Ace of Diamond: Return of the Pitcher

The day after the Kanto Tournament ended, at the Seidou High School Baseball Club Superintendent's Office.

The Seidou High School baseball team members hadn't really gotten the time to feel the joy of winning the championship.

And they were about to face new challenges.

Moreover, this challenge required them to split up.

"Is this the list of invitees for the Tokyo Senbatsu? There are some interesting players here."

Coach Ochiai, stroking the small beard on his chin, looked thoughtfully at the list in his hand.

"The player sent by Yakushi High isn't their Ace, Sanada, but the third-year captain, Hirahata. Honestly, I don't remember much about this captain."

"Not just them. Even Ichidaisan hasn't sent their main Ace. Amahisa isn't on the invite list; instead, they sent the cleanup hitter, Hoshida."

Takashima Rei said angrily.

Though she fully understood that, in this special period, with the summer tournament approaching, no one wanted to reveal their full strength. Especially teams from the same region in West Tokyo.

They were more reluctant to send their Aces to enemy territory for training.

It felt like sending a sheep into the tiger's den.

But why did Seidou High School receive special treatment?

Could it be a conspiracy by Superintendent Kunitomo?

Takashima Rei wasn't a conspiracy theorist, and she didn't want to think badly of others.

But when looking at the invitation in front of her, she couldn't help but think this way.

The invitation sent by Inashiro Industrial High School was simply too strange.

According to the organizers' suggestions, the Tokyo Team was formed by a coalition of the best teams, including Seidou High. In total, 18 schools participated, each selecting one player.

The remaining four players would be sent by Inashiro Industrial High School.

They had considered every aspect, even the possibility of new players not being able to cooperate well.

Everything had a perfect explanation.

Even the teams' preferences were taken into account by the organizers.

For instance, teams from the same region didn't want to send their Aces to the training camp.

The organizers had agreed to this.

For example, Yakushi High School.

Their top player was, of course, Raichi.

Even though Raichi was a second-year, this opportunity should have gone to the third-year seniors, and among the third-years, there was the real Ace, Sanada Shunpei.

No matter how you looked at it, Hirabira shouldn't be the one representing Yakushi.

When Coach Ochiai said he hadn't heard of Hirabira, he was clearly joking.

After all, Hirabira was a key player on Yakushi High's team and the team captain at that.

As Seidou High's rival coach, there was no way Coach Ochiai didn't know his name.

But truth be told, Hirabira wasn't considered an outstanding player.

Although Coach Ochiai knew him, many baseball fans in Tokyo had never heard of him.

If he weren't Yakushi's captain, his fame would be on par with that of a role player.

For such a person to represent Yakushi High so confidently at the training camp was nothing short of a joke.

In contrast, Seidou High was really in a tough spot.

Not only had their cleanup hitter been selected, but the opponent had made an even more excessive request—one that was infuriating and difficult to refuse.

"This is a conspiracy. We shouldn't be agreeing to this no matter what!"

It wasn't just Takashima Rei who felt this way; even Ota, the head of the baseball club, felt that the situation had reached an intolerable point.

Did they really think Seidou High was a sucker?

Superintendent Kataoka sat in his exclusive office chair, staring silently at the ceiling, his eyes at a 45-degree angle.

No one knew what the head of Seidou High's baseball team was thinking at this moment.

Miyuki stood by, still unable to find an opening to speak.

"By the way, the Captain for this training is the one assigned from Teitou High, Kengo Inui. It's really unfortunate..."

Coach Ochiai, noticing the awkward silence, smoothly changed the subject.

"No, I actually feel quite relaxed."

Miyuki smiled and said.

Coach Ochiai looked at his own team Captain with a thoughtful gaze.

Miyuki was a very talented player, but to be honest, he wasn't a perfect team captain.

Although he could be a Coach on the field, that was entirely different from being the captain.

A team Captain wasn't just someone who led the team on the field.

There were also many responsibilities off the field.

Miyuki's ability was unquestionable, but his personality wasn't suited for those off-field duties.

Fortunately, Seidou High was a highly disciplined team, and the players didn't like to cause trouble for others.

Otherwise, Coach Ochiai might even wonder if Miyuki could truly fulfill the responsibilities of a team captain.

In contrast, Seidou High's Ace pitcher, Sawamura Eijun, was more suited for the role of captain.

