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 40: Toward the Semifinals

“Big brother!”

I, Sakuya Minase, came to Fukuoka with family to cheer for my brother, Ryu Minase, who advanced to the semifinals in the prefectural baseball tournament.

As soon as I arrived at big brother’s house, I tightly hugged his waist at the entrance where he greeted me.

“It’s been a while, Sakuya,” he said.

He looked down at me with a gentle smile and patted my head. I love big brother so much…

Although we are siblings, we are not blood-related, so we are what you call stepsiblings.

When I was young, my mother lost my father. My current dad supported her devotedly through their shared love for sports, and his son was my big brother.

Even though I was still in elementary school, I admired my brother, who tried his best to protect me.

But the human heart is a tricky thing. When I hit puberty, expressing affection openly to my opposite-sex brother became difficult.

Instead, I often threw cold, insincere words at him, and I grew fed up with myself for it.

Still, deep down, I think I took for granted that my kind big brother would forgive his cheeky, unexpressive little sister.

That incident shattered my worldview.

When big brother moved to Fukuoka to live alone, I felt an emptiness, as if the world lost its color. One day, a phone call suddenly came to our house.

When Mom answered the phone, she collapsed to her knees. At that moment, I felt an eerie sense of unease in my chest, which I still remember.

“Listen calmly… Ryu was attacked and stabbed by a thug… He hasn’t regained consciousness, and they don’t know if he’ll survive…”

…What?

Just the other day, big brother smiled at me and said, “I’m off.”

I responded to him with a blank expression, not even replying properly.

The memory of him gently patting my head with a wry smile suddenly flooded back.

Can I never be patted like that again?

Will he stop smiling at me kindly or greeting me with “good morning”…?

No way, that’s a lie.

If it would come to this, I should have expressed my feelings to big brother more honestly.

If it would come to this, I should have burned his face into my memory more clearly.

If it would come to this…

Endless regret threatened to crush my heart.

“He’s in a hospital in Fukuoka now, so we’re heading there quickly,” Mom said.

“Got it…!” I replied.

That’s right. It’s not decided that big brother will die.

Big brother is fighting right now. So, I need to cheer for him from the closest place possible. I’ll make sure he comes back to me.

In the end, thanks to big brother’s effort, he survived, but my love for him turned into an unstoppable runaway train.

I think about big brother at random moments.

When I go to a café with friends, I think, “Big brother would like these pancakes.”

When I see a stuffed animal in a shop window, I think, “Oh, this one looks like big brother,” and the next moment, I realize I already bought it.

I can’t sleep unless I imagine big brother hugging me every night…

Big brother has three charming girlfriends.

There’s Makoto and Kanade, the girls he protected from the thug.

Both are wonderful people. Even though I was jealous and acted cold toward them for being with big brother all the time, they patiently dealt with me.

The other one is Yuna, my big sister figure.

She’s been close to big brother since we were kids, and I admire her, thinking this is what having an older sister must feel like.

…If he already has so many girlfriends, adding one more shouldn’t be a problem, right?

Big brother, get ready! I’m surprisingly clingy.

I’m staying at big brother’s house for a week starting today.

In this week, I’ll make sure big brother notices me!

Oh, but more than that, I can’t forget to take care of big brother with his match coming up!

As a fellow athlete, I’ll support him properly!

“Big brother! I took a bath! Want to go first?” I ask.

“Sakuya, you go first. I’ll take my time and go later,” he replies.

“Got it! So big brother’s the type who wants to enjoy my bathwater…” I tease.

“Wait a second,” he says.

Ignoring his protest, I head straight to the bathroom.

I feel like I just caused some serious reputational damage… I’ll make sure to correct it later.

On the night before the semifinals, Sakuya took charge of most of the housework since I had a match coming up. I tried to help, but she rejected everything, saying, “What if you get injured before the match!”

How do you even get injured doing housework?

…Well, if it makes her happy, I’ll let her do as she pleases.

About thirty minutes later, I switch with Sakuya and take a bath.

