Diamond No Ace: The Strongest Hitter

Chapter 107: The Desire to Win and the Calm Before the Match

"Thank you for the meal!" At the barbecue restaurant, Sendo clasped his hands together after finishing his meal.

"Finally full!"

"You're so slow! Everyone's been waiting for you to finish!" Sawamura jumped in immediately after hearing Sendo declare his satisfaction.

"I was really hungry, what could I do?" Sendo defended himself.

"Alright, let's discuss tomorrow's game! It's against Tokugawa! If we win, we'll make it to nationals!" Sawamura, brimming with his usual unshakable confidence, shared his thoughts.

"Let's save that for later. I just finished eating; we need some time to rest, right?" Sendo replied, patting his stomach.

The action resembled someone nine months pregnant, and everyone couldn't help but imagine…

Sendo, caressing his stomach, said with a heartfelt tone, "I finally managed to fill you up. It wasn't easy."

"Furuhashi-san!" Ohno spoke up suddenly.

"Hm?"

"Was Sen-chan always this much of an eater? You two have known each other since before kindergarten, right?"

"Pretty much! Ever since he was a kid, it felt like he could never eat enough. He especially loves meat. Although, no one knows where all that meat goes—he never gains any weight!"

"Wow, that's amazing! I'm so jealous!" Wakana chimed in.

As most girls often feel self-conscious about their weight, it's natural they'd envy someone who can eat endlessly without gaining a pound.

"Right?" Fumino agreed.

"But I'm hungry all the time!" Sendo interjected.

"You're blessed and don't even realize it!" Fumino retorted.

"Huh?"

"Think about it! You can eat all kinds of delicious food without worry!" said Fumino, a self-proclaimed foodie who couldn't cook.

"Sure, if only! But I barely have time to make anything fancy between practice and school. It's not like I can whip up something complicated every day," Sendo complained, taking the chance to vent.

"Ha ha ha!" Everyone burst out laughing.

"Sendo! I never knew you sacrificed so much for us!" Sawamura, easily moved, looked at Sendo with tears brimming in his eyes.

"Ugh, get off me! So gross!" Sendo grimaced in exaggerated disgust.

"What? I'm genuinely moved!"

"Ha ha ha! Ei-chan, he's just joking!" someone reassured him.

"Really?" Sawamura looked at Sendo with a questioning gaze.

Seeing Sawamura's clueless face, everyone couldn't hold back their laughter.

"Ugh, seriously! Stop making the atmosphere so heavy, you idiot!" Sendo muttered, reluctantly agreeing to play along.

"SENDO!" Suddenly, Sawamura leapt onto Sendo like a hungry tiger, tears streaming down his face again.

"Argh! Hey, you idiot! Your nose is running! Ugh, you're wiping it on me! Get off!" Sendo protested amidst the chaos.

Watching the playful commotion, Fumino smiled warmly, with layers of meaning behind her expression.

...

"Damn it, now I'm all dirty!"

"But I was really touched!"

"I've said it before—this is my choice. I only promised to stick around until middle school. After that, I'm chasing my dream of exploring the world of gourmet food!" Sendo declared.

"Wait, you're not coming to high school?" Sawamura reacted in shock, unusually quick on the uptake.

"Really?" Everyone else was equally surprised—this was the first time Sendo had mentioned it.

"Huh? I never said it before?"

"You never said anything like this!" Sawamura shouted.

"I've never been that into baseball anyway. Right now, I just want to help us reach nationals together. As for high school, let me have some freedom, okay?" Sendo replied with a calm smile.

Sawamura stayed silent, but his hands, resting on his knees, clenched tightly.

"So that's it, huh? You don't really like baseball. But you didn't say anything, Sendo!"

"Well then…"

"I'll make sure!"

'I'll make sure we take you to nationals!'

"I'll make sure you see just how fun baseball can be!" Sawamura resolved silently, bowing his head in determination.

The others didn't say much, but they too felt a surge of determination to win, realizing how much Sendo had given for them.

A glance exchanged among them was enough to confirm they all shared the same thought.

