Diamond No Ace: Life As Sawamura Eijun

Chapter 322: Lofty Ideals

The coach of Toyosaki High frowned deeply upon hearing the demotivated comments from his players.

Indeed, the strength gap between the two teams was undeniable, but having a defeatist attitude before the game even started?

What was the meaning of this? It was essentially giving up without a fight. Even if they lost, they should at least play their best and put up a decent match.

However, after a moment of reflection, the Toyosaki coach sighed inwardly. After all, Toyosaki was just a public school where most students joined the baseball club out of personal interest.

Being an academic-focused school, it was unrealistic to expect these kids to fully commit themselves to winning or even crave victory passionately.

"Clap, clap, clap!"

Although the coach chose to remain silent, someone else didn't.

As Toyosaki's cleanup batter and team captain, Yamada was not one to back down easily. He was a determined baseball enthusiast with a naturally competitive spirit.

"What's wrong with you all? The game hasn't even started, and you're already thinking about giving up?" Yamada's fierce expression swept across his teammates. "Sure, they're the summer champions, but most of their current players weren't part of the original starting lineup. A lot of them were promoted from the second-string. This isn't the unbeatable Seidou you think it is! What's there to be afraid of?"

Being the team's captain and a key player in their rare victories, Yamada's words carried significant weight. His stern tone silenced most of his teammates.

Still, a dissatisfied first-year player muttered under his breath, "Even their second-string is out of our league..."

"Hmph! What's so unbeatable about them? We're all just sixteen or seventeen-year-old high schoolers. So what if they're talented or train more than us? We can't be completely defeated, right? Besides, they're not even using their ace pitcher. Sure, winning might be difficult — maybe even impossible — but scoring a run or two to show our fighting spirit? That's achievable! Even if this is just for fun, don't you want to show these arrogant guys what Toyosaki can do?"

Yamada's voice grew louder as he scolded his teammates.

He was right.

Winning might be unlikely, but scoring a few points wasn't out of the question.

After all, Seidou's starting pitcher today wasn't the star who had shone brightly during the summer but rather a first-year known for his fastballs but poor control.

Toyosaki's players suddenly had a glimmer of hope.

The thought of surprising Seidou and shocking the crowd rekindled their fighting spirit.

"Yeah!!! Let's do this!!!"

Their sudden high-spirited shouts drew attention from spectators, some of whom chuckled at the scene.

"Do these guys actually think they can beat Seidou?" one of the spectators commented with amusement.

On the first-base side in Seidou's dugout, Eijun narrowed his eyes.

In the original timeline, Seidou had failed to secure an early victory in this match, playing all nine innings instead.

With Toyosaki's renewed fighting spirit, this game might not go as smoothly as expected.

"Furuya, don't go all out in the first inning," Miyuki advised, clearly aware of Toyosaki's rising momentum. "Their batting lineup isn't strong. Use just fifty percent of your strength to suppress them. Focus on control, okay?"

Furuya, visibly thrilled about being the starting pitcher, nodded obediently. "Got it, Miyuki-senpai."

Unlike in the original timeline, Furuya wasn't the ace here. With Eijun ahead of him, he knew exactly what he needed to do.

"Line up!"

"Salute!"

"Please take care of us!"

"Oh, it's starting!"

"Glad we made it in time. I thought we'd miss the match."

"Furuya is the starter, huh?"

"Looks like Sawamura's playing left field. Seems like Kataoka is trying to nurture Furuya."

"Yeah, Sawamura was overworked during the summer. Plus, Furuya's powerful fastballs are definitely worth looking forward to."

"Haha, Seidou's defense keeps getting stronger and stronger."

"Hmm, now it's all about the offense. After the third years left, whether the remaining players can fill the gaps is what truly matters."

"Exactly. We're talking about Seidou, known nationwide for its powerful offense. Losing that signature strength would be unacceptable."

"The top of the first inning. Batting for Toyosaki High School, third baseman, Kaitou!"

"Go, Kaitou! You've got this!"

"Yeah! He's just a first-year kid. Show him what you're made of!"

"Toyosaki! Toyosaki! Toyosaki!"

Tch, if it were their ace, maybe I'd be in trouble, Kaitou thought. But against this guy with no control? I'll show him a thing or two.

Standing in the batter's box, Kaitou glanced at Furuya on the mound, who had a calm expression. A flash of determination flickered in Kaitou's eyes. He made up his mind to give this rookie pitcher a "welcome gift."

However, while the plan was ambitious, reality was harsh.

A low pitch streaked through the air, like a sudden flash of lightning tearing through the sky.

Whoosh!

In that instant, as soon as the umpire called the start of play, Furuya stepped forward and unleashed a fierce pitch like a gleaming bolt of light.

Thud!

The ball slammed into the catcher's mitt with a thunderous roar.

Kaitou froze, as if rooted to the spot, staring blankly at Furuya. His bat remained motionless in his hands.

He didn't even have time to swing.

"Nice pitch, Furuya!"

"That's it! Show them what you're made of!"

"Go, Furuya!"

"Hey, Furuya! Don't go overboard now!"

Back in the Toyosaki bench, the players were dumbfounded. Kaitou, still standing in the batter's box, had yet to recover from his shock. His eyes were filled with confusion.

Was that ball really that fast? And what was that sound? It felt like it was going to swallow me whole...

Kaitou couldn't shake the image of that blinding white light from his mind. A chill ran down his spine.

This guy isn't as easy to deal with as I thought!

Whoosh!

Thud!

"Strike!"

Whoosh!

Thud!

"Strike three! Batter out!"

Damn it! What kind of rookie pitcher is this?!

From the very beginning, Furuya went all out. To put it bluntly, it was pure domination. Toyosaki's lineup didn't stand a chance.

This wasn't even a fair matchup.

Three consecutive strikeouts on just three pitches each.

This was Seidou High's No. 11, the powerful rookie pitcher Furuya Satoru, making his spectacular debut in the Autumn Tournament!

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