It’s not weird, but her “bathwater” comment makes me oddly conscious.

No, really, it’s not like that at all. Who am I even explaining this to? It’s not an excuse, okay?

When I finish my bath and return to the living room, Sakuya is waiting with a yoga mat spread on the floor.

“…What are you doing?” I ask.

“I’m going to give a massage,” she replies.

“…Who is?” I ask.

“Me,” she says.

“To who?” I ask.

“To big brother,” she answers.

…

It seems my little sister has grown up quite a bit while I wasn’t looking.

Even if I’m her brother, saying such things to a guy so carelessly is outrageous. As her brother, I need to set her straight.

“…Sakuya, don’t say things like that to guys,” I say.

“No way I’d say this to anyone else. I only say this to big brother,” she replies.

“…I’m a guy too, you know,” I say.

“…I want to give you a massage. …Is that okay?” she asks.

“…Just this once,” I say.

“Yay! Thanks, big brother!” she exclaims.

What brother could refuse his cute little sister begging with those puppy eyes? None.

“Now lie down here!” she says.

“Okay…” I reply.

As told, I lie down on the yoga mat.

“I’ll start with your lower back~ Tell me if it hurts even a little~” she says.

With that, Sakuya begins massaging my back slowly.

She massages gently, careful not to strain my muscles.

Sakuya’s so good at this that even my trainer dad gave her his approval.

If she weren’t this skilled, I wouldn’t let her massage me before a match.

Gradually, a warm sensation spreads from my lower back.

It’s proof that blood flow is improving in the massaged areas.

“How’s it feel? Good?” she asks.

“Yeah… I heard from Dad about your massages, but you’re this good…” I say.

“Hehe. It’s one of my many talents!” she says.

Her lack of false modesty is probably one reason so many people like her. Even I like her open, honest personality.

“I’ll do it properly after the semifinals too,” she says.

“Really? I’d appreciate it…” I say.

“Of course it’s fine! I’ll support you all the way to Koshien!” she says.

“Thanks, Sakuya,” I say.

“You’re welcome, big brother!” she replies.

Seeing her smile so freely makes me feel glad to be alive.

“Koki~ It’s about time to wrap up, or it’ll affect tomorrow,” Madoka says.

“…Yeah, I’m almost done,” Koki replies.

“…Aren’t you pushing yourself too hard? Sure, the opponent is that guy,” she says.

On the evening before the semifinals, after school, in the gym facility bathed in the setting sun, baseball team captain Koki Nogata and manager Madoka Kuroki stand together.

“I know. I know, but… things don’t always go as planned,” Koki says.

“…You’ll be fine. You’ve all gotten even stronger since last year. Plus, you’ve got reliable first-years this time, right?” Madoka says.

“…You really think highly of Minase, don’t you?” Koki asks.

“What? Jealous?” Madoka teases.

“You bet I am. Even if he’s a first-year, I’m not handing you over to anyone,” Koki says.

“…I hate how honest you are,” Madoka says.

“I love how you’re not,” Koki replies.

“…Ugh, fine. You win! Just cool down already! If you don’t hurry, I’m leaving without you!” Madoka says.

Her face turns bright red as she storms out of the gym. The captain’s face shows a smile directed at his beloved as she walks away, but it quickly turns serious again.

“…This time, I’ll win for sure,” Koki vows.

The showdown is tomorrow.

“It’s them again?” one says.

“Yes. It seems they’ve got a decent first-year this year,” another replies.

“Oh, this guy, right? He throws some pretty good pitches,” the first says.

At Nanasei Academy High School’s baseball clubroom, two figures watch a video in a dark room, the lenses of one’s black-rimmed glasses glinting.

The video shows Ryu Minase standing on the mound from the previous match.

“There won’t be a problem. The game will likely be decided before he even pitches,” one says.

“Exactly,” the other agrees.

“I’m really looking forward to tomorrow. Just thinking about seeing that expression on his face again gives me chills,” one says.

He flashes a sly grin.

What scene reflects in the lenses of his glasses?