Ace of Diamond: Return of the Pitcher

Robert originally thought that Sawamura could only help him in very limited ways and that he would still need to handle most of the things himself. But to his surprise, when Sawamura made his move, it was on a much larger scale than he had anticipated.

He no longer has to worry about advertising and sponsorships—those will come knocking on his door.

And not just from one company.

Even the broadcasting TV station, as if they had all agreed beforehand, took the initiative to get involved in the event.

At this point, Robert finally realized what a big prize he was holding in his hands.

Eijun Sawamura from Seidou High School.

With these two cards in his hand, he could easily play his cards right.

The next steps will go very smoothly. Robert has no doubt about that.

After all this is over, he figures he will also receive a substantial material reward.

But right now, Robert is not happy at all.

In fact, he feels so frustrated as if he won the lottery of 10 million dollars,

But he lost the ticket…

He didn't realize it at first, but now, he's beginning to understand just how big of an opportunity he has missed.

If Robert had been able to use this opportunity to become Sawamura's Agent, or even sign Sawamura directly, his career as an Agent would have undergone a complete transformation.

It wouldn't even be entirely impossible for him to become a Super-Agent overnight.

Now, that opportunity has slipped right through his fingers…

Even if things work out and he eventually gets some material rewards, those would pale in comparison to the opportunity he lost.

Proposing that all the sponsors attend Seidou High's finals in person was just a flash of inspiration for Robert.

Since he no longer has the chance to become Sawamura's Agent, no one else, not even the small fish and shrimp, should have the chance either. He didn't mind using this opportunity to push Sawamura's fame to the forefront.

That's human nature.

If the final Agent to sign Sawamura is a big-shot Agent, Robert would feel much better.

Otherwise, he would spend the rest of his life living in regret and guilt.

He felt sorry for himself.

When Sawamura heard the news, he was stunned.

The development of things had deviated greatly from his original expectations, especially when it came to those big capital investors.

The pressure on this match now is so over the top.

If most of the other team members knew about this news, they would definitely have a big reaction.

To be on the safe side, Sawamura didn't tell them.

Hakuryu High School is no easy opponent. If the players from Seidou High's baseball club entered the field with mental shackles, they would have a hard time winning.

Especially given Sawamura's current condition, he would be somewhat at a disadvantage against Hakuryu High School.

He didn't want any distractions.

The night before the finals, Miyuki and Sawamura discussed tactics.

"Your current condition puts you at a disadvantage against Hakuryu High School's agility," Miyuki calmly analyzed. "It's okay to leave this game to Furuya."

He suggested this from the heart. Right now, Sawamura's current state affects his breaking balls. Playing against a team like Hakuryu High School would make anyone uneasy.

In two months, it should be much better. By then, Sawamura would be able to take things to the next level.

Miyuki even believed that only at that time could Sawamura Eijun truly become the Maou—the Demon King.

There are very few things in this world that can truly trigger a backlash from Sawamura.

But being told that he can't do something—now that's one of them.

It's one thing for him to back down voluntarily, but when someone else tells him that he can't, that's something entirely different.

"I'm fine!" Sawamura said defiantly.

Sawamura said, unwilling to give up.

Miyuki, on the other hand, was helpless.

"The next game, you can't use the Moving ball as your main focus anymore!"

It didn't matter that Miyuki was helpless—what he had to tell Sawamura, he would say.

Hakuryu High's players are all incredibly fast, and if Sawamura continues to rely on his Moving ball as the core of his pitching, there's a very real risk of being ambushed by the opposing team.

It's important to note that during this period, Hakuryu had been playing against some of the top national powerhouse teams, and their strength had grown tremendously.

If Seidou High is going to compete against them, they absolutely need to be wary of that.

Sawamura nodded.

He, of course, knew that.

However, with his unyielding spirit kicking in, Sawamura didn't care much about the specifics anymore.

"If I can't use my regular Moving ball, then I'll use the Moving ball-Kai combined with Straight-Fastballs!"

Even though he said that the Moving ball-Kai still had major limitations. If Sawamura really wanted to pitch effectively, he would have to focus primarily on his fastball.

"How confident are you?"

Sawamura's confidence was so evident that it clearly affected Miyuki, who hesitated before asking.

"We'll have to see when we're on the field."

Hakuryu High School!

Because of Sawamura Eijun's butterfly effect, this school had already developed considerable interaction with Seidou long before the finals.

Their destiny had already started to change dramatically.

Now, the team's strength was incredibly high, and even Sawamura and Miyuki dared not be the slightest bit careless.

After a quiet night, the day of the Kanto Tournament finals finally arrived.

The sound of drums and brass bands filled the air, and the crowd was massive...

The scene at the Gunma Prefecture stadium was especially lively. The stands were packed, with the crowd overflowing well beyond the seating capacity.

When Robert and his group arrived, they were stunned.

They had arrived just ten minutes before the game started, but by then, there was not a single available seat in the stadium.

There might have been a few leftover spots, but finding them in a crowd of 36,000 people would be like searching for a needle in a haystack.

"This... this is just too spectacular!"

Though Hirota had previously seen such scenes on TV broadcasts, it was still a very different feeling being here in person.

Watching it on a screen, even though you can see the vast crowd, doesn't quite have the same impact.

Standing in the midst of the crowd and experiencing the scene from a different perspective was a whole new experience.

Especially the large drum brought by the Brotherhood of Red Heart.

When Hirota had seen it on TV, it was already impressive. But now, seeing it in person? It wasn't just impressive—it was astonishing!

The entire section of the stands was completely occupied by the Brotherhood of Red Heart and the Demon King's Guards.

Their presence was easy to identify—they were all wearing the same uniforms, looking like a true army. It was especially spectacular.

Hirota Akira, the father of Hirota Hikaru instinctively smiled at the scene.

With such popularity, it was indeed worth increasing their investment.

Hirota wasn't the only one thinking this way. A few other investors who had come along shared the same idea.

In the information age, a new term had started to appear:

Fan economy.

In Japan, the fan economy had developed even earlier, primarily due to two major manga IPs. (One Piece and Dragon Ball)

These two IPs could account for 1% to 2% of the national economy.

Considering Japan's GDP is among the top three in the world, having 1% to 2% of the GDP coming from just two manga is an incredible thing.

That's the terrifying power of the fan economy.

Previously, it was all about anime and manga, but now, it's shifting to real-life people.

No one knew just how much of a sensation this could cause.

No one could say for sure, but with such a low investment, it was definitely worth a try.

While the wealthy investors were making plans, Sawamura on the field had no time or interest in such matters.

As soon as he stepped onto the field, cheers and chants erupted from the crowd in his support.

Today, Seidou High's lineup hadn't changed much from their previous matches.

The Kanto Tournament championship, though not as prestigious as the Koshien title, was still a highly significant and valuable trophy that could add to the record of the players and the whole team.

Seidou was not about to give it up easily.

For this reason, they had sent out their entire starting lineup.

From No. 1 to No. 9.

It was clear—they were prepared to fight to the bitter end.

Hakuryu was no different.

Being the host school for the game held in Gunma Prefecture, they were undoubtedly determined to win. In their previous match against Inashiro Industrial, their victory had been due in large part to the home-field advantage.

Now, with the championship within reach, the Hakuryu High players were determined not to let Seidou take it from them.

To prepare for this game, they had even made significant adjustments to their lineup.

A very interesting adjustment.

…