Believing She Has Been Reincarnated into a Baseball Game, My Little Sister Is Aiming for the Koshien, While I Give It My All to Keep Her from Finding out That It’s Actually an Ntr Game - Chapter 65

“As usual… what are you… thinking about? My boss… My captain…”

Some minutes later, at the familiar park filled with bittersweet memories of Sakuramiya, I stood confronted by Nomo Makoto, known as the “Demon of Koshien,” summoned through Sakuramiya. Behind me, Maika and Riko waited.

“I have something to discuss with you.” 

“Why on the night before the finals, at such an ungodly hour!? Why must you and Koto-nee always disturb my precious sleep?” 

“It’s not ungodly before 22:00. And my discussion is important enough to justify it. Moreover, take better care of Koto-nee. You’ll live in this world for a long time to come.”

“What are you talking about? For a growing high school baseball player, 22:00 is… huh?”

The demon, who had been rubbing his sleepy eyes, seemed to wake up at my words, now looking at me with wide eyes. Good, it’s unacceptable for Riko’s important declaration to be met with such a frivolous attitude.

“Before that, Riko has something she wants to say.”

Riko stepped forward, and I placed my hands on her shoulders from behind. It’s okay, I’m here.

“Riko-san has something to tell me? No, it’s okay, Riko-san. Tomorrow, I’ll pitch, you’ll defend, and we’ll definitely make your wish come true. Let’s all return to the original world together.”

“No, that’s not it, Mr. Demon. I was wrong. I’ve decided… I want to live in this world… I’ve decided not to end this world.”

“…Huh?”

The demon looked dumbfounded, but Riko continued speaking without hesitation.

“I’m sorry if it seems like a betrayal. But it’s okay. Mr. Demon, please enjoy your beloved high school baseball to the fullest in this world. It turns out that Mr. Nomo Makoto is the protagonist of this world. My father confirmed it, so there’s no mistake. And it seems I was mistaken. This baseball game story, that is, the protagonist’s baseball life at Koshien, continues long after. Even if you go to Koshien, the world won’t end.”

“…”

Silently, the demon gazed at Riko. She bowed deeply to him in gratitude. There was no doubt about her sincerity. We all felt the same, as there wasn’t a speck of malice in the demon, who was simply trying to fulfill the promise of that day at Koshien.

“Nomo, that’s how it is. It might be a shock to you, but—”

“No.”

The demon sharply and decisively cut off my words.

“I can’t accept that, Riko-san. You have a role. For that, we must end this world and return to the original one.”

“A role…?”

“Yes. That’s why we teamed up.”

As if it were the most natural thing in the world, the demon continued.

“Riko-san, you will be my successor.”

“What?” 

“Eh?” 

“Huh?”

Riko, Maika, and I were in unison, unable to comprehend what he was talking about.

“What? Eh? Huh? What’s with that reaction? It’s as if you’ve never heard it before… Oh? Did I never mention it? I thought I had communicated it.”

Seriously, what’s with this guy?

The demon laughed as if troubled and scratched his cheek.

“Well, it’s not that big of a deal. Riko-san, you will become the third demon of Koshien. In the original world, you’ll illuminate the future Koshien baseball players. You will create new legends, new emotions! Just as I have been doing. Just like how I inspired you all when you were young!”

“…! Demon, you… had a succession system?”

With arms spread wide and speaking loudly, I had to interject. Maika and Riko looked like they completely agreed.

Yeah, sure. But that’s not really the point right now.

“Don’t joke around, damn demon. I thought you were purely trying to fulfill our promise, but there was such an ulterior motive?”

“Ulterior? What are you talking about, Captain? I am fulfilling everyone’s wishes. If Riko-san becomes the demon of Koshien, she will be the closest to her beloved brother. Because Koshien is the ultimate. For a high school baseball player like the Captain, there’s nothing greater than Koshien. It’s much better than some vague and uncertain existence like a ghost. Koshien is eternal.”

“…! This guy, seriously…!”

Still, with the same unshakable confidence, he delivered his words with a gentle smile, as if they were the most natural in the world. He truly believes his good intentions are undoubted happiness for Riko and us.

Old fools like you rule high school baseball, and that’s why the youth are drifting away from the sport, you octopus! Koshien isn’t eternal at all! If you really love baseball, you should step back! Oh, wait, that’s what he’s trying to do.

So you’re saying you want to make Riko your successor? That’s utterly ridiculous.

“Riko, you don’t want any of this, right?”

“Of course not! It’s obvious! I’ve decided to live in this world with my brother!”

