot.

...

During Dinner

"Hey, Sendo! You barely moved today, so how are you eating so much? Where does all that food go?" Sawamura asked, incredulous as he watched Sendo polish off a plate of meat in no time.

"That's enough, isn't it? Are you just now getting to know me? Haven't I always eaten like this?" Sendo shot back with a rhetorical question.

"True enough," Sawamura admitted, realizing the absurdity of his own question.

"You've bulked up a bit recently," Sendo commented. "Training must be tough. If it were me, I'd have quit already."

"Of course it's tough! But if I want to be the ace, I have no choice but to keep at it. Though I have no idea when that sunglasses-wearing coach will let me stop running!" Sawamura replied, clearly frustrated but determined.

Over the past month, Sawamura's training load had significantly increased.

Inspired (or provoked) by Furuya's performance, he had upped the ante today by dragging three tires.

Although he moved at a snail's pace, the effort and energy expenditure were evident—his appetite had grown noticeably.

"Another bowl, please!" he shouted, only to choke on his food moments later. Within seconds, he emptied yet another heaping bowl of rice.

"You've been eating a lot lately!" came the familiar voice of Miyuki, carrying a tray as he sat down next to Sawamura and Sendo.

Miyuki found Sawamura to be an entertaining pitcher, both in personality and potential.

Add to that Sendo, who was now reluctantly spending more time with Miyuki, and it was an interesting dynamic.

"On the first day, you ate so much you threw up," Miyuki teased, his tone completely different from when he spoke to Sendo, who was effectively a stronger, less responsive version of Sawamura.

Miyuki tread carefully around Sendo, knowing full well that while Sendo wasn't talkative, his sharp tongue could deliver devastating one-liners that left no room for rebuttal.

Miyuki even suspected Sendo might one day roast the coach—something he'd never witnessed but secretly hoped to see.

What Miyuki didn't realize was that Sendo had already made snide remarks about the coach but only in private.

Sendo was tactful enough not to undermine the coach's authority in front of others.

When Miyuki teased Sawamura, who blushed and shot him a glare, Sendo quietly thought about the video evidence he had of Sawamura's "black history." He wondered how Sawamura would react if he knew.

"Young players grow so fast; it's enviable!" Miyuki said sarcastically.

"Shut up!" Sawamura snapped, earning laughter from Miyuki.

Sendo, sensing their escalating banter, subtly shifted a few seats away and pulled out his trusted aibo.

...

Having been immersed in his private bubble with Sendo, Sawamura only then noticed how quiet the surroundings had become.

"Why is everyone so quiet? Did something happen?"

"Huh? You didn't hear? The first-years are playing a practice game against the second and third-years tomorrow," Miyuki said, his eyes darting toward Sendo with a knowing look that seemed to say, You didn't tell him?

Sendo, however, had his aibo raised, recording.

Miyuki, familiar with Sendo's habit of carrying the device everywhere—even attaching it to Fumino's waist during training—didn't ask questions.

However, he remained vigilant, knowing the aibo contained plenty of footage that could become incriminating evidence.

"Don't let him record my black history," Miyuki silently vowed.

...

"What?! I had no idea! Can I play?!" Sawamura exclaimed, grabbing Miyuki by the collar in his excitement.

"No! And stop shaking me! I'm your senior, you know!" Miyuki protested, helpless under Sawamura's grip.

...

Miyuki, coughing furiously after being released from Sawamura's grip, caught sight of Sendo putting away his camcorder from the corner of his eye.

His face darkened—he had been so cautious, yet Sendo still managed to catch his embarrassing moment on tape.

Knowing full well that he couldn't convince Sendo to delete the footage, Miyuki decided to pretend nothing had happened and returned to chatting with Sawamura.

After all, he couldn't escape Sawamura's relentless questioning.

Still, Miyuki found it odd that Sendo hadn't mentioned the practice game to Sawamura.

"In our team, first-years usually focus on building stamina, and it's rare for any of them to make the main roster. However, the recent games have changed things," Miyuki explained.

Even he had only joined the First String before summer, and his fellow classmates didn't make it until the fall of their first year.

