Ace of Diamond: Return of the Pitcher

By 2:30 PM, the semi-professional team finally arrived in a hurry.

Once they arrived, everyone introduced themselves to each other, and they were ready to start the game.

However, the opposing coach disagreed, because not all of their players had arrived yet.

In addition to several college players, they had invited four professional baseball players. Two of these professional players had already graduated from the University.

The other two had applied to Tokyo University, and after self-studying outside of school, they obtained their diplomas.

They were all proud of being from Tokyo University, and since it was a rare opportunity for everyone to gather and compete, the University's superintendent certainly hoped to start the game only once everyone had arrived.

In response, the national superintendent, Kunitomo, kindly agreed.

Originally, according to the earlier plan, Tokyo University only intended to send out their 1st and 2nd-grade players.

Kunitomo strongly opposed this.

Before the official match, this was their only practice match.

If they didn't cherish this opportunity, it would be a great shame.

Moreover, if the opponents weren't strong enough, there would be no way to put enough pressure on the current Tokyo team.

Kunitomo believed that the meaning of this practice match would be lost.

That's why he had asked the organizers to invite some professional players to participate in the game.

An exchange match between two countries...

This was a major event in almost all Eastern countries, especially the major ones.

It would definitely attract a lot of attention.

For the professional players involved, there was also enough exposure and benefits.

Not to mention the organizers would also provide them with a reward.

It could be considered a commercial event.

For the professional players, it was a good choice, and for the Tokyo University, it was also a good suggestion.

It would allow their current players to compete with the elites in professional baseball.

This would definitely greatly stimulate the players' ambitions and allow them to learn a lot during the game.

Furthermore, this event itself was very beneficial to the newly formed Tokyo team.

Relying solely on the players from Tokyo University, it would be very difficult to put enough pressure on the current Tokyo team.

It was nearly an impossible task.

At such a time, having professional baseball players as an aid would allow the team to experience great pressure. This would help them identify issues and correct them promptly.

This was a significant advantage in itself.

Moreover, having professional players participate would provide a very positive stimulus for the players who were about to graduate and wanted to enter the professional baseball world.

It was a win-win situation.

As the Superintendent of the Tokyo team, Kunitomo had considered all the interests involved.

When the organizers approached him to take on this important role, it could be seen that they had a keen eye for talent.

Among all the Superintendents in the Tokyo area, Kunitomo was probably the only one with such ability, insight, and understanding of human relations.

Though he often appeared with a cold expression, like an unmovable iceberg...

He knew exactly when and what needed to be done.

After waiting for a full ten minutes, the four professional baseball players finally arrived.

It wasn't because they were acting haughtily, but because they had started from different locations, gathered together, and then traveled over.

The journey itself was long, and the travel was exhausting.

Given the circumstances, it was already very impressive that they had arrived so quickly.

"They're here!"

The arrival of the professional baseball players greatly stimulated the players on the field.

Among these "monsters" and elites, many regarded professional baseball as their ideal.

The seniors who appeared before them were their idols and goals.

Naturally, the crowd had mixed feelings upon seeing them.

The first to get off the bus was a tall, strong man who appeared very tough and powerful.

"It's him?"

Upon seeing the person, the crowd immediately erupted in exclamations.

In the previous MVP voting, he had unfortunately lost to his opponent, the uncrowned king.

In the eyes of ordinary fans, his status might seem ordinary, but to these professional baseball players, he had already reached the peak of the profession.

"Yomiuri' Command Tower, last year's Rookie of the Year, Fumei Tsuyoi."

Unexpectedly, the first to appear was such a star player.

It was truly overwhelming for the players present.

Money can move mountains.

No one had expected that the organizers would have such power, directly inviting last year's Rookie of the Year.

Such a figure was undoubtedly a force to be reckoned with in the world of professional baseball.

Fumei Tsuyoi was not haughty; he appeared very friendly.

