Diamond No Ace: Life As Sawamura Eijun

The blue sky stretched endlessly overhead, dotted with lazy white clouds.

"Such clear skies… fresh air… ah, so peaceful…" Eijun muttered, slouched at his desk with a vacant gaze out the classroom window.

"By now, everyone's probably still at morning practice…"

It had been three days since the finals. Even though he'd been barred from training for a week, Eijun still couldn't adapt to this kind of life. No early mornings, no training — it all felt far too idle.

That morning, despite no alarm clock, he'd woken up at his usual time. And, just like every day before, Takashima Rei had promptly shooed him out of the baseball field. "Injured players should act like injured players — focus on recovery," she'd told him.

Left with no choice, he'd wandered to the classroom far earlier than anyone else.

An empty classroom. No voices. Just silence. And for Eijun, that only made the boredom worse.

"Man, I'm really not used to this kind of daily life…"

His eyes strayed to the large general sports field in front of the main school building, where other athletic clubs were practicing.

Compared to the baseball team's exclusive two full fields and extra facilities, the other clubs had to share that one ground and the gymnasium.

I want to move around… even just a little running would be fine.

But Takashima-san insisted — no running, no exercise that might involve swinging his arms, not even lightly.

Something about it affecting his left arm's healing.

Eijun begrudgingly admitted there was some logic to it… but four more days of doing nothing? His body was going to rust.

"Ahh… so bored…"

He sighed again, propping his chin on his hand, flipping aimlessly through a baseball magazine without really seeing the pages.

"Damn it!!! I want to play baseball!!!"

The outburst echoed off the walls, followed by another long sigh. He'd lost count of how many times he'd done that since waking up.

"Um… Sawamura-kun, good morning."

The voice was soft, gentle, and oddly familiar — like a quiet breeze on a warm day. Eijun turned to see a familiar figure step into the classroom: his classmate and fellow baseball club member, the slightly scatterbrained team manager, Haruno Yoshikawa.

In the original story, it had been obvious she liked Eijun — not just as a friend. And though this Eijun wasn't as clueless as his canon counterpart, it didn't take a genius to notice her feelings.

His life and circumstances differed from the original plot, but with Haruno, it seemed some things were unchanged.

"Morning, Yoshikawa-kun," he greeted with a polite smile. (Yes, in Japanese, -kun can be used for girls too — anime watchers know this well.) "You're here early. Finished morning practice?"

"Not yet," Haruno replied with her usual warm smile. "It's my turn for classroom duty today, so I told Natsukawa-senpai I'd head up early."

Her ears picked up on the faint distance in his tone. She knew it wasn't unkind — just the way he kept certain lines clear.

And in her mind flashed the image of another girl — Aotsuki Wakana — standing beside Eijun's father and grandfather.

Childhood friend…

A small pang tugged at her heart, but outwardly, Haruno kept smiling. That was something she'd learned from Eijun himself — always face life with a smile.

"I see."

Eijun's smile stayed easy and polite.

Haruno, on the other hand, felt determination stir in her chest. It's not time to give up yet. I'm still the one closest to him — I still have a chance.

"Well then, I'll get started with my duty."

"Mm," Eijun replied, watching as she walked to the front.

Eijun had no idea of the countless thoughts passing through the girl's mind. For him, ambiguity and indecision were unacceptable.

Once you've chosen your path, you must be decisive when it matters — one of Eijun's personal creeds.

"Ah—"

Thud!

Not far away, Haruno tripped over a broom and tumbled to the floor, wincing in pain.

"Heh…" Eijun chuckled softly. Still the same clumsy girl.

"I'll help you."

"Eh? No, it's fine, Sawamura-kun, I—"

"It's okay. I can still use my right hand." He gave her a playful wink with a warm smile.

"Then… I'll trouble you."

"Mm."

A breeze swept in through the window, stirring the curtains and carrying with it a faint breath of youth.

The boy's decisiveness.

The girl's affection.

The unknown future.

It was all just beginning — the answers perhaps lying five or even ten years ahead.

Morning hours always seemed to pass quickly. For Japanese high schoolers, the early lessons were the heaviest, stretching from 8 a.m. until nearly noon.

Afternoons were lighter — and by around 4 p.m., it was club activity time. At a private school like Seidou, this was taken seriously; the school valued student independence and wasn't overly focused on university entrance rates, instead placing strong emphasis on club activities.

"All right, class, let's continue from yesterday with Natsume Sōseki's piece. The main theme here deals with his views on emotions…"

It had been a long time since Eijun had sat quietly through such a peaceful lesson. Since arriving in this world, his mind during class was almost always on baseball.

But now, for once, he had a calm moment for reading and study.

"So peaceful…" he thought.

A rare daily life — the life of an injured player.

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

If you want to read 10 advance chapters ahead.

Visit my patreon: patreon.com/Leonzky