Hilda hit a home run, bringing in one point, but then there were two consecutive strikeouts. The next batter, Yaé, also hit a home run, bringing in the second point, but the next batter was out, and it was a three-out change.
At the end of the bottom of the third inning, the score was 7-2.
The game seemed to go until the seventh inning. Could we win if we had four more innings?
On the pitcher’s mound stood Elze, and Yaé, wearing a catcher’s protector, was ready with her mitt. With Hilda on third base, it would be hard for any balls to get past the shortstop and third baseman. If Hilda got serious, she might even catch a ball hit to first base... though, more importantly, Elze probably wouldn’t let them hit at all...
"Str-strike!"
Zbang! A fastball, like a pitching machine, shot from Elze’s hand and landed perfectly in Yaé’s mitt. She seemed to still be holding back, but that ball must have been over 170 km/h...
The batter, after trying to swing, was way too late. Well, that’s to be expected.
In the end, Zbang! Zbang! Zbang! Three strikeouts! Three outs in a row, nine pitches, and change.
In the bottom of the fourth inning, it was our turn to bat. One batter struck out, and then it was Elze’s turn.
I could feel the pitcher on the opposing team was wary. They had likely realized that Elze was no ordinary player, but... well...
Elze took her stance, and as the pitcher threw the ball, it dropped sharply in front of her. Was that a forkball? That’s going to be hard to hit.
Usually, that is.
"Hah!"
Elze swung her bat in what looked like a golf swing and made sure to catch the dropped ball.
Kakeen! The sound of the bat connecting rang out, and the white ball flew high into the sky.
"Ho-home run!"
The pitcher, who had likely intended that to be the deciding pitch, stood dumbfounded. Without even looking at her, Elze calmly completed a lap around the bases. That’s the third point.
The opposing pitcher seemed rattled, and the next batter hit a single. I thought the momentum was shifting our way, but quickly, the defense picked up, and the next batter was caught in a double play. That was a close one.
Only one point in the bottom of the fourth inning. 7-3.
"Do you think Elze and the others will win?"
"Well... if things go like this, they should win, but..."
Alice and Kuon, sitting on the bench next to me, were talking. Well, if the lineup gets to Elze, Yaé, and Hilda, they’ll surely score points, so we should catch up soon. But...
Looking toward the baseball field, I could hear the same heavy sound of Elze continuing to throw strikes.
In the top of the fifth inning, three consecutive strikeouts. Zero runs for the other team.
Now, in the bottom of the fifth inning, it’s Hilda’s turn to bat. The catcher stood up and set her mitt outside the batter’s box.
"Are they intentionally walking her?"
"Well, that makes sense."
The opposing team intentionally walked Hilda, sending the powerful batter to first base.
It’s probably the right strategy to win... though our team responded with boos.
I wasn’t sure if relying too much on substitutes was a good thing, but I felt like it couldn’t be helped.
Hilda, now walking to first, let out a light sigh as if to say, "Well, whatever."
The next two batters were quickly struck out. And here came Yaé’s turn to bat, yet again with an intentional walk. There were runners on first and second, so it was a great opportunity...
"Strike, three!"
"Not good."
In the end, the bottom of the fifth inning ended with no runs. It was still 7-3. Could a comeback happen in the next two innings?
"Making everyone hit a home run at the start was probably a mistake. After that, they’ve been extra cautious."
"Yeah, but if Elze and her team really wanted to win, they could do it..."
Well, yeah. Even if they’re intentionally walking Elze, she could still easily leap up and hit a home run while in the air.
But, of course, I hope they don’t actually do that...
"Oh?"
With the sound of a kakin!, the white ball rolled toward Elze.
Elze rushed to pick it up and threw it to first base to get the out.
"Elze hit the ball?"
"Elze’s pitches are fast, but she only throws straight fastballs..."
If you know that the ball is coming straight to where the mitt is, and if the timing’s right, it’s easy to hit the ball.
There’s a theory in batting practice that suggests it’s more effective to practice with slower pitches than fast ones. To make sure you can hit slower pitches well, you need to have the right form and timing.
With fast pitches, while they help you get used to the speed, once you get used to them, they’re easier to hit, and it doesn’t become very useful practice.
Elze’s pitches could be hit if she keeps throwing like this... but if Elze increases her speed, even if they hit, it would be really difficult to turn it into a solid hit.
The batter who just hit that ball must have felt a significant shock in their hand.
If Elze went all out, her pitches would easily surpass 300 km/h... if someone hit that, their arm would probably break. But she wouldn’t do that, right?
Elze easily struck out the next two batters, and it was change.
Now, in the bottom of the sixth inning, it was our turn to bat.
Elze, in the on-deck circle, was ready to take her turn.
The previous batter struck out, and now it was Elze’s turn. As expected, they intentionally walked her. Elze was watching the incoming pitches, but I could tell she was holding back, not swinging at the intentional balls.
In the end, Elze was walked and reached first base.
The pitcher, having released some tension, let out a small sigh. Hmm, if things keep going like this, it’ll be another three-out change...
Elze was on first, and after letting her pass, the pitcher was able to throw to the next batter.
