Ken's perfect game was promoted everywhere over the next few days, causing his fame to skyrocket in a short amount of time. The situation got even bigger when some of the Yanks players reposted the headlines on their own accounts.
He received a message from a few of his friends in Japan who had heard the news. Apparently the Japanese media had gotten hold of the story and began to market him once again.
It was as if they had completely forgotten about the smear campaign they created while he was in his slump.
Ken had already learned to ignore the media attention, both good and bad. It was also great that he had a Social Media manager to look after his accounts since he had enough to focus on.
This would increase doubly when the NIL deal was struck in July of next year. Just thinking of all the brand deals Tara would have to deal with when that time came made him dizzy.
'I'll have to pay her a wage when that time comes.' Ken thought to himself idly.
The next game against University of Pennsylvania was tonight and he already knew that he wouldn't be pitching. In fact, the coach had already hinted that he wouldn't even be placed in the outfield.
Ken couldn't help but feel a bit exasperated. He had pitched a total of 95 balls on Wednesday, yet the coach was worried his arm wouldn't have recovered by now.
But with his Fatigue management skill, 95 pitches was nothing. He could pitch double that and still be fine the next morning, but it wasn't as if he could explain this to the coach.
"What's got you so down?" Steve asked, looking bored.
Ken let out a sigh, "I probably won't be playing tonight." He admitted.
"Join the club…" Steve huffed.
"Hmm? Has Clinton recovered already?"
"Yeah… Don't get me wrong, I'm glad he is no longer injured. But I was hoping for at least another few home games before I got shafted to the bench." He admitted.
"Well, you were batting pretty well. Maybe they'll use you as a designated hitter since Jackson will be in the outfield."
Steve gave him an annoyed look. "You say that like the coach won't put you there."
Ken shrugged, "I can see he wants to keep me rested… Even though I'm perfectly fine. Chances are I'll be riding the bench all night."
"Oh… I'm sorry to hear that man." Steve said, placing his hand on Ken's shoulder.
Ken glanced at Steve and shook his head, "Sure doesn't look like it judging by the giant smile on your face."
"Oh my bad." He quipped back, but the smile remained. "Are we going out to dinner after the game again? That steak was delicious the other night, so much better than the food here."
"Yeah, but you're paying this time."
"W—Wait, what!?"
Letting out a small chuckle, Ken stood up and stretched, feeling the condition of his body. There was still a couple of hours till the game and he was feeling a little restless. He hated staying idle.
"I'm gonna go for a light jog, you coming?"
However, Steve shook his head, "I'm lacking a bit of energy these days, but I'm not sure why. Maybe I need to go see the team doctor."
Ken scoffed, "You can attribute that to the extra workouts you're partaking in with your new girlfriend. Even I never knew you had so much stamina…"
"Ah… You're right. She's quite insatiable. This one time—"
"I don't want to hear it." Ken said, cutting him off. He had not yet devolved to a state where he wanted to discuss such things openly in front of his friend. He grabbed his shoes and bade his farewell before going out for a jog.
As he jogged through the now familiar campus, Ken could feel his blood boiling, eliciting a weird sensation. He tried to increase his pace and quell the feeling, but it didn't go away.
'Mika, what's happening to my body? Why do I feel so irritated?'
At first, Mika didn't answer, leaving him even more frustrated.
[User is currently experiencing sexual frustration.]
'Excuse me!?'
Ken almost skidded to a halt, his hackles raised. To think that Mika would utter such nonsense.
'How could you say such a thing? What are you even talking about?' Flustered, he shot back at Mika.
[The issue can be resolved in one of two ways. User can have se—]
"OKAY that's enough!" Ken yelled, throwing his hands in the air. A group of students snapped their gazes onto him, their eyes showing uncertainty at his weird behavior.
"Ah, sorry I'm on the phone." Ken replied, pointing to his ear. Of course there was no ear piece in, but he would have felt far too awkward to just leave things be.
Feeling both embarrassed and frustrated, Ken broke into his run once again. He quickly increased his pace until he was just below a sprint. Sweat poured from his face, and his body was quickly heating up.
"Ken?"
Ken turned his head, only to see a woman dressed in tight legging shorts, showing off her long and tanned legs. The girl's long black hair was tied into a ponytail, and her green eyes were visible even from a distance.
"Hey Amelia…" He said, slowing down his run. If he wasn't such a polite person, he would have continued his run and ignored her.
"Hey, I haven't seen you around in a while. Congratulations on the Perfect game the other day, it's all I've heard around campus the last few days." She said, smiling. However, there was a slight awkwardness in her body language.
"Ah, thank you… How's your training for the Olympics going?"
"It's good. I qualified so long ago that a lot of the excitement has drifted away." She admitted. "Don't get me wrong though, I'm sure when it's closer I'll regain my motivation."
Ken nodded, he could understand her entirely.