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 47: Meeting a Rival

The next day, we arrived at the battlefield, Fukuoka Citizens’ Baseball Stadium.

The match started at 10 in the morning, and we warmed up thoroughly for about an hour to prepare for the final battle.

“…I’m counting on you today, Minase,” Nogata said.

“Leave it to me. I’ll make sure to keep them in check,” Ryu replied.

Captain Nogata, who used crutches, planned to stay in the dugout, but if Ryu pitched poorly, Nogata might push through the pain to take the mound himself.

To avoid making Captain Nogata overdo it, Ryu had to fulfill his role as the starting pitcher properly.

As if switching places with Captain Nogata, Tsutsumi-kun, a fellow first-year in the dugout, approached Ryu.

“A-Are you okay? Not nervous?” Tsutsumi asked.

“I’m fine for now. Actually, I’m a bit excited to stand on a fresh mound,” Ryu answered.

“You’re really amazing, Minase-kun… If it were me, I’d be throwing up on the mound…” Tsutsumi said with a wry smile.

“But even so, you’d probably play as usual, wouldn’t you, Tsutsumi-kun?” Ryu responded.

“You’re overestimating me. Oh, want help with stretching?” Tsutsumi offered.

“Oh, can I ask you to help?” Ryu asked.

“Leave it to me!” Tsutsumi replied.

Ryu stretched carefully to loosen his muscles and keep his body flexible.

His physical condition was perfect. Mentally, he felt fulfilled too.

If Ryu were alone, he might have worried about Sakuya, but the girls supported him, giving him the reassurance to focus properly.

…Yes, everything was perfect.

Now, he just had to shut down Oomagu High School and head to Koshien.

“Ryuu-kun! We’re here!” Makoto shouted.

“We made it just before the match,” Kanade added.

“We’ll cheer you on properly today!” Yuna said.

“Big brother! Fight hard!” Sakuya cheered.

As the match time approached, Makoto and the others came to Ryu.

Seeing their faces before the game felt good. It fired Ryu up, reminding him to win for everyone.

Then, a figure approached from behind Makoto and the others. He was…

“Sorry, can I talk to you for a sec?” the figure said.

The person who spoke to them wore the uniform of Oomagu High School, their opponent in the final.

He had short, neatly trimmed brown hair and looked like a typical refreshing, handsome guy.

…Ryu didn’t have good memories of this type of person… Well, it was just his own prejudice.

Ryu realized he’d seen him before—during the meeting two days ago. He was Oomagu High School’s first-year ace.

His name was…

“Shiki Takeshi…” Ryu muttered.

“Oh, you know me, Minase Ryu,” Shiki replied.

So, he was the one Ryu would pitch against today.

As expected from an ace of a powerhouse school that regularly went to Koshien, he had an aura.

“Hmm… You’re definitely on this side,” Shiki said.

“This… side? What’s that?” Ryu asked.

“…Never mind. Talking to you isn’t really my main point today…” Shiki said, then turned his face to the right. His gaze landed on…

“Um, could you tell me your name?” Shiki asked.

“Oh, um, I’m Minase Sakuya…” Sakuya answered.

“Sakuya-san! That’s a great name!” Shiki exclaimed.

Hey, was this guy seriously trying to flirt before the match? And with Ryu’s precious Sakuya, no less.

Ryu wasn’t about to let that slide.

“Sorry, but hitting on a girl before a match shows a lack of restraint, don’t you think?” Ryu said.

“Oh, sorry. It’s only natural for a brother to protect his sister. Don’t worry, I just want to get a little closer to her,” Shiki replied.

“You think I’d allow that, flirt?” Ryu shot back.

“Oho, you’re pretty harsh for a first meeting, stubborn guy,” Shiki retorted.

Sparks flew between Ryu and Shiki… no, between Shiki and Ryu.

Who said this guy had an aura? He was just a flirty jerk.

“B-Big brother…” Sakuya stammered.

“See, you’re scaring your little sister with that scary face,” Shiki said.

“Whose fault is that?” Ryu snapped.

Before Ryu realized, Kanade and Makoto stood on his right, Yuna on his left, all protecting Sakuya.

“Oh, the other ladies are all beauties too. But sorry, my goal is just one person—Sakuya-san,” Shiki said.

“W-What is it?” Sakuya asked.

“Would you go out with me? I won’t let you regret it,” Shiki said.

“G-Go out!? You mean that kind of going out…!?” Sakuya exclaimed.

“I think it’s exactly the kind you’re imagining,” Shiki said with a smile.

That smile, every gesture, looked so polished because he was handsome. It pissed Ryu off…

“Hey, don’t skip over me and push this forward,” Ryu said.

“This is between me and her. Even if you’re her brother, it’s not your business, right?” Shiki replied.

“As her brother, it’s my duty to protect her,” Ryu countered.

“But it’s up to her to decide if she wants to date me. I’m not bad-looking, and I’m confident I can love you faithfully. It was love at first sight. Would you please consider it?” Shiki said to Sakuya.