At that moment, Elze sprinted from first to second.
The catcher caught the ball and hurriedly threw it to second base, but Elze was already there.
"That’s a steal."
"So that’s how it’s going."
I smiled wryly at Kuon’s words.
Elze took a large lead, provoking the pitcher. The opposing pitcher seemed distracted, losing focus on Elze.
The pitcher threw the ball, and Elze took off again, this time running to third. As before, the catcher threw to third, but it was too late.
Now, with a runner on third, the pitcher was definitely feeling the pressure.
The pitcher raised their leg to throw, and Elze immediately dashed toward home.
The batter was preparing for a bunt. It seemed like a squeeze play.
But the squeeze was anticipated. The batter managed to tap the ball, but it rolled right into the pitcher’s hands, who threw it back to the catcher.
The catcher was waiting for Elze, ready to tag her out as she charged home... but...
"Huh?"
The catcher let out a strange sound as Elze suddenly disappeared from in front of him.
Elze elegantly spun through the air, leaping over the catcher’s head. She then landed at home plate.
"Safe..."
The crowd erupted with loud, yellow cheers, almost drowning out the umpire’s voice.
Elze had stolen second, third, and home... Is this what they call a perfect steal? It’s not something you see often, but... well, it’s Elze after all.
With that, the score was 7-4. Unfortunately, the next batter struck out, but there were still two outs.
Now, with a runner on first, it was Hilda’s turn to bat.
Once again, they intentionally walked her. Hilda walked to first, leaving runners on first and second.
Hmm, since there’s already a runner ahead, Elze won’t be able to steal this time. If Hilda passes the other runner, she’ll be out.
It seems like this inning might be over... or so I thought.
In front of me, the sound of kakin! rang out, a familiar and pleasant sound.
The low hit flew past the pitcher’s right hand and bounced toward third base, where the third baseman tried to catch it with her glove.
However, the ball bounced off something, possibly a small stone, and veered off course, rolling behind the third baseman.
The batter who hit it easily made her way to first base, and the bench erupted in cheers from our side.
"Yes! Bases loaded!"
There were two outs, but the bases were loaded. If we could hit one now... I thought, but the next batter was the fifth batter, and in the next batter's circle, Yaé was ready.
If we could just get a hit... I was thinking, when the pitch from the opposing pitcher slipped out of their hand and headed straight toward the side of the batter, the woman getting ready to swing. The ball hit her body.
"Hit by pitch!"
The opposing pitcher took off his hat and apologized. The batter who got hit waved her hand, smiling, saying she was okay, but looked at her side where the ball hit, puzzled. Was that...?
"Kuon? You used your magic eyes, didn’t you?"
"Well, yeah. It was dangerous, so I used [Fixed Magic Eyes] for a brief moment to slow down the ball's momentum. I couldn’t stop it completely though since I don’t have enough magic."
I patted Kuon’s head as she gave a tired look. The batter probably felt the ball didn’t hurt as much, so she was puzzled. Fortunately, no one else seemed to have noticed.
That was one point from a walk. 7-5.
It seemed the opposing pitcher was more rattled than I expected. In that situation, the next batter was Yaé. Hilda was on third base.
After some hesitation, they seemed to decide to walk her. Yaé walked to first, and Hilda scored from a walk.
Now it was 7-6. We had finally closed the gap to just one point.
The opposing catcher called for a timeout and went to the pitcher’s mound. They were probably trying to calm the pitcher down.
That seemed to work because the next batter was quickly struck out. They had managed to stop the momentum, and although we didn’t fully capitalize on the bases being loaded, we still scored three points that inning. A comeback didn’t seem impossible.
Now, the top of the seventh inning. The final inning.
As usual, Elze’s pitch was fast, but it seemed like the batters were getting used to it, as the first batter managed to hit the ball. It was a weak grounder, but Elze scooped it up and threw it to first base for one out.
The next batter also hit a grounder to third base, but Hilda caught it and threw it to first, getting the second out.
To finish, Elze mixed in a little change in speed and struck the last batter out, securing the third out and leaving the opposing team scoreless.
Finally, the bottom of the seventh inning. Our last chance to attack.
We started with the eighth batter. Elze was in the next batter’s circle. Let's see...
"Ball four!"
Huh?
The eighth batter walked to first. Our bench cheered with shouts like, "Great eye!" and "Yes!" but... this was...
"They intentionally walked her, didn’t they?"
"Yeah, they must have been wary of Elze’s steal..."
With a runner already on base, even Elze wouldn’t be able to pull off a perfect steal like before. If she passed the runner, Elze would be out...
Can you not even touch the runner? If the only rule is not to pass them, I think Elze could just carry the runner and keep running... but then the runner wouldn’t be able to touch the base.
As I was thinking these silly thoughts, Elze was walked again.
No outs, runners on first and second. The batter’s lineup was from the top.
The first pitch was hit, but it turned into a pitcher’s flyout, giving us one out. The next batter was struck out, and before we knew it, there were two outs.
It was Hilda’s turn to bat. So...
"Another intentional walk, huh?"
"Well, I guess it’s to be expected."
