Like a zombie, Naoki plucked himself off the bed and walked straight towards the kitchen to make a coffee. The large bags under his eyes and stubble on his chin were evidence that he was lacking sleep.
Only after drawing the curtains and drinking his coffee did he start to feel like a human.
"Maybe I'm getting too old for this." He murmured, staring at the remnants inside of his coffee cup.
Every year in summer, he was forced to travel around the country for weeks on end, scouting talent for Osaka Toin. While the pay was good thanks to the exceptional budget the school allocated to the baseball program, he was beginning to get worn out.
After letting out a stretch, he moved towards his jacket which was hanging on one of the chairs. He pat the pockets down and retrieved a packet of cigarettes, tapping the bottom to force one out.
"Ah…"
Noticing that he was all out, he inwardly cursed his past self for being lazy. Smoking was a bad habit, but it was something he'd been doing since college.
He quickly left the house and went to the local store down the road, picking up a newspaper while he was there.
Despite only just waking up, it was almost 11am, showing just how out of whack his sleeping schedule was.
After arriving home he went straight to his balcony and lit up one of his smokes, letting out a contented sigh as the heat filled his throat and lungs.
Out of habit, he glanced at the newspaper before turning it over and revealing the sports section. Having been a staff member in the pro circuit for the better part of 10 years, he still liked to keep up with the news.
Yet upon seeing the large article and picture upon the face of the paper, his eyes widened in shock.
"Freshman throws first Perfect Game in Koshien history?"
His gaze was drawn to the photo above the article, causing him to narrow his eyes slightly. The slightly foreign features upon the teens face and crisp eyes felt familiar to him, yet he couldn't place it.
Naoki decided to read the article in order to find the person's name.
"An astonishing debut for freshman Ken Takagi who pitched as fast as 160km/h (100mph) in his first game at Koshien. Not only did he pitch a perfect game, he also hit 2 home runs to lead his young Yokohama team to victory."
"Ken Takagi…"
Naoki placed his hand on his chin in thought, rubbing his stubble.
"Why does it sound familiar?"
BUZZ BUZZ
Naoki was snapped out of his thought process by the sound of his phone ringing. He took a quick glance, noticing that it was the coach.
"Morning Coach." Naoki replied, still sounding half-asleep.
"Did you see the news?" The coach responded, not even returning the greeting.
"Mmm, it looks like that Yokohama team has a nice pitcher." His tone was rather nonchalant since he knew that their team was still competing in the tournament.
He didn't want the coach to think he was worried, especially since he was the one who scouted most of the talent within the current team over the past 3 years.
"…"
An awkward silence stretched out over the phone, causing Naoki to fidget uncomfortably.
"I-Is that all you wanted to talk about sir?" He asked, cautiously changing his address of the coach.
"Haaaah, do you really not recognize the kid?" The coach sighed before asking. There was a tinge of disappointment in his tone.
"Recognize? Umm, he seems a little familiar but I see a lot of youths playing thanks to my job." Despite saying so, Naoki stared into the picture as hard as he could, trying to jog his memory.
"Ken… Takagi."
"Takagi?"
Naoki's entire body felt as if he'd received a shock in that moment as the crucial information returned to his brain. Once he thought about Daichi and the previous entanglements surrounding his scholarship, everything came back at once.
"B-But how? That kid could barely throw 135km/h when he tried out?"
There was no way that one person could improve so much in under a year.
"That was when he was pitching with his left arm." The coach said simply.
"What!? He wasn't pitching southpaw?? Does that mean his injury is healed?"
Naoki felt his whole world turn upside down at the revelation, to the point where he almost couldn't believe his ears. Yet the truth was right in front of him, staring him in the face.
"I can only assume so."
"Haaaah. I thought we might regret what happened, but I didn't think it would be so soon, nor so exaggerated." The coach sighed once more, lamenting in the missed opportunity.
They had the chance to secure the two brothers, one a genius catcher and the other a phenomenal pitcher. Just thinking of the domination of the two freshman battery brought a rush of anticipation.
Naoki felt his heart sink. It wasn't often that he made mistakes, but this one had blown up in his face big time.
Koshien had been played since 1915, over 100 years. Yet in all that time, Ken was the only pitcher to ever throw a perfect game during the tournament. If that didn't speak volumes about his skill and potential, then nothing would.
"I-I don't know what to say." Naoki admitted. He was already worn down from the constant late nights and travel, yet it seemed to be even worse this summer.
"It's okay, there's nothing we can do at this point. We have a great team that you've helped put together, I have no doubts in your abilities."
Naoki paused and nodded after a while.
"Thank you coach. I also trust yours" He said, the gratitude evident in his tone.
After finishing up his phone call, Naoki sat back in his chair and went to take a puff of his cigarette. Since he'd neglected it so long, the thing was already finished, prompting him to place it in the ash tray.
"Maybe I should quit?" He said.
Yet it wasn't evident what he was referring to.
---
A/N: See authors note for ongoing Golden Ticket event