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 44: The Deciding Match

Ryu Minase thought the momentum came to his team after escaping a pinch, but, as expected, Arai’s pitches showed no signs of weakening even in this final stage.

Rather, Arai’s increasingly intense expression intimidated Ryu’s team, and they suppressed Ryu’s team with three consecutive outs.

Thus, the final inning arrived, and if Ryu’s team held the opponents here, they would advance to the finals.

“Don’t worry about winning or losing,” said Makabe-senpai. “Just throw with all your might into my mitt, Ryu. Then, you’ll notice we’ve won.”

“I understand,” replied Ryu. “I just nod to your signs and throw.”

“That’s a big responsibility,” said Makabe-senpai.

Ryu and Makabe-senpai laughed as they spoke.

As Ryu walked from the bench to the mound, the fielders heading to the field alongside him patted his shoulder and ran to their defensive positions.

At this point, words became unnecessary between them.

To defeat the last three batters and win, each player gave their all.

The final inning started with the opponent’s lower batting order.

First, the leadoff batter stepped up.

Ryu threw a fast slider for the first pitch.

The batter watched it pass, earning one strike.

“Damn…!” muttered the batter.

In this final stage, trailing, the batter felt increasing pressure as Ryu easily earned a strike. Naturally, this pressure grew, pushing the batter into a mindset of swinging earlier to avoid being cornered.

If that happened, the batter played into Ryu’s hands.

For the second pitch, Ryu threw a sweeper outside.

Normally, a batter might let such a ball pass, but an eager batter swung at it impulsively.

The batter swung and missed, earning two strikes.

At this point, Ryu needed no more strikes.

Ryu aimed for the inside low zone with a changeup, a ball just below the knees, and the batter swung at it.

The batter, thrown off timing, leaned forward, knelt, and struck out. One out.

Next, the eighth batter stepped up, and the opposing coach emerged from the bench. A pinch hitter, perhaps?

Ryu recalled seeing this batter in game footage. He remembered a typical pull hitter, whose power warranted caution.

Ryu decided to start by observing.

He nodded to Makabe-senpai’s sign and aimed for the senior’s mitt.

First, Ryu threw a fast slider outside.

He expected the batter to let it pass or swing and miss.

Crack!

Surprisingly, the batter reached for the pitch, far outside the plate.

The ball went foul down the third-base line, but the hit itself was quite strong.

Ryu recalled the footage showing a batter who pulled with brute force, but this swing suggested a hidden weapon. The opponent remained dangerous until the end.

Still, the batter’s high pull-hitting ability likely remained unchanged, so Ryu saw no need to alter his outside-focused strategy.

Next, Ryu threw a fastball outside again.

The batter stretched for the high pitch.

But he swung and missed.

Overall, the opposing lineup struggled to time Ryu’s fastball.

Ryu threw another sweeper outside, moving from strike to ball.

“Ugh…!” grunted the batter.

The batter half-swung, and Makabe-senpai requested a call from the base umpire, but the call was safe.

This made it one ball, two strikes.

The batter stopped well, but reaching for that pitch suggested something.

Thud!

Ryu finished with a high-inside fastball.

The batter swung and missed for a strikeout. Two outs. One more to victory.

“Stay calm and watch!” shouted a teammate.

“Just do it like always, and we’ll win!” yelled another.

With two strikeouts, Ryu’s team had two outs.

They achieved five consecutive strikeouts, literally toying with the opponents.

But the opponents refused to give up.

The final batter clung to every pitch, regardless of zone or type.

The opposing coach realized he focused too much on Nogata’s matchup and neglected analyzing Ryu, the first-year. He admitted this was entirely his mistake.

But because of that, he needed to lead his team to victory.

He wanted the batting order to reach him.

If it did, he would surely hit against that first-year.

“Four balls!” called the umpire.

The persistent batter, after nine pitches, earned a walk and reached base.

One more batter, and the order would reach the coach.

“Come on, first-year!” he shouted.

With determination, Nagase, the coach’s partner, stepped into the batter’s box.

Nagase, who joined him in analyzing footage almost daily despite the coach’s selfishness, would surely connect to him.

But, as if crushing the coach’s hopes, Ryu’s varied pitches and sharp fastballs quickly set the count.

That first-year remained frustratingly calm.

Despite this being his first real game and pitching in an emergency due to the ace’s injury, Ryu threw composedly, exuding the aura of a seasoned veteran.

But the coach’s team didn’t back down. Nagase fouled off tough pitches, searching for one to hit.

“Let’s go!” shouted Nagase.

As Nagase battled boldly in the batter’s box, the coach, in the on-deck circle, visualized his turn through mental training.

Then came the fateful seventh pitch.

Clang!

The metallic sound echoed.

The ball soared high.

It headed toward left field, with distance…

The outfielder turned toward it.

He settled under the ball and caught it securely.

Three outs. Game over.

The umpire’s call signaled the end of the coach’s summer.

“Alright!” shouted Ryu.

Ryu retired the final batter with a left-field fly, ending the game.

“Nice pitch! You really saved us!” said a teammate.

“You’re amazing! Are you sure you’re not faking your age with that composure?” teased another.

After greetings, Ryu returned to the bench, mobbed by all the players.

“Hey, who smacked my back so hard? That hurt!” complained Ryu.

“Alright, save the celebration for later. Pack up and let’s go!” ordered a coach.

“Yes!” replied the team.

Ryu and the managers cleaned up the bench and headed outside the stadium, where Nogata, the team captain on crutches, and Kuroki-senpai stood by his side.

Nogata saw Ryu, approached slowly, and hugged him.

“…Huh?” said Ryu.

“Thank you, Minase,” said Nogata. “Because of you, I can continue this summer.”

“No,” replied Ryu. “I just did what I could.”