"Let's bring these two to nationals!" Their hearts aligned in perfect unison.

Sitting there, Sendo had no idea what everyone else was thinking.

Otherwise, he would've undoubtedly retorted, What's wrong with all of your brains?!

But Sendo's focus remained on the barbecue grill…

"Excuse me! Could I get another pound of beef?" he suddenly raised his hand and asked.

"Seriously? You're still eating?" Sano couldn't help but comment.

"Why not? Sitting around and chatting without eating anything feels weird."

"Weird?"

"I don't know, but if I'm not doing something, I feel like I need to eat. Otherwise, my mouth feels… odd. I can't explain it, but I just have to eat!"

"Alright, fine, whatever. Eat all you want!"

"Here! One pound of beef coming up!"

"Alright, let's continue!" Sendo said, placing the meat on the grill. But in that instant, no one felt like saying anything anymore.

...

"I'll walk Fumino home. The rest of you can head back to school," Sendo said as they left the barbecue restaurant.

"Alright, I'll take everyone else back!" Sano chimed in.

"Okay, dismissed!" Sendo declared, leading Fumino toward the station.

"Hey, Fumino, you showed up today without telling me!"

"Hmph! What did you expect? If Wakana hadn't told me, I wouldn't have even known you had a game! And it's already the second round! Were you planning to wait until you got eliminated to tell me?"

"Uh... still mad, huh? I just forgot, that's all. I never expected you to be interested in baseball."

"I'm not, really. But... is it true? About quitting baseball after middle school? I thought you were joking back then," Fumino said, her tone light but her eyes serious.

"Yeah, it's true. This team only has a chance to go to nationals during middle school. High school is a different story."

"But isn't playing baseball about more than just winning?" Fumino asked.

"Playing baseball together—that's what the others think, right? But if we lose our goal, my role in the team loses its meaning. Besides, baseball has never been my passion," Sendo replied with a calm demeanor, unaware of what Fumino was truly feeling.

He understood everything clearly, though.

He knew that among their group, only Sawamura had the unshakable belief that they'd naturally progress from middle school nationals to high school Koshien.

The others were just going along with it—for Sawamura's sake, and nothing more.

"I see." Realizing how grounded Sendo was, Fumino knew there was no point in trying to persuade him.

"Well, I'll come to cheer for you tomorrow!"

"Sure, come on."

"And don't be grumpy about it!"

"I won't."

"Good!"

...

"Tomorrow, we'll lose," Sendo suddenly said after a brief silence.

"That's okay."

"Good. But we're not entirely without a chance," Sendo added, finally speaking some truth.

Akagi Junior High was effectively led by Sendo, whose decisions were followed without question.

The team's true strength and potential were known only to him.

"Then why...?" Fumy began but trailed off, and Sendo understood her unfinished question.

"Ah, it's just that our chances are slim. A lot will depend on luck," he admitted.

"Luck? I see."

"So don't get your hopes up too high. The greater the expectation, the bigger the disappointment."

"Got it," Fumino replied as they reached the station, just in time for the train to arrive.

...

Facing each other, one inside the train and the other outside, they exchanged goodbyes.

"I'm heading off now. See you tomorrow!"

"Yeah."

Just as the train doors began to close, Fumino suddenly couldn't hold back her emotions.

She rushed out and hugged Sendo tightly.

"Huh?" Sendo froze, stunned by the gesture.

Before he could react, Fumino quickly let go and returned to the train. Moments later, the doors closed, and the train pulled away.

Sendo stood there, his mind blank.

Even long after the train had left, he remained dazed.

Soka! Fumino must be really lonely in Tokyo, huh? So isolated!

If someone had been nearby to hear his thoughts, they'd have probably kicked him, exclaiming, "What kind of absurd logic is that, you oblivious idiot?!"

But no one was around. Sendo shook his head and walked away.

Inside the train, Fumino's face was flushed red.

"I actually did it..." she muttered, shocked by her own boldness.

If she had known the outcome...

...

When Sendo returned to school, it was already close to 2:30 AM. The team had just finished watching footage of Tokugawa.

