Diamond No Ace: Life As Sawamura Eijun

Chapter 288: Coach Nitta's Decisive Decision in the Finals

The arm swung, the feet moved.

"Whoosh."

As the leg lifted and the arm swung, a gleaming light flashed from Eijun's fingertips, speeding straight toward home plate.

The shimmering brilliance caught everyone's attention, a chilling gleam reflecting in the eyes of Akito from the opposing team.

With a sharp look, Akito stepped forward decisively, twisting his upper body with all his might, bringing the metallic bat through the air in a powerful swing.

"Swish."

The cold metallic luster of the bat sparkled under the bright sunlight, radiant and dazzling.

"Clang!"

A sharp collision resounded.

Akito's pupils shrank slightly as he managed to intercept the inside pitch with an unpredictable angle. Swinging with full force, the bat sent the ball flying toward the third-base foul line.

Masuko, diving swiftly, tried to intercept it. However, midway through its trajectory, the ball landed heavily on the ground with a loud thud.

It grazed Masuko's glove and rolled just outside the third-base line.

"Foul ball!"

The precision of these hitters is increasing by the minute.

Miyuki narrowed his eyes slightly, revealing a faint, thoughtful expression.

This was only the second round of the lineup.

While it didn't seem like an overwhelmingly powerful lineup, their meticulous attention to detail was remarkable, with every small adjustment perfectly executed.

"The next pitch—Sawamura, an inside cutter. Release all your energy into this one."

Miyuki's expression turned serious as he signaled toward the mound.

Eijun gave a slight nod in response.

With determined steps and a fluid arm swing, he focused all his strength into his fingertips, unleashing it in an instant burst.

Here it comes.

"Whoosh."

The shining pitch flew through the air like a beam of light, cold and intense, radiating overwhelming pressure.

In the batter's box, Akito's eyes tracked the pitch's trajectory as it closed in on the plate. His grip on the bat tightened.

An inside pitch!?

He lunged forward with his stride, forcefully swinging the bat.

But in the blink of an eye, the ball's path shifted dramatically, as if disappearing momentarily before veering sharply further inside.

The unexpected and exaggerated break caught Akito by surprise.

If not for his quick reflexes, he would never have been able to track such an unpredictable movement.

Even so, the abrupt curve and speed were enough to make his pupils contract.

So this is the unique trajectory of this pitcher's cutter!?

Clenching his teeth, Akito steadied his form and adjusted his swing with a desperate surge of power.

Good thing I left some margin in my initial swing.

Akito shouted internally.

Catch up to it!!!

"Ping!!!"

At the last moment, the bat connected with the ball.

The sharp sound of impact echoed loudly.

The precision and speed of that swing left both Miyuki and Eijun momentarily stunned, a mix of awe and concern flashing through their eyes.

He could track and connect with the Cutter Kai's trajectory this well!?

"Whoosh."

"Bang!"

The ball slammed hard into the ground.

It didn't go foul!

To the right of the pitcher's mound, between second and third base, Eijun turned swiftly, aiming to intercept the ball with his glove.

However, the speed of the ball was too overwhelming.

Neither Eijun nor the backup shortstop, Kuramochi, could react in time.

The ball shot past the gap between Kuramochi and Ryousuke Kominato, the ironclad middle infield duo, and rolled into the left-center field.

Not good!

The infielders and outfielders of Seidou High School all showed grim expressions.

Taking advantage of the situation, Akito immediately discarded his bat and dashed toward first base as soon as the ball ricocheted out.

By the time it left the infield, he had already stepped safely onto first.

If not for Isashiki Jun's quick reaction to field the ball, Akito might have made it to second base.

"Safe at first!"

Even so, Akito managed to secure a solid hit, and it was off Eijun's Cutter Kai.

The Komadai Fujimaki High bench erupted in cheers.

"Ha ha, beautiful hit, Akito!"

"That's what a cleanup hitter should do!"

"Great job! This is the start, keep it going!"

"The game begins now—get that first run!"

"Komadai! Komadai! Komadai!"

No one expected that this pitch could be forcefully driven like that.

Standing on the pitcher's mound, Eijun furrowed his brows and discreetly glanced at Akito on first base.

It wasn't the hit itself that bothered him—it was the swing.

It was evident Akito had prepared for it.

The opposing team seemed to have started adjusting to his rhythm.

A chill ran through Eijun as he tightened his grip on the ball in his left hand.

"Sawamura," Miyuki called out from home plate, raising a hand with a serious expression, his voice cutting through the tension.

"Got it."

Eijun nodded, taking a deep breath and focusing on home plate.

It was just one hit, and it came from their cleanup hitter.

There was no need to overthink it.

Whatever plans the opponents had, he just needed to stay in control of his own rhythm.

"Fifth batter, catcher, Kanemoto-kun."

Kanemoto had been pitching all the way up to this point in the game.

Now, halfway through, there was no way his control or velocity could be at peak form.

Target his best pitch, and crush it with power—that was the straightforward directive from Coach Nitta before he stepped up to the plate.

As Kanemoto took his place in the batter's box, the coach's calm words echoed in his mind. He tightened his grip on the bat, his eyes flashing with determination.

Meanwhile, on the mound, a sense of unease crept into Sawamura's thoughts.

"!!"

"Hiss… hoo…"

Clearing his mind, Eijun banished all distractions. His focus locked solely on the batter.

Total concentration.

They had the lead, so there was no need to be nervous or anxious.

He reminded himself to stick to his rhythm and game plan.

But what Eijun didn't realize was that as the game moved into its later stages, his focus had begun to subtly waver.

At first base, Akito watched Eijun's profile on the mound, his body tensing slightly.

Just as the coach had said, this inning, this opportunity, could be Komadai Fujimaki's moment to strike!

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