Perhaps he didn't consider this match a serious competition, but rather a journey or a commercial event with fans.

He frequently waved to those around him.

Reporters, seemingly appearing out of nowhere, were snapping pictures of him nonstop.

Amidst the flashing cameras, he remained calm.

So much so that the three people who appeared behind him didn't draw much attention.

Not many people paid attention, but that didn't mean no one was paying attention.

When the three people appeared, a loud commotion immediately arose from the Inashiro Industrial High School baseball team.

Among those three, two familiar figures stood out, especially the one on the far right, which moved many players to tears.

This person was none other than Harada Masatoshi, who had just graduated from Inashiro Industrial High School.

He had been drafted in the first round of the professional baseball draft.

The organizers were showing respect to Kunitomo by inviting his proud students.

Another familiar figure was also there.

When Sawamura and Miyuki saw him, they immediately ran toward him excitedly.

Originally, they had a very average outlook on participating in this exchange game.

It was fine to participate, but not participating didn't matter much.

They didn't expect such a pleasant surprise.

The figure wasn't tall, but he had a very kind appearance. Though his facial expressions weren't abundant, every emotion was written clearly on his face.

This person was the former captain of the Seidou High School baseball team, the Captain of Steel,

Yuuki Tetsuya!

Seeing him at this moment, both Sawamura and Miyuki were deeply excited.

"Tetsu-san!"

Sawamura immediately gave Tetsuya a big hug.

The enthusiastic gesture caught Tetsuya off guard.

But seeing Sawamura's sincere face, he couldn't help but smile from the heart.

Although the smile was faint, it was still a genuine smile, and it brought him great comfort.

Entering professional baseball meant entering society.

Many things had changed, and even someone as pure as Yuuki Tetsuya could not help but think of all kinds of messy things.

But a person's nature doesn't change.

School days are always something to reminisce about.

Even Tetsuya couldn't escape this.

"How did you end up here?" Sawamura asked curiously after the hug ended.

"I'm also a student of Tokyo University!" Tetsuya smiled as he shared his story.

This all began after he had just graduated.

After finishing his high school baseball career, Tetsuya had to face the choice of his future life.

Because Seidou High School's baseball team dominated the country, Tetsuya's high school baseball career had ended on a perfect note.

This allowed his future choices to become much more broad.

Tokyo University extended an olive branch to him.

At that time, Tetsuya was full of struggle and hesitation. On one hand, he wanted to join professional baseball and face challenges, but on the other hand, he wanted to continue his studies. It was a tough choice.

After much hesitation, he chose the former.

This was directly related to his high school achievements. If he wasn't satisfied with his high school results, Yuuki Tetsuya would have never joined a professional baseball team before realizing his ideals.

If nothing unexpected happened, he would have chosen to go to university.

His dream would have continued there.

But now that he had reached the pinnacle of national baseball, his previous obsession was gone.

His school days' baseball career could be considered a relatively perfect conclusion.

Now, his ambition and desires took over, and Yuuki Tetsuya ultimately chose to go professional and face challenges.

Everything seemed to be settled, and Tetsuya had had a perfect start in professional baseball.

First, at the draft.

He was chosen first overall, creating a small miracle.

After joining the team, he quickly became a key player, starting in the lower batting order. Now, he had grown into a mid-level batter.

This start, compared to some superstar players with halos joining for the first time, might have been a little less spectacular.

But it was steady progress, with each step firmly grounded. And it's often these types of players who end up going the furthest.

Yuuki Tetsuya had smoothly made it to where he was now.

In previous media rankings, he scored very highly, with second place in the votes.

He could be considered a rising star.

This marked a completely different start from his Seidou High School baseball career.

After hearing these words, Sawamura felt deeply moved.

Through his small efforts, the fate of a small butterfly had finally changed.

Although they still didn't know what the future would look like.

For Sawamura Eijun, this was a change that brought him enough comfort.

"Thank Goodness!" Sawamura silently said to himself.

…