Ace of Diamond: Return of the Pitcher

The atmosphere in the cafeteria was too oppressive, so Sawamura left right after having his full.

To be honest, he really couldn't stand the low mood in the air.

During his time in the Major Leagues, Sawamura had experienced far more than this. The pressure in the Major Leagues was much greater than what he faced now. A team had 26 players, not counting the ones in the minor leagues. If you included them, the number of people grew even higher.

With so many people on a team, only a handful can truly make a name for themselves.

In that environment, the pressure from those around you was even greater. Once a player rises, it's all about fame and fortune. But if you fail to rise, then you're nothing...

Sawamura also hated that side of things, but he had no choice but to face it.

He knew very well that it wasn't just the Major Leagues. In any league, once interests are involved, the internal pressure within the team is never easy to bear.

The reason why he was troubled by these things was simply because of the despair, desperation, and disappointment. As long as you were strong enough, you wouldn't need to worry about those things anymore.

Sawamura has also walked this path before, and if asked about it he will say every time it wasn't pleasant.

It was dark and harsh all around you, the only thing pushing you forward is your dreamer and passionate heart.

In the end, he succeeded and became an indispensable player on the team, but he had seen many many who didn't.

Now, a similar situation was happening on the Seidou High School baseball team.

And this issue had little to do with Sawamura himself...

Of course, he was keeping his distance as much as possible, because if he got involved, he'd have no clear position in the situation.

After receiving the news, most of the Seidou High School players didn't rest and immediately began extra training.

Although everyone knew this day would eventually come, Coach Kataoka's decision was so sudden that it caught them off guard.

In a competition of this level, how could you just play without preparation? At least a week or two of practice would be needed…

Unfortunately, Coach Kataoka didn't think that way. He didn't give the players that chance but sent them straight into the game.

"It's so exciting to be able to compete against the Senpais so soon."

"I've been wanting to see the Senpais' strength for a long time."

"I wonder if our super rookies are stronger this year, or are the Senpais stronger?"

The overall morale of the freshmen was still high. Except for a few, most of them had an optimistic attitude.

Although they had entered Seidou High School aiming for starting positions, none of them had expected to challenge the Senpais so quickly.

During a walk, Sawamura met some of his Kohais and politely greeted them.

Through this, Sawamura overheard many of the freshmen's thoughts on the upcoming orientation competition.

Their overall attitude was extremely optimistic. On the one hand, they were confident in their own abilities; on the other hand, they were happy to be able to play so soon.

'They didn't seem to understand the significance of this orientation match at all.'

Originally, Sawamura thought the freshmen might have a chance, but hearing their attitude made him frown instinctively.

'This was pure self-destruction.'

They lacked the awareness, yet they were preparing to compete against the third-year students who were ready to go all in. From Sawamura's perspective, these guys were simply clueless.

It seemed like he was overthinking. Although the process might be a bit unexpected, the final result was probably already decided.

Of course, not all the freshmen were so unaware; some were practicing seriously, like the wolf boy, Okumura Koushuu.

When he practiced his swing, he was very focused, even meticulous.

Kuramochi and Miyuki were walking over from the opposite side, chatting as they came. And approaching them was Sawamura...

The three unknowingly gathered together.

Before they could even talk, they saw Okumura swinging the bat.

"This year's freshmen are really excellent. Not bad, kid!"

As a senpai on the team, Kuramochi felt he should express his goodwill.

Miyuki also frowned slightly.

For some reason, he had a feeling something bad was about to happen. Miyuki knew how strange Okumura was, especially since they were in the same dorm.

His temper was something that ordinary people could not handle.

Okumura looked up at Miyuki and Sawamura, suppressed the urge to speak, and turned away to leave.

Kuramochi blushed.

He had just encouraged his Kohai, and it didn't seem like he had said anything inappropriate. Why did Okumura leave without a word?

"You guys continue, I'll go check it out!"

Sawamura glanced at Okumura's retreating figure worriedly, then chased after him.

Miyuki and Kuramochi looked at each other.

In their memory, Sawamura didn't seem particularly close to Okumura. Why did he seem so concerned about him?

When Sawamura caught up with Okumura, he found him sitting on a bench sulking by himself like a kicked pup.

He secretly hated his own cowardice and imagined things that didn't happen, thinking he should've just stood up to his Senpais instead of running away like this.

"Feeling down?"

Sawamura casually sat next to Okumura.

