Diamond No Ace: The Strongest Hitter

Chapter 133: He Is a Genius

"Did you have a wet dream?"

The moment Sawamura said those words, the world went completely silent.

...

"A wet dream, my foot!" Sendo exploded in anger for the first time in his life, ready to strangle Sawamura for his absurd comment.

Grabbing Sawamura by the collar and shaking him furiously, Sendo growled, "Where the hell did you learn to spout such nonsense?"

"From textbooks!" Sawamura, struggling to breathe, pointed a finger in reply.

In Japan, kids receive physiological education quite early for their well-being, starting as early as elementary school.

But what Sendo couldn't fathom was that this idiot actually remembered such details from sleeping during class!

"Hahaha!" The others, meanwhile, were laughing uncontrollably.

They had already figured out it was all a misunderstanding and had nothing to do with Sendo. But they just couldn't hold back their laughter!

"Can you let go, Sendo? It's a bit hard to breathe!" Sawamura gasped desperately.

"No way! You're dead meat!" Sendo roared, clearly enraged and determined to teach Sawamura a lesson.

"I'm dying! Oh no, I'm dead!" Sawamura suddenly went limp, pretending to play dead.

But his performance was so bad—it's ridiculous to announce you're playing dead!

"Soka?"

Sendo's tone turned dangerously calm, sending chills down Sawamura's spine as cold sweat dripped from his forehead.

"I just thought of a great idea. I'll grab some natto from the kitchen!" Sendo's ominous tone nearly made Sawamura collapse entirely.

Hearing this, Sawamura felt a momentary relief, planning to escape as soon as Sendo let go. But then...

Sendo didn't let go. Instead, he dragged Sawamura by the collar, single-handedly, towards the kitchen.

Cold sweat poured down Sawamura's face as they moved closer to the kitchen, step by step.

"Ah! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Please forgive me, Sendo! I'll never do it again!" Sawamura finally 'resurrected' in desperation.

"Oh? Not dead anymore?"

"Not dead! I'm so sorry! Please let me go!"

"But I think you won't stop talking nonsense unless you get a proper punishment," Sendo said menacingly.

No matter how much Sawamura struggled, he couldn't escape Sendo's single-arm grip. He was dragged all the way to the kitchen, where the dreaded natto awaited.

In the end, Sawamura shed tears of regret as Sendo finally let him go, tossing him to the ground.

Though it was just a scare, to Sawamura, it felt like he had taken a trip to hell and back.

"Ah! Ah! I thought I was dead! It feels so good to be alive!" Sawamura gasped, savoring the fresh air.

"Sen-chan! What's up with that underwear?" Ohno suddenly asked after Sendo released Sawamura.

"Who knows!" Sendo replied with a scowl.

"Should we keep it a secret?"

"There's no need to deliberately keep it a secret, nor is there a need to tell anyone. Especially since this idiot might blurt it out any moment!" Sendo pointed at Sawamura, who dared not protest.

Just escaping the gates of hell, Sawamura wasn't stupid enough to argue, especially with the natto still sitting nearby.

The morning's chaos was just a small incident, though everyone who witnessed it found it amusing.

However, Sendo, being the straightforward guy he was, personally returned the underwear to Ozawa. Although it was done privately, Ozawa immediately recognized it as hers.

Naturally, she connected the dots, realizing Sendo had been sleeping under her blanket. The sheer embarrassment from imagining the situation was overwhelming for Ozawa!

She wanted to ask how many people knew about this but decided against it. She later found out from Wakana.

Today was the day Akagi's team left Sakura Girls. Just like last year, they went camping by the beach before returning to the villa to rest until school resumed.

The start of the school year marked the beginning of autumn, a crucial season for baseball.

Akagi Junior High's baseball team began arranging practice matches to solidify the progress they had made during summer training.

While Akagi remained undefeated in practice games, their victories came largely from their batting prowess.

Even in a game where Sawamura struggled, their batting saved the day.

Compared to summer, Akagi's batting lineup had improved significantly, and in Sendo's eyes, they were almost unmatched by most strong teams.

Despite lacking explosive power, their strategic and sustained teamwork made them formidable, even against top-tier teams like Tokugawa.

Sendo had already started planning for next year's final summer tournament, keeping Akagi's true capabilities under wraps.

Even renowned teams in Nagano had limited information about Akagi, adding to their reputation as a disruptive force.

Nicknamed "The Disturbing Monsters," Akagi became the team everyone wanted to avoid in official matches.

Despite their unassuming appearance, their cohesive strength made them a formidable opponent.

...

