CH 94.5

「Perfect desu yo! Second lieutenant!」

「Amazing～! Great!」

「That’s it! I’m done for the day!」

I started walking toward the main base, taking off my glove.

Even though I’ve been given this duty, it doesn’t mean I don’t have other work to do.

A soldier’s job is to follow orders but it’s not something you can do just by doing something to the best of your ability.

Especially when you’ve become a lieutenant, the amount of paperwork increases and if you don’t make time for it yourself, you’ll be in trouble.

Right, once I’ve completed my job, I’ll write a letter to my parents’ house while I’m at it.

「Second lieutenant, are you sure?」

「I already got the gist of it. The day after tomorrow is the game. Let’s take tomorrow off and get a good rest.」

「Robos-sama, we haven’t practiced being the batter yet, is that okay?」

「Don’t worry, I won’t lose.」

I patted Tashiba on the shoulder as she looked at me with anxious eyes. I left the very hot field.

I’m not worried about the game itself but…… I have to be careful not to oversleep the day after tomorrow.

-0-

Two days later……

I was in hell.

「This……wasn’t supposed to happen……」

The first three innings were good.

I had struck out three pitches a couple of times and I had also used my magic ball to get rid of a couple of old guys who had strange powers.

The moment I thought we were going to win, they suddenly started hitting my pitches.

From that point on, my mind started going blurry that I don’t even know what’s going on.

Hit, hit, home run, hit…..I don’t even remember how many hits they got.

How many……how many times has it been now……?

How many points have they got from me…..?

I kneeled on the ground in despair and heat, my eyes darkened before I knew it.

「Time out! Time out!!」

「Time out!」

I heard sergeant yell time out and when the umpire responded, he took his mask off and ran to the mound.

「Second lieutenant, are you alright!?」

「Y-yeah……just a little dizzy.」

「I’m sorry. I have to admit, I didn’t realized how difficult……the competition was either.」

「No, it’s not Sergeant East’s fault. It’s all my fault for underestimating baseball. Even, even those old men are…..」

「Actually, I heard from the bench earlier that today’s opponent, Magic Academy’s Fire Balls, is a top team in the league. I heard that our team is always in the bottom of the league so I don’t think it’s second lieutenant’s responsibility alone……」

「B-bottom……」

I knew I made a fatal mistake.

Baseball is not easy.

Watching it and playing it are two very different things.

Honestly speaking, the match is no more. The score difference is too high that if we’re going to compare it to a battlefield……complete annihilation.

However, I’m a soldier.

A soldier would never leave his post.

They would do their job….until the end.

After making up my mind, someone suddenly snatched the ball from my hand.

Her tied long blonde hair is being blown by the wind. It was former Major Laura Slayra.

「Robos-dono, you made the other party score 33 points. That should be enough experience for your first game. It’s time to take over.」

「M-Major Slayra……this lowly one is……」

「Sorry, it seems like I picked the wrong opponent to train you up. These old guys are not easy opponents and if you let them get the better of you, they will be in complete control like what’s currently happening.」

After saying that, I was tapped on the shoulder and pulled back to the bench while being supported by the sergeant.

I gulp down a glass of sweet tasting water, take my hat off, and take a deep breath.

That mound is hell.

Once you get out of shape in the one-on-one battle against a batter, all you will experience is torture.

There was a devilishness there that could not be seen from the outside.

Currently, on the mound of hell stands former Major Slayra.

I stared at the pitcher more earnestly than ever, truly intending to learn everything.

A rigid magic ball was released from her hand, snapping the bone of the opponent along with the bat, even blasting the catcher, Sawadi Slayra, horizontally.