Okumura frowned and looked at the senpai.

Aside from the previous encounter where they faced off in a pitching-catcher situation, Sawamura didn't talk to him much.

Among the freshmen, only Sawamura's two Kohais, Matsumoto and Hirota, were close to him, and maybe Nishiyama and Asada.

Most others admired Sawamura from a distance but hadn't had the opportunity to communicate with him.

'Why was this Senpai suddenly concerned about me?'

Okumura, with his past experience, was especially sensitive to people of high status who spoke in a nice and cheering manner.

And Sawamura, the great and mighty Ace of Seidou's team, didn't really need to comfort a first-year weakling like him.

"No!" Okumura vehemently denied it.

Sawamura shook his head and smiled bitterly inside.

'This guy was as moody as ever.'

In Sawamura's previous life, after the third-year players graduated, Yui Kaoru replaced Miyuki Kazuya.

And of course, Seidou's Ace number returned to Furuya, and Sawamura was the first substitute.

That's when he and Okumura worked together more closely, eventually defeating strong opponents and becoming the main battery on the team.

But that was already by the end of Sawamura's third-year summer.

So he still didn't get the Ace number after his second-year summer, but he got the opportunity to go directly to the Major League.

But Sawamura still remembers his time together with Okumura.

In Sawamura's memory, they weren't just Senpai and Kohai but partners who trained and fought side by side.

Sawamura was well aware of the sadness in Okumura's heart. Although he didn't know the exact cause, he knew Okumura didn't like others giving him nice but actually selfish words.

This situation was simple to explain. Okumura had once greatly admired their team's coach during his time in the junior baseball club.

That chubby coach could always come up with strategies no matter how desperate the situation. Even when they lost, the Coach would put his hand on the players' heads and smile, telling them, "You've improved from yesterday!"

Although the Coach didn't have a great reputation and sometimes, Okumura saw him badmouthing the player that he had just praised, Okumura and Takuma never believed those rumors. They believed that as long as they followed this man, they would achieve something.

But then, that same Coach, for money, transferred to their sworn rivals.

What is more, he kept smiling at them as if he didn't do anything wrong.

For him, they were just pawns, tools, a simple mean for him to money and success.

Okumura felt betrayed, and from that moment on, he developed a deep hatred for anyone speaking fake nice words to him.

In fact, if we are to be honest, we can't fully blame the Coach.

After all, who wouldn't want better opportunities?

The Coach wanted to pursue a higher salary and better career, so it was natural that he transferred schools.

But to young Okumura, this was a blatant betrayal, the most serious betrayal he had ever faced.

In the minds of these young players, bonds and emotions were far more important than career and money.

Seeing the coach they had spent so much time with abandoning them for such things was devastating.

No wonder Okumura's personality had become so extreme.

Sawamura had heard bits and pieces from Seto Takuma but hadn't fully understood the details. Still, he could make out the broad strokes.

When he thought about it, Okumura really was pitiful.

'Though he looked like an edgy main character in a game, Koushuu had a really sensitive personality.'

Sawamura had prepared to say something nice, but when the time came, he didn't know what to say.

"Get ready for tomorrow's game and do well. I'll be cheering on you."

In the end, all his words turned into this simple blessing.

Okumura looked at Sawamura strangely, wondering why this Senpai would say this to him.

"I have no ill intentions. I'm still waiting for you to get promoted to the first string and become my partner!"

These words clearly made Okumura feel better or more like on fire.

He nodded heavily and said to Sawamura, "I will definitely climb up."

Sawamura had no doubts about that.

Before his regression, Okumura had done it, so he would certainly be able to do it again in this life.

After encouraging Okumura, Sawamura stood up and headed back to the dorm.

The process of building relationships with others takes time. Right now, Sawamura's approach was already quite unusual. If he kept talking, it would no longer be just 'unusual'.

It's better not to be too direct with shallow relationships.

Since he couldn't say much more, Sawamura decided to leave.

When he returned to his dorm, he found Asada studying hard.

'…What?'

Sawamura couldn't believe what was happening in front of him.

'You can't be serious?'

"Tomorrow is the orientation match. Are you ready?"

Asada looked at Sawamura, stunned, and asked curiously, "Do I get a chance to play?"

Unlike previous years, there were so many freshmen this year at Seidou High!

And precisely because there were so many, not everyone would get a chance to play.

…

T/N: Well, That's it for now.

Merry Christmas Everyone! And Happy Holidays!!

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