"Oh hey Miho~" Ai called out in surprise, going in for a hug.
Meanwhile, Ken's eyes drifted to the guy standing beside her with a grin on his face. The two didn't exchange any words, both coming in for a manly hug for the second time that day.
"It's good to see you man."
"Mmm, I thought I'd have to visit you in America to see you again." Daichi replied.
After getting through the greetings, the 4 sat down at the table and began to chat. Ken hadn't expected Miho to be in Osaka, but it made sense when he remembered that Tokyo University was also on a break around this time.
"So how have you been man? The last I heard was that you won that WWBA tournament." Daichi asked with interest.
Ken nodded, "I've been good, just training as usual. You know how it is." He replied nonchalantly. "I had to attend this showcase a few days ago, was the most boring thing I've ever done."
"Showcase? What's that?"
Ken waved his hand dismissively, "It's some stupid thing where they test out your abilities. I thought it might be fun, but half the time you just stand around waiting for your tests."
"And when it actually came time to play, they took me off the mound after only 3 innings and sent me to the outfield… Can you believe it?" He complained.
However, Daichi wore a wry smile. "I bet they did it so the other guys had a chance to hit the ball…"
But Ken was having none of it, "It's not my fault that these guys can't hit my pitches." He said, shrugging.
Daichi chose not to dwell on the subject for long, moving on. "Well, what were your results?"
Ken tilted his head in thought for a few moments before shrugging once more, "I dunno, I haven't checked."
This time, Miho, Ai and Daichi looked at Ken in bewilderment. What kind of person wouldn't have checked their results after attending such an event?
In an instant, Miho got out her phone, "What was the website again? Perfect Game?"
"Ah, you don't have to look. It doesn't mean anything anyways." Ken said, trying to dissuade her.
"Shhh. I'm curious now."
It seemed that Ai and Daichi were also curious since they leaned in closer to get a look at the screen. After a few moments of silence, Miho spoke up. "Okay, here it is, Ken Takagi."
The first thing that they noticed was the strained expression on Ken's face in the profile photo, eliciting a few coughs from both Ai and Daichi. A grin was tugging at the corner of their lips, but they tried to keep the laughs from escaping.
"2020 Grad, Right Hand Pitcher, Outfield… PG Grade of 10." Miho mumbled, reading through the profile.
"Top pitching prospect in the 2020 class, up to 100+ mph with a natural feel for the zone, two-way standout, MVP of 2019 WWBA 18U. Damn Ken, they seem to be singing your praises." She said, her eyes looking up from the phone to inspect him.
"Heh, what can I say?" He replied smugly.
"Bro, it says you're 6'4 and only 200 pounds… You need to put on some muscle." Daichi stated matter-of-factly.
"Mmm he's right. You should really start some resistance training and eat more protein. As for what exercises, you'll need to tailor them so you don't mess with your pitching form." Miho went straight into work mode at the mention of his physique.
Ken could only stare blankly as he was judged by the two of them. He knew that his frame wasn't that large for his size, but he didn't expect to get picked on by his brother and Miho.
He turned to Ai, hoping for at least some support, however she only nodded along in agreement with them. A look of betrayal flashed upon Ken's face as he realized he was being ganged up on.
"Don't worry Ken, I know you can do it." Ai said, touching him on the arm in support.
"Holy crap, these are your results?" Miho almost shouted in shock. Her eyes scanned the results of the showcase, her eyebrows knitting in disbelief.
"What? Are they good?" Daichi asked curiously.
"Good? They're better than a lot of top athletes…" She said in wonder.
"Eh? Really?" This time Ken was even surprised.
"Mmm. Running the 60-yard dash in under 6 seconds is amazing, not to mention your ridiculous fastball speed. Even your exit velocity on the bat is impressive, especially when we take into account you're still in High School…"
"Oh, I see." Ken replied simply. He didn't know what numbers professional players would achieve, but hearing someone like Miho praise him made him feel pretty good. Especially since she was studying sport science at University.
But when he thought about it, things made sense. All of his physical grades were at or above the SSS-Grade. Judging by the systems parameters, he should be at least at the top level of college players.
"You don't seem too surprised." Daichi stated, looking at his brother oddly.
"Well… You know how hard I work. It's only a matter of time before I make it to the Majors." He stated confidently.
To some, this statement might seem overly arrogant. But to those sitting around the table, they felt that there was nothing wrong with what he was saying.
"Oho? You seem pretty confident there boyo." The voice of an old lady spoke up beside him, causing Ken to turn around and see her face.
"Ah! Is that you Ken?" She shouted in surprise after seeing his face.
"Hey Grandma, its nice to see you again." Ken smiled in reply. This was the woman who had asked to take his picture the year that he had pitched a perfect game at Koshien.
"Oh wow, this is my lucky day." She said with a brilliant smile.
"Hi Grandma, good to see you." Daichi spoke up from across the table.