Although he had no intention of becoming the Captain, his personality was perfect for the job.

The only problem was, that he was busy with his training and tried to avoid team matters whenever possible.

Expecting him to take on the captain's responsibilities would only work if the tasks were piled onto him.

Otherwise, he probably wouldn't be able to take on the responsibility.

Coach Ochiai's thoughts drifted.

The others in the office were each mulling over their own ideas.

Superintendent Kataoka remained noncommittal about the invitation.

He turned to look at Miyuki and patiently reminded him.

"I have great admiration for Superintendent Kunitomo's character. In such a situation, he was still able to take on such a heavy responsibility."

Miyuki nodded in agreement.

Whether for the dignity of the nation or the dignity of the Tokyo region, Superintendent Kunitomo's willingness to take on such a responsibility at this time was admirable.

People are very selfish.

The coaches and players at Inashiro Industrial High School were no saints.

They had their own motives for taking on such a responsibility at this time.

But one thing was unquestionable.

Once Inashiro Industrial High took this step, their summer training would undoubtedly be greatly affected.

For all high school baseball players aiming for Koshien, this was lethal.

Superintendent Kataoka nodded and continued.

"During the training, they will surely try to gather information about you, Seidou's Captain. I'm not asking you to completely hold back your strength, but we need to make sure the information we share is equal, you understand what I mean?"

It was rare for Superintendent Kataoka to explain so patiently.

Having worked under him for two years, Miyuki naturally understood the meaning behind his words.

"Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on them during this period."

Superintendent Kataoka smiled slightly, clearly trusting Miyuki's abilities.

After saying that, his attention returned to the two invitations on the table.

Yes, there were two invitations.

For this training session, all the teams except Inashiro Industrial had only one invitation.

First, Superintendent Kunitomo, as the head coach, picked the players for each team.

That is, he chose who he wanted to participate in the training.

Then, the teams, after considering their actual situations, either agreed or made substitutions.

For example, Yakushi and Ichidaisan.

They refused to send their aces to Inashiro Industrial because of the upcoming summer tournament.

It wasn't really their fault.

Who was Superintendent Kunitomo?

He was one of the top Coaches in the Tokyo area. Under such a crafty coach, after just three days of training, how much of their secrets could remain? Everything would have been thoroughly studied.

Both teams heavily relied on their aces, so they could never afford to send them to train under the other team at this time.

When they faced Inashiro Industrial in a real match, they would be helpless.

Seidou High had also received an intention.

This intention stated that Superintendent Kunitomo had his eyes on one player.

The player was Seidou High's savior, their fourth batter, and the main catcher, Miyuki Kazuya.

This was also an extremely important player for Seidou High.

But as a top-tier team, Superintendent Kataoka believed that they couldn't be as petty as Yakushi High.

Thus, he generously agreed to the invitation.

For Superintendent Kataoka, he saw it as a good opportunity to cultivate his prized student.

Although Miyuki had never clearly expressed his intention, his love for baseball had never waned.

Anyone who said he had no desire for professional baseball was something Superintendent Kataoka could never believe.

Since Miyuki had a pursuit, Superintendent Kataoka believed he should help him.

However, there was a risk of revealing team information.

But truthfully, such international exchange events were very eye-catching. It was also a good opportunity for publicity for Miyuki.

It was because of this consideration that Superintendent Kataoka readily agreed to let Miyuki participate.

With this, the matter was more or less settled.

After the decision was made, Superintendent Kataoka even fundamentally adjusted the practice games scheduled for the next Saturday and Sunday.

In those four practice games, Sawamura Eijun would pitch two of them.

The opponents would be some of the best teams in the country.

Superintendent Kataoka wanted to see how Sawamura would perform when Seidou's main catcher Miyuki wasn't on the field.

Although his Ace position was secure, his chances of playing also needed to be balanced.

How Sawamura performed in these games would directly affect his future playtime.

After all, Seidou High's pitching staff wasn't just about Sawamura Eijun. There were many other great pitchers, any of whom could burst into action at any time.

Just as everyone in the room was deep in thought, they suddenly heard a knock on the door.

"It's Sawamura. Can I come in?"

…

T/N: The games in Tokyo will be played first.

But the team can't just sit idle, can they?

As always, Thank you all for reading!!

And I hope you all have a nice day!

You also can check my Patre0n for extra Chapters.

patre0n /ColdColt

There are +155 Chapters there.