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 54: The Story of Various Conclusions

When all the club members were noisily enjoying the victory’s afterglow, a person appeared from behind everyone.

It was our team captain, Nogata-senpai.

“Minase!” he called.

“Yes, sir!” I replied.

“Thank you so much!” he said.

“Captain…” I responded.

“Because of you, I can still fight this summer… Thank you so much!” he continued.

“No, this victory belongs to everyone, including you, Captain,” I said.

“Don’t be humble! No matter what anyone says, you’re today’s MVP!” he declared.

“Yeah, yeah! We barely scored any points!” another teammate added.

“Absolutely!” someone else agreed.

“Ha ha ha!” they laughed together.

“Well, we’ll definitely work on the batting lineup before Koshien,” Nogata-senpai said.

“Eek!” the two infielders yelped.

Nogata-senpai glared at our double-play combo seniors, and they instantly turned pale.

“At Koshien, I won’t let you bear all the burden. Next time, I’ll build a body that won’t get injured and pitch until the end,” he promised.

“I’ll shut them down next time too,” I vowed.

We looked into each other’s eyes and firmly shook hands.

His eyes were already looking ahead.

—

A crowd came, and the next person who approached me was someone I had a run-in with before the game.

It was Shiki, the ace of Oomagu High School.

“Minase Ryu,” he said.

“Shiki…” I replied.

We stared at each other without exchanging words.

The moment grew tense, but Shiki’s next words dissolved the atmosphere.

“That was really nice pitching. I completely lost,” he admitted.

“You too, Shiki. Honestly, if it weren’t for that home run, I would’ve been done first,” I said.

“But the result is I went down first, and that’s why we lost… Still, it was a great game,” he said.

“Yeah, let’s make sure we have another good game next time,” I suggested.

“Yeah… By the way, is your leg okay?” he asked.

“This? It’s just that I lay down for a bit, so I can’t put strength in my leg properly. Just a precaution,” I explained.

“Good then… About your sister…” he started.

“Yeah, Sakuya,” I said.

At my call, Sakuya, who was standing behind me, stepped forward.

“Is it okay?” Shiki asked.

“Through the game, I saw you’re an honest guy. I trust you won’t do anything weird to Sakuya based on that pitching,” I said.

“Sorry… Thank you,” he replied.

Then, Shiki looked straight into Sakuya’s eyes and slowly spoke.

“Sakuya-san… No, Minase-san. I was really rude before the game. I’m sorry,” he said.

“It’s fine. I don’t mind anymore,” Sakuya replied.

“Even after that, you might think I’m shameless, but I want to say this again,” he continued.

“Yes,” she said.

“I like you. It was love at first sight. I swear I’ll become a man your brother and you can approve of. Will you go out with me?” he asked.

Shiki bowed deeply and extended his right hand toward Sakuya.

In response, Sakuya said, “I’m sorry. I’ve already decided to give my heart to someone else.”

“I see,” Shiki said.

He glanced at me and gave a self-deprecating smile.

“Looks like I never had a chance from the start,” he said.

“That’s…” I started.

“No, it’s fine. I feel relieved now. Minase Ryu… No, Ryu,” he said.

“What?” I asked.

“Next time, I won’t lose,” he declared.

“I don’t plan on losing either,” I replied.

“Well, I’ll take my leave,” he said.

As he walked away confidently, his back seemed to move toward the future.

I’ll probably keep fighting that guy for a long time. I’m looking forward to it.

—

I got rejected. Completely.

When I looked into her eyes, Sakuya Minase’s feelings were obvious.

I was fighting a battle I could never win from the start.

I lost to that guy twice in a row right after meeting him.

—

This is the first time in my life I’ve felt these emotions.

Regret, emptiness, and above all, embarrassment at my own weakness.

But among these negative feelings, there’s definitely something else.

It’s excitement at the appearance of a new rival.

Today, in my baseball life, I met a pitcher who could match me for the first time.

His confident pitching didn’t let our batting lineup get close.

Even as the opposing pitcher, I looked at him with envy.

If our roles were reversed, could I have done the same?

He and I are still first-years. How many times will we pitch against each other in the next three years?

And even beyond that.

I lost today. It’s sad, and I feel responsible for ending our seniors’ summer.

But at the same time, the joy of meeting someone so significant in my baseball life occupies a big part of my heart. That’s an undeniable fact.

