Diamond No Ace: Life As Sawamura Eijun

Chapter 361: The Conclusion of the Teito Battle

Mukai has been completely conquered.

From the bottom of the fourth inning onward, the game had fully shifted into Seidou's rhythm.

In the bottom of the fifth inning, facing the second-year relief pitcher Kuriyama, Seidou showed no mercy.

Batting second, Haruichi smashed a solid hit to center field, securing a spot on first base.

Next up was Eijun. Unlike Mukai, the more experienced second-year relief pitcher left Eijun struggling to find an opening. Swinging aggressively, he ended up hitting a ground ball to first base and was thrown out.

However, it wasn't a complete waste—at the very least, he helped advance Haruichi safely to second base.

And then, it was time for the captain, the cleanup hitter—Kazuya—to put on a show.

Whoosh!

Ping!

With a perfect fusion of skill and power, Miyuki connected with the breaking ball.

A full-power swing, precise and powerful, sent the ball soaring.

A flash of white streaked across the sky—an unmistakable home run.

The ball disappeared beyond the right field fence, vanishing into the trees beyond.

The players of Teito High wore grim expressions, some even showing signs of despair.

"Ohhh! A home run! The cleanup hitter and captain, Kazuya Miyuki, capitalized on the inside breaking ball in the bottom of the fifth inning! A powerful, precise shot to right field! A two-run homer! The lead has now widened to seven runs!"

A decisive hit from the core of Seidou's lineup.

This was Seidou's cleanup hitter and captain—Miyuki Kazuya.

In Teito's dugout, Coach Okamoto remained expressionless, but deep down, he sighed and subtly lowered the brim of his cap. He knew.

This game was over.

A seven-run gap in just five innings.

Teito's once-unshakable iron defense had been completely shattered in the fourth and fifth innings.

The outcome was already decided.

At that moment, the same thought flashed through the minds of the spectators.

In this clash between powerhouses, the first official game of the tournament—the victor was Seidou High.

Watching the stark contrast between Teito's fading morale and Seidou's surging momentum on the field, Okumura spoke in an indifferent tone.

"The game is over."

"Yeah, in the end, the fourth inning was the turning point. Mukai-senpai just couldn't stop Seidou's offense."

"Well, that settles it for me."

"Huh? Settles what?"

"The high school I'm going to. I've decided on Seidou."

"What?! Weren't you saying yesterday that you hadn't made up your mind yet? And what about Kanagawa? Coming all the way to Tokyo isn't exactly close, you know?"

Seto looked completely dumbfounded.

This wasn't what they had talked about before!

"Shouldn't you be going to Teito instead?"

Following the usual trend of youth baseball players joining powerhouse high schools, that would be the expected choice.

"I just decided," Okumura replied nonchalantly. "Because that Seidou pitcher, Sawamura-senpai, looks like he's going to be an interesting one."

His expression remained calm and composed.

"Besides, I had this vague feeling from the start—I want to go to a school that wins."

The boy beside him, Okumura's close friend, blinked in surprise.

"Huh? A vague feeling?"

Setolooked half-amused, half-exasperated.

"Seriously, you should have said that earlier. Then I could've enjoyed the game more!"

A casual conversation between two boys—two different choices, two diverging fates.

At this moment, a young talent who would one day shape Seidou's future had made his decision.

Where the boy's gaze was fixed, the banner of the champions had already been raised.

"Whoosh!"

"Pop!"

"Strike three! Three outs! Changeover! Game over!"

As the spectators and Okumura had predicted, the victory ultimately went to Seidou High—and rather effortlessly at that.

The final score was 8-1.

And the game was officially settled in the seventh inning.

Teito High couldn't salvage their pride.

In the top of the seventh, through sheer perseverance and a clutch hit by Kengo, they managed to score a single run off Eijun, narrowing the gap to six runs.

But in the bottom half of the inning, Seidou immediately struck back.

With consecutive hits, they forced another run off Kuriyama, widening the lead to seven runs—sealing the game then and there.

Seidou's victory was expected.

But the sheer dominance of their performance—this overwhelming, near one-sided crushing of Teito—caught everyone off guard.

A seven-inning mercy rule victory.

This wasn't just any team—they had just crushed Teito High, the reigning powerhouse of East Tokyo.

And yet, with the cold reality of the scoreboard in front of them, no one could deny the truth—

After the summer, Seidou remained a top-tier, T1-level powerhouse, both in Tokyo and nationwide.

...

"Buzzz—Buzzz—Buzzz—"

"Salute!"

"Thank you for the match!"

...

"He might become a formidable opponent in the future. But right now... he's not quite there yet."

As they shook hands, Eijun stood still, watching Mukai turn away with a dejected expression.

Under his breath, Eijun muttered, "It's not your strength that's lacking—it's your mindset."

Teito High had started to show cracks—strong on the surface, but lacking depth beneath.

Through the entire fall season, the only one truly holding up the team was Kengo.

Mukai's downfall was his lack of maturity.

Of course, the bigger issue in this game was that Teito's batting lineup simply wasn't strong enough.

Eijun considered the other teams.

Looking at the offensive power of the various fall tournament contenders—

If he had to pick the most explosive lineup, the most dangerous batting order...

That honor belonged to Seidou's next major threat—Seikou High.

In the original timeline, that lineup was nothing short of monstrous. Not necessarily the best overall, but definitely the most powerful.

Especially those three cleanup hitters, who could clear the bases in an instant.

Eijun could still vividly remember how the Giant Ace got demolished by three consecutive home runs.

And Seikou's cleanup hitter, Nagata Shouei, was no joke.

In that arc of the manga, he was scouted by Coach Kunitomo and chosen as the cleanup hitter for the Japan-USA exchange match.

If there was one batting lineup in this fall season that Eijun needed to be fully on guard against, one team that truly made him wary—

It was Seikou High.

Especially since power hitters naturally countered his pitching style.

Oh? You're wondering about Yakushi and Raichi Todoroki?

Well, they'd have to make it past that massive hurdle first.

Because unlike the original tournament bracket,

Yakushi High's draw had changed.

Which meant some other teams' matchups had shifted as well.

And for Seidou, the biggest difference was—

They wouldn't be facing Inashiro Industrial in the third round anymore.

Instead, Inashiro would meet Yakushi in the semifinals.

Fate sure worked in mysterious ways.

...

"Oi, Sawamura! What the hell are you standing around for?! Hurry up and pack up, or we're leaving without you!"

"Huh?! Wait, I'm coming! Kuramochi-senpai, don't leave me behind!!"

As the rain cleared and the first rays of sunlight touched the ground—

The Fall Tournament's first round came to an end.

West Tokyo—Seidou High vs. East Tokyo—Teito High.

Final Score: 8-1.

The champions, Seidou, claimed their first victory.