Diamond No Ace: Life As Sawamura Eijun

Chapter 356: Teito Battle – The Unexpected

"Fastball, fastball, fastball."

Standing in the batter's box, Kajiyama's eyes glinted with a cold sharpness, giving Eijun on the mound an unsettling feeling. It was as if he had become the sole target of Kajiyama's unwavering focus.

Eijun's brows furrowed slightly.

"Don't let it get to you. Stay focused. We're in control right now. We dominated them last inning, and this time, we'll adjust our pitch selection. If we can completely shut down their lineup in this turn, the momentum of the game will fully shift in our favor."

Behind the plate, Miyuki made a subtle gesture, signaling Eijun to relax.

"Yeah, I got it, Miyuki-senpai."

Eijun gave a slight nod from the mound.

First pitch—a changeup. Let's completely mess up his timing right here.

Miyuki's fingers flicked subtly behind his mitt.

"Whoosh!"

At that moment, Eijun swiftly raised his left arm.

As his leg lifted, his left arm, hidden behind his head, swung high into position.

Kajiyama's eyes widened, locking onto Eijun's every move—every shift, every detail.

He couldn't miss a thing.

Relying on his instincts and experience, the moment Eijun's arm came down and that bright flash of white streaked toward the plate—

Kajiyama swung with full force.

"Fastball, fastball, fastball!"

It was an all-or-nothing swing, leaving himself no room for adjustment.

And the result was clear—

A swing fully committed to a fastball had no chance of connecting with Eijun's changeup.

"Swish!"

His bat cut through the air, missing the ball entirely.

The white sphere arrived a split second later, trailing through the rain like a shadow.

"Pop!"

A crisp, clear sound echoed across the field.

"Strike!"

Damn it! A changeup right off the bat?!

Kajiyama gritted his teeth, a flicker of frustration flashing through his eyes.

These two…

...

"Good. Next pitch—outside corner, but this time, the accel fastball."

Miyuki's eyes gleamed.

Thanks to Eijun's dominant fastball from the previous inning, Teito High had been completely suppressed. That control gave Miyuki full confidence in his pitch selection now.

Besides, Okamoto's strategy was obvious—a blatant gamble.

You think you can play the odds? Then let's see how you handle the true strength and endurance of our ace!

A commanding call from the catcher.

A confident response from the pitcher.

The perfect chemistry between them—this was Seidou's golden battery at its finest.

"Whoosh!"

A streak of white shot across the sky.

As the ball neared home plate, Kajiyama clenched his jaw.

Once again, he stepped forward, locked in on the fastball, and swung with all his might.

"Swish!"

A flash of light.

The ball surged forward.

In that instant, within that fleeting moment, the white blur accelerated unnaturally—

Right before Kajiyama's pupils, it suddenly seemed to gain an extra burst of speed.

"That's the accel fastball?!"

In that fraction of a second, just as the thought crossed his mind—

The bat had yet to arrive.

The white light had already passed.

"Pop!"

Before the bat could make contact, the ball had already nestled into Miyuki's mitt, producing a crisp, clear sound.

"Strike!!!"

Two consecutive breaking balls?!

(To most spectators, Eijun's accel fastball was considered a type of breaking pitch—similar to a changeup. Though its trajectory was identical to a regular fastball, one pitch slowed down while the other accelerated.)

This battery—

Aren't they afraid of losing control in the rain and making a mistake?!

Kajiyama clenched his teeth.

His gaze flickered toward the dugout, where Coach Okamoto stood with arms crossed, his expression as severe as ever.

No hints, no signals.

But Kajiyama understood instantly.

"Tss… Hah…"

Fastball. I'll commit to the fastball no matter what. If you've got the guts, keep throwing breaking pitches!!!

At this moment, Kajiyama had a desperate, all-in attitude.

It was only the fourth inning, but his unrelenting aura made Miyuki frown slightly.

Is he really committing fully to the fastball? Or is he just trying to bait us?

If it were the former, that would be simple to counter.

But if it were the latter—

That was trickier.

No. The rhythm was too good right now. They couldn't afford to lose momentum here.

Baseball always carried some risk. There was no need to waste pitches probing for answers.

In this weather, exhausting Eijun unnecessarily was meaningless.

The next pitch will end this at-bat.

"Third pitch—Cutter Kai. Finish him off."

Miyuki's fingers moved decisively, signaling the call.

On the mound, Eijun's brows furrowed slightly at first, but as soon as he saw Miyuki's sign, he relaxed.

Miyuki-senpai is still Miyuki-senpai.

That's right—this is no time for hesitation.

A golden light shimmered in Eijun's pupils.

Lifting his right leg high, he unleashed his power.

With a forceful stride forward, his left arm whipped through the air.

"Whoosh!"

A piercing flash of white streaked forward.

Here it comes?!

Inside pitch—this was the one.

Kajiyama's eyes widened, locking onto the rolling white blur.

The trajectory confirmed his instincts.

His foot shifted, his bat swung.

"Swish!"

The next moment—

The white streak suddenly veered.

"Swoosh!"

A sharp, violent break.

Right at home plate, the ball took a devastating, precise cut.

"Ping!"

A heavy sound rang out.

A piercing metal scrape echoed across the field.

The crowd's gaze remained locked on the play—

But Kajiyama's expression turned grim.

"A cutter?!?"

"Whoosh!"

Wrong timing.

Wrong angle.

After the explosive impact—

The ball bounced weakly at home plate.

"Thud!"

It struck the ground with a dull, sinking noise.

"Haruichi!"

Water splashed, the ball rebounded—

Eijun caught sight of it and immediately called toward second base.

No sooner had he spoken than a pink blur dashed forward.

Haruichi swiftly intercepted the ball, flipped it, and Maezono secured the catch.

"Pop!"

"Out!"

Kajiyama, who had spent the entire at-bat waiting for a fastball, was taken out just like that.

Eijun had retired Teito's leadoff hitter for the second time.

...

"Second batter, left fielder—Okao!"

Compared to Kajiyama's tenacity, Okao was much easier to deal with.

He was a technical hitter, but his skill level wasn't at the absolute top.

Lacking the power to exploit a metal bat, he was completely at the mercy of Eijun and Miyuki.

A batter they could toy with however they pleased.

And with Kajiyama's failure fresh in his mind—

Even though Okao followed Coach Okamoto's instructions to focus on the fastball, his resolve wavered.

The previous batter had been completely shut down by breaking balls.

That scene lingered too vividly in his mind.

When the first pitch—a fastball on the outside corner—came, Okao simply watched it sail past.

The next pitch—a sudden changeup—caught him completely off guard.

Swinging late, he ended up hitting a soft line drive straight to the pitcher.

Eijun caught it with ease.

Two quick outs in the top of the fourth inning.

Like a casual stroll, Eijun once again forced Teito's offense into a desperate situation.

And just when everyone thought Eijun would smoothly shut down the inning—

Something unexpected happened.

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