Initially, they hadn't thought much about it and planned to have Sanorecord the game.

But they later realized the supervising teacher had to attend, so they had to ask Ohno's parents to help out.

Thankfully, Ohno's mother was skilled with a camera!

"Alright, meeting time!" Sendo announced.

"Tomorrow might be our last game of the summer. We're familiar with our opponent, so there's no need to overanalyze their traits. I have just one request: don't be nervous, don't feel pressured—just play to your usual abilities. We do have a chance of winning, so let's not rush to plan our post-season training yet!"

"Come on, Sendo! Don't start by dampening the mood!" Sawamura protested.

"Really?"

"Of course!"

"Alright, whatever. Let's focus on analyzing a few key players. First, let's look at the top of their batting order..."

Sendo's explanation was detailed and thorough. No one made a sound; they all listened intently.

...

"Alright, that's it for now! In short, while we won't use a nine-man infield like today, both the infield and outfield will need to push forward. The infield will cover here, and the outfield will focus on this area." Sendo wrapped up his explanation of the defensive formations.

"That should cover it, right? As for the batting order, I won't announce it just yet. I need to think it over!"

"Huh? Is there something wrong with the current lineup?" Sawamura was surprised that Sendo was considering changes.

"No, I just haven't finalized my thoughts, so I'll leave it for now. Alright, dismissed! Get a good night's rest, everyone!"

...

"Not finalized yet? That just means he hasn't given up!" Sawamura muttered to himself outside the school gates, watching Sendo ride away on his bike. He then decided to go for a run.

Our little "angel" sometimes has his moments of insight, though most of the time… well…

"Why does everyone seem so motivated? Did I say something to fire them up? I can't remember saying anything like that," Sendo mused aloud while pedaling.

As sharp as Sendo was at observing people, it was impossible for him not to notice how unusually serious everyone had been during the meeting.

But for the life of him, he couldn't figure out what he might have said to inspire such determination.

If he knew what was going through their minds, he'd probably be speechless.

...

As evening fell, Sawamura went running. The rest of the team practiced their swings with a rare focus.

That night...

"The current lineup is well-balanced, but today's game exposed our lack of explosiveness. A balanced lineup means evenly distributed skill, but since we're the underdogs, we need bursts of power and some high-stakes gambles," Sendo thought to himself while twirling a pen at his desk, deep in contemplation.

"That practice game against Sakura Girls' last year might serve as a reference. Those guys loaded the bases for me and howled like wolves—it was so ridiculous. And yet... why couldn't I bring myself to mock them for it?" A nostalgic smile spread across his face as he recalled the memory. It was, indeed, a fond and unforgettable moment.

"Alright, let's do it like this... and this..." Sendo scribbled furiously, his pen flying across the paper.

Meanwhile, Sawamura was working on his lower body strength, balance, and explosive power drills on his wooden board.

Ohno practiced his swings, mentally visualizing Tokugawa's pitcher, determined to improve after a subpar performance as the team's leadoff hitter.

Aoki cleaned his glove, calming his mind in the process. Kondou polished his bat, doing mental exercises similar to Ohno's. Other strong hitters like Oyama and Omura engaged in similar preparations.

Takada, though snacking, was thinking about defensive strategies.

Shin pondered what more he could contribute to the team.

Even Wakana was strategizing on how to support the team and improve her success rate.

The night was unusually tranquil, and so were the hearts of the players.

...

Late at night, Fumino sent a message:

"Hey!! I didn't mean to hug you on purpose!" She couldn't fall asleep without clarifying.

"I know. You're all alone in Tokyo with no friends, so you must feel really lonely."

"???" Fumino's eyes widened, her frustration peaking as she read Sendo's reply.

This iron-willed, oblivious guy had struck again.

"You idiot! I do have friends! I'm logging off!" She typed angrily before immediately shutting off her phone and burying her face in her pillow, muttering "baka!" under her breath.

"I wish I could pretend none of that ever happened!"

Sendo stared at her response, baffled by the three question marks and her final outburst.

He could sense she was angry again.

"Why did I say 'again'?" he muttered to himself, utterly confused.

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