Diamond No Ace: The Strongest Hitter

Chapter 39: Dark Past

"Excuse me, are you Sendo-san?"

"Yes, I'm Sendo, but... is there something you need?"

"I'm your fan!"

"..."

"Fan?" Sendo had a look as if he was wondering, "What did I do?"

"A fan?" The others, who were preparing to take some batting practice, were equally surprised.

"Yes! Although Sendo-san didn't participate in the summer tournament, he was the ace and the cleanup hitter in the official matches! He was the only fourth-year in the first string of the Wildcats in 18 years, a starter, ace, and cleanup hitter. Each of these are records for the Wildcats! Also, Sendo-san's photos are up on the honor wall, but his appearance seems to be completely different now!"

"Honor wall? What's that?" Sawamura asked.

"It's the wall full of photos in the reception room!"

"Is Sendo in there?" Sawamura thought back, trying to remember.

"Hey, Sendo!"

"I don't know!" Sendo's eyes started to shift to the left, as if trying to avoid the subject.

"Ah! That's it!" Takada suddenly recalled something.

"What is it?"

"That expression Sendo just made... I think I saw it on the honor wall. That must have been you before you came to Nagano, right? Your hairstyle was completely different back then, so I didn't recognize you at first. Now that I think about it, it really looks like you!"

"No way, was that an official photo? You were such a mischievous kid, even pulling a funny face in an official picture! Sendo!" Sawamura finally found the chance to poke fun at Sendo's embarrassing past.

Maybe it wouldn't be a big deal to others, but for someone as serious and composed as Sendo, this was definitely a "dark past," haha!

By now, Sendo had rolled his eyes up and pretended not to hear anything, looking like, "Say whatever you want, I don't care!"

"Alright, you all go focus on your batting!" Fumino came to the rescue.

Honestly, if anyone else had said this, it probably wouldn't have worked, but since it was Fumino—who was as beautiful as a princess from a fairy tale—the boys immediately obediently got back to practice.

Being childhood friends and always by Sendo's side, Fumino knew his personality very well.

She understood that revealing his embarrassing moments like this would make him feel awkward and uncomfortable.

"That old man really went and did it!" Sendo thought to himself.

"Hey, what's your name?" Sendo asked.

"Tanaka Ryota! Um... Sendo-san, I'm really sorry! It seems I caused you some trouble!" The young boy bowed in apology.

"Don't worry about it! So, Ryota-kun, what did you come to ask me?"

Sendo squatted down and patted the boy's head. Although Sendo wasn't much older than Ryota, his height made the scene seem perfectly natural.

"Can I get your autograph?" The boy seemed a bit nervous around Sendo, speaking slowly.

"I haven't really practiced any sort of autograph. Are you sure that's okay?"

"Of course! Thank you so much!"

The boy quickly handed over a baseball and a pen, clearly prepared in advance. Sendo generously signed it. Soon, others started asking for autographs too—Sendo was practically everyone's idol.

"Thank you so much!" Tanaka Ryota bowed again in gratitude.

"Thank you so much!" His teammates followed suit, bowing as well.

"Don't worry about it! It's just a small thing, I'm no celebrity!" Sendo waved his hand dismissively.

Afterward, he stayed with the group, watching his teammates bat.

They were having a hard time getting used to the weight of the hardball, but after a few swings, they started to adjust. Although there weren't many big hits, the efficiency was decent—except for someone joyfully swinging away.

"Here!" Just as most of the players were wrapping up, Coach Nakani handed Sendo a bat.

"What for?" Sendo glanced at him.

"How about giving the batter's box another try after a long time? You haven't hit a hardball in a while, have you?"

"No, thanks."

"You're really a handful! Just accept the coach's good will!" Fumino suddenly snapped, dragging Sendo to the plate.

Coach Nakani chuckled as he watched and quickly ran ahead to the mound.

"I'm going to adjust the speed. This pitch is not for amateurs!" he left that as an excuse.

At this point, not only were the Wildcats members excited, but even the others were eagerly anticipating it. For many of them, this was their first time seeing Sendo hit, and they gathered around to watch.

"Alright, Fumino, let me go. I'll hit, okay?"

Sendo took the bat and gripped it between the handle and the barrel. With his well-proportioned physique, good looks, and focused expression, he looked undeniably cool!

"Handsome!" Fumino suddenly became infatuated as she watched, just like how she would gaze at the starry sky, completely mesmerized.

She shook her head frantically, trying to snap herself out of it, but once she froze again, she never recovered from her daze!

She had been daydreaming like this for a whole year, lost in her own thoughts!

"Now that you mention it, it has been a while. I do miss this batter's box!" Sendo looked at everything in front of him, as if he was seeing his old self from four years ago. A slight smile formed at the corner of his mouth.

"Sendo... is smiling? And he looks like he's enjoying it? That's such a genuine smile!" Sawamura shouted in surprise, pointing at Sendo.

"Quiet, Eijun!" Wakana scolded, sensing that Sendo was lost in some other thoughts.

"Oh!"

Memories, like the wind, drifted through his mind.

"Alright! Are you ready, batter?" Coach Nakani's voice broke through Sendo's recollection.

"Hmph! I'm ready. Anytime!"

"Then, let's begin!" Coach Nakani called out to Sendo, though no one noticed the mischievous grin on his face.

Sendo didn't say anything. He rested the tip of the bat on the ground with one hand, his eyes narrowing slightly as if reminiscing about something. It was the familiar sound of the pitching machine that he had known so well.

Whoosh!

A flash of white streaked by!

Thud!

A loud sound echoed as the ball slammed into the protective screen next to the batter's box, snapping Sendo out of his nostalgic daydream. He had zoned out again!

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