Diamond No Ace: The Strongest Hitter

Chapter 208: The End of the Third Round

July 19

"Wow, Sendo-san is really handsome!"

The day after the game, three cheerleaders were already gathered outside Class 1-A, excitedly discussing.

"San?" A black-haired girl with glasses questioned why her friend used such an honorific.

"Because... he seems so kind, too!"

At that moment, Sendo was receiving congratulations from his classmates. His friendly demeanor and warm smile naturally drew people to him, making them feel at ease.

News of the overwhelming victory in the second-round game spread, turning the first-string players of the baseball team into school celebrities.

Not long after, Sendo excused himself to go to the restroom. The three girls noticed him but had no time to escape.

"Do you need something? Or are you looking for someone? I can pass on a message for you," Sendo asked casually, standing face-to-face with them, initially thinking they needed help.

"No! No! No! Um, well... Congratulations on your first victory!" The black-haired girl with glasses stuttered nervously before blurting out the words.

"I see! Thank you very much! Oh, aren't you members of the cheerleading squad? I really appreciate your support. Please continue to cheer us on in the future!" Sendo smiled warmly upon realizing why they were there. He also remembered they were the girls cheering loudly in the stands during the game.

Of course, the cheerleading squad wasn't just these three, but the others were seated like most of the baseball team, while these girls stood on the central staircase under the blazing July sun.

Sendo sincerely thanked them, acknowledging their efforts.

"Excuse me, I need to use the restroom now," he said with a polite bow before leaving.

The three girls, overwhelmed by his gratitude, were too excited to speak.

His voice, manners, and overall presence were flawless, leaving them with the impression of a true gentleman.

"I've decided. From now on, I'll personally cheer for Sendo-sama!" declared the black-haired girl, having upgraded her honorific from "san" to "sama."

"Me too!"

"Me too!"

With just a few kind words, Sendo effortlessly gained new admirers. Truly, it was an era where appearances mattered.

Later, the girls visited Class 1-B to catch a glimpse of Furuya and Haruichi, only to realize Sendo had already won over most of Furuya's fans.

Meanwhile, as Sendo passed by Class 1-C on his way back, his curiosity was piqued by the crowd gathered around Sawamura.

Quietly stepping inside, he gestured for Kanemaru to keep quiet before approaching to see Sawamura sleeping.

Sawamura was sprawled across the desk, drooling with a strange smile on his face, his half-open eyes twitching slightly.

"Ahahaha! Cough, cough!" Sendo couldn't help but laugh, quickly pulling out a video recorder to capture the scene.

Although phones were banned during class, video recorders were allowed due to various club activities, so this precious moment became part of Sendo's collection.

He imagined compiling a "Top Embarrassing Moments of Sawamura" in the future, which made him laugh even harder. Would grown-up Sawamura want to fight him after seeing this? Probably.

Beside him, Kanemaru was also grinning mischievously.

Noticing Kanemaru's expression, Sendo smiled, sending shivers down Kanemaru's spine.

...

July 20 - Fuchu City Municipal Stadium

Seidou vs. Murata East High School.

Encouraged by Rei's words the previous day, Furuya was on fire from the start. Despite the relentless summer heat, he pitched with full power and even smiled happily during transitions between innings.

No one could calm him down—not even harsh scolding.

"That guy... ever since he was called the ace, his arrogance is through the roof!" Sawamura muttered angrily from the dugout as he watched Furuya's smug expression.

Furuya pitched all four innings alone, racking up strikeouts for nearly every out.

By the fourth inning's bottom half, captain Yuuki launched a three-run homer that smashed into the outfield scoreboard, extending the lead to 10 runs.

With Sendo in the lineup, Seidou's offensive power was overwhelming. They achieved in four innings what originally took five in the series timeline.

"How rare! You're aiming for home runs now? Trying to compete with Sendo over there?" Jun-san said, pointing at Sendo squatting in the on-deck circle.

"I just want to give the pitchers a break. If I can get on base, that's great!"

"You're so dependable, Captain!" Jun-san said, giving Captain Yuuki a high-five.

"So this is what it means to lead a team, huh? He's really stepping up lately… though his chess skills are still terrible." Miyuki chuckled to himself as he watched Yuuki walk away.

As if sensing something, Yuuki turned around, but then shook his head, thinking he must have misheard.

Meanwhile, in the on-deck circle, Sendo looked annoyed. The bases had already been cleared before his turn came up.

Then—

Ping!

Thud!

"Left field home run!"

"That's his second today, right? A monster (bakemono)!!" Jun-san exclaimed, clearly impressed. He wasn't wrong; Sendo was on fire today.

"Three home runs in two games! Is this guy really a first-year?"

"Sendo-sama!" A trio of fans cheered, making Sendo blush in embarrassment.

In the stands, Fumino was staring intently at Sendo. Even off the field, he could feel the heat of her gaze. Sendo chalked it up to her "big brother complex" kicking in.