For the previous cohort, the situation was even tougher, with the sole exception of the prodigy, Chris, who joined the First String in spring, shortly after Sendo's timeline and even earlier than Furuya.

Chris's promotion was purely based on ability, while Furuya's was due to team circumstances.

Sendo, however, was a mix of both, prompting Coach Kataoka to prioritize results over conventional training timelines.

Even so, Coach Kataoka had tolerated Sendo's occasional laziness, largely because of his past regrets involving Chris.

He understood how fragile the bodies of middle schoolers transitioning to high school could be and didn't want another player to face unnecessary hardships.

If Sendo had pushed himself recklessly like Sawamura, Kataoka would have been the first to stop him. Instead, Sendo's knack for sneaking away during runs—hiding for half the time—was usually met with no more than a stern glare.

But today, Sendo had gone too far.

He started running, saw Kataoka enter the bullpen, and promptly vanished.

After slacking off, he was called back to run but casually strolled next to Sawamura, chatting as if he were on a leisurely walk.

...

At that moment, Furuya approached, tray in hand. "Excuse me. Can I sit here?" he asked coolly before settling between Sawamura and Miyuki, pushing Sawamura aside.

"W-Why are you sitting here?! There's plenty of space over there!" Sawamura protested, feeling like a victim of circumstance.

First Miyuki had intruded, and now Furuya was targeting Miyuki.

Meanwhile, Sendo, leaning his head on his right hand and eating with his left, looked as if he were lounging in bed, snacking while watching a show. He had effectively recreated this vibe in the dining hall.

No one paid him much attention, so apart from Miyuki occasionally annoying him, Sendo enjoyed his meals in peace.

He had also built a good rapport with Watanabe, appreciating his quiet nature.

Their frequent one-on-one interactions, filled with discussions about various topics, made them closer than Watanabe was with his other friends.

As one of the rare first-years on the main roster, Sendo often ate alone since the third-years grouped together, and the second-years followed suit.

Interestingly, he didn't even realize he was in the same class as Tojo.

Seidou's "Three Sleep Gods" now included Sendo, Furuya, and another teammate.

While Sendo was a top student, the other two struggled academically, earning them a reputation among teachers as troublemakers.

...

Suddenly, Furuya spoke.

"Miyuki-senpai, tomorrow I won't let anyone hit my pitches. If I succeed, will you catch for me?"

"Bold words from a natural airhead," Sendo murmured, eating a piece of meat.

The dining hall, already quiet, fell into complete silence as Furuya's words resonated.

Every player nearby stopped eating and turned to stare at him. Some second-years even stood up and faced him directly.

"What?!" Sawamura exclaimed in shock.

Even Miyuki was momentarily speechless.

Furuya's statement was audacious, to say the least.

Both Sendo and Sawamura, despite their quirks, would never make such a provocative claim.

A wave of responses erupted:

"You won't let anyone hit your pitches? Do you even know where you are?"

"Fresh out of middle school and already so arrogant!"

"This should be interesting!"

"If you want Miyuki to catch for you, show some results first!"

"See that guy, Sendo? Even that bakemono doesn't talk like this!"

Sendo resisted the urge to retort aloud, wondering why he had been dragged into this.

He glanced around and noticed that the few players who didn't resemble gangsters—including Tanba and his roommates—were grouped on the other side of the room.

"Coach Kataoka is definitely their boss," Sendo muttered under his breath.

The "mob" surrounded Furuya, who stood there unfazed, while Sawamura was squeezed out of the circle.

Even Miyuki remained silent, likely agreeing that Furuya's words had crossed the line.

Finally, Tanba stepped in to defuse the situation.

"Don't imitate him. It's disgraceful. We let our performance on the field do the talking."

While Tanba's words restored order, he likely hadn't realized Furuya's airheaded nature, chalking his statement up to arrogance.

Furuya, however, appeared to have grasped something, as he looked at Tanba with newfound understanding.

This incident lit a fire in Tanba, reigniting his competitive spirit.

Miyuki, too, recognized the underlying purpose of the practice game—it was Kataoka's way of challenging the third-years and stoking their determination.

Furuya's inclusion was merely a side experiment.

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