Ace of Diamond: Return of the Pitcher

"The game is over! In this final, the ultimate winner is Seidou High School. The score is 7:5…"

The commentator's voice sounded unusually thin throughout the entire Jingu Stadium.

No one had the mind to listen to what the commentator had to say.

The entire stands of Jingu Stadium had turned into a paradise for Seidou High School supporters. Anyone familiar with high school baseball would know that today's match wouldn't be particularly exciting.

After all, they had seen plenty of finals where only substitutes took the field.

Under these circumstances, everyone was still willing to take the time to cheer for Seidou High School, and naturally, they had their reasons for doing so.

This reason is closely tied to Seidou High School's performance in last year's Fall Tournament. Despite the numerous objective reasons, after the retirement of some third-year players, Seidou High School was quickly defeated in the Fall Tournament.

This defeat was regarded as an immense shame by all Seidou supporters.

They couldn't accept it. How could Seidou, known as the King, fall at the beginning of a regional tournament like this?

"It's the Seidou that was defeated in the third round of the Fall Tournament! I know, I know…"

Every time Seidou supporters hear this, they feel embarrassed.

Since then, they've held onto this grudge, waiting for the day when they would reclaim what they lost.

That day didn't take long to arrive. In the previous spring, at Koshien, Seidou High School had completed their revenge.

Inajitsu, who had once defeated Seidou High School in the Fall Tournament, was defeated by Seidou in the final.

And once again, they completed their great goal of dominating the nation!

Everything seemed perfect, as though there were no more regrets.

But, in fact, that was not the case, at least not in the eyes of Seidou's supporters.

The last time they truly dominated Tokyo was when the previous third-year players were still around.

Since the new team was formed, Seidou hadn't once been the number one in Tokyo.

They claimed the national title but were still not the top in their own region.

Seidou's experience was quite unique.

The fans, naturally, couldn't tolerate this. So, they had always been looking forward to the moment when Seidou High School would once again be crowned champions.

Coach Kataoka and the players of Seidou High School didn't disappoint them. A month ago, they had just dominated the whole country at Koshien.

And today, a month later, they became Tokyo's number one again at Jingu Stadium.

They had become the true King of Tokyo and even of the entire high school.

Number one in the country, number one in the region—if that doesn't make them the king, then who else could be called the king?

The king of Seidou High School.

From now on, they could finally hold their heads high and proudly carry this title.

"KING SEIDOU!"

"SEIDOU!!!"

"SEIDOU!!!!"

"KING SEIDOU!!"

After the game ended, all of Seidou High School's supporters stayed behind. They stood in the stands, cupping their hands around their mouths like trumpets, and shouted loudly.

It was as if they were calling out their youth.

In Seidou High School's resting area.

Coach Ochiai looked at the scene before him with great emotion. He had taught for many years at a prestigious school in Kanagawa.

He had interacted with countless players and fans.

Some players hadn't returned to visit him since they graduated.

And the fans had never shown this level of genuine passion and cheering for the team.

Seidou High School was truly a magical place. It had a unique kind of charm, an irresistible appeal.

Coach Ochiai suddenly had a strange thought.

He wanted to work here for the rest of his life.

Of course, aside from the emotional reasons, there was another factor that couldn't be ignored.

The salary offered to him by Seidou High School's baseball team was also very satisfactory.

'A comfortable environment, reasonable pay…'

'It couldn't get any better than this.'

Coach Kataoka, standing beside him, had his expression hidden behind sunglasses, so it was hard to tell what he was feeling.

He simply gestured calmly to the players and thanked the audience who had come to cheer them on.

The first string of 20 players from Seidou High School stood in a row, bowing 90 degrees to the fans who had come to support them.

"THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!!"

They all wore smiles on their faces. Winning the championship was, of course, a joyful moment.

Feeling the players' gratitude, the supporters and fans also calmed down. Instead of continuing to chant slogans, they clapped warmly.

"Clap clap clap…"

"Clap clap clap…!"

