Diamond No Ace: Life As Sawamura Eijun

Chapter 296: Dawn of Victory in the Finals

The intense battlefield.

A delicate balance between calmness and anxiety.

As the game entered its final phase, both teams' players were forcing themselves to remain composed, striving to handle and judge every pitch with a peaceful mindset.

Yet, their inner emotions were often beyond their control.

In such a situation, varying degrees of anxiety surfaced within the players' hearts, some even showing plainly on their faces—a reflection of their concerns about the game's outcome and the uncertain future.

Bottom of the sixth inning. Seidou High School's turn at bat.

The inning began with the third batter, Jun Isashiki, stepping up. This was a prime opportunity for Seidou's offense.

However, it seemed that Isashiki was a bit too eager. Perhaps he wanted to score quickly to ease the pressure on Eijun, who had been nothing short of brilliant throughout the game.

As seniors, they felt Eijun had already done more than enough by defeating one formidable opponent after another with his sheer strength.

This time, just this once, they, the third-year seniors, wanted to respond to this reliable underclassman.

One more run. Just one more run.

That would allow Eijun to pitch the final three innings with a little less pressure. This thought had become an obsession for Isashiki in that moment.

However, this very resolve created an opening for the opponent.

"Whoosh!"

"Ping!"

"Thud!"

"Foul ball!"

The first pitch was an inside cutter.

In his rush to capitalize on an opening in the right-side defense, Isashiki swung but couldn't fully control the power of his hit.

The ball was intercepted but ended up as a weak pop fly that nearly turned into a foul out near third base.

Fortunately, the ball hit the ground just before the third baseman could grab it.

Luck only comes once.

Unaware of his own shifting mentality, Isashiki swung hard again on the second pitch, this time against an inside fastball, sending it foul once more.

Sensing Isashiki's impatience, Kumo baited him with a high outside curveball. Isashiki took the bait, swinging and missing for a strikeout. The pitch was executed flawlessly, securing Isashiki's out.

As Isashiki walked off, his face showed a trace of frustration. His bloodshot eyes resembled those of a wounded wolf. Glaring fiercely at Kumo, he stomped back to the dugout.

"Strikeout!"

"Nice one, Kumo!"

"Yeah, that's the way! Don't give them any chances!"

"Go, go, go!"

"Batting fourth, first baseman, Yuuki!"

Captain Yuuki remained as calm as ever. His solid frame and steady expression exuded a commanding presence in the batter's box, creating immense pressure on Komadai Fujimaki's defense just by standing there.

The first pitch was an outside fastball.

Kanemoto remained composed in his pitch selection, knowing full well that taking down Yuuki would not be an easy task. He aimed to assert control through precision.

But achieving that against Yuuki was no easy feat. At critical moments, it was sometimes better to walk this batter rather than risk too much in this pivotal inning.

Kanemoto's sharp focus was apparent. Both pitcher Kumo and coach Nitta on the bench nodded solemnly. It was the sixth inning, and Komadai was still trailing. Avoiding unnecessary risks was the right choice.

Kumo, not one to stubbornly insist otherwise, swiftly moved into his pitching motion upon receiving the signal.

"Whoosh!"

The next moment, a piercing fastball was unleashed.

Like an aurora piercing through the heart, the ball streaked straight toward Seidou's captain in the batter's box.

With his calm and composed expression unchanged, Tetsuya Yuuki firmly gripped the bat in his hands, standing completely still. Only when the ball was about to reach the plate did his eyes flash with an intense brilliance.

"Boom!!"

His left foot stepped forward, his arms tightened, and the metal bat in his hands swung with both grace and force.

The sharp, grating sound of metal echoed, resembling a sonic boom ripping through the air.

Under the gaze of everyone in the stadium—especially the shocked expression of catcher Kanemoto—the bat connected with the ball in a breathtaking display of power.

"Ping!!!"

A magnificent sound rang out.

Blinding light seemed to cascade over the entire field at that moment.

"Whoosh!"

The ball shot into the sky like a blazing comet, reflected in the suddenly constricted pupils of pitcher Kumo.

The brilliant white streak soared across the heavens, causing Kanemoto's face to twist in shock as he stood up and shouted, "Left field!!!"

His desperate cry, however, did nothing to alter the ball's trajectory.

"Zoom!"

Komadai Fujimaki High's ace, Iguchi, sprinted desperately in left field. His eyes, filled with anxiety, tracked the ball overhead.

Faster, faster.

Determined to give it everything he had, Iguchi knew he had to catch that ball—but it was all in vain.

The brilliant white streak sliced through the left field sky, leaving Iguchi helpless as it thundered into the stands behind him.

"Clang!"

A clear, resounding impact followed, and the Koshien Stadium erupted into deafening cheers.

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!"

In Seidou's dugout, Eijun, Miyuki, Jun Isashiki, and others burst into joyous celebration.

"Captain! Captain! Captain!"

"Seidou! Seidou! Seidou!"

"What a brilliant hit, Captain! You're so reliable!"

"Haha, Tetsuya! We knew you could do it!"

"Amazing!"

As Yuuki rounded the bases with a faint smile, clenching his fist in triumph, the Seidou bench and cheering section exploded with elation.

"It's out! It's out! A powerful and precise home run, as if responding to his junior's exceptional pitching! Captain, cleanup hitter Tetsuya Yuuki, hits a home run to left field in the bottom of the sixth inning! Seidou High extends their lead, widening the gap to two runs!!!"

"What the heck! He swung at the first pitch?!"

"And it's a home run?!"

"This cleanup hitter is terrifying. No, this summer belongs entirely to him!"

"Komadai Fujimaki must be stunned right now."

"They just clawed back a run, and now they've been hit with a home run. This spells trouble for Komadai."

"Tsk, tsk. With this, the scales of victory are tipping heavily in Seidou's favor again."

Yuuki's home run in the bottom of the sixth dealt a heavy blow to Komadai Fujimaki High's morale.

In that moment, the dawn of victory for Seidou High became faintly visible—a glimpse of the peak that symbolized the ultimate triumph!

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•Only one chapter was uploaded today because it was a special day, but tomorrow, two chapters will be uploaded again.

If you want to read 10 advance chapters ahead.

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