<126> Sawamura's Divine Logic

Chapter 126: Sawamura's Divine Logic

That evening, after their first practice game ended, the team enjoyed a lively celebration feast.

Everyone was in high spirits, and the effectiveness of their new batting lineup was fully confirmed.

Sendo also abandoned the idea of moving Sawamura to the lower batting order.

While the teams in the Nagano area had a general understanding of Sawamura's skills, his position after Sendo—whose speed was practically unfair—combined with Sawamura's equally unfair bunting abilities created a deadly combination.

Opponents might know what they were planning, but stopping it was another matter.

This duo became a stable scoring strategy for Akagi's new lineup.

Sendo also realized that opponents were far too decisive in intentionally walking him, so he needed to maintain his threat level and always leave a scoring option, even when he wasn't able to bat.

With the autumn tournament in mind, Sendo began forming his own strategies.

He lay back and let his thoughts drift, eventually deciding to get up for a snack.

Opening his eyes, he was met with Sawamura's face—curious, surprised, and wide-eyed, looking utterly adorable.

"...What?" Sendo asked, suppressing the urge to laugh.

"Oh..." Sawamura didn't say anything but continued making soft, puppy-like sounds.

If he were an actual pet dog, Sendo might've wanted to pat him affectionately.

After a moment of thought, Sendo decided... to do it anyway.

Sawamura didn't react at first when Sendo reached out.

A testament to his delayed reflexes.

When he finally felt the comforting touch on his head, he even squinted his eyes in enjoyment for a moment.

But after a few seconds, the realization hit him like a freight train.

Images of a small dog wagging its tail while being petted flashed through Sawamura's mind, followed by the horrifying awareness that he had just enjoyed being treated like one.

"Are you kidding me?! Sendo, you jerk, do you really think I'm a pet dog? And you wouldn't stop patting me!" Sawamura yelled, slapping Sendo's hand away in indignation.

"You leaned your head over yourself. Is that not allowed?" Sendo replied nonchalantly.

"Of course not!" Sawamura exclaimed, stomping his feet in anger.

"But you looked like you were enjoying it just now."

"Ugh..." Sawamura froze, petrified once again.

In his mind, the scene of a happy puppy being petted replayed endlessly, along with Sendo's words: "You looked like you were enjoying it." Over and over.

The room fell silent. The rest of the team, struggling to hold back their laughter, exchanged amused glances.

"Mmm! Mmm! Mmm!" Sawamura made incoherent noises, trying to appear fierce but only managing to look comical.

"Don't do that, Eijun! You look just like a puppy baring its teeth!" Sendo teased.

"Huh?" Sawamura's face shifted into a stunned expression, utterly bewildered.

His mind was now filled with images of a puppy snarling cutely, paired with Sendo's mocking words: "A puppy baring its teeth." The absurdity left Sawamura in a daze.

"Pfft!" Wakana was the first to burst into laughter.

"Hahaha!" The rest of the team quickly followed, unable to contain themselves any longer.

Mortified, Sawamura shook his head, trying to snap out of it.

He wanted to lash out but hesitated, remembering his earlier ridiculous expressions.

Unsure of how to react, he ended up glaring at Sendo with a mixture of embarrassment and resentment.

This expression was reminiscent of the time Sawamura was ignored by Miyuki during practice and asked what breaking pitch he wanted to learn.

The team was now laughing so hard that some were rolling on the floor, with Akio nearly gasping for air.

Seeing Sawamura's pitiful glare, Sendo finally decided to say something comforting. However, the words that came out were:

"What's with that face? You look like a vengeful ghost! Did you die unjustly?"

The room exploded with even louder laughter, while Sawamura's face grew darker and darker.

Fearing that Sawamura might lose his temper, Sendo quickly tried to defuse the situation.

"So, why did you stick your head over here?"

"Hmph!" Sawamura turned his head away with a pout, making an exaggerated huffing noise.

Seeing this, Sendo took a fraction of a second to weigh the pros and cons, then decided.

"Oh, I see," he sighed dramatically.

Just as Sawamura thought Sendo was finally going to apologize or try to cheer him up, he heard:

"You must be really tired today. I think you need a good massage to relax."

"Huh?" Sawamura perked up, his ears twitching as he listened intently.

"Lie down. I'll give you a nice, relaxing massage that'll make you feel like you're floating tomorrow."

To Sawamura, those words felt like they were being whispered by the devil himself, slow and menacing.

"Ah! I just remembered I haven't finished my homework! I need to go do it right now!" Sawamura shouted, his brain screaming retreat! Forget about winning, forget about being comforted—everything was a lie! Sendo never played by the rules!

Sawamura tried to flee, but Sendo, with his long arms and legs, easily grabbed him and pulled him back.

"What you were planning to do earlier—did you really think I wouldn't figure it out?" Sendo smirked, dragging Sawamura back to the couch.