"Good job, keep winning!"

"We'll cheer for you at the Kanto Tournament too!"

"Miyuki, you were lucky today!"

"Sawamura, I'm rooting for you!"

"Demons King! Demons King …"

In the applause, the supporters sincerely sent their blessings.

Of course, the most blessings went to Sawamura and Miyuki.

In the stands, the second-string and third-string players from Seidou High School began to stand up one by one, preparing to leave the stadium.

They had already celebrated earlier. There was nothing left to do, so they could leave…

After thanking the audience, all Seidou High School players, led by Miyuki Kazuya, took the stage to receive their awards.

Then they took a group photo on the field.

Maybe in ten or more years, this photo will bring back strong memories.

The opponents weren't too sad, and even Yakushi High School didn't take the result too seriously.

Their overall performance was still solid.

In fact, no team that makes it to the finals of the spring tournament can really be considered a loser.

Everyone had earned the right to participate in the Kanto Tournament, so who could say that anyone was a loser?

Compared to this 'worthless' Championship, there was no doubt that the qualification for the Kanto Tournament was much more important.

Therefore, the players from Yakushi High School weren't too downhearted.

"Next time, I'll smash it!!!"

When the two teams said goodbye, Raichi firmly grasped Eijun's hand and spoke slowly, word by word.

"I'm looking forward to it!"

Eijun said with a smile.

What he said was sincere. He really hoped that these contemporaries would grow up quickly. He couldn't wait to face off with these guys.

In the past six months, Todoroki Raichi's growth has been very apparent.

In middle school, all he did was swing the bat his father gave him.

He didn't really understand baseball.

He had watched some games and had a general idea, but when it came to the rules and techniques, he certainly didn't know much.

Over the past year, Raichi had been like a thirsty sponge, constantly absorbing everything around him…

While every player in high school grows to some degree, even someone like Sawamura, who was already highly ranked, had experienced rapid improvements after entering high school.

But if you had to say who had grown the most since entering high school, there was no doubt that it was Raichi.

This was the stage of his rapid development. Sawamura clearly remembered that Raichi had once set a home run record before graduating from high school.

No. 1 in Tokyo, No. 3 nationwide in history.

Don't think that third place nationally makes him any less impressive. Yakushi High School was not a true powerhouse, and the number of games played was far fewer than those of the top two schools.

Raichi was undoubtedly the top player, statistically speaking.

It was precisely because of this foundation that Todoroki Raichi would later be selected to play in the Major Leagues.

He was a true monster, and Sawamura had always thought of him that way.

When the two teams said their goodbyes, they were calm, even exchanging encouraging words.

Most of them wished the other team continued success in the Kanto Tournament.

"Good luck!"

Sawamura said the same thing when shaking hands with the opponents, and they politely responded. Even Raichi, who didn't understand much about social interaction, finally said to Sawamura:

"You too."

Mishima trembled all over, wondering if something was wrong with him.

When he finally reached Sanada, Sanada didn't respond at all.

Sawamura raised his head in surprise and looked at Sanada in confusion.

In his impression, Sanada had always been a very cool guy. He had no problems with socializing with his opponent.

But…

"You guys don't need to wish us luck! If you keep saying that, how are we ever going to catch up?"

Sanada smiled bitterly.

Sawamura was left speechless.

"You're just hyping us up with empty words. Are you trying to defeat us with praise?"

Miyuki bluntly took over the conversation.

Sanada shrugged helplessly, indicating that he didn't mean it that way.

Sawamura turned around and gave Miyuki a thumbs-up.

When it came to being an as*hole, who could outwit the tar-hearted Miyuki?

Thus, Seidou High School successfully claimed the spring tournament championship.

For the rest of the day, they could surely enjoy a celebratory party.

It was expected that the chubby principal had already made preparations.

Everyone's mindset was relaxed, and no one expected that because of a sudden thought from Coach Kataoka, the delicious dishes at the celebration would suddenly seem tasteless to some of the players.

…