I Thought I Was Dead After Getting Stabbed While Protecting a Girl From a Random Attacker, but a Goddess Gave Me a Special Reward and Brought Me Back to Life in My Original Body—Now, All These Girls Are Coming on to Me!?

Chapter 36: The First Match Begins!

In the end, when I finished practice and returned home, all the girls were gathered there.

“Yuna, are you really okay not resting?” Ryu asked.

“No problem. Eating happily with everyone like this actually relaxes me more,” Yuna replied.

“If that’s the case, fine…” Ryu said.

That day, we bought some drinks and snacks at a nearby convenience store and enjoyed a modest celebration for Yuna’s victory. Since my tournament wasn’t over yet, it was truly simple, but I felt the tension I had before the tournament eased a bit.

Maybe everyone was thinking about this, I thought. Every day, I truly realized how important these girls were to me.

In early summer, July, when the cicadas’ voices started to be heard, the heat became intense. For us baseball players, this season was one we eagerly awaited.

“Here we go…” Ryu muttered.

Yes, today, the high school baseball prefectural tournament finally began. I did everything I needed to do. My condition was perfect, my spirit was high, and I was in top shape.

“All right! Let’s go!” Ryu exclaimed.

It was 7 a.m. I planned to meet at school by 8 a.m. and head to the match venue, Fukuoka Citizens’ Stadium, by bus. I confirmed my spikes, glove, water bottle, and underwear were packed in my bag. Above all, my uniform. Seeing the number “20” printed on the neatly folded uniform in my bag filled me with both tension and excitement for the real thing.

I checked one last time for forgotten items and opened the house’s door. There, unexpectedly, some people were waiting.

“Hey! Ryu-kun’s here!” Makoto shouted.

“The waiting strategy was a huge success,” Kanade said.

“I-I tried to stop them, saying it’s not good to disturb Ryu when he wants to focus before the match…!” Yuna protested.

“You were the most excited at the end…” Makoto teased.

“What did you say!?” Yuna retorted.

“What are you all doing…?” Ryu asked.

Waiting beyond the door were my three proud girlfriends. If they were coming, they could’ve told me, and I’d have let them inside.

“I thought I’d surprise you a bit!” Makoto said.

“I heard from Yuna that a moderate surprise like this helps ease tension,” Kanade added.

“Don’t blame me!” Yuna snapped.

“Haha, thanks, everyone. I feel my nerves calming down a bit. Are you all coming to watch today?” Ryu asked.

“Yeah! Kanade and I are with the newspaper club, and Yuna won the cheer squad lottery!” Makoto answered.

“I heard the competition was crazy since there’s talk we could aim for Koshien this year. I’m glad I made it…” Yuna said.

“With Yuna cheering, I feel a hundred times stronger. I’m happy you’re coming,” Ryu said.

“I-Is that so…? Then I’ll cheer my hardest…!” Yuna vowed.

“Hey, Ryu-kun! What about me!? Isn’t my cheering worth a hundred times too!?” Makoto demanded.

“You ate my breakfast, and that’s all you say? I want the same words,” Kanade insisted.

“Sorry, sorry. Your cheering gives me a ton of strength too. Kanade, Makoto, I’m counting on you today,” Ryu said.

“Leave it to me! I’ll cheer louder than anyone!” Makoto declared.

“I’m ready too. I even brought throat lozenges in case my voice gives out,” Kanade said.

“Within reason, okay…?” Ryu cautioned.

Thanks to them, my mood was perfect. Time to head out to battle.

“Ryu-kun! Promise us!” Makoto shouted.

“Ryu, we’ll cheer you on fully,” Kanade said.

“I believe in you. So,” Yuna added.

“Win!” all three yelled.

“Leave it to me!” Ryu responded.

With three goddesses of victory on my side, there’s no way I’d lose.

—

“Mizuse, you’re here,” Nogata said.

“Captain, good work,” Ryu replied.

“Hmm. You look… in good shape!” Nogata observed.

“Perfect. I feel like I could throw 160 km/h right now,” Ryu boasted.

“Hahaha! That’s reassuring! I can pitch with confidence!” Nogata laughed.

“You never know? I might be the starter,” Ryu teased.

“You’ve gotten bold!” Nogata said.

“My, you seem relaxed, but don’t be surprised if your spot gets taken,” Madoka remarked.

“Senior Kuroki, good work,” Ryu greeted.

While talking with Captain Nogata, his girlfriend and our baseball team manager, Senior Kuroki, approached.

“Madoka, I’m your boyfriend, right?” Nogata asked.

“Yes, that’s right,” Madoka replied.

“Shouldn’t you normally side with your boyfriend in times like this?” Nogata questioned.

“Oh? Are you the kind of guy who needs his girlfriend’s help to outtalk a junior?” Madoka teased.

“Alright, Ryu! Ten pitches right now! I’ll bat, you pitch!” Nogata challenged.

“No way, it’s before the match. I’m not doing it. Wait, you’re joking, right?” Ryu said.

