Volume 13 Chapter 234-3 Shirogane Aqua, Men Who Have Been Declared Excluded from Combat
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Just as I thought, my best bud is a real ace.
”Thanks, you guys! I’ll keep going too!!”
Tenga-senpai lived up to his declaration with a solid hit.
As expected.
Tenga-senpai.
He’s a far cry from that senior who swung for the fences and struck out.
That makes one out, a runner on first, and 2 on base.
A home run could turn this around in one swing.
”You got this, Moja-san!”
”C’mon, Moja-san, give it your best!”
Prime Minister Habu leads Natsu King, who was getting antsy after being pinned down from the start, with smart pitching and encouraging shouts.
Though Moja-san is tricked into grounding out, Shintaro and Tenga-senpai advance to third and second, respectively.
”Nobu, I’m counting on you!”
”Leave it to me!”
Nobu-san muscles the ball all the way to the outfield.
The right fielder, Uruha, somehow scoops up the ball and throws it back, jiggling wildly, but it’s not in time.
”We did it!”
”We’re tied!”
With Shintaro and Tenga-senpai making it back home, we, the Kanto Aqua Daisukis, have caught up to the Kansai Aqua Itemales.
And we still have Nobu-san on first.
”Go for it, Hajime!”
”You can do it!”
Hajime shows some serious swing, but it’s neatly fielded for an out.
”Sorry, I couldn’t keep it going!”
”No worries, no worries! You can’t hit ’em all, even if you’re a pro!”
”Yeah, we caught up to the tie, so we’re good!”
”Next time, let’s seal the deal!”
Our team’s morale is high after tying the score in the bottom of the first inning.
We keep the momentum going, neatly catching the fly and grounder by our 8 and ninth hitters, Uruha and Ayana.
”Damn it! Why’d I have to swing at such a lousy pitch?!”
Tenga-senpai and Moja-san, who got on base with a hit, manage to fool Inko-san with a change-up that sends her swinging for a strikeout.
”Damn, why is Kanon-sama having a baby while we’re all having such a fun event?!”
”As a baseball fan, I’m just here, totally confused by this weirdly intense game.”
”Hey, aren’t we supposed to stream this or what?”
”Later, for those who missed it, Crutch Department Head was recording with the camera for the broadcast.”
In the bottom of the 2nd, our turn at bat begins with Kujaku.
Considering I’ll definitely be up first, I really want Kujaku and Maruo to get on base somehow.
But that’s baseball for you ── nothing ever goes exactly as planned.
Calm again, Natsu King storms the mound with a brilliant pitching spree, striking out Kujaku AND Maruo.
Not a good vibe.
That’s exactly why I went for a big swing ── I aimed for a home run.
”I nailed it──”
”*A home run!!*”
”Aqua-sama, the Tokyo Rattles are open in right field and third! Could you slot in before or after Motooka at clean-up?”
”Nah, nah ── Aqua-sama isn’t with Tokyo Rattles, she’s with the Swallows! And we’re all ready to clear every position for her now!”
”Actually, let’s go for SLB instead! Los Angeles Dodgers’ third and left are open too!”
In the first inning, we rallied from 3 runs behind and tied it up.
Right after, in the bottom of the second, we fought back even harder to take the lead.
Natsu King, visibly shaken, allowed a blooper hit to Toa.
But when Prime Minister Habu called out to him, Natsu King pulled himself together and nailed Shintaro, the guy who just got a key RBI.
”Let’s hold this lead ── everyone, watch your backs!”
”””””Yeah!”””””
In the top of the 3rd, Tenga-senpai gives a walk to the sharp-eyed Iria-san, letting her reach base.
He then uses a mix of subtle and bold pitching to catch Reira-san with a well-placed fly to the outfield.
That’s one out, one on.
Up next is Kohina-senpai, the 4th batter.
Before stepping in, Kohina-senpai fires up the team.
”Come on, everyone ── yell loud! We’ll grit our way to catch up!!”
Kohina-senpai isn’t swinging for the fences like earlier.
She’s keeping her stance tight, steady──showing resilience.
Kohina-senpai didn’t miss a beat, pouncing on Tenga-senpai’s failed pitch that was pushed past his limits.
