Diamond No Ace: Life As Sawamura Eijun

"Whoosh!"

"Smack!!"

"Strike! Batter's out—GAME OVER!!"

"And that's it! In the final moment, ace Narumiya throws an outside fastball to strike out Shirasu, Seidou's No.2 batter! Champions once again—Inashiro Industrial High School returns to the top of Tokyo! With a 120-pitch performance, Narumiya Mei leads his team to sweet revenge! The final score in the Tokyo Autumn Tournament finals: Inashiro 4, Seidou 1. Victory belongs to Tokyo's crowned prince and his team!!"

"OOOOOOOOHHHH!!!"

"You did it, Mei!!"

"Amazing! That was amazing, Mei-san!!"

"Hahaha! Our ace!!"

"Koshien, here we come again!"

"The summit! The summit!!"

"Champions!!!"

Cheers erupted from the Inashiro dugout—

While silence and sorrow settled over Seidou's.

"Clap, clap, clap, clap..."

Two sides, two worlds.

The stands were filled with all sorts of expressions—admiration, amazement, disappointment, or a complex mix of emotions rising to the surface.

For this final match, one that was both brilliantly executed and bittersweet, the crowd gave their final round of thunderous applause.

...

"In the end… Sawamura-kun being taken out in the sixth really did become the turning point," commented Mine Fujio in the stands, shaking his head with a hint of regret.

"Yeah… If only he hadn't gotten injured," added Owada Akiko, her face filled with sadness.

But—

There are no "what-ifs" in baseball.

Mine looked out at Narumiya on the mound… and then at Eijun, seated silently in the dugout.

What were those two aces feeling right now?

Was it simple joy… or just defeat?

Or was it something else entirely?

His gaze deepened with the thought.

...

And just as Mine suspected—

Narumiya Mei, the supposed victor, did not show joy on his face.

Even in the final moment…

Even as the crowd roared…

He kept the same cold, unwavering expression.

His eyes gleamed with a steel-blue light—unshaken, unsatisfied.

Inashiro was celebrating their victory.

But for Narumiya…

This wasn't victory. Not really.

What he wanted—

Was something far more elusive.

Something that had been within reach—

Yet slipped away before he could grasp it.

Even surrounded by jubilant teammates, Narumiya's eyes remained fixed—

Not on the scoreboard.

Not on the mound.

But on the Seidou dugout.

On a single tall figure near third base.

"You damn bastard…"

...

Compared to Inashiro's cheers, Seidou's dugout was steeped in a heavy silence.

They had fallen—just one step short of reclaiming the Tokyo crown.

...

In the stands:

Tetsuya, Chris, Isashiki… all of them watched in stunned silence.

The female managers were already wiping their tear-filled eyes.

This—was the cost of defeat.

...

Among them, Chris's expression was the most complicated.

He couldn't forget—two years ago, on a similar field—

He had borne the weight of his entire team's hopes.

He had been the core.

He had hidden his injury for the sake of Koshien, for the team's victory.

In the end, not only did they lose—

He suffered a permanent injury that cut short his entire high school baseball career.

And now, in Eijun, he saw his younger self.

The same stubbornness.

The same recklessness.

The same burden of the team's dreams on his shoulders.

"Sawamura..."

...

As for Furuya, who came in as relief—his expression was twisted with frustration.

Letting in one run in the sixth was one thing.

But to give up another in the ninth, as the final blow?

It was almost too much to accept.

The gap—was too clear.

Too wide.

Like an unbridgeable chasm.

...

In the dugout, Miyuki silently removed his batting gear.

As captain…

Now was the time when a flood of emotions surged through him all at once.

...

"Alright. It's time to line up," came Coach Kataoka's low, steady voice as the umpire signaled.

"Go line up. Everything else... can wait for later."

With those words…

The Seidou players slowly, almost mechanically, rose to their feet.

Even Eijun found it difficult to hold back his emotions at this moment.

"Sorry, Sawamura… I couldn't take you back to that place. After saying such big words, too…"

Kuramochi walked up beside him, his voice low and heavy with guilt.

"No, Kuramochi-senpai. You were amazing. To me, you're already incredible."

Eijun responded with his signature bright, carefree smile.

Even in defeat.

Even now, at this bitter ending—

He refused to show weakness.

Even if they lost—

He would face it with a smile.

"Sometimes… an end is just a new beginning, isn't it?"

He looked out over the vast field before him, his eyes glimmering as he whispered those words to himself.

...

"Line up."

At home plate—

Two teams formed two lines, facing each other.

Young players on either side, bearing vastly different expressions.

"Salute!"

The umpire's voice rang loud and clear.

"Thank you for the match!!"

The two teams bowed in unison, declaring the end of the game.

...

"I don't accept it. I absolutely don't accept this game as a real win."

During the handshake line, Narumiya Mei stepped in front of Eijun, his serious expression catching Eijun off guard—

And surprising everyone nearby—Miyuki, Furuya, Tadano, Carlos—all turned to look.

"This victory isn't a real one. We're not done, Sawamura Eijun. Next time—next summer—let's settle this fair and square!"

He extended his right hand.

Facing the Narumiya who looked even more serious now than he did during the match, Eijun smiled faintly and reached out with his own right hand.

A rare handshake between two left-handed aces.

"Yeah. Next time, I'll beat you at full strength, Narumiya-senpai."

"Hmph! The one who wins next time will still be this ace!"

Their hands parted quickly.

This handshake wasn't a celebration—

It was a declaration of war between two elite left-handed pitchers.

...

"Sorry."

"Why are you apologizing?"

"As captain… as your catcher… I didn't notice anything."

"If anyone should be sorry, it's me, Miyuki-senpai."

"You already did more than enough. It's us who…"

"Maybe… this was inevitable in the end."

"…Huh?"

"Next time, we'll win for sure, Miyuki-senpai!"

"…Yeah. Next time—We'll definitely win!"

...

A battle that awaits in the future.

The end… was also a beginning.

Not just for Narumiya.

But even more so for Sawamura Eijun.

----------------------

If you want to read 10 advance chapters ahead.

Visit my patreon: patreon.com/Leonzky