Riko’s clear declaration, however, was met with a shrug from the demon.

“Riko-san, it’s troublesome when you say such things now.”

That should be my line. Thinking everything goes his way just because he wants it to! I won’t forgive this!

“You, demon! Let me tell you something!”

“Wait, Kyugo, Kyugo.”

As I moved to confront the demon, a little hand tugged at the hem of my T-shirt from behind.

Maika was looking up at me with a very complicated expression. She seemed eager to say something, so I bent down to listen.

“Look, Kyugo, why not just leave him be? Words don’t get through to that person.”

“You say that, but this is about Riko and our future…”

“No, no, no. Nothing’s at stake. Because, that demon can’t do anything besides his fancy fielding, speed, and crafty pitching. Now that Riko has decided to live in this world, he has no way to end this world and return us to the original one.”

“True.”

Yes, that was it. I knew that and yet I got all heated up.

The fact is, the demon doesn’t even understand that this world isn’t a baseball game. No matter his motives, he doesn’t know how to achieve them. He’s no threat left to his own devices.

No matter how hard he tries at Koshien or beyond, this world won’t end… he’ll likely live his life without despair, optimistically believing he’ll return to the original world somehow. Yeah, probably.

So, spending any effort on persuading such a person is utterly wasteful. We can live happily as a family without that.

Yeah, then let’s head home and sleep.

But then.

“That’s not it, Maika, Riko. I didn’t come here to persuade. Like a baseball idiot like me would have debate skills.”

“That’s true,” “Yes, it is.”

A bit sad to be agreed with so easily, but okay.

“Right? So I didn’t come to persuade. I came to forcefully make him understand. No negotiations. There’s no request. I just want to overpower him with strength.”

“Kyugo… you brought a bat for that?”

“Brother… violence isn’t the answer… even if it’s just a wooden bat, it’s still lethal.”

“That’s not it. We’re playing baseball, normally. I’ll make it clear with these muscles. With him… and you two.”

“What?”

I patted the heads of the two most important people in the world to me, then turned back to the demon.

I pulled a wooden bat from the case on my back, pointed the head at him, and said,

“It’s a match, demon. Pitch with all your might.”

“Uh… I don’t want to, normally. I don’t want to accumulate unnecessary fatigue for tomorrow.”

He didn’t want to, normally. All that posturing, and it was for nothing.

But that’s a problem for me. I have something to prove.

First to the demon.

“Hey, demon. Let me say one thing.”

“Just one thing. I really want to go home and sleep soon.”

“You’re delusional. You’re making a big mistake. In two ways.”

“Not two? You’re clearly planning to say two things.”

“First. Fourteen years ago, that day. You said that mochi-mochi little girl Riko was blushing with an angelic smile. That’s true, but she wasn’t looking at Koshien Stadium with that mochi-mochi angel smile. It was me. Riko—and Maika—didn’t admire Koshien to be taken there by me. They admired me, and that’s why they wanted me to take them to Koshien.”

The demon’s eyes widened at my words.

Behind me, “Eh… my husband is so full of himself. Well, what he’s saying isn’t wrong though,” “Indeed, it’s 100% true,” my sisters-in-law muttered.

Good. I was a bit nervous while saying it, but I was right. Good.

So, taking them doesn’t necessarily have to be to the original world’s Koshien. It can be the Koshien of this world, and there’s even less need for the demon there.

No, to go further—if I may be allowed to say—it’s that there’s no need for a demon at Koshien in the original world either.

That’s the other fact I want to slam into him.

“Don’t underestimate me, demon. Those crazy kids called high school baseball players don’t need a demon in high school baseball.”

“What…”

“It’s their power that moves us, not some demon. Their effort. Their skill. Sendai Ikuei, Kaiyo, Nihon Bunri, Chukyo University Chukyo, they got there on their own power, showed us those games on their own power. Don’t be so full of yourself, idiot.”

The demon stood speechless.

Good, I’ve said what I wanted to say to him. All of it, my heartfelt truth. The conviction I’ve reached after pouring most of my life into baseball.

Well, just saying it won’t be very convincing.

So, I have to prove it. To demonstrate why, on behalf of high school players from both past and present worlds, I want to compete against this guy.

Our strength can move the hearts of baseball fans—no matter how stubborn those hearts may be.

“Pitch, demon. No, I’ll call you Nomo. From now on, you live as Nomo Makoto. It’s a serious match. These two are the umpires. Riko’s the chief.”

“Eh? Me, the umpire!? Impossible, brother. I can’t judge the strike zone!”