"Don't! Stay away! I'm not tired at all!" Sawamura screamed in despair as Sendo effortlessly hauled him toward the couch.

Using his raw strength, Sendo pinned Sawamura face-down on the couch and leaned in close.

Sawamura felt Sendo's breath hit the back of his head, sending chills down his spine.

"Please, no! Forgive me!" Sawamura's struggles intensified, but it was futile. Left with no other option, he shouted for mercy.

"Then why did you come here?" Sendo asked.

"I just wanted to see if you were asleep!" Sawamura blurted out, his survival instincts kicking in.

"Oh? And if I were asleep?"

"Then I'd just leave!"

"Really?" Sendo tightened his grip on Sawamura's hand, his suspicion clear.

"Wait! I'll tell you! I'll tell you everything!"

"Speak!"

"If you were asleep, I was just going to... draw on your face!" Under the intense pressure, Sawamura confessed his mischievous intent.

"As I thought!" Sendo exclaimed, his suspicions fully confirmed.

"As you thought?" Sawamura suddenly realized the depth of his mistake.

"You really were planning to mess with me, you little punk!" Sendo said with mock anger.

"But it didn't happen! I swear! Please forgive me!"

"Fine, I forgive you," Sendo said, surprising Sawamura.

"Really?!" Sawamura's face lit up with relief, tears of joy streaming down his cheeks.

"Of course! But as a reward for your outstanding performance in today's game, I think you deserve a deep massage. After all, we can't have our 'Ace' getting injured, can we?" Sendo emphasized the word Ace with deliberate weight.

"Nooo! Sendo, you liar!" Sawamura screamed, his brain suddenly working at lightning speed. He felt no pain, no fatigue, and his reflexes became unnaturally quick.

"Help! Somebody save me!" Sawamura's cries echoed through the room as Sendo began his so-called massage.

Without a word, Sendo got to work, his grip firm and relentless.

Sawamura, unable to resist, eventually collapsed onto the couch, his energy drained. He groaned in a mix of discomfort and unexpected relief.

Though Sawamura's earlier struggles looked excruciating, the scene was almost comical to onlookers.

Wakana, perched comfortably at the top of the social food chain, laughed uncontrollably.

"Gotcha, little troublemaker," Sendo thought smugly.

...

The next morning:

"Argh! Damn it, everything hurts!" Sawamura groaned, clutching the sink as he struggled to stand upright.

"Huh? Massages are supposed to feel good, aren't they?" Takada, the team's simple-minded member, asked curiously.

"Now that you mention it... My body does feel lighter, kind of floaty," Sawamura muttered, rubbing his chin as he reflected.

"But still! Ugh, what a complicated feeling!"

"See? That's why you shouldn't mess with Sen-chan! Every time you try, he ends up bullying you," Aoki chimed in with a grin.

"No way! I can't just let him get away with it! Wait and see—I'll get my revenge someday!" Sawamura declared boldly, his confidence wavering under the skeptical gazes of his teammates. "Someday... probably..."

"By the way, where is Sendo?" Sawamura asked, his tone tinged with irritation.

"Still sleeping," Wakana replied nonchalantly as she walked in.

"That guy!"

The others shuddered as a dark, indescribable aura seemed to radiate from Sawamura's back.

"Calm down, Sawamura! Reign in your energy!"

"Why is it that he gets to sleep in while we have to wake up so early?" Sawamura complained, his frustration building.

"You've known him for how long now? This shouldn't surprise you," Kondou pointed out, effectively dousing Sawamura's fiery rant with cold logic.

"Ugh!" Sawamura's mood sank instantly.

But then, a thought struck him like a lightning bolt.

"Wait! If he's still sleeping, that means...!" Sawamura quickly finished washing up and bolted upstairs, stumbling over himself in his rush.

Click.

"The door's locked!" he exclaimed, his voice filled with despair as he stood frozen in place.

Slowly, he trudged back downstairs, looking utterly defeated.

"What happened, Sawamura? Did Sen-chan catch you trying to mess with him?" Takada asked with wide-eyed curiosity.

"Did he teach you a lesson?" Ohno added eagerly.

"He locked the door... Why does he lock his door when he's sleeping in his own room?!" Sawamura grumbled.

"..."

"Hahahaha!" The room erupted into laughter once again.

In the rural areas of Nagano, doors were typically sliding doors, but Sendo's room had a European-style lockable wooden door—a detail Sawamura had momentarily forgotten in his excitement.

"But wait! I've seen Furuhashi-san go into Sendo's room a few times. Why is it locked now, of all times? Ugh, my luck is terrible!" Sawamura's words landed like a bombshell, shocking everyone into stunned silence.

Even Fumino, who had been quietly laughing, froze. Her face alternated between an unsettling pale blue and a deep crimson.

For a moment, the room was filled with awkward tension.

But who would dare explain that situation?

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