Diamond No Ace: The Strongest Hitter

Chapter 197: Summer Training Camp (5)

"Let's go! To my room!" Miyuki said this as soon as Sendo opened the door.

"I'm not interested in that!"

Miyuki, of course, understood exactly what Sendo meant.

"You can't be so unsociable, kid!"

"You have no right to say that to me!"

"Don't sweat the small stuff!" Miyuki laughed, clearly amused.

"You need to make friends!"

"Look! Sawamura and Furuya, who are in your year, have already gone... Wouldn't it be good to connect with them a bit?"

"I already have plenty of friends!"

"Just a heads-up, for the practice game this Saturday, you'll need to work with them. It wouldn't hurt to get to know them a bit beforehand!"

"Are you an idiot?"

"It's obvious what those two are thinking, isn't it?"

"Do you have any idea how long I've known Eijun?"

"…!" Miyuki was left speechless, caught off guard by Sendo's blunt remark.

Despite his usual quiet demeanor, Sendo had an uncanny ability to connect with people. His social skills were surprisingly strong—he could even chat casually with the cafeteria staff.

Convincing (or luring) him to join the group gathering wasn't easy, and most of the upperclassmen already understood Sendo's personality.

Miyuki hadn't originally planned to ask him, but after seeing those two eager rookies, he decided to give it a shot.

"This is the seniors' last summer. There might not be another chance for a gathering like this!"

"Especially not one in a room!" Miyuki made one final attempt.

But after finishing his plea, Miyuki noticed that Sendo's expression hadn't changed at all. (It was impossible to read his thoughts from his face.)

"Alright, then. I'll head back!" Miyuki said, cutting his losses and retreating gracefully.

"Let's go."

"Huh? … Huh? You're coming?" Miyuki froze for a moment, only to immediately start grumbling internally.

After all that resistance, he wanted to come after all? It seemed like the entire conversation earlier had been just to mess with him.

Even though Sendo's face betrayed nothing, Miyuki, based on past experiences, suddenly realized what was going on.

"It's the seniors' final training camp. Attending an internal gathering like this at least once seems like the right thing to do," Sendo admitted without any excuses.

Miyuki could only begrudgingly lead the way.

"By the way, what did you say to those two?" Sendo asked casually as they walked.

…

"Haha! Those two completely ignored what I wanted. They just started arguing with each other over how many pitches I should catch! They're the perfect examples of egocentric maniacs!" Miyuki, finding Sendo's interest in the pair amusing, started talking animatedly.

"So you let those two treat you like a tool, and that's how you ended up tricking me into coming to your room?"

"Who's tricking anyone? Haha!'

"By the way, what does 'tool' even mean?"

"You should already know." Sendo didn't need to explain further. Miyuki, clever as he was, could easily figure it out based on what had happened and the literal meaning of the term.

Still, whenever Miyuki was around Sendo, he often felt like his brain wasn't working quite as well—or rather, like he was starting to doubt his own judgment.

"And then?" Sendo pressed when Miyuki stayed silent, almost instinctively continuing the conversation.

"Then I said, 'You two are hilarious! Take a shower and come to my room afterward!'" Miyuki exaggerated his expression as he imitated himself.

Sendo wanted to complain—why couldn't Miyuki just say it normally? Why did he need to put on that ridiculous voice?

Still, Miyuki's effort to create a lively atmosphere made the conversation surprisingly entertaining.

"Those two idiots don't seriously think you're going to catch their pitches in the room, do they?"

"Hahaha! You're spot on—they actually said that!" Miyuki laughed as he opened the door to his room for Sendo.

"Excuse me," Sendo said as he walked in.

"Yo! Sendo! You actually showed up today, huh?" Kuramochi was the first to greet him.

"Sendo came to watch me crush Nakata!" Kuramochi added immediately.

As for why Sendo hadn't been invited earlier... Well, no one was that masochistic.

Playing video games against someone with lightning-fast reflexes and hand speed was basically asking for death!

Meanwhile, the captain was focused on a chessboard.

There was no need to ask—he was studying game records.

Whether it was a match against Miyuki from the previous day or someone else was unclear, but he was completely absorbed.

It seemed he wasn't ready for another challenge against Miyuki yet.

Kuramochi was engrossed in a shojo manga, while another senior was dozing off, looking half-asleep.

The seniors were unusually welcoming and didn't make Sendo do any menial tasks like fetching things or giving massages.