—

After that, I went home first in my dad’s car.

Only Sakuya came with me; the other three said they’d take the train and join later.

Everyone sweated in that heat, so they wanted to freshen up first.

As for me, I could walk fairly well after a while, so I took a shower to wash off the sweat.

My dad said delaying it makes the body feel worse later, so it’s better to take care of things while I can move.

With my family’s support, I managed to take care of my body, and then Yuna and the others arrived.

“Ryu-kun! Congratulations again on making it to Koshien!” Yuna said.

“Congratulations! You were so cool. I don’t know how many times I fell for you today,” Makoto said.

“I-I feel the same! You were really cool!” Kanade added.

“Thanks, everyone,” I said.

They took their usual positions: Makoto on my right, Yuna on my left, and Kanade on my lap.

Sakuya, who was making snacks in the kitchen, joined us.

“Hey, everyone! Leave some space for me!” she said.

“Hehe, from the looks of it, it’s official?” Yuna asked.

“Yeah, I’ve become friends with everyone!” Sakuya replied.

“Wow! That’s another thing to celebrate! Nice to meet you, Sakuya-chan!” Makoto said.

“Nice to meet you, Makoto-oneechan!” Sakuya said.

Makoto trembled at her words.

“Onee… What a great sound!” she said.

“Sakuya, what about me?” Kanade asked.

“Kanade-oneechan!” Sakuya replied.

“Oh… That’s such a fresh sound! It’s wonderful!” Kanade said.

“Come on, you two. Don’t make those faces. That’s not how girls should look,” Yuna scolded.

Sakuya’s “sister” calls clearly struck a chord with Makoto and Kanade.

Yuna, used to being called a sister, scolded them, but even I thought they looked pretty dazed. They’re so cute even with those faces, so being beautiful really has its perks.

“Well, we’ll head home now,” Yuna said.

“Sakuya, we’ll pick you up tomorrow evening, so take care of Ryu until then,” Makoto said.

“Leave it to me! I’ll support Onii-chan perfectly!” Sakuya said.

“We’re here too!” Kanade added.

“Trust us. Ryu, you can relax like you’re on a big ship,” Makoto said.

“Yeah, this is when my sports experience comes in handy. Leave your parents to us too,” Yuna added.

“Ryu, you’re really blessed with great people around you,” my dad said.

“I’m realizing that now,” I replied.

I owe them so much from during the game; I can’t even sleep facing their way.

My parents went back to the hotel, leaving me and the four girls in the room.

We ate the simple salad Sakuya made and spent a relaxed time together.

Then, Makoto, sitting to my right, suddenly intertwined her fingers with mine.

When I looked at her, she stole a kiss.

The soft sensation of her lips raised my body temperature instantly.

“Hehe, I found an opening,” she said.

“There’s no opening or chance with you,” I replied.

“Hmph, Makoto, that’s not fair,” Kanade said.

Then, she grabbed both my cheeks, forced me to face left, and kissed me.

After enjoying a pecking kiss for a while, Kanade let go of my face.

“Next is Yuna’s turn,” she said.

“M-Me!? Right, okay! Here I go, Ryu! Get ready!” Yuna said.

With unfamiliar movements, Yuna grabbed both my cheeks and rushed her lips toward mine.

“Mmph… Mufu…” she mumbled.

After kissing me for a bit, she pulled away with a satisfied grin.

Naturally, the next one was, “Onii-chan!” Sakuya called.

Sakuya, sitting next to Yuna, climbed onto my lap, which Kanade had half-vacated, and slowly brought her face closer.

“Mm…” she murmured.

My stepsister Sakuya, now my fourth girlfriend.

Thus, I kissed all my girlfriends equally.

Each kiss had its own personality, and each girl overflowed with different charms.

I could have this relationship with these girls because the Goddess saved my life.

Come to think of it, what were the other perks I got when I was sent back to this world?

A few things come to mind.

For example, when I got stabbed, the wound healed incredibly fast, along with the injuries from Yuna’s incident. The fatigue from the semifinals also faded unusually quickly.

There’s more.

I was decent at baseball, but my body shouldn’t have been ready to throw 150 km/h pitches so consistently.

Since starting high school, everything, including my training, has gone incredibly smoothly. Almost too smoothly.

Maybe that’s thanks to the Goddess too.

I need to thank her properly.

Maybe I should offer something.

I’ll think about it later.