They returned back home and once again Daichi was invited over for dinner by Ken's mother. Feeling his stomach grumble, the teenager gladly accepted the hospitality.
Dinner was sumptuous, leaving everyone full to the brim. Before Daichi left, Chris reached into his bag and handed him a metal bat, telling him to get at least 100 practice swings done before bed tonight using the form he had been taught.
Daichi stared at the bat for a while before a look of determination crept onto his face. He bowed respectfully and said his thanks before heading home.
"Don't forget about our morning run tomorrow!" Ken shouted out, only to receive a positive response.
The next 3 weeks flew by as the duo continued with their schedules of school and training. Ken's father had been sent over to the United States to scout some potential Triple A players into the Yokohama squad, but he had left an indelible mark in the two boys.
Daichi had improved by leaps and bounds both fitness wise and with his bat. Despite his baby face remaining, his body had begun to show growth, particularly in his chest and arms, finally filling out his wide shoulders.
Due to him eating nutritious meals at the Takagi household, he was able to convert all of that energy into muscle and growth. Ken had talked to his mother about his suspicions of Daichi not eating well at home, prompting her to even pack lunch for his best friend.
Yet throughout this time, they had still not met Daichi's parents. It was as if they never existed, or didn't care enough to investigate the whereabouts of their son.
However, Ken did not care. As long as his friend was well fed and happy, then he did not pry into his home life. By the fact that he didn't know anything about his family in his previous life, he could guess that Daichi didn't like talking about it.
Ken sat down on his desk chair, feeling tired yet full of satisfaction. He felt as if he didn't have a chance to relax over these past 3 frantic weeks due to the sheer amount of training he and Daichi had done.
After today's final workout, he had finally finished his 4th "Getting into shape" quest. Due to how busy he had been, Ken had saved up the rewards from the system missions.
However he could no longer wait as the 4 weeks leave he had requested from the coach would end tomorrow. There was a friendly match at the end of the week, which meant he had to get himself and Daichi into the lineup by Friday.
Ken opened up his system window and quickly accepted his rewards.
REWARDS:
>C-grade Agility Elixir (Found in the inventory)
>Bronze tier Lottery ticket
>5 Major points
->Mission Summary
*Task 1: Run 12km a day with at least 500m sprinted (90/84km completed; Rating A+)
*Task 2: Complete 160 sit-ups a day (1200 completed; Rating A+)
*Task 3: Complete 100 push-ups a day (850 completed; Rating A+)
*Task 4: Complete flexibility enhancing regime every day (24 regimes completed; Rating S)
Overall mission rating: S-
Bonus rewards: 25 Major points
Ken smiled, seeing the list of his accomplishments and the rewards. With the completion of this mission he now had 2 Agility, 1 Strength and another Balance and Coordination Elixir to use.
However they would have to wait for now. The 4 bronze tier lottery tickets felt as if they were burning a hole in his pocket, even though they didn't have a physical form.
With a look of anticipation in his eyes, he brought up the lottery page and clicked the spin button straight away.
The familiar sounds of the wheel spinning and the clicking of the pointer rang out in his mind, giving him a rush.
[Congratulations, user has drawn the "Bunt" skill.]
[Bunt: Ability to bunt even the fastest of balls with optimal precision and strength.]
"Ah…" Ken's former excitement died in his throat as he saw what the pointer had landed on. His eyebrow twitched as he imagined his tall frame in the batters box, sending a gorgeous bunt towards the ground.
His finger hovered over the Re-spin option, however he quickly stopped himself. The bunt skill was indeed useful, especially to him who was looking to make it into the starting team.
"Damn it. I'll keep you for now, just don't screw me over again system." Ken muttered before using another Bronze lottery ticket.
His next few spins were over before he even knew it, yet he was caught grinning like an idiot. He quickly brought up the menu and took a look at all of his skills.
MAJOR LEAGUE SYSTEM
SYSTEM LEVEL: 1 (90/100 Major points to level up)
NAME: Ken Takagi
AGE: 15
TALENT ASSESSMENT: C
POTENTIAL: D (S)
MAJOR POINTS: 90
USER STATS:
>Physical Fitness: C-
>Pitching: F (B)
>Fielding: C
>Game Intelligence: C
>Mental: C
>Skills: 4
Quick First Step: Increase Agility by 1 grade when running one base.
Bunt: Ability to bunt even the fastest of balls with optimal precision and strength.
First Pitch Hitter: Increase Strength and Balance and Coordination by 1 grade against the first pitch thrown within the strike zone.
Sticky Glove: Your glove is like an iron vice. Once you catch a ball it is unlikely that you will drop it.
With these skills, he would have a good chance of making the lineup by the end of the week as long as he could impress the coach. He wasn't worried about Daichi, especially with how good he had become at batting.
Ken was even sure that he could slot into the clean-up batter position as he was right now.
He had also wanted his father to teach Daichi to be a catcher, however he was declined for now. The reason was that he needed to build up a solid base and his father didn't want Daichi splitting his focus into too many avenues.
"Well, I guess I'll take an Elixir and head to bed." Ken murmured, hopping under the covers and opening the menu.
He pondered for a while before selecting one of the Agility Elixirs. If he could show off his bunting skill and speed between the bases, he may just secure a spot in the line up straight away.
Notice: Selecting the Elixir will automatically administer it to the users bloodstream. Please ensure user is lying down so as to prevent any injuries in the event of losing consciousness.
[Are you sure you wish to consume: C-grade Agility Elixir?]
[Yes/No]
Without hesitating, Ken selected the yes option. He felt a warm sensation enter his body before his muscles started tingling uncomfortably as if he had pins and needles.
And then without warning, his legs suddenly turned painful, as if they were about to cramp up. Ken endured the pain which thankfully only lasted a few minutes, yet he was full of exhaustion afterwards and covered in sweat.
Not wanting to even move, he threw the covers and let the fan dry him off, entering the sweet embrace of sleep not long after.