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 52: Conclusion

Chapter 52: Conclusion

Finally, the last inning arrived.

If Ryu Minase suppressed this inning, Phoenix High School would reach Koshien.

However, this inning was likely the toughest obstacle on the path to Koshien. The reason was that the leadoff batter for this inning was…

The announcer shouted, “Now, this fierce battle finally reaches its last inning. Both teams’ first-year starting pitchers have shown divine pitching so far, making it a tight pitchers’ duel, but will this be the end, or will Oomagu High School catch up…!”

The announcer continued, “Oomagu High School faces its greatest pinch, but it is also their greatest chance. After all, the leadoff batter for this inning is…”

Tadano-kun, the number three batter, stepped into the batter’s box. He was the only player in this game to have multiple hits.

Among Oomagu High School’s powerful lineup, Ryu honestly thought Tadano-kun stood out as different.

The intimidation Ryu felt from him was far greater than from any other player.

Earlier, despite Ryu being in near-perfect condition, Tadano-kun had perfectly hit a pitch with clear intent.

In Ryu’s current exhausted state, he wondered if he could suppress Tadano-kun. This moment was surely Ryu’s greatest challenge.

Ryu could no longer throw with much speed.

He wondered if using breaking balls instead of fastballs would be the smarter choice.

Makabe-senpai signaled for an outside slider.

Ryu nodded, wound up, and threw the ball.

When tired like this, Ryu knew it was crucial to focus on large movements to avoid shrinking his motion.

The pitch felt good, and the control was spot on.

Clang!

Tadano-kun swung at the first pitch, an outside ball, without hesitation.

However, even this formidable batter seemed to put too much power into the swing and failed to adjust, fouling the ball off down the first-base line.

Good, Ryu thought, the first pitch was a success.

The next pitch was the key.

Before being cornered, Tadano-kun would surely come out swinging aggressively.

Ryu chose a sweeper for the next pitch.

It was another outside ball.

Tadano-kun’s bat twitched in reaction, but he held back and took the ball.

As expected, judging by that reaction, Tadano-kun was likely aiming for the outside.

Ryu thought Tadano-kun might swing even at pitches slightly out of the zone.

Ryu considered whether to simply aim for the inside or deliberately throw outside to induce a weak hit.

But then, Ryu wondered if his current pitch strength could even handle throwing inside.

Ryu glanced at Makabe-senpai.

Through the catcher’s mask, Makabe-senpai’s eyes showed complete trust in Ryu.

Right, Ryu decided, he would stop worrying about his condition.

Makabe-senpai, who caught Ryu’s pitches, knew their condition best, so Ryu resolved to simply follow his signs and throw.

Makabe-senpai’s next choice was…

Crack!

It was a low-inside fastball.

The pitch speed was barely around 140 kilometers per hour.

But precisely because of that, the inside pitch seemed to catch Tadano-kun off guard.

With that, Ryu had him cornered.

For the fourth pitch, Ryu threw another inside pitch, this time a changeup.

Ryu intended to finish him with a change of pace, but…

The ball caught on Ryu’s fingers and bounced once in front of the plate.

Ryu’s fingertips felt slightly off.

He had gripped the ball too deeply.

Ryu exhaled, “…Phew.”

It was fine, Ryu told himself, he was the one with the advantage.

There was no need to tense up.

If Ryu threw as usual with focus, he could suppress Tadano-kun.

Above all, Ryu needed to believe in himself.

Ryu gripped the ball tightly in his glove.

He threw the ball toward Makabe-senpai’s mitt.

Ryu shouted, “Uoah!!”

The pitch flew low and outside.

Naturally, Tadano-kun swung his bat.

At the moment the bat nearly touched the ball, it curved sharply outward. Tadano-kun’s bat couldn’t keep up with the change.

The bat sliced through the air with a whoosh.

The umpire shouted, “Strikeout!”

A swinging strikeout. That was one out.

Next up was Nagashino-kun, the number four batter.

He was a left-handed pull hitter, the type Ryu matched up worst against.

However, from Nagashino-kun’s earlier at-bats, Ryu had grasped his tendencies.

For the first pitch, Ryu threw a sinking changeup low and inside.

Nagashino-kun made contact but hooked it, and the ball went behind the catcher. One strike.

The second pitch was a high-inside decoy ball.

Nagashino-kun let it pass for a ball.

With the inside pitches so far, Ryu figured Nagashino-kun’s focus was on the inner half.

The next pitch was a fastball high and outside, thrown into the zone.

As expected, Nagashino-kun swung, but with his mind still on pulling inside pitches, swinging at the outside pitch would likely result in a foul at best.

Sure enough, the ball rolled outside the first-base line.

This was the moment, Ryu thought.

Ryu threw a backdoor sweeper, a pitch he hadn’t shown yet.

Caught off guard by both the timing and the movement, Nagashino-kun lost his balance.

He barely made contact, but the ball floated weakly for an infield fly.