“What are you messing around for? Get on the bus already,” Shinya ordered.

Then Senior Takeda arrived. Apparently, the bus for transport arrived while we were chatting.

“Oh my, I got careless. I’ll load the luggage,” Madoka said.

“I’ll help,” Ryu offered.

“Thanks. I’ll leave it to you,” Madoka said.

Being chosen for the match didn’t change that I was a first-year rookie. I’d help out properly. While loading drinks onto the bus, I noticed someone else carrying the seniors’ gear like us.

It was Tsutsumi-kun, another first-year chosen for the team. After placing my luggage in the designated spot, I hurried to help him.

“Tsutsumi-kun, I’ll help,” Ryu offered.

“Oh, Mizuse-kun. Thanks,” Tsutsumi replied.

We loaded bats, spare gloves, spikes, and a fair amount of gear onto the bus. With the managers’ and second-year seniors’ help, we managed to fit everything into the bus’s storage.

“Phew, that was tough… Do we do this every match?” Tsutsumi panted.

“Well, think of it as a good warm-up before the game,” Ryu said.

“You’re so positive, Mizuse-kun…” Tsutsumi noted.

Tsutsumi wasn’t the burly type, and carrying all that luggage left him out of breath. There was still time before the match, so it shouldn’t be a problem…

“Mizuse-kun, don’t you ever get nervous?” Tsutsumi asked.

“Nervous?” Ryu echoed.

“Yeah. A lose-and-you’re-out match is about to start, right? Of course, I don’t expect to play, but…” Tsutsumi said.

“I’m a bit nervous,” Ryu admitted.

“Really? You seem so normal to me…” Tsutsumi observed.

“Probably because I try to stay normal. You get nervous when you treat the match as something special, right? So, if you think of it like a practice game, you don’t tense up unnecessarily,” Ryu explained.

“That’s the hard part, isn’t it?” Tsutsumi asked.

“I’m not perfect at it either. It’s about mindset. We’ve practiced hard, so there’s no need to do anything special. If you focus on being in the same mental state as during practice, it makes a big difference,” Ryu said.

“I see… I’ll think about it. Thanks, Mizuse-kun. Sorry for dragging you into this weird talk,” Tsutsumi apologized.

“No, I’m sorry I couldn’t give better advice,” Ryu replied.

“No way! It was really helpful! Let’s talk again!” Tsutsumi said, then ran off to join the fielders’ group. As fellow first-year teammates, I wanted to bond more.

“Alright! Luggage is loaded! Everyone, get on the bus! We’re leaving!” Nogata shouted.

—

When we arrived at the stadium, a large number of spectators were already there. Fukuoka Prefecture was a fierce battleground, with many pro-level players from other schools, so plenty of scouts were likely present.

Our turn was up right away in the first match of the prefectural tournament. From here, a month-long fierce battle for the single ticket to Koshien would begin.

“Alright, starting lineup announcement,” the coach declared.

The coach gathered everyone behind the bench and announced the players for today’s match. Naturally, the starting pitcher was Captain Nogata, wearing the ace number 1. As expected, I started on the bench.

“The start of the first match can determine the tournament’s outcome, so get fired up!” the coach instructed.

“Yes!” everyone responded.

The match was about to begin.

—

“Now, the first match of the National High School Baseball Fukuoka Prefecture Tournament, Phoenix High School versus Chikugo High School, will begin,” the announcer declared.

“Here we go…!” Makoto exclaimed.

“Yeah…! Will Ryu-kun get to play?” Kanade asked.

“Who knows… Probably not right away as a first-year, I think,” Yuna said.

Today was finally my boyfriend Ryu’s first match. Unlike my kendo, advancing to Koshien meant winning continuously for a month. Fighting under the pressure of no losses allowed was a huge burden.

That’s why we had to support him fully.

“Look! The players are coming out!” Makoto shouted.

“Ryu! Do your best!” Kanade cheered.

Makoto, and even Kanade, shouted louder than I’d ever heard. I couldn’t lose.

“Ryu! Stay normal!” Yuna yelled.

Did my voice reach him? Ryu glanced our way. He probably spotted us. He subtly waved below his waist so no one would notice. That’s the spirit, Ryu!

“He’ll be fine. Ryu-kun’s got this,” Makoto said.

“Yeah. He’ll definitely win,” Kanade affirmed.

“Aren’t you two more nervous watching than he is?” Yuna asked.

Both seemed incredibly tense. Did they feel like this watching my matches? When I asked, they said:

“Yuna, you never seemed like you’d lose, even to an amateur’s eyes…” Makoto said.

“You gave off this sense of assurance. Your presence was huge,” Kanade added.

“Is that so?” Yuna replied.

As a kendo fighter, hearing that made me happy, but… should I have more thrilling matches? I’d think about that later. For now, I focused on Ryu’s match.

Ryu wasn’t in the starting lineup, as expected. Still, I’d cheer my hardest so we could win.

“Play ball!” the umpire called.

Summer began.