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 9.2: The Story of How I Ended Up Throwing in Front of a Gallery for Some Reason

“Hello! I’m Makoto Hiragi, a first-year from the newspaper club!” Makoto introduces cheerfully.

“I’m Kanade Sumeragi, same. We’re here to cover the club for an article,” Kanade explains professionally.

…Sorry, I couldn’t process the situation.

Were those two in the newspaper club?

Makoto subtly made a peace sign toward me from low down, and Kanade boldly gave a thumbs-up.

Both were prettier than amateur idols, and most of the baseball team members were smitten.

…That kind of annoyed me.

The seniors were one thing, but I’d have to deal with my peers later.

After the introduction to the team, I spoke to the two.

“Ha ha ha, surprise success!” Makoto says triumphantly.

“Got to see your most shocked face ever. Satisfied,” Kanade adds smugly.

“Well, yeah, I was shocked. I didn’t even know you two were in the newspaper club…” I reply honestly.

“Senior Nogata invited us! He said covering the baseball club means we can watch you play baseball all we want!” Makoto explains excitedly.

“I agreed instantly,” Kanade says decisively.

“Just for that!?” I exclaim incredulously.

Wasn’t their motivation a bit off?

It wasn’t my fault, but I felt oddly guilty.

“Of course, that’s not the only reason,” Makoto clarifies quickly.

“It’s tradition for first-year newspaper club members to visit clubs and take photos for articles. It was perfect timing,” Kanade explains calmly.

“Is that so?” I ask curiously.

“While doing club activities, we can legally hang out with you, Minase!” Makoto says enthusiastically.

“Plus, if our schedules match, we can go home together. It’s a win-win,” Kanade adds strategically.

Was there a win for me in this?

Well, going home with beautiful girls might be a win…?

“Hey, all here, huh?” the captain says, approaching.

“Captain, what did you tell these two…?” I ask suspiciously.

“Well, they asked about you in the club, so I suggested they observe you up close!” the captain replies casually.

“That was supposed to be a secret!” Makoto protests loudly.

“Contract violation…!” Kanade mutters angrily.

Both of them… why were they so driven?

Going to a senior they barely knew just to talk about me? Was that normal?

“Perfect timing. Since you’re here, want to come along? You might see something interesting,” the captain invites eagerly.

“Something interesting?” Makoto asks curiously.

“Minase is pitching in the bullpen today,” the captain explains.

“I’m going,” Makoto declares immediately.

“No other option,” Kanade states firmly.

And so, I ended up pitching in front of a gallery for my first time in a while. Come on, just let me pitch normally! It’s nerve-wracking!

—

“Senior Makabe, please take care of me,” I say respectfully.

“Don’t worry, I’ll catch even your wild pitches, so throw easy,” Kousuke Makabe replies confidently.

“Thanks!” I respond gratefully.

Senior Kousuke Makabe, our vice-captain and the cornerstone of our defense.

Last year, he and Captain Nogata reportedly overwhelmed many batters.

I started with catch ball.

Since I hadn’t thrown in a while, I had to gradually increase my output to avoid injury.

While playing catch, I slowly increased the force in my arm.

Above all, the crisp sound of Senior Makabe’s catching boosted my rhythm.

“Wow… this is your first time in the bullpen in a while? That’s a good ball,” Makabe praises genuinely.

“Thanks to your catching,” I reply humbly.

“Haha, don’t be modest. Ready to sit?” Makabe asks encouragingly.

“Please,” I respond eagerly.

I swung my arm up, lifted my knee to my waist, locked onto Makabe’s mitt, slammed my foot down, and transferred the momentum and centrifugal force to the ball—

*Crack!*

That felt like a pretty good pitch! I think it had great feedback.

“Ho, what a talent!” Makabe exclaims impressed.

“I can’t slack off now…!” another senior adds excitedly.

Looks like I threw a ball that impressed the seniors.

Alright, I’ll keep pitching like this.

—

Afterward, I ended up going home with Makoto and Kanade, who watched my pitching practice until the end.

“Minase, you’re amazing…!” Makoto says in awe.

“Throwing that tiny ball so fast was incredible…!” Kanade adds admiringly.

“Well, I’ve been doing it for a while…” I reply modestly.

Being praised face-to-face made me a bit embarrassed.

“By the way, you two were in the newspaper club, huh?” I ask curiously.

“Yeah! Neither of us is good at sports, but we wanted to join a club,” Makoto explains enthusiastically.

“At the entrance ceremony, we saw a really professional school newspaper on the bulletin board, so we visited and joined,” Kanade adds calmly.

“We’re still rookies, but as we move up, we might get to follow sports clubs to matches, maybe even cheer for the baseball team!” Makoto says hopefully.

“Then I’ll have to work hard to win,” I reply determinedly.

“I’ll be the goddess of victory,” Kanade declares confidently.

“Hey! I want to be a goddess too!” Makoto protests playfully.

Watching their usual banter, I couldn’t help but smile.

The trigger was odd, but being able to get along with them like this was truly something to be grateful for.

I couldn’t help but think it’d be nice if this scene continued throughout my student life, even if it was unlike me to think so.

“By the way, when will today’s photos be in the newspaper?” I ask curiously.

“Probably next week’s issue, if our photos get chosen at the club meeting…” Makoto answers hesitantly.

“It’s our first time taking photos, so we’re not too confident…” Kanade admits nervously.

“Okay, I’ll look forward to it,” I say encouragingly.

“Ugh, pressure…” Makoto groans dramatically.

“Minase, you turn sadistic sometimes. Or is that your true nature…?” Kanade teases slyly.