Diamond No Ace: Life As Sawamura Eijun

"Mm, it's nothing serious. The doctor said I just need a month of rest, and in about a week the swelling should be completely gone."

Eijun smiled as he lightly raised his left arm to show it, speaking in a calm voice.

"I see… so it's nothing major after all, huh."

Narumiya's words came out sounding casual, but to Eijun, it was clear—right after he said that, there was a faint glimmer of relief in the ace's eyes.

It seemed this 'Prince' really had been worried about him.

Eijun couldn't help but smile inwardly. What a surprisingly cute senpai.

Perhaps because the atmosphere was getting awkward, Narumiya muttered a few more words, then, using Tadano as an excuse, quickly walked away with him.

Watching Narumiya leave, Eijun shook his head, the corners of his lips lifting in a faint smile.

"Make sure you win, Narumiya-senpai. Since you've made it back to that sacred stage again… this time, go and settle last year's score with those old rivals of yours. You said it yourself—you're going to take the national title, right? Go for it, Prince."

Murmuring this under his breath, Eijun started walking toward the lobby.

After reuniting with Coach Kataoka, Miyuki, and Rei Takashima in the lobby, the four of them took a taxi back toward school.

Once Eijun's group had left, a yellow-clad figure appeared at the hospital's entrance.

It was none other than Narumiya Mei, with Tadano by his side.

Narumiya gazed in the direction Eijun had gone, his left hand clenching slightly, a cold light flashing in his eyes.

"Next time… next time, we'll face each other head-on for real, Sawamura…"

"Let's go, Itsuki."

"Yes, Mei-san!"

With that, Narumiya and Tadano turned and left the hospital, heading back to their own school.

Unlike Seidou, Inashiro was far from done—the Meiji Jingu Tournament still awaited them. The autumn national championship was a prize they had no intention of giving up easily.

That victory… would belong to Inashiro.

Next year… we fight again!

For Seidou, however, this year had truly come to a close.

By the time Coach Kataoka, Eijun, Miyuki, and Rei returned to school in the evening and arrived back at the Seishin Dorm, they were greeted by a scene both unexpected and completely unsurprising.

The moment news spread that Eijun had returned, Maezono, Haruichi, Tojo, Kuramochi, and others rushed to the dorm entrance.

Every single one of them wore a solemn expression, concern shining in their eyes as they looked at Eijun.

"How is it, Sawamura?"

"Eijun-kun, are you okay?"

Kuramochi and Haruichi spoke almost in unison.

"It's fine. Just a month of rest. Sorry for making you all worry."

Eijun's bright, familiar smile lit up his face as he reassured them.

The relief on everyone's faces was obvious.

"Seriously… don't make people worry like that, you idiot Sawamura."

Kuramochi exhaled in relief, then quickly folded his arms and put on a fierce scowl.

The players who knew the truth couldn't help but grin. After all, Kuramochi had been the one most worried before Eijun came back.

The meaningful smiles from the surrounding teammates made Kuramochi's face turn red. He snorted and said nothing more.

"Mm, sorry for making you worry, Kuramochi-senpai."

Eijun spoke with genuine sincerity, giving him a small bow.

"Hmph, as long as you know." Kuramochi huffed in reply.

"All right, that's enough for today. Go get some rest tonight. As for today's final, we'll have our review meeting tomorrow. There's a lot that needs to be said."

Coach Kataoka stepped forward once everyone had finished exchanging greetings, his expression solemn as he addressed the team.

"Yes, sir!"

Maezono, Kuramochi, Haruichi, Tojo, and the others all straightened up, answering in unison.

A faint unease spread through the hearts of most members of Seidou's first string.

Because truth be told… the way they played in this final couldn't really be called "good."

It wasn't that they were bad—there had been moments of grit and bursts of effort even in desperate situations.

But against a Narumiya Mei who hadn't even gone all out, their batting lineup had still looked so fragile.

If Inashiro's catcher matured enough to draw out one hundred percent of Narumiya's ability—and Seidou's batting didn't change—who would rule West Tokyo in the future? Was there even a question?

It was time for change.

Not just for Maezono, Kuramochi, and Haruichi, but for Eijun as well.

Many people—both outsiders and some within Seidou—believed that if Eijun hadn't been forced to leave the mound, they wouldn't have lost this game.

But would they definitely have won?

Not necessarily.

Even Eijun himself had felt the shortcomings in his game on this final stage.

That, more than anything, was the real lesson of this loss—the place where Seidou needed to reflect, to truly face themselves.

Only by overcoming this wall could they turn failure into fuel for growth.

And when Seidou returned next year, they would have to do so with the strength and dignity of true kings. Only then would they have the right—and the ability—to stand on the peak again.

Since they were outside the dorms, and Coach Kataoka had said the rest would be discussed in tomorrow's meeting, he signaled for everyone to disperse.

Kuramochi, Maezono, Haruichi, and the others broke off in small groups to throw themselves into their own training.

After a loss, training was the surest way to calm the chaos in their hearts.

As for Eijun… under the sharp, watchful eyes of Rei Takashima, he could only give an awkward smile and reluctantly head back to the dorms.

Even when Eijun insisted he just wanted to watch the others train, Rei refused outright.

According to her, for this entire first week—until the swelling was completely gone—Eijun wasn't allowed to do any kind of training.

To Eijun, it felt like a death sentence.

Come on, the doctor only said not to train with my left arm. He didn't say I couldn't train at all! How did that get twisted into a total ban?

He gave Rei a slightly sulky look.

But the cool, strikingly beautiful vice-captain didn't budge in the slightest. Her bright eyes locked onto him, making it very clear that for the next seven days, she would be keeping him under constant watch.

Eijun could only let out a silent groan.

Helpless, he shook his head and, under Rei's "national treasure–level" surveillance, trudged back to his room.

What lay ahead for him now… was a full week of athlete's abstinence.

What a cruel fate, Eijun sighed inwardly.

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