”Yes!!”
”I caught up!!”
Thanks to Kohina-senpai’s clutch hit, we’re tied with those Kansai Aqua bastards.
Wow, Iria-san is *fast*!
Looks like she’s got more than just power──she’s got speed too.
She sprinted from first, blasted through second and third, and scored at lightning speed.
”Honestly, if it’s just strength, Iria’s not even here──hell, Morikawa could probably do this professionally too.”
”And I told you already──if it’s just Tsubakuroze, they’ve got all positions covered, waiting for us.”
Tenga-senpai manages to hold the tie, firing back with a fiery pitch──striking out Mommy Mikuni and Prime Minister Habu, who just scored a clutch RBI.
Woooh!
Tenga-senpai, you’re legendary!
I give his back a solid tap.
”Let’s turn this around──fast!”
”You bet, no question!”
Bottom of the third, Tenga-senpai starts the inning.
He’s caught for an out, but Moja-san smacks a hit, putting one on with one out.
Then Nobu-san swings at a ball outside, and suddenly it’s 2 outs.
”Hajime, you’re on!”
”Nice eye!!”
Hajime studies the pitch perfectly, draws a smart walk, and gets on base.
With 2 down, runners on first and second, Kujaku fights to keep the at-bat alive with a stubborn hit, setting up Maruo in the cleanup spot.
It’s a bases-loaded situation──one more hit could give us the lead, or an intentional walk would load the bases even more, setting up for me, the guy who just hammered a home run earlier.
”Is it going…?”
With 2 outs, full count, Maruo swings at Natsu King’s pitch──crack.
But Kato-san’s lightning reflexes turn the hit into a diving catch──an incredible, almost impossible snag.
”So close!”
”Haha, both teams──only the shortstop’s at pro level, huh?”
”I swear, Aqua-sama and Iria’s athleticism… it’s on a whole different level.”
I slump and pull Maruo into a hug, trying to cheer him up.
”Sorry… if I’d just hit properly, it would’ve gone to Aqua-sama…!”
”No worries, no worries! That was all Iria-san’s incredible last pitch. Next time, I’ll hit it for sure!!”
The fun part of baseball is how, often, a missed chance with the bases loaded can backfire──leading the other team to load the bases instead.
By allowing hits and walks from Maron-san, Uruha, and Ayana, we’ve set ourselves up with no outs and the bases full.
Our coach, Danjou-san, hurriedly calls time.
We gather around the mound.
”Tenga-senpai, if you’re struggling, you can always tag out.”
”Nah, just let me finish this inning. I’ll take responsibility for this!!”
If the ace says so, there’s only one thing left for us:
to be rock-solid, guard every base, and carefully record those outs.
Sure enough, we shut down Inko-san, Iria-san, Reira-san──the top of their lineup──with catches──fly outs, grounders, and strikeouts.
Maybe I’ll bat next in the bottom of the 4th.
Alright, time to swing big ── I want to tie it up.
”Hey, Prime Minister, that’s cheating!”
”No way!? That guy just intentionally walked Aqua-sama with the signal!!”
”Apologies, apologies!”
Boooing from the outfield, but I wave to the crowd, signaling to hold back.
Intentionally walking is part of the strategy.
And let me set this straight──Ako-san was the one who called for the walk, not the Prime Minister.
Well, maybe it’s because the Prime Minister’s been acting up lately…
Meanwhile, Toa and Shintaro show stubborn batting, but Natsu King keeps them at bay with his fierce pitching.
”Whoa!!”
”Tenga-senpai’s up!!”
And then ── Tenga-senpai crushes a home run, turning the game around!
Tenga-senpai, having him in the 4-spot makes me the one batting lead-off.
I step on home, then high-5 Tenga-senpai as he runs in behind me.
”See? When it comes to Aqua-sama’s seniors, there’s only Tenga-senpai!”
”These 2 are really carrying BERYL, huh…”
”Sorry, Shumi. Honestly, I think everyone’s completely forgotten about your birth… I know I did.”
Even though Moja-san got taken down, we managed to score 6 points in 4 rounds and pull off a comeback.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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