CH 77.4

4-4 minutes 30.04.2023

Accusations resounded.

Pickles and Vongo, who were in the audience, came to the distressed me.

「Master! Leave it to us! We’ve been practicing with everyone for a week!」

「……rig….th…..」

What the….!?

You didn’t get selected as players but you were practicing…..

Yeah, maybe this enthusiasm can’t be replaced by anything else.

「Alright! Pickles, throw it!」

「Yes!」

I handed Pickles the glove and the ball and nodded toward Isuka.

Isuka looks uncomfortable but I wonder if she’s worried about a no-contact.

Well, maybe it’s too much to hope for Pickles to have as much control as I have but I’m sure she’ll be able to pitch just right with downward fast pitches.

There’s also the strike zone issue but let’s just do this substitution.

「Game on!」

『Number three, from the adventurers’ group, Ribler-kuUUnn!』

There’s no bull pen for reserve pitchers to warm their shoulders up so just straight to the mound.

Pickles threw a straight ball with her upper body backward as if she’s throwing a javelin.

I didn’t see the ball at all.

All I heard was a “kablam!” when the batter’s bat snapped and Isuka and the umpire fell backward.

「Isuka!」

「Stretcher」

The ball thrown by the centaur Pickles was too fast and strong for a baseball match.

「Pickles! Ejected!」

「Eh!」

I cast a healing spell on Isuka, whose eyes are circling around. And with a hard heart, I ejected Pickles from the match.

As you can imagine, you can’t throw a hard fastball that makes the game unplayable.

「Pitcher change, Vongo!」

「……..ye…..ah…….」

I removed the equipment from Isuka and wore it instead. I’m now the catcher.

「Throw it so it goes here!」

Vongo nodded a little as I magically wrote the batter’s strike zone in the air.

She took a big swing and released the ball with a squirming motion.

The ball was caught by the catcher’s mitt with a “dopan” sound but the ball unexpectedly jumped out of the catcher’s mitt.

I hurriedly picked it up and threw it back.

「Strike!」

The ball was pretty fast. As scary as the 120 km/h balls from the basen.

The second pitch was just barely in an inner angle.

The batter didn’t hit it.

The third pitch was low on the outside corner and the batter failed to hit it.

So far, all three pitches were consistently in the strike zone.

「Batter out!」

「Argh」

Ribler, an old adventurer with beard, tilted his head and walked back on the bench.

From there on, the other two batters were strike out and the game teams changed.

「You’re good, Vongo. Have you been practicing?」

「…..pra….ise?」

I patted Vongo’s smug face as she went to the bench. I took my bat and stood up.

Both Laura-san and I were the number one batters and pitchers.

I had to retire as a pitcher though.

『Number three, owner, Sawadi-kuUUnn!』

Laura-san, standing on the pitcher’s mound, exchanged glances with Mince, the catcher, who grinned slightly, and threw the first pitch.

A nice “pow” sound came from the catcher’s mitt.

「Ball」

It was as fast as Vongo’s but not as controlled.

I’ll show you the tenacity I’ve trained at the basen….

「Batter out!」

In the end, I couldn’t hit the ball and was striked out in tears.

I know I really can’t beat those who regularly exercise.

However, the next batter and the next after that got a hit. With one out and two in, the fourth batter was called.

『Number three, from the adventurers’ group, Roast-kuUUnn!』

「Anesan!」

「Hit it!」