“Not an umpire. We don’t need one. The judgment of this match is whether your heart has been moved. It’s the mochi-mochi zone. Whether my home run has landed in the mochi-mochi zone, judge that with your eyes.”

“Assuming a home run is a given…”

“Don’t be so astounded, Maika. You better watch closely without blinking.”

Yes, and at the same time, I need to show them. Rather, first and foremost, I need to show these two.

Because. It seems like everything’s been resolved, but there’s still a big problem unsolved. There’s still something I need to prove to the two of them.

You two are both my number one.

Unless I convince them of that, our problem as three won’t fundamentally be resolved.

Just living isn’t enough. In this world, they must be the happiest.

So, I have to make them understand that they are my number one. Both Riko and Maika. Since explaining with words wasn’t understood, I have no choice but to convince them with force. I must subdue these stubborn double sisters with muscle.

First, Maika.

Maika talks about having my child as her greatest hope, but it won’t do if I just rest on my laurels. To build a forever happy family, I have to become the best husband, the best father.

What’s necessary for that is—again, money. In the end, it’s money.

The only way I can make big money is through baseball. I have to produce results as a professional baseball player. Just going to Koshien isn’t enough. It’s not proof that I can make a living from baseball.

“Maika. I’ll be a pitcher only until this summer. After Koshien, I’ll focus on being a fielder. I’ll earn as a professional home run hitter, for our most important life together.”

“…So. Well, if you’ve decided, I’m just here to support you.”

Maika widened her eyes for a moment but soon made a face as if it was okay.

I understand the emotions hiding behind that face.

Maika probably liked me more as a pitcher.

She liked watching me disregard pitch counts and energy saving to strike out batters, more than seeing my home runs.

But, it can’t be helped. My current dominance is just a trick, Maika’s power. But I can’t use such power when I stand on a professional mound.

Certainly, this fast ball will work to some extent. But how long can my joints, ligaments, and tendons withstand this arm swing? Even if testosterone from infidelity makes my muscles grow, it doesn’t mean they thicken in proportion. It’s only a matter of time before they snap. Repair them, and they break again. My life as a pitcher won’t last long.

So I’ll show as a batter, as a hitter, I can make big money.

I love pitching too, and giving it up is frustrating, but when I think about the life with Maika and the others, it suddenly doesn’t matter. Yes, it’s almost presumptuous to weigh it.

For the sake of meals for Rikuto and Rumina, Daddy will hit lots of home runs. ^_^

To someday make Maika think that my decision was the right one. To at least get her to agree now, here on this spot, I’ll prove it.

Next, Riko.

Riko, unlike Maika, likes me more as a batter than as a pitcher. She says I look the coolest when I hit home runs.

So,

“Riko. I’ll keep hitting home runs for you. I’ll keep dedicating the home runs you love the most from the universe to you, my most treasured person. 100, 200, 500, 800. I’d be happy if you realize with each one that you are my number one.”

“Brother…”

I will definitely achieve this. I have that confidence.

However, no matter how many I hit in tomorrow’s finals or at Koshien, it won’t prove anything. Most opponents are nowhere near the level of pitchers I’ll face in the pros.

It’s not rare for a top draft pick who was scouted and meticulously evaluated at high school baseball games to retire without hitting in the pros at all. The results left in high school baseball, especially batting records, hardly serve as a reference for succeeding in the pros.

So, to show Maika and Riko that I can hit home runs in the pros, I need a pitcher with a pro-level arm swing, like the powerhouse I saw that night.

“That’s why, Nomo. You must be frustrated just being told what to do, right? And don’t you want to have a serious match in the form of a high school player?”

“That is, well…”

“Don’t worry. I’ll definitely complete the game tomorrow, and this match will be just one pitch. Come at me with all your might. Use your dominant arm.”

“No, that’s… my dominant arm I’ve cultivated over the years wouldn’t be fair. As a high school player, I want to compete against the captain with my left arm I’ve trained.”

“That’s not what I’m talking about right now.”

Really can’t read the air!

Well, but. He seems willing to compete.

His eyes, his expression, changed. Sparkling, no, glaring with brilliance.

It was less the aura of a demon and more the expression of a baseball-loving, competitive-spirited youth. Probably. I don’t really know what he’s thinking. As long as he’s serious about the match, anything’s fine.

“I understand. Your love for baseball has come across. I’ll swing my right arm with all my might just once.”

“Thanks, Nomo.”

“Then I’ll warm up, so please wait a bit. Oh, by the way, I need someone for catch ball.”

“…Sure.”

Man, the pace is bad! Prioritizing a serious match over reading the air, I don’t hate that attitude!