As the season progressed, Ken continued to play at a high level when on the field. His new Perfectionist trait was instrumental in preserving his consistency, both on offense and defense.
Every few weeks, he and Ai would book the same hotel and enjoy their weekends together. But with his burgeoning fame, he was beginning to get recognized frequently, making it difficult to go out in public.
With Ken's now almost 6'6 frame, he easily stuck out in crowds. While he had always tried to be polite to any fans that he might come across, there were occasions that he was forced to put his foot down.
After all, being interrupted during a meal with his girlfriend all but killed the romance.
But with his fame, also came people who hated him.
Ken didn't look at any comments or messages on his social media platforms, leaving it all up to Tara whose workload had increased alongside his fame. The most notable hate coming from the University of Pennsylvania students who had been swept in all 3 of their games.
This was the same team Ken had thrown a perfect game against and dominated every time he played. They flooded his posts with garbage, sending threats while hiding behind their phones.
Tara had mentioned this to Ken, but told him not to worry about it. If things got bad they could always contact the University and have them take action against the student's in question.
It was currently the middle of May and the regular season had almost come to an end. Ken and Steve had completed their final exams for their first year of college, much to the latter's relief.
There would be no more academics until the beginning of their sophomore year in September, though Ken would likely not give up on studying.
Columbia ended up on top of the Ivy League conference with an 18-2 record, the best in the school's history.
In fact, the playoff series against University of Pennsylvania was kicking off this weekend. The winner of the best of 3 series would determine the Ivy League champions.
Ken was looking forward to beating this team once again and collecting his prize from the mission. As long as they won the series, he would be able to give Steve another one of his skills, improving him even further.
On the day before the playoff series began, the team trained at the home field like any other day. Coach Brown had been smiling for what seemed like the entire season, but today something felt different.
He seemed angry, as if something had pissed him off, though the players could only guess why. All they could do was ensure they followed his orders completely, to avoid being the focus of his anger.
Once they'd finished their final exercise of the session, it was one of the assistant coaches who addressed the team with some closing remarks.
When they were dismissed, Ken was making his way back to the lockers when he felt a tap on his shoulder.
"Meet me in my office."
'Eh?' Ken felt a bout of anxiety upon seeing how serious the coach looked, but he quickly nodded in affirmation. His mind seemed to race with possibilities, but he couldn't think of anything that he should be in trouble for.
Steve had seen the interaction and was also curious. Seeing how anxious Ken was, he didn't ask anything and kept his distance, he knew that the guy would tell him the details after.
As Ken was leaving, Steve pat his shoulder and wished him good luck.
Knock Knock
"You wanted to see me coach?" Ken asked, peering into the office.
"Come in and take a seat. Close the door on your way in."
Ken's anxiety peaked as he saw the serious expression on the coach's face. It was clear at a glance that whatever the conversation was about, it was not going to be pretty.
He did as he was told, sitting in the chair in front of the desk. The two sat in silence for a few moments while the coach seemed to be choosing his next words. In the end, he reached into his desk draw and procured a manila folder, placing it in front of Ken.
Ken gave him a confused look, before opening the folder.
His eyes widened as he saw a picture of him and Ai dining at a fancy restaurant on top of the pile. He moved the photo aside and saw another of them shopping at some of the high-end fashion stores.
"What the hell is this?" Ken queried, his face turning dark. These were intimate moments that he had with his girlfriend, who the hell was following them around and taking such photos?
"Keep going." The coach said.
As Ken flipped through the photos it was much of the same until the final photo was the one with the New York Yanks players. Anger and confusion was written on Ken's face as he tried to understand what the coach was getting at.
"Do you know why I'm showing you these Ken?" he asked.
"I have no clue." Ken replied icily. If there wasn't an explanation soon, he was ready to blow his top.
Feeling the rising emotions, Coach Brown didn't take long to answer.
"The NCAA have launched an investigation into your eligibility based on the evidence in that folder. An anonymous source has alleged that you have violated your NCAA contract by accepting gifts and or impermissible benefits because of your status."
"That is ridiculous."
However, the coach did not reply to the claim, pointing at the photos. "Are you telling me that you paid for all of these services? The fancy dinners, shopping spree's and even the expensive hotel?"
Ken didn't hesitate. "Of course… how else would I purchase these things?"
The coach nodded, "And how about the VIP tickets to meet with the New York Yanks players? Did you pay for that?"
Ken froze, "Those were given to me by Alex Cole when we met in Central Park."