"The Disturbing Monsters? What a cringe-worthy, middle-school-esque nickname! And it sounds awful!" Sendo remarked one morning with a touch of disdain.

"Still, it means our name has spread across all of Nagano! Oh well, let it be."

Despite Sendo's complaints, the rest of the team was thrilled to hear their nickname.

After all, a year and a half ago, Akagi was the laughingstock—a bottom-tier team often ridiculed for its incompetence. But now, confidence had begun to shine on everyone's faces.

That confidence wasn't baseless, yet Sendo knew it was a fragile illusion, stemming mostly from his own presence on the team.

Sendo also understood that their baseball journeys wouldn't end in middle school.

Though he had his plans for their growth, he kept them to himself while ensuring their training remained rigorous.

Each day, during scrimmages, he "taught them life lessons"—though it was mostly an excuse to crush them for fun.

With all preparations complete, there was nothing left to do but move forward at their own pace.

Akagi's players now carried themselves like members of a strong team, equipped with both confidence and the ability to think critically during games.

They didn't underestimate opponents, demonstrating a balance of humility and self-assurance.

Step by step, they advanced steadily as time flowed by.

...

"What do we do? Tomorrow is the registration deadline! Shouldn't we arrange practice matches?"

The night before the autumn tournament registration, Sano approached Sendo with concern.

"Practice matches are necessary, but let's save them for the last few days before the tournament," Sendo replied calmly.

"Oh? Have you chosen an opponent? We've received requests from many teams who want to play us. A quick call, and we can arrange a match easily."

"Let's go with Tokumei."

"Huh? Don't you want to face stronger teams, like Tokugawa Middle School? They've contacted us multiple times."

"No need. We haven't had any games recently, so we need a solid opponent to shake off the rust. Tokumei is perfect—strong enough but not overly threatening. Plus, their coach has close ties with Sakura Girls's University's coach, so they likely already know about our capabilities from the summer."

"Tokumei had a decent summer season, but their level remains middle-tier—not too strong or weak. They pose no threat to us next summer." Sendo's deliberate explanation left no room for doubt.

Unbeknownst to him, however, Sakura Girls's University hadn't shared any information with Tokumei due to their own packed schedules.

"I see. I'll contact them and arrange the game three days before the tournament starts. Does that work?"

"Perfect. Besides, we're treating the autumn tournament as training, so there's no problem."

"Having you on the team is such a blessing, Sendo. Sawamura, on the other hand… managing the team would be a disaster with him in charge. Honestly, it's good enough that he's not causing chaos!"

Sano sighed with a mix of affection and frustration when mentioning Sawamura.

"That's true," Sendo chuckled.

"If only he could use this opportunity to catch the attention of a good high school," Sano muttered, clearly worried about Sawamura's academic future.

"Don't worry about that, Sano-sensei," Sendo reassured him.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"That guy has talent—phenomenal talent in baseball. He's the kind of player who could become a professional, maybe even make it to the Major Leagues."

"Are you serious?" Sano was stunned.

He'd worked with Sendo long enough to know the kid rarely made baseless claims.

"It's true. If no prestigious high school scouts him, I'll personally ensure he gets into a suitable program.

"There's someone I know—Sakaki Eiijiro, the former coach of Tokyo's Seidou High. He's the one who built Seidou into the powerhouse it is today. I happened to meet him in Tokyo, purely by chance. If no big-name schools show interest, I'll recommend Eijun to Coach Sakaki's school." Sendo avoided mentioning Seidou directly, using Sakaki as a cover.

"Sakaki? Of course, I've heard of him! He's the head coach of that prestigious university, Hosei, isn't he?"

"That's right. He mentioned he's been invited to coach at a high school, likely due to his age. But the information is reliable."

"I see. But are you sure Sawamura will impress Coach Sakaki?"

"Sano-sensei, do you know why, for the past four and a half years—since fourth grade—I've only made him run and focus on basic training?"

"Why?"

"Because he's a true baseball genius. I didn't want him picking up bad habits early on. In high school, with proper training, he'll grow rapidly. Bad habits are hard to fix later."

"In a professional environment, he'll need just one or two years to catch up with players who've been in youth leagues since elementary school. By high school, he'll be on par with them, and after graduation, he'll surpass them easily."

"For a genius, the foundation is what matters—not how many years they've played."

"I understand. I won't interfere."

Though Sano was shaken by Sendo's words, he trusted the young prodigy.

Sano had long recognized Sendo's brilliance in baseball and athletics. If even Sendo acknowledged Sawamura's extraordinary talent, it had to be true.

To Sano, Sendo was like a 40-year-old adult in the body of a teenager—mature, decisive, and wise beyond his years.

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