As for why... well, you'd have to think about it to understand.

Sendo casually walked in and took a seat next to Kuramochi.

...

"Excuse me!" Not long after, the door opened again, and the two pitchers walked in.

"Finally, you're here!" Miyuki said with a mischievous smile, as if a show was about to begin.

"You're late! Hurry up and get in here!"

"You two seem full of energy. Do me a favor and keep these guys entertained! I've been struggling with them crashing my room every single day!" Miyuki spoke honestly, knowing there was no way the two could escape now.

"Massage my feet now!" The fox-like senior, who had been friendly toward Sendo earlier, suddenly turned fierce toward the two newcomers.

"Sawamura! Juice!" Kuramochi joined in immediately.

"Only thinking of yourself is too selfish!" another senior chimed in.

"Miyuki! Let's finish yesterday's game!" the captain, who had been studying the chessboard, finally decided he was ready to take on Miyuki again (though it probably wouldn't help).

"Spare me! I can't beat you, Captain! You're too weak!" Miyuki dodged immediately, making a pun to deflect the challenge.

"Captain, Miyuki just called you weak!" Sendo immediately betrayed Miyuki, catching him off guard.

"Hmm?"

To Miyuki and Sendo's surprise, the captain just stared at them with a blank, innocent expression, as if he hadn't heard anything.

"Do you guys know how to play shogi?" Miyuki quickly changed the subject, his reflexes sharp.

"I used to play with my grandfather, so I know a bit." (Actually, he was better than Miyuki.) Sawamura replied, while Furuya, standing like a background character, shook his head in his usual clueless manner.

"Great! Sawamura, you're up!"

"Wait! What about the bullpen?"

"Looking forward to playing with you!" The captain, overjoyed at having a new opponent, gave a respectful bow.

"Yes, sir!" Sawamura scrambled over to the shogi table.

Miyuki's quick maneuvers were so fast that even Sendo, who had been stunned by the captain's usual delayed reactions, was left speechless by the time it was all over.

Sendo stared in disbelief at the captain.

"Haha! The captain is naturally like that most of the time!" Kuramochi teased.

Miyuki, meanwhile, started explaining (or complaining) about what the seniors and classmates had been doing to him recently, which only drew an irritated look from the captain.

Miyuki finished by coaxing the two pitchers with, "It's good for you to get to know the kind of people playing behind you in defense."

The two pitchers fell for it immediately.

"Alright, I'm leaving the rest to you two!" Seeing his chance, Miyuki prepared to slip away.

"Huh?"

Just as Miyuki had one foot out the door, Sendo, who had somehow appeared at the doorway, grabbed him by the neck with one arm and dragged him back in.

"You thought you could trick me into coming and then just run off? You're underestimating me! You're not going anywhere tonight!" With Sendo around, Miyuki had no chance of escaping.

"Let go, Sendo!" The group watched as Sendo single-handedly dragged Miyuki back into the room, clearly entertained.

Even though Sendo had come willingly, he wasn't about to let Miyuki off easy, especially not when it came to dealing with the seniors.

Furuya, who had noticed Sendo, silently watched in admiration as he walked over from the TV to the door and easily subdued Miyuki with one arm.

His eyes sparkled with envy and awe.

Yes, in this timeline, Furuya idolized both Sendo and Sawamura, not just Sawamura, particularly admiring their strong social skills. Sendo, in particular, had already blended in with the seniors to the point where there was no sense of age difference anymore.

"What's the holdup? Get moving!" The captain, noticing Sawamura staring blankly at the door, urged him in his usual clueless manner.

"Got it!" Sawamura scrambled to make his move.

"Massage my feet now!" With Miyuki completely under control, the fox-like senior demanded again.

"You sit here and watch them play shogi. Don't even think about running!" Sendo plopped Miyuki down beside the shogi table.

At that moment, Miyuki looked uncharacteristically "obedient and cute." (If he wasn't obedient, Sendo might actually strangle him.)

"This jerk! He was trying to escape and dump all these troublesome people on us! What a self-centered guy!" Sawamura finally realized what Miyuki had been trying to do and was genuinely shocked. (Though, honestly, Sawamura had no right to criticize Miyuki for this.)

Still, when it came to beating weaker opponents, Sawamura didn't hold back.

"Sawamura! Go buy some juice!" Kuramochi, for some reason, chimed in again, perhaps thinking the captain would take forever to make his next move. (Who do you think you're underestimating?)

