Miya was silent for a moment as if she was choosing her next words carefully.
"I think we still have a good chance of competing against this team. While they have Ryan, we have a similar threat with Ken on the mound."
Hearing his name called, Ken's ears perked up.
"Wasn't Ken playing in the outfield against South Korea? Do you think that Coach Takashi doesn't trust him? Or maybe he thinks that he lacks experience." The anchor asked.
"Have you thought that maybe he's saving Ken to use in the big games?" Miya responded, her tone hiding some sass.
Ken rather enjoyed the back and forth between Miya and the anchor. He felt vindicated when she would defend him, despite only meeting her two times in the past.
"Man, they seem tough to beat." Daichi said, feeling a little intimidated by the match.
Ken couldn't dispute his words. Probably the worst thing about it was that the US team hardly looked like they were trying to win. If anything, it seemed as if they were playing in a friendly match.
"I'm not sure if that coach intentionally told the players to do as such, or if that's just the way they play. If it's the latter, we might have a chance. But if it's the former…"
Ken's eyes narrowed as he saw the coach appear on the laptop screen once more. He still couldn't pick where he knew this person from, but just the fact that he thought the guy looked familiar, probably meant that he was a famous coach in his previous life.
'We'll find out soon enough.' Ken thought.
He closed the laptop and stretched his tired limbs.
"We should probably get some rest, the next game against Cuba is at 9am tomorrow."
"Yeah, good idea."
Ken went to sit down on his bed, only to feel a figure underneath him. He quickly turned around to see Hiroki pretending to be asleep on his bed.
His eyes twitched in annoyance before he spoke up, "You have 3 seconds to move before I kick your ass."
"1.."
"2.."
"O-Okay okay!" Hiroki sprung up out of the bed in panic. He had successfully snuck into Ken's bed, hoping that the latter would give up and grab a spare mattress.
Ken let out a sigh, feeling a little guilty.
"Go ask the service desk for a spare mattress." He said, making a shooing motion.
Yet instead of looking relieved, Hiroki gulped.
"What? Can't you do something so simple?" Ken said with annoyance.
"I-I don't speak English… Can you please do it big bro?" Hiroki gave him a pleading look, even resorting to such tricks as calling him big bro.
"Damn shameless idiot…" Ken groaned, heading over to the phone.
Soon enough there was a knock at the door and a portable mattress was delivered by a man in his early twenties. Not even 10 minutes later, both Hiroki and Daichi were already fast asleep.
While the game hadn't gone for long, it had taken a lot out of everyone. Not to mention that they were still suffering from a little jet lag.
Ken decided to take their advice and head to sleep himself.
***
"Father, did you hear that Japan thumped South Korea in today's U18 World Cup match"
A teen with perfectly maintained cropped hair spoke up after dabbing a handkerchief on his lips. He sat at a large dining table with a variety of food placed carefully in front of him.
"Hmm? What did I tell you about watching sport?" The man responded, losing most of his interest.
An exasperated expression appeared on the youth's face as he retorted. "Father, don't you remember that our family is sponsoring the World Cup this year?"
"Ah… Very well. As long as you don't let it affect your studies."
The man ate with perfect table manners, choosing various dishes and eating slowly. He was a rather handsome man in his early 40's with not a single gray hair on his head. His face was clean shaven and looked rather young despite his age.
"Yes father. Don't forget that you'll need to attend the Finals in person." The young man reminded him with a soft smile.
The man paused, yet his expression grew odd in the next moment.
"Honey… You don't have to if you don't want to. Daisuke can go in your place." A beautiful woman with dark hair and flawless white skin placed her hand upon the man's arm in a gesture of kindness.
Her eye's moved to the teen sitting across from them, as if waiting for his confirmation. If it weren't for a few wrinkles which gathered at the corner of her eyes, the woman would easily pass for someone in their twenties.
"Absolutely father, I'd be more than happy to go in your stead."
However, the man recovered shortly after and shook his head.
"It's fine, we all have a duty to the family. If your Grandfather found out that I'd shirked my duties, he would turn over in his grave." He said, giving his son a smile that didn't reach his eyes.
"I've lost my appetite." The man announced before standing up from the table. Without another word, he left his wife and child alone at the table.
Daisuke frowned, doing his best to process what had just happened.
"Mother, what was that all about?"
The fair woman let out a small sigh, a troubled expression forming on her face.
"Both your Grandfather and Uncle loved baseball. They played together often many many years ago when your father was your age. But now that they're gone, just mentioning the name brings back such memories."
Daisuke nodded. He didn't understand it too much, but he could feel that his father was saddened at the mention of baseball.
"So why did we sponsor this World Cup if father is sensitive to baseball?" He asked.
The woman let out a small sigh before briefly explaining the situation of their business to the teen.