Now we had two outs with the bases loaded. The opposing team had no more chances. For us, our best chance was with the cleanup batter...
The lucky hit that had bounced off a stone earlier was also from this batter. I didn’t think the chances of a hit were too low.
"Huh?"
Before the fourth batter took her stance in the batter's box, Yaé was saying something to her. What was it? Was she encouraging her, or did she think of something?
The fourth batter entered the batter’s box and gripped the bat.
Whether we win or lose, we still wanted to decide this with the power of the team in the end.
The first pitch.
"Ball one!"
She reacted slightly but didn’t swing. She didn’t swing at the next pitch either, but this time she was called for a strike. The next pitch was again a ball, so it seemed like the pitcher’s control was a bit off.
The pitcher shifted her shoulder slightly. With a big windup, she threw her best pitch, and the batter swung the bat with full force, connecting perfectly with the ball.
"She hit it!"
The ball flew powerfully and dropped in front of the center fielder. The batter stepped on first base, and the runner on third base made her way home, tying the game.
Elze, who had been on third, had charged forward but quickly stepped back.
If she had continued running, with her physical abilities, she probably could have made it home. But, as a team substitute, she probably thought it would be overstepping.
Well, at this point, it didn’t really matter...
With that, the final play came down to the fifth batter, but she struck out easily, and the game ended. The score was tied at 7-7.
There was talk of extra innings, but they apparently refused, saying they would definitely lose. Fair enough.
It seemed there was going to be a post-game celebration. We were invited, but we politely declined. We're minors, and we have children with us. Besides, wasn’t this game originally part of a mixer? The men on the opposing team kept glancing at the women with heated looks.
"Thank you!"
Waving at the women, who loudly expressed their thanks from the riverbank, we made our way back home.
"We ended up with a tie, but it was fun."
"It was great exercise."
"I wanted to play baseball too!"
"So did I!"
We chatted excitedly as we walked along the river. Before it got too late, we needed to stop by a supermarket and buy some souvenirs. Oh, and speaking of that...
"Yaé, did you give any advice to the fourth batter during the final inning?"
"Ah... that pitcher has a habit of shaking her shoulder every time she throws a straight pitch. I told her to focus on that and try to hit it."
I see. So that batter was aiming for the straight ball. No wonder she swung without hesitation. And to think Yaé noticed that...
Well, as long as everyone had fun, it seemed like a good holiday.
Tomorrow will mark the beginning of the second week. It feels like half of the time has already passed. In the remaining week, where should we go?
Part of me wants to show them the world, to let them see the Earth from a broader perspective, but I also want them to see the country where they were born.
I want the kids to feel that their roots are here in this world.
I want to show them more Japanese places... Kyoto, Tokyo, or perhaps the vast nature of Hokkaido, or the peaceful countryside villages... I want them to see all sorts of landscapes.
Anyway, I want to give them experiences that can only be had here.
While I was thinking about all this, we had already reached the supermarket.
We each picked out what we wanted and put it into our baskets. I knew that Lu and Arcia were probably cooking and waiting for us, but with [Storage], nothing would go to waste.
Especially snacks like cup noodles and chips—those aren’t found in the other world, so I need to stock up on them. Sometimes, I just really crave them...
Strictly speaking, even when it comes to fish, there are salmon-like fish, but no actual salmon. It's confusing, but I've started just calling them salmon...
We carried our bags full of food and walked up the long hill. Ugh, I didn’t get a chance to use [Storage] to put them away. The view at Grandpa’s house is great, but that’s the downside...
Finally, after climbing the hill, the familiar Western-style house came into view.
"We’re home!"
"Welcome back!"
Linne opened the door energetically, and I heard Linze’s voice from inside.
We went inside, washed our hands first, and then headed to the kitchen to hand the ingredients we bought to Lu and Arcia.
Dinner preparations were almost done, but Lu and Arcia were going to add a couple of extra dishes with the new ingredients.
"You took quite a while for just a walk."
"We were asked to help with a baseball game."
I answered Leen’s question, and she tilted her head. I probably should’ve explained it right from the start.
"My mom hit a home run!"
"Elze-chan went all the way around the bases!"
"All the way around...?"
Frei’s explanation was easier to understand, but Linne’s explanation left Leen still puzzled.
Before dinner, I used [Gate] to connect to the house and bring Dad and the others here. I try to eat together with them while they’re here.
"Alright, let’s eat!"
"Thank you!"
We each filled our plates with food from the large dishes laid out on the table. When you have a large group, it tends to become a buffet-style meal. Well, I like it this way since everyone can eat what they want and the portions can be adjusted.
If there’s anything left over, I just store it in [Storage], so it won’t go to waste. With Yaé and Fray around, though, there probably won’t be any leftovers...
While eating, I told Dad and the others that we were going somewhere again starting tomorrow.
Since both of them had work, they couldn’t come along, but they told me to come back by night, without staying overnight.
Well, I don’t have any identification, so staying somewhere overnight would be tough anyway.
Now, the question is, where should we go? Hmm, I guess I should take them to the capital of this country once.
Let's start with a visit to Tokyo.
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