The entire cafeteria went silent after hearing Chris's words. This was what they'd been waiting for all along, to find out if they'd be representing their home country at the world cup.
"If I call your name, please come forward."
Chris paused before looking down at the clipboard in his hands. His face was neutral, not showing any emotions so as not to give anything away. It took a lot of his willpower in order to not look at his two boys who were up the back.
"Riku Sato, Masayuki Yamazaki."
The two at the front stood up and made their way over to the staff members. The looks on their faces showed that they were not too surprised at being named part of the squad.
No one else in the room seemed to have any complaints either.
"Satoshi Subaru, Kei Hama."
The messy haired teen with sword-shaped eyebrows got to his feet abruptly and pumped his fist before heading up to where the others were.
Kei with his bleach blond hair also stood up, a hint of surprise on his features. However, it quickly turned into excitement.
"Kuro Tojo, Akimitsu Jin."
Ken frowned a little. He wasn't sure what kind of order his father was reading the players in since they had announced 2 outfielders, 2 infielders and 2 pitchers at this point.
'Is this just another way of testing our patience?' Ken thought.
Yet he quickly steeled his heart. No matter if he made the team or not, he was still in his first year of high school. If the staff failed to choose him, he would just have to do his best next year.
This mindset didn't mean that he'd resigned himself to not being selected this year, just that he didn't want to be too upset if his name didn't get called.
After the gloomy Kuro and clumsy Aki stood beside the others, Chris's gaze imperceptibly shifted to Ken's table.
"Hiroki Kondo, Keiichi Mizuno"
"Ah."
Hiroki stood up in shock after hearing his name, not quite believing his ears. As if he needed reassurance, he looked at his two friends and pointed at his chest, wordlessly asking if it was him they were referring to.
Ken couldn't help but let out a wry grin before slapping Hiroki on the leg.
"Get up there you idiot." He said with a chuckle.
Only after receiving a shove from Daichi did Hiroki finally move forward towards the other players who'd been called up.
With those two names, the amount of people was now 8, meaning half of the line up had already been chosen. Out of these 8, there were already two pitchers and a catcher, making both Ken and Daichi nervous.
Since Coach Takashi had already mentioned he'd only be taking 3 pitchers and 2 catchers, if they called up another one of either, it would essentially mean they hadn't made the team.
"Ichiro Kimura, Atsushi Ikeda."
Daichi felt his heart sink as he heard the name of one of the other catchers who was trying out for the team. Disappointment was evident on his features as he tried to process the negative emotions that surfaced.
Since this was the second catcher they'd called, it meant Daichi would not be part of the team.
Ken's face was one of puzzlement. He had seen how Atsushi had performed as a catcher and could guarantee that he was not as good as Daichi. Even in the batting drills the guy had been sub par in comparison to his brother.
Yet what was he meant to do in this situation?
He was in no position to make any demands, if anything it would have the opposite effect if he were to create a scene.
Ken could only place his hand on his brother's arm in an act of consoling him.
Atsushi Ikeda was a wide-shouldered teen who wore a stylish bowl cut. He was a little surprised to be selected, yet he still walked over to the rest of the players with a proud smile nestled upon his features.
'Just 6 more spots…'
Ken clenched his fists, feeling nerves begin to creep in once again. Even his Dauntless trait failed to hold back such emotions, showing just how much being a part of the team meant to him.
"Daisuke Narita, Yoichi Aoki"
The more names they called, the more anxious Ken became. It was to the point where his teeth were grinding from the suspense.
Daichi who was still dealing with his disappointment for not making the team, noticed his brother who looked as if he was about to pass out from torture.
Pushing his own feelings down, he moved his hand and grabbed Ken's as a form of support.
Ken was knocked out of his spiraling thoughts at the action and quickly turned his head in confusion, only to see Daichi smiling warmly at him. He didn't need to say anything, his expression was enough.
'I believe in you.'
He suddenly felt his tumultuous emotions begin to calm down. Just the presence of his brother was enough to put him at ease, showing just how close they were.
Ken let out a sigh and collected himself before sending a thankful smile Daichi's way.
'Even in this life you're still worrying about me instead of yourself…'
Daichi was his only true friend in his previous life, always putting him above his own problems. No matter what was happening in his own world, he would always take the time to reach out despite Ken pushing him away.
Yet Ken would only think of himself. Seeing his friend achieve his dream and make it to the professional leagues only reminded himself of what he had lost.
Not once had he thought about how his actions could have affected his best friend.
Ken shook his head.
'I won't let that happen again… Not now, not ever.' Ken vowed in his heart as he gripped his brother's hand tightly.
"Tomoya Shibata, Daichi Takagi"
Ken suddenly felt his heart rocket into his throat at his father's words. He slowly turned to his brother who had the exact same expression as him.