In reality, the captain quietly muttered, "That was a good move," and then spent ages pondering his response.

"Ouch! Idiot! Be more gentle!" came the familiar cry of pain from the fox-like senior.

As for why it was familiar… well, think about it.

"Sorry! I didn't mean to…" Furuya apologized shyly, genuinely remorseful.

"Didn't mean to? What's that supposed to mean, you idiot?!"

...

"Furuya, you need to massage harder! The harder you press, the better the effect!" The devilish figure of Sendo appeared in the room.

"Got it!" Admiring Sendo greatly, Furuya took his words seriously and nodded earnestly.

"Got it, my foot! AHHHH!!" The fox-like senior screamed in agony.

"Help me, Furuya!"

"But…"

"But what, you idiot! Just go easier on me!"

The fox-like senior, his muscles tensed in pain, finally realized that Furuya trusted Sendo's words far too much to be persuaded otherwise. Adopting a different approach, he chose to change tactics.

"Um… nothing!" Sendo was about to speak, but seeing the senior's "say one more word and you're dead" expression, he decided to keep quiet.

"Oh," Furuya obediently replied to Sendo, leaving the fox-like senior feeling like he had just heard a heavenly melody. Relaxing his body, he sank into the tatami mat, thinking he could finally enjoy the massage.

"You know, Sawamura has a girlfriend back in his hometown!" Kuramochi suddenly teased, dropping a bombshell.

"Hey!!! Over there!!!"

"No, no! She's just my childhood friend!" Sawamura hurried to clarify, but it was clear no one was listening to his explanation.

The fox-like senior, stunned by Kuramochi's words, lifted his head with a terrifyingly kind smile, completely ignoring Sawamura's protests.

Even Sendo, hearing Sawamura's weak defense, felt a headache coming on. He shook his head, silently sympathizing with Wakana.

"Oh? What's the story? Spill the details!" The fox-like senior, now thoroughly intrigued, sat up again, his muscles tense and his expression even more menacing.

His face seemed to say, "We can't handle Sendo, but you dare to have a girlfriend?"

"Give us all the details!" Even the captain, who had been lost in thought over his shogi move, suddenly chimed in. Whether the move was a result of his curiosity or just random was unclear, but judging by his calm (and clueless) expression, it was purely driven by gossip with no ulterior motives.

"I told you, she's not my girlfriend! I don't even reply to her messages!"

Hearing this, Sendo silently mourned for Wakana again. He thought, This guy is even worse than me. At least I wouldn't dare leave someone's messages unanswered.

And who is "someone"? Well, you'd have to think about it…

"Don't worry. I've been replying for you all this time! Haha!" Kuramochi confessed, his actions seemingly helping Sawamura's love life along.

Naturally, only the sharp-minded Sendo and Miyuki could connect the dots.

Wakana must have thought it was Sawamura replying, saving her from the frustration of being ignored.

Kuramochi had inadvertently become the glue holding their relationship together.

But if Kuramochi realized what his replies had caused… he'd probably explode on the spot.

"So it was you replying?" Sawamura, oblivious to the implications, reacted purely out of surprise.

And then he got hit. The rage of the "single dogs" in the room wasn't something easily quelled.

Even Sendo was tempted to teach Sawamura a lesson about the frustrations of being single, but since Kuramochi was already handling it, he decided to sit back and enjoy the show.

What a classic straight man! Everyone else was green with envy.

A childhood friend who followed him all the way to Seidou? And multiple "sisters" chatting with him on LINE?

From the seniors' perspective, Sawamura might even charm all the team managers in the club, with his seemingly innocent but irresistibly kind aura.

Fueled by the rage of single people (and partly taking the heat off Sendo), even the fox-like senior, who rarely got physical in the original storyline, joined in.

Meanwhile, Furuya, upon hearing the fox-like senior's kind yet menacing demand for details earlier, noticed the tension in his muscles.

So he thought, As I suspected, Sendo was right. The harder the pressure, the better the result! But Isashiki-senpai just doesn't want to endure it.

This clueless kid actually believed that his lack of pressure had caused the senior's muscles to tense, preventing him from relaxing.

"Hahaha! My stomach hurts!" Miyuki, still held in place by Sendo's iron grip, watched the chaos with glee.

All traces of dissatisfaction about being forced to stay had vanished. In fact, he felt grateful. If he'd left, he would've missed such a spectacular scene.

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