As Ken stared at the mission in front of him, he truly didn't know what to think. The fact that the system was asking him to do this made absolutely no sense to him.
While he could understand the benefits of making an impression in front of the Yanks, the other two tasks seemed completely unnecessary. And what was with the rewards?
Ken had already complained about the Charismatic Air skill, so why would he want to upgrade it? Especially to a skill with such a weird sounding name as "Magnetic Charm."
'Mika, can you tell me more about this mission?' He asked politely.
[No.]
"…"
'Please?'
[User already has all the information needed. No further explanation is required.]
Ken clicked his tongue in annoyance, but quickly moved past it. If the system was asking him to do something, it should only bring him benefits… Right?
'I don't know anything about Social Media. Where would I even begin?'
As Ken was deep in thought, he went through the motions of showering and toweled himself dry. He stood in front of the fogged up mirror and wiped it, revealing his well defined body.
He wasn't really a vain person, but even Ken had to admit that he was in great shape. While he could probably use some more mass on his frame, his muscles were both aesthetically pleasing and functional.
The sound of a door creaking open entered his ears, causing him to flinch. He turned his head to see Tara sticking her head in from the other door.
"Are you finished?" She asked politely, her eyes quickly glancing at Ken's bare chest and abs. She was so quick with her movements that he didn't have time to cover up before she was done.
"Yeah, I'm done…" He replied, sounding a little despondent.
Just as he was about to turn, he froze in place.
"Hey, do you know much about Social Media?" Ken asked. He guessed that a college girl would likely have an interest in such things, particularly one who was on the cheer team.
"Hehe~ who do you think you're talking to? I study Digital Marketing." She said, sending him a wink.
Ken's eyes lit up, feeling as if he'd just found fresh water in the desert.
"Do you think you could help me set up a Social Media account?" He asked, "I'll pay you of course."
Tara opened the door fully and approached him slowly, taking a finger and running it in between his abs. "What will you pay me with?"
Ken's face turned into one of horror as he quickly backed up, bumping into the door behind him. In his panic, the towel around his waist became loose. If it wasn't for his godlike reflexes, he might have lost his dignity in that moment.
"I—I have a fiance!" He exclaimed, holding his towel with both hands.
"Hehe~ I was just kidding." Tara stated, letting out a giggle. She turned and made her way out of the bathroom before adding, "Meet me tomorrow after practice in my room. We'll work out the details then."
With that she closed the door, leaving Ken's distraught figure still clutching his towel.
"W—What the hell man…" He muttered, feeling that it was a close call. The look in Tara's eyes told him that she wasn't actually joking to begin with.
A feeling of guilt struck him after the close encounter. Being a staunch and loyal man, he would never cheat on Ai, especially after realizing his feelings.
He quickly grabbed his phone and began to type a message to Ai. He wanted to let her know that he was meeting a girl tomorrow to talk about digital marketing and to get a Social Media account.
Thankfully, Ai seemed to be cool with it. According to her, Professional athletes needed a presence online since it was how they reached their fans and gained popularity. Unfortunately, like Ken, her knowledge of American social media was almost nothing.
"What was that about in there?" Steve asked. He was in the exact same position as earlier, as if he'd been waiting for Ken.
Ken shot him a weird look, but explained his situation, leaving out the shocking part.
"Bro, if you wanted help with social media you should have just asked me?" He said, grabbing his phone out of his pocket.
He swiped a few times before pulling up his account. "See, I have 225 followers. Pretty impressive right?"
Ken squinted, looking at the profile picture of Steve. It was him pulling a goofy face, dressed in his High School baseball uniform. But it wasn't that that caught his eye, it was the guy in the background.
"Is that me in the background of that photo?"
Steve shrugged, "So what if it is? We're friends right?" he said nonchalantly.
Usually Ken wouldn't have an issue with it, but his face was turned up in a scowl, as if he was looking down on Steve who was being an idiot.
Ken groaned before getting changed into something more comfortable. It was such a long day that all he wanted to do was sleep. As he laid his head down, he remembered the interaction he had with Ai earlier that day.
Just thinking about it made him blush. Thankfully the room was only lit by a dim desk lamp so no one could see his face.
'Once I get drafted, I'll ask her to marry me.' Ken thought, his determination growing even more. He would need to take a quick trip back to Japan to see Tetsu and ask for his daughter's hand in marriage.
'Maybe I can go see Daichi while I'm over there…'
Thinking about his brother, his emotions became rather mixed. The guy had decided to enter the NPB draft after all, being picked up by the Hanshin Tigers, just like in his previous life.
Sometimes Ken felt that it was as if the world was trying to correct itself, after the changes he'd made. No matter what he said to Daichi, the guy was adamant to stay in Japan.
'Will we ever achieve our dream of playing in the Majors together?'