"In sports news, the Detroit Ligers have forced a game 7 in the World Series against the Miami Blue Marlins after their stellar performance last night. We saw both Ken and Daichi step up, putting the team on their back, showing the effectiveness of the batting lineup change."
"When asked about what adjustments they made, Coach Mark Williams had this to say:"
A snippet of the post-game press conference appeared on the TV, showing a smiling Coach Williams.
"We were able to set the tone early in this match on the back of some great batting from our young guns. Both Daichi and Ken have improved tremendously this season and we're finally seeing them play at their best." Mark said, looking happy as punch.
"What are your predictions for tomorrow night's game, and are you hoping that the momentum you built up tonight will carry over?" One of the reporters asked.
In response to the almost redundant question, Mark replied patiently. It seemed that securing the win tonight had left him in a great mood.
"There you have it. Be sure to tune in tonight on Fox to catch the final thrilling game of the World Series."
The broadcast was televised around the country, building up hype for the final game of the World Series. Even those who only casually watched baseball gained some interest thanks to the coverage.
But it wasn't just the United States who were getting excited for the final game.
In Japan, it was all they were talking about in sports news.
A certain figure appeared on the TV, a handsome man wearing a tight fitting shirt that left little to the imagination. His appearance caused many housewives across Japan to pause, completely paying attention.
"We're here with Hiroki-Senshu 1from the Chiba Cougars, welcome welcome." A female host spoke, bowing slightly.
"Thank you for having me." Hiroki replied.
"Hiroki-Senshu1, you have played with both Ken and Daichi Takagi in the U18 National Team, how does it feel to know they're only a single game from potentially winning the World Series?"
Hiroki nodded and smiled, "It's surreal to say the least. While I only played with Daichi with the National Team, I played with Ken at Yokohama High for over 2 years. It's not an exaggeration to say that Ken is the reason why I'm playing professionally today…"
Hiroki's words trailed off and silence breached the studio for a few moments.
"So of course, I'm incredibly happy for them both." He said, managing to recover.
"Wow, Hiroki-Senshu I was unaware you and Ken were so close. It's remarkable that two teens from Yokohama have had such an impact on baseball." The host stated.
However, Hiroki shook his head, "I am still lacking, I won't feel like we're on the same level until I reach the same heights Ken has."
The hosts eyes widened, clearly sniffing a scoop. "Are you saying that you wish to head over to the Major League soon, Hiroki-Senshu?" she asked, her excitement evident.
Hiroki smiled, his brilliant white teeth almost blinding. "Next year at the World Baseball Classic, Japan will defeat the United States" He proclaimed confidently.
"I will get the attention of all the clubs, to the point where they'll have no choice but to offer me a contract." Hiroki finished, sending the host a wink.
The action caused her face to redden considerably and she quickly bowed her head.
"T-That's amazing Hiroki-Senshu. I'm sure many of our audience are curious, but are you dating anyone right now?" She asked flustered.
Hiroki frowned slightly, not expecting the question. "I have a long time girlfriend in Tokyo." But after saying that, he seemed to finally remember something.
"Ah, you can go see her on instagram, her name is RieCosplay." Hiroki said, pulling out a card from his pocket with the handle written clearly. "You can also see some collaborations we did together."
"H-Hiroki-Senshu, are you saying that you do cosplay as well?"
"Yeah… Is there something wrong with that?" Hiroki asked impassively.
The host quickly backtracked and assured him that there was nothing wrong with it, of course she might have thought differently, bu there was no way she could be rude to a guest.
The host paused and brought her hand to her ear. It seemed the production team were telling her something.
On the screen, the instagram handle for Rie showed up as well as a few pictures of her and Hiroki together. They showed the latter shirtless, cosplaying as Goku, Inosuke and even Denji from Chainsaw Man.
Rie seemed to also be in even more revealing costumes, to the point where the production team had censored certain parts of the image before showing it.
The Japanese housewives were in an uproar seeing such imagery so early in the morning. On this day, Rie experienced the biggest increase in her follower count since starting an instagram account a few years ago.
What no one expected though, was that her photos with Hiroki would become her most liked posts of all time, even many years into the future.
"Will you be watching the game this morning?" The host asked, changing the subject back to the World Series.
Hiroki nodded, "Of course. Even if its across the world, I'll support my friends in any way I can. All of you should also tune in, let's break the record for the highest viewership of any baseball game in history!"
He raised his arm and shouted, his voice echoing within the small studio.
"Ahem… Thank you Hiroki-Senshu. For those of you at home, you can watch the game for free on SPOTV. Let's all cheer for our fellow countrymen in hopes that they can secure the World Series Championship."
With the host doing the outro, the program came to an end. She let out a sigh of relief once the cameras were off and bowed to Hiroki, "Thank you for coming on such short notice."
Hiroki quickly responded in kind before turning on his heel, "The game is about to start, I have somewhere to be. Goodbye."
In Japanese, "senshu" (選手) generally means "player" or "athlete", especially in sports. It can also refer to a team member or someone who participates in a game or competition
In Japanese, "senshu" (選手) generally means "player" or "athlete", especially in sports. It can also refer to a team member or someone who participates in a game or competition