“I-I…” Sakuya hesitated.

“I’ll say it again. Stop talking past me. I’m not handing Sakuya over to you,” Ryu said.

“Wow, what a possessive brother,” Shiki remarked.

“Big brother…!” Sakuya said.

Shiki was right about that.

Ryu finally realized he did feel possessive about Sakuya.

“Alright, how about this? If I win today’s match, I get a chance to ask Sakuya-san out again,” Shiki proposed.

“And if I win?” Ryu asked.

“I’ll back off quietly. I won’t ever approach her again,” Shiki answered.

“…If Sakuya says no, you don’t gain anything, do you?” Ryu pointed out.

“As long as I get a chance to talk to Sakuya-san, I’m confident I can win her over,” Shiki said.

“That’s quite a claim,” Ryu said.

“Call it what you want. I’m sincere and devoted, as you can see. I’ll love her properly, so don’t worry, dear brother-in-law,” Shiki teased.

“Don’t mess around. I’m not forgiving you. I’m not making Sakuya a bet in the first place. Back off quietly,” Ryu said.

“No can do. I’m desperate too. I want to win her over,” Shiki insisted.

…This was going nowhere. The match was about to start, and this guy was so persistent.

“…Why not take the challenge?” Yuna said.

“Yuna?” Ryu asked.

“Oh? Looks like someone understands,” Shiki said.

“To begin with, that bet isn’t even a bet. Ryu won’t lose to you,” Yuna said.

“Is that so?” Shiki replied.

“Even if, by some miracle, the world turned upside down and Ryu lost, there’s a 120% chance Sakuya wouldn’t fall for you,” Yuna added.

“There’s no such thing as absolute in this world,” Shiki said.

“I can say this with certainty. It’s absolute,” Yuna declared.

“You’re making some big claims… Right, dear brother-in-law?” Shiki said.

Ryu thought over Yuna’s words carefully.

He didn’t believe Sakuya would take this guy seriously.

He trusted her. He trusted her feelings for him too.

More than anything, Ryu felt a burning desire not to lose to this guy.

He absolutely didn’t want to hand Sakuya over.

He could at least thank Shiki for making him realize those feelings.

It had been a while since Ryu felt this much hostility toward someone.

“Alright. I’ll take that challenge,” Ryu said.

“Big brother…” Sakuya said.

“Sakuya, it’s okay. I won’t let anyone take you,” Ryu reassured.

“…!” Sakuya gasped.

“Good. Let’s make it a serious match today. My main goal is Sakuya-san, but I’m actually a bit excited to pitch against you. I’ve been looking forward to facing someone tough,” Shiki said.

“…I’m not excited at all,” Ryu replied.

“That’s a shame. See you on the field then. Sakuya-san, see you later,” Shiki said, winking dramatically as he walked away.

That guy was annoying to the very end…

He was a different kind of trouble compared to Nishino…

Why did Ryu keep getting tangled up with these good-looking guys…!

“B-Big brother, I’m sorry… It’s my fault…” Sakuya said.

“That was absolutely not your fault. It’s that fake handsome guy’s fault. I won’t forgive him…!” Ryu said.

“Yeah, Sakuya-chan! Ryuu-kun will crush that guy!” Makoto added.

“B-But if I had refused him clearly, this wouldn’t have…” Sakuya said.

“When someone comes on that strong, anyone would freeze up. You did nothing wrong, Sakuya-chan,” Kanade said.

“Exactly. It’s our fault for not protecting you properly. Sorry for scaring you,” Yuna added.

“Everyone…” Sakuya said.

“Borrowing Makoto’s words, Ryu won’t lose. Right?” Kanade said.

“…You guys sure say what you want, huh? Of course I’ll win,” Ryu said.

Yuna grinned boldly.

She really knew how to stoke Ryu’s fighting spirit.

Even without Yuna’s words, for Sakuya’s sake and for his own feelings, Ryu would not lose this match.

“…Phew,” Shiki sighed.

“What’s up, Shiki? Nervous before the match?” a senior asked.

“Oh, no, I’m fine,” Shiki replied.

“Even you get sensitive before a final, huh! Haha! Leave the rest to your seniors and pitch relaxed like always!” the senior said, patting Shiki’s shoulder and heading to the dugout.

“…That’s not it,” Shiki muttered.

Unlike his confident act earlier, Shiki leaned against the hallway to the dugout, looking dejected.

He had planned to confess his feelings to her before the match to strengthen his resolve, then ask her out again after winning the ticket to Koshien.

But standing in his way was her brother, Minase Ryu, the very person he’d pitch against today.

At first, Shiki meant to handle it peacefully, but it turned into a heated exchange of words.

He knew his behavior was too flirty.

If he had chosen his words better, things might have gone differently.

His timing was bad too.

Approaching her when players were most emotionally volatile was a mistake.

The more he thought about it, the more he realized how poorly he handled it.

But regrets wouldn’t change anything.

The only path left for him was to win the final.