In the top of the fifth inning, Seidou made major lineup changes.

Miyuki was replaced by Miyauchi, and Kawakami came in for Furuya. Sendo moved to left field, while Isashiki shifted to center.

Miyauchi, always known for his fiery personality, took a deep breath before yelling commands in his booming voice—a sound that Sendo would never forget.

Even after being subbed out, Furuya and Miyuki continued their intense training in the bullpen, with Miyuki pushing Furuya hard to accelerate his growth.

The single-elimination tournament format was merciless; one misstep could cost the team everything.

"Just one mistake, and you're out of the tournament. Like Narumiya did last year, with that wild pitch that lost them the game," Miyuki reminded him.

"Don't feel like it? Then we'll just sub you out, Furuya!" Sawamura teased loudly from the sidelines.

But Sawamura got it wrong—Furuya wasn't lacking motivation, just energy. Miyuki's strict demands had pushed him to the brink of exhaustion.

"I'm fine!" Furuya replied firmly, unwilling to give up his spot to Sawamura.

"Sawamura! You're such a pain!" Miyuki quipped lightly.

"But I'm overflowing with passion…"

"Then go burn yourself out, why don't you? Hahaha!"

"Sendo! Get your glove and catch for me!"

"Take a break, it's so hot out here!" Sendo replied.

"Damn it!!!"

In the top of the fifth, Kawakami wrapped things up perfectly with a three-up, three-down inning.

In the bottom half, there was no need to bat—the game ended early.

The final score: 13-0.

The game lasted just four and a half innings.

"Another mercy rule game, huh?"

...

"Now then! Bow!"

"Thank you!"

"Three years of hard work, everyone!" Sawamura shouted, his excitement bubbling over as always.

Despite all the matches, he was beginning to grasp just how brutal high school baseball's single-elimination format could be.

But it didn't dampen his fighting spirit one bit.

After the game, Seidou's players were greeted with cheers from fans outside the stadium.

The supporters expressed their love while being mindful not to overwhelm the team—a truly endearing display.

Sendo and Miyuki even caught the attention of some girls from other schools calling out their names.

Though it seemed more like playful teasing, their laughter was clear and cheerful.

"Official games are so popular!" Sawamura marveled.

"Summer qualifiers are special," Haruichi explained.

"Alright! Everyone here?"

"Yes!"

After cooling down, the team ate together in the stands and prepared to watch the third game of the day.

"The winner of this match will be our next opponent," Coach Kataoka announced.

Sendo glanced at the bracket posted near the entrance. It was the matchup between Kamiyama High and Akikawa Academy.

"You Shunshin, huh?" Sendo muttered, narrowing his eyes.

Sendo liked facing pitchers with strong control.

Right now, his weakness was distinguishing between strikes and balls, and You Shunshin was the kind of pitcher who used slight misplacements to bait batters into swinging.

However, the pitches that most batters avoided or mishit were precisely the kind Sendo loved to hit.

Superficially, Sendo was like a fox—swinging at both good and bad pitches.

Unlike Isashiki, who only swung at pitches he was confident in hitting, Sendo couldn't distinguish the subtle differences and simply swung at everything.

For You Shunshin, though, this made little difference.

It wasn't like he'd throw way off the plate to bait Sendo, and even if he walked him, he'd still have to face the third batter, Isashiki, or the fourth, Yuuki, who'd surely overwhelm him later in the game.

Although Sendo's recent home runs included some off bad pitches, his opponents were too weak to draw meaningful conclusions.

So, despite Sendo's impressive stats, other powerhouse teams hadn't taken him seriously.

In fact, they paid more attention to Furuya.

Outside of Seidou, the only other heavyweight opponents they'd faced were Yokohama, and that was just one game. How much could that prove?

The match against Ichidaisan High? That was more a result of spring ace Manaka's exhaustion.

A combination of coincidence and Coach Kataoka's careful planning had left Sendo as an underestimated secret weapon.

Not knowing someone's strength can make them a hidden ace. But being underestimated, with your abilities misjudged, makes you an even deadlier threat.

Because you think you know his abilities, by the time you realize something doesn't match the information, it may already be too late.

This is the so-called "dark under the lamp."

As mentioned before, especially in a format like high school baseball's single-elimination tournament, where every game is do-or-die, one pitch or one hit can be the final nail in the coffin of a match.

What Sendo doesn't know is that Coach Kataoka has already started thinking about when to lower his batting order to confuse their opponents.

It's as if he's telling other teams in the same region that placing him in the five-hole was just a way to train him, not because his skills truly suited that spot.

The first two games were just blowouts against weak teams and shouldn't be considered as benchmarks.

But when Sendo's bat breaks the spine of a tough opponent, that unlucky player will probably regret it too late.

At this rate, the impression Sendo gives will be that he's particularly good at hitting fastballs.

Have you noticed that most of his hits are off fastballs?

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