Hazama-senpai at shortstop called, “Alright!” and caught it firmly. Two outs.

Shiki-kun’s voice echoed from the opposing bench, “We can still do this! From here, from here!”

Oomagu High School hadn’t created any notable chances except for Makabe-senpai’s home run, as Ryu had pitched nearly perfectly. Phoenix High School was undoubtedly outmatched in bullpen depth. If Oomagu tied the game here, Phoenix High School’s chances of winning would be next to none.

So, Ryu resolved to end it here.

The fifth batter was Edgar-kun, an exchange student who had no hits so far.

Though he hadn’t contributed at the plate, he had repeatedly stopped Phoenix High School’s hardest-hit balls in the field.

Even if he was struggling, his strong defensive rhythm might have boosted his condition. Ryu decided to stay cautious until the end.

The first pitch was an outside slider.

Edgar-kun swung hard, but the bat’s path was far off the ball’s trajectory.

That was one strike.

If Edgar-kun got out here, Oomagu High School’s summer would end.

The pressure of being a powerhouse school must have felt immense for them.

But Ryu wouldn’t go easy.

Not that he had the energy to hold back anyway.

For the second pitch, Ryu threw a sweeper on the same outside course.

The ball curved even more sharply, and Edgar-kun swung reflexively, missing again.

Two strikes.

Oomagu’s players shouted desperately, “Stay calm! Watch the ball closely! You can hit it!”

From behind Ryu, his reliable senpais called out, “It’s okay! Stay calm until the end!”

They added, “We’ve got your back! Let them swing with confidence!”

Ryu exhaled deeply, “…Phew.”

Due to fatigue, Ryu could barely hear the surrounding sounds, smells, or scenery.

This would be the final pitch, Ryu thought.

He would end it here.

Ryu wound up big and threw the ball, which flew straight into Makabe-senpai’s mitt…

The umpire shouted, “Strike! Batter out! Game set!”

[152 km]

Ryu raised his fist.

He had won. He had done it.

This meant Koshien…!

A wave of enormous cheers engulfed Ryu.

The Fukuoka Prefecture high school baseball tournament was won.

Sakuya Minase exclaimed, “W-We won…!?”

Makoto Hiragi shouted, “We won, Ryu-kun! We won!”

Sakuya cheered, “…We did it…!”

She thought, My big brother really pulled it off…

A first-year facing a perennial Koshien powerhouse.

He pitched the whole game alone and won…

Sakuya thought, “How cool is that…!? Stupid big brother…!”

Of course, Sakuya never thought her brother would lose.

But seeing him look this cool made her love him even more.

She thought, No matter how much he rejects me, I might never let him go.

As both teams lined up at home plate for the post-game greetings…

Makoto gasped, “…!? Ryu!”

Kanade Sumeragi cried, “Ryu-kun! Are you okay!?”

Just as Ryu tried to line up, he suddenly collapsed.

Sakuya panicked, thinking, Big brother!? Could he be injured!?

With a teammate’s support, Ryu managed to finish the greetings and headed to the dugout.

Kanade said, “Mother, Father, Sakuya. If you’re family, you might be able to see Ryu. Let’s go to the dugout.”

Ryu’s mother agreed, “Right. I’ll go check.”

She asked, “Sakuya, are you coming?”

Sakuya replied, “Of course!”

Sakuya followed her parents, hurrying toward her brother.

She thought, Wait for me, big brother! I’m coming!

—

Shiki-kun couldn’t process the situation before him.

After the greetings, his senpais collapsed on the field.

He realized, So, it’s over.

Our summer, our baseball with this team, is over.

Nogata apologized, “Sorry, Shiki… You pitched so well, but we couldn’t score…”

Shiki responded, “Cap…”

Nogata said, “That pitcher, Minase, will stand in your way for the next two years.”

Shiki agreed, “…Yeah.”

Nogata urged, “You guys… next year… take our place… and go to Koshien, no matter what!”

Shiki vowed, “…Yes!”

As tears streamed endlessly down Nogata and Shiki’s faces, they solidified their resolve for next year.

They swore not to lose again.

While helping the managers clean up the dugout, Shiki initially declined assistance, since he had started and pitched the entire game. But he felt that, as a first-year, he needed to step up to lessen his senpais’ burden.

As he packed up, Shiki reflected on the game and thought about that guy.

Though their first meeting was the worst, due to Shiki’s mistake…

He thought, Ryu Minase, meeting you was my greatest fortune.

Over these three years, competing with you will make me grow stronger. Today’s game confirmed that.

Ryu was carried off by teammates right after the greetings, and Shiki wondered if he was okay.

Making his first start and throwing a complete game in such a big final was huge—Shiki hoped it hadn’t led to a serious injury.

Shiki decided, Alright, let’s go home.

Next time we return to this stage, we’ll come back stronger.

Next time, I’ll seize the Koshien ticket with my own strength.

With that resolve in their hearts, Oomagu High School left the stadium.