“Let me thank you too,” said Kuroki-senpai, grasping Ryu’s hands. “Thank you so much.”

Kuroki-senpai? What was she doing in front of her boyfriend?

“Because of you, I might see Koki fight again,” she said. “That makes me so happy.”

Ryu understood.

If they lost there, the third-years’ tournament would have ended prematurely, so to speak.

Their joy carried extra weight.

Then, a man approached.

“Nogata…” said Arai.

“Arai,” replied Nogata.

“Is your leg okay?” asked Arai.

“Yeah,” said Nogata. “I’ll throw in the bullpen tomorrow.”

Arai glanced at Nogata’s leg, clearly seeing through his bravado.

“…I’m sorry,” said Arai.

“Don’t apologize,” said Nogata. “It was an accident. Nobody’s at fault. If anything, I’m to blame for training so weakly that I stumbled there.”

“But…” said Arai.

“No buts or anything,” said Nogata. “Nobody’s at fault. That’s the end of it.”

“I understand,” said Arai. “I’ll quietly root for your victory. Goodbye.”

Arai’s back looked small as he walked away.

Seeing this, Nogata called out one last time.

“Arai, let’s do this again,” he said.

“…If we get the chance,” replied Arai.

Some rejoiced in victory, but naturally, others drank the bitter dregs of defeat.

Ryu resolved to carry their share and win the championship to reach Koshien.

“Ryu-kun!” shouted Makoto.

“Makoto—gah!” gasped Ryu.

Makoto’s missile-like tackle hit Ryu’s abdomen, momentarily stealing his breath.

“M-Makoto,” said Ryu. “I’m sweaty and dirty…”

“Really? You don’t smell bad at all,” said Makoto.

Makoto sniffed him. Ryu pleaded, “Seriously, stop! It’s embarrassing!”

“Really, Makoto, stop sniffing!” said Kanade.

Then came Kanade’s missile from behind.

“Ryu’s scent… nice… I want to stay like this…” said Kanade.

“Uh, Kanade-san?” said Ryu. “Can you please stop?”

“No,” said Kanade.

“No!?” exclaimed Ryu.

Her single word dismissed Ryu’s request. Why?

“Hey, you two,” said Yuna. “Ryu’s tired, so don’t bother him too much.”

“Yuna…” said Ryu.

Yuna, the savior, appeared.

Ryu felt he couldn’t control those two in his current state.

Then, Sakuya whispered something to Yuna.

“…then… right?” said Sakuya.

“But… I see… you’re right!” said Yuna.

“Yuna? Sakuya?” said Ryu.

“Ryu!” shouted Yuna.

“Y-Yes!” replied Ryu.

“Here I go!” said Yuna.

“What!?” exclaimed Ryu.

Yuna charged at Ryu from the front.

The third hit, Yuna’s missile, struck.

“Guh!” grunted Ryu.

It landed a clean hit on his solar plexus. The damage might have been worse than the game.

Makoto, previously in front, had shifted to cling to Ryu’s right arm. What teamwork.

“And finally, me!” said Sakuya.

“Mmph!?” gasped Ryu.

Sakuya clung to Ryu beside Yuna, as if delivering the final blow.

“Hehe… I love Onii-chan’s scent… right, Yuna-neechan?” said Sakuya.

“U-Uh, um… somehow, this scent calms me…” said Yuna.

“Stop it, everyone,” said Ryu. “There are people around, so don’t say such embarrassing things!”

“Hey, everyone,” said Ryu’s father. “Ryu’s in trouble, right?”

“It’s fine to cheer him, but draw the line properly,” said Ryu’s mother.

Ryu’s parents spoke up for him.

“Thanks for coming, Dad and Mom,” said Ryu.

“Of course,” said his mother. “No parent misses their son’s shining moment.”

“Your pitching was great!” said his father. “We’re proud as parents!”

“I’m glad I showed you a cool side,” said Ryu.

As Ryu chatted with everyone, his heightened emotions from the game calmed.

Reflecting, he realized he had been somewhat tense.

He decided to rest well at home that day.

Afterward, the baseball team had a post-game meeting, so they returned to school by bus. Ryu was curious if Nogata could pitch in the finals.

Ryu parted with his family and boarded the team bus back to school.

“Two weeks to heal,” said the coach about Nogata’s diagnosis. “He might pitch if he pushes, but I won’t let him in the finals.”

Ryu had suspected as much. Seeing Nogata on crutches, he knew it wasn’t minor, but two weeks was perhaps fortunate.

The issue was who would start in the finals.

“For the finals the day after tomorrow, Minase, I’m counting on you,” said the coach.

Ryu was shocked. Him, starting against the top-seeded Ohmagari High School in the big game?

“…Understood. Leave it to me!” said Ryu.

“That’s reassuring!” said the coach. “Terada, prepare to be ready anytime that day.”

“G-Got it!” said Terada.

“Fielders, support Minase to make his job easier!” said the coach.

“Yes!” replied the team.

“Alright, let’s review Ohmagari High School’s key players’ data,” said the coach. “I know you’re tired, but focus and listen. First…”

After reviewing Ohmagari High School’s main players’ data, the team disbanded. Ryu, dragging his fatigued body, reached the school gate, where, naturally, his beloved girlfriends gathered, including his stepsister Sakuya.

“Oh, Onii-chan’s here!” said Sakuya.

“You okay? I’ll carry your stuff,” said Makoto.

“I’ll support your shoulder,” said Kanade.

“I’ll take the other side… Ryu’s scent, sniff sniff… nothing,” said Yuna.

“You’re not hiding it, Kanade,” said Ryu.

Ryu felt truly supported by them.

He wondered if he did anything for them.

Perhaps due to fatigue, Ryu thought such aimless things as he headed home.