Diamond No Ace: Life As Sawamura Eijun

Eijun's answer made Kataoka nod in satisfaction.

Truthfully, Kataoka had been quite angry at Eijun's reckless behavior in yesterday's final.

Because—he wasn't just the coach of the baseball team.

More than that, he was a genuine educator who valued not only the team's current results but also the future of his players.

Anyone who had seen him in action would know—Kataoka was the very definition of "a sharp tongue with a soft heart." Even when Eijun had been at his lowest point, Kataoka had never once given up on him.

Every year, when the third-years were about to graduate, Kataoka always showed concern for their paths after school—personally making calls and using connections to help where he could.

So when he learned during the game that Eijun was injured, his anger was mixed with deep worry. The thought of Eijun's future being ruined by a single match was something Kataoka could never bear—Chris's case was still fresh in his memory.

Chris had been unlucky, but at least he still had a future after high school.

If not for Ochiai calmly explaining that Eijun's injury was not serious, Kataoka would have had no hesitation in pulling him from the game.

To trade a player's future for a single win? Sorry, but Kataoka simply couldn't make that call.

Even in the original timeline, he had only allowed Miyuki to finish the game after confirming with the doctor that Miyuki could still play.

And in this current reality, things were different—Seidou had just won the summer championship, so there was no urgent need to chase victory at any cost.

That was why Kataoka felt it was necessary to give Eijun a warning now.

Young players were prone to getting fired up—if he didn't rein Eijun in, who knew what kind of unpredictable stunt the young ace might pull in the future?

"Alright, Miyuki—next is about training. The practice menu will be set by Coach Ochiai. Just follow his arrangements for the next few days." Kataoka shifted his gaze to Miyuki.

"Yes, sir," Miyuki replied seriously.

Since Ochiai's arrival at Seidou, most training matters had been left in his hands. He was a true professional—whether it was batting practice or pitcher training, there was nothing he didn't understand, and he always tailored advice to each player. More than 90% of the time, his methods showed clear results.

"Then I'll be counting on you, Coach Ochiai," Kataoka said.

"No, no—this is simply my job," Ochiai replied with a small smile, stroking his mustache.

"Next, since it's the busy academic season, training intensity doesn't need to be too high. And… about the third-years' retirement game—usually, it's done in a more casual, unconventional way. But this year, according to Yuuki and the others, they want to play a proper, official game against you."

Kataoka paused, looking at Miyuki and Eijun.

"Huh?"

Miyuki blinked in surprise, and Eijun was equally taken aback.

They both knew that in Japan, a graduation match was normally just a fun farewell event for the seniors—plenty of wild formats had been used before, the main goal being enjoyment.

This wasn't like the special case in the original story, where the match against Tetsu and the others had been an official-style game in summer, due to Seidou's loss and the news of Kataoka's resignation.

But in this reality, the situation was completely different. Eijun had assumed the game would follow the usual lighthearted format—and had even been thinking up amusing match ideas to make the seniors happy.

Yet here it was—almost exactly like the original, but with the timing set normally and the format kept as a full, serious game.

After his initial shock, Eijun felt a surge of excitement at the thought of facing the seniors head-on—especially Tetsu and Isashiki-senpai. Just imagining it made his blood race.

The small upward curl at the corner of his mouth didn't escape Miyuki's notice, who shook his head with a smile.

"So, when will it be, Coach?" Miyuki asked.

"Next month. They said they want to wait until Sawamura's fully recovered, so we'll hold it after the final exams," Kataoka replied.

"Got it," Miyuki nodded.

"For now, no need to tell everyone else. Just make your own preparations," Kataoka instructed.

"Yes, Coach," they both answered.

Eijun and Miyuki responded at the same time.

"Alright, that's all. You can go now."

After giving a few final instructions, Coach Kataoka waved his hand, signaling that Eijun and Miyuki could leave.

Both of them bowed slightly.

"Then, we'll take our leave."

The two then walked out of the indoor training facility together.

Once they stepped outside—

"So, feeling pumped up now?" Miyuki asked with a grin, hands resting behind his head.

"Yeah! This will be my first time having such an official match against them. I'm already really fired up—can't wait." Eijun nodded, making no attempt to hide his excitement.

"Then you'd better heal up properly. Come back to the team in perfect condition."

"Mm, I will, Miyuki-senpai."

"Alright then, I'm off to the bullpen to check on Furuya and Kawakami."

"Okay."

With that, Miyuki waved and turned off in another direction.

Eijun stood still for a few seconds, watching from a distance.

"Six days left, huh…"

Looks like it was time to be a good student and attend classes properly for a while.

Eijun chuckled at himself and started walking back toward the dorms.

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