Seeing Ken's state, both Hiroki and Daichi were burning with curiosity. What could have been so funny that he spontaneously burst into laughter.
Only after a few minutes was Ken able to calm down before he was instantly bombarded by questions from the duo. He was forced to translate the interview line by line until both Daichi and Hiroki were satisfied.
"HAHAHA"
"What a Muppet!"
Loud sounds of laughter ensued as the 3 enjoyed the entertainment that Brandon had given them. It brought a lighter atmosphere to the constant state of stress and exertion that they had been feeling over the past 5 days.
Soon enough, everyone got into bed and turned the lights off. It had been a long day and everyone was beginning to become fatigued after playing many matches.
Strangely enough, Daichi was the first person to fall asleep. Usually he would message Miho for at least 30 minutes before getting some shut-eye.
Ken smiled. It was obvious that his brother had been working hard, both off and on the field.
'Maybe I should check out my mission progress.' Ken thought, bringing up his system.
Yet the moment the window appeared in front of him, he heard a voice from the portable bed beside him.
"Ken, are you awake?" Hiroki asked in a soft tone.
"Hmm? Yeah, what's up." Ken asked, stealthily closing his system window.
There was silence for a few moments before he spoke up once more.
"Do you think we have what it takes to beat the United States?"
Ken couldn't help but chuckle at the question. Of course he had no idea since he'd never played them before, but judging by the matches they'd watched, it would be a tough one.
Yet there was a large part of him that wanted it to happen.
"I think we have a chance." He eventually said.
"Mmm, me too…"
Ken waited a while, yet his friend didn't say anything. Just when he thought Hiroki had fallen asleep, he spoke up once more.
"Man, you really are amazing Ken. When I see you on the field, it looks like you have the whole game in the palm of your hand. Nothing seems to faze you at all."
Ken frowned. This was not something that his friend would usually say, meaning something was up. He turned his body and propped himself up onto his elbow, looking in Hiroki's direction.
"What's this about?" Ken asked, his tone serious.
"Sometimes it feels like I don't belong here ya know?"
Before Ken could respond, he continued.
"I've always worked hard to get better my entire life. In middle school I was one of the best players because of my work ethic, but once I got to High School, I realized that it wasn't enough."
"No matter how much I tried to improve, I would never get better. To the point where even those who hardly trained surpassed me, leaving me in the dust."
Ken swallowed deeply, choosing not to interrupt his friend. He could feel the pain and frustration within Hiroki's voice, showing just how much he had suffered over the years in pursuit of greatness.
"But then you came to Yokohama…"
Hiroki grinned, though Ken could not see through the darkness.
"Not only were you talented, you also worked harder than anyone. You were always training with the intent to get better, carrying everybody along with you, whether they wanted to come or not."
This time it was Ken's turn to smile. The face of Shiro popped into his mind briefly, followed by all the torturous training that he put him through.
"I still remember our conversation on the bus back from our friendly match when I had to swallow my pride and ask for your help. Though it's not my proudest moment, it was the best decision I ever made."
Hiroki's words were sincere and filled with emotion.
"Well, it's not like it was easy." Ken muttered, trying to ease the mood.
"Haha, you're right, that training was pure torture for 2 months. I still get nightmares from it sometimes." He said with a hint of melancholy.
He was silent once more, as if trying to choose his next words.
"I guess what I'm trying to say is… Thank you. Without your help and guidance, there's no way that I would have been able to tryout for the National Team, let alone play on the starting line up."
Ken shook his head vehemently, not wanting to take such credit.
"You were the one who put in the work man, you should be thanking yourself." He said sincerely.
Yet Hiroki quickly dismissed these words.
"Yeah right. I'd probably still be swinging my bat in the backyard, dreaming about moments like this haha."
Ken didn't know what to say. While it was maybe possible for Hiroki to increase his potential through enough stimulus, would he have been able to do it without Ken and the systems help?
Well, since Hiroki had never made it to the professionals in his previous life, it seemed like the answer was no.
If he took himself as an example, Ken knew damn well that he would not be in the position he was in right now if it weren't for the system. Though that was another thought for another time.
"So, are you going to make the most of your newfound potential?" Ken asked, laying back down onto his back.
"You mean go pro?"
"No, I mean become a model…" He answered sarcastically.
"Hahaha, I'm way too shy to become a model. Plus, I think I'd need to be a bit more handsome to pull that off."
Ken's eyebrow twitched, feeling a bout of irritation. If the so-called Greek God needed to be more handsome to become a model, then what chance did anyone else have?
Hearing Ken go silent, he answered.
"It's always been my dream to go pro in Japan. There's no way I'm letting go of that dream, especially now that I'm finally capable of doing so."
"Good, then let's win the World Cup and get you more exposure."
"Haha, you bet."