54.Just this one moment of passion.

The final game of the ball game tournament was a battle of skills.

The opposing team was filled with mostly athletic people and had several players with baseball experience.

Even if the bat hit the ball, it was either a fly or a ground ball, and the handling of the fly or ground ball was accurate, so we couldn’t score any runs in the beginning.

Furthermore, the opponent was not only strong defensively, but also offensively.

Tsukamoto, who was on the baseball team, was the pitcher in our class, and he had been cooking his opponents with his imposing pitching (called windmill pitching). …In this game, the pitches on both sides were flying.

However, our defenders, who had high morale, made a series of mysterious good plays, such as diving catches and jumping throws, and prevented all of those hits.

The opponents began to get quite frustrated with the lack of scoring despite a number of high quality hits, and their performance became more and more choppy in the second half.

After giving up a dead ball to Ginji, I made a mistake in handling a ball that miraculously got caught in the bat, allowing Ginji to advance while I was out.

The next batter, Tsukamoto, declared, “I’ve got to show my girlfriend some respect for the baseball team, and I’d like to show her some good things soon,” and made a hit to score a run. That’s what I’ve come to expect from a legitimate good-looking sportsman.

When Ginji came back home, everyone said, “Nice dead ball!” Ginji rubbed his belly and said, “I can’t be happy about just hitting the side of my head. …Ouch…” He seemed to be happy that he was able to step on the platform.

If we can keep this up, the game would be easily in our hands — or so everyone thought…

(Is this where it’s going to turn out like I remember? …!

In the last inning of the game, we took a one-run lead.

The defense supported Tsukamoto, who was starting to tire, drove them in with two outs, but at the cost of runners advancing to second and third base.

One more runner and everything would be decided.

Everyone was enthusiastic about the game, and the turnout was unparalleled in the past.

When I glanced over, I saw that Shijouin-san was cheering excitedly, alongside, of course, Fumihashi and even the normally quiet Kazamihara was watching with clenched fists.

“Hang in there, Tsukamoto!　One more!”

“Hit it! If you hit, They’re dead!”

“Good luck! We’ve come this far, let’s finish it with a win!

“Hit it high! Most of the outfielders are not very good, so just let it fly!”

“Softballs don’t fly very well! Protect the front!”

“Stay calm! Don’t worry about winning!”

Both our class and the opposing class were as excited as if it were an official baseball game, and I could understand why. The last minute of a game where you don’t know whether you’re going to win or lose has the power to excite people, even if it was a casual game.

(No matter how similar the situation is, it doesn’t mean it will come to me…)

Since I started over in this life, I have yet to see the kind of historical repentance that is common in science fiction.

The proof of this is that I myself have been changing the future of everything from school festivals, final exams, family relationships, and friendships.

I’ve been able to change the future of every single thing I’ve done in my life.

(But… even if it flies at me, I’ll definitely catch it…!　That’s what I’ve been practicing for!)

In this game, no ball has come to me at all.

But I didn’t have the thought of, “I hope the ball doesn’t fly at me till the end of the game”.

(At first I just didn’t want to show my uncoolness in front of Shijouin-san…)

Looking around, I could see my teammates who were flippant and enthusiastic, and my classmates who were cheering me on with their voices.

There were people who enjoyed events and liked the feeling of togetherness.

I didn’t dislike this atmosphere that is created in the class.

(I want to be cool in front of the girl I like, but at the same time — I want to win with the class. That’s what I’m thinking about right now…!)

And then — the last pitch was thrown, and the batter met it with his bat.

What echoed in the ground was not the sound of catcher’s mitts that we were expecting, but the metallic sound of bats that the other team was eager to hear.

When I looked up, I saw that the ball was rising high into the sky.

The direction of the ball’s trajectory is toward me.

(It really flew this way…! And it’s far!)

The fact that I was able to dash to the rear as soon as I made that decision was thanks to the special training of the Fumihashi.

(Can I make it in time? Can I catch it in time? Can I catch it in time?)

The ball is rising fast, and it’s clearly more difficult than the mediocre light flies I failed to hit in my previous life.

If I drop it, the game will end in defeat just like my previous life, and if I catch it, the game will end in our victory.

I’m sure all the students in the room are looking at the ball flying through the blue sky and me running after it.

I don’t have time to check that, but the pressure is mounting.

“I might not be able to catch it.”

A worm of anxiety emerges from my unconscious.

“It’s still impossible for me to be active in sports that I’m not good at, let alone other things.”

“I tried, and I can’t help it if the result is no good.”

“In the first place, this is a difficult pitch for amateurs. No one will blame you if you can’t catch it.”

After all this time, the scared little me within myself tries to take precautions.

And so, once again, I dragged my feet like a grudge, trying to close off my possibilities.

And then, when my movements slowed down just a little…

“Nihama-kun! Please do your best!”

I heard the voice of the girl I love the most in the world.

She was shouting my name as loudly as she could, which is not something you’d expect from a young lady.

She was cheering me on from the bottom of her heart, giving me a burst of energy.

Yeah, you could call me Pavlov’s dog.

Just hearing her cheering is enough to fill me with joy and my heart leaps into action.

All my fears and trepidation disappear.

(Yes, attack, don’t run! It’s not just sports….You’ve decided that’s what you’re going to do the second time around…!)

I read the trajectory of the ball as it fell and held out my glove as I ran.

The timing was just barely right, and I was self-conscious.

And so the white ball, falling like a shooting star…

Fell and hit my glove mercilessly.

(Ah…)

The ball dancing in the air from the impact of hitting my glove was reflected in my eyes very slowly, like the slow playback of a movie.

The way the victory in the form of a white ball spilled out of my hand previously…

(To…)

At that moment, what dominated my mind was not blank despair.

(I can’t let it go!)

Something that should never have been born in my mind.

There was only the fiery hot blood of passion, which was never possible in my previous life.

And—

(…!)

Catching the ball in a reckless position, I fell down with a crash.

A cloud of dust rose up from the ground, and I was drenched in reddish brown dirt.

“Yeah! They dropped it！”

“Turn, turn, turn!”

“We’re making it!”

“Oh, so close!”

“Oh, fuck!”

“Shit, no…!”

The other team was excited and our team was down.

The reaction of the two teams was clear: winners and losers.

However, it was still a little too early to decide.

“Oh…?　Wait, wait, wait!　That…!”

At the sound of Shijouin-san’s voice, the students’ gazes were drawn to me again.

The cloud of dust cleared, and I stood up, raising my arms to show my surroundings.

The ball hit my glove and floated in the air, but I grabbed it with my right hand and held on to it.

I literally grabbed the winning ball with my own hands and held it up high.

“Out! Game set!”

The referee declared as he recognized my catch, and the cheers from our class poured down on the ground as the game was reversed.