Ken was speechless in that moment, obviously not expecting Alex to video call him, especially during what looked like practice.
"Hey, is this a good time?" Ken asked, not wanting to get the guy in trouble.
"Yeah we're just taking a quick break. Look, Sanchez and Masaru are here too." He said, moving the phone and showing the other two players.
"Hisashiburi1 Ken!" Masaru said, waving in the background.
Ken felt his face heat up a little, seeing one of his idols greeting him in such a way. If this was any other circumstance he might be happy to chat for a while, but he needed to get the situation resolved as soon as possible.
He politely answered and steered the conversation back on topic.
"Alex, I'm in some trouble with the NCAA because of those VIP tickets you gave me. They said it violated the impermissible benefits clause."
"What!? That's a load of crap." Alex cursed, his expression morphing.
Ken agreed, but he continued, "I need to reimburse you for those tickets, otherwise my eligibility could be revoked."
Alex was silent for a while, "I got them for free, so I don't know how much they cost." He admitted, "Hold on a moment."
The guy walked over to the edge of the bullpen to the pitching coach, "Darrel, how much do we sell those VIP tickets for?"
"The ones I gave you? I think they're about 8 each." He replied.
Alex turned back to the camera, "Did you hear that?"
Ken nodded, hearing that he would need to pay a total of $1,600 for the two tickets caused a serious pain in his heart, but as long as it got the university and NCAA off his back, it would be worth it.
"Can you send me your bank details and I'll transfer the $1600 for the two tickets." Ken asked.
"1,600?" Alex asked, "Don't you mean $16,000?"
"SIXTEEN THOUSAND!? Didn't you say it was $800 each ticket?" Ken almost collapsed from the shock, his mind going blank.
"No no, he said 8k each ticket. Right Darrel?"
Ken didn't even hear the next part of the conversation, his depression rising. While he had the money, his miserly ways made it almost impossible to justify spending so much money at one time.
Looking half dead, Ken spoke up again, "Send through your account details please… I'll transfer the money."
Only now did Alex seem to remember that Ken was a college student and did not have the same kind of money that he a professional did. He also felt bad that he was the cause of this whole issue.
"Once you leave college, I'll send you the money back alright? Also don't worry about the NCAA, Columbia will fight tooth and nail to keep you on the squad, as long as they're not idiots." He said, flashing Ken a grin.
Ken felt slightly better at these words and thanked him. He reiterated to Alex to send the bank details before hanging up the call and heaving a sigh.
"That was unexpected…" Tara stated.
"Yeah… I didn't even know you could video call on instagram." Ken added.
A few minutes later, the bank details came through and Ken transferred the money. There was a gloomy expression on his face, but it was something that he had to do in order to make things right.
"You think he's right that the university would fight for me?" Ken asked Tara, his tone showing some vulnerability.
Without realizing it, being disallowed to play baseball had affected him greatly. He hadn't felt this stifled since middle school where he was forced to sit out for nearly the whole season.
"Alex is right." Tara replied matter-of-factly. "There's no way that they'll sit on their hands and knees about this, not with the post season coming up."
"I hope so…"
"We're going to get some dinner, did you want to join us?" Steve asked.
Ken shook his head. "I still need to send these bank statements to the coach. The quicker I get this done, the faster my investigation should end."
"Alright man. We'll go have a workout afterwards, that should calm you down a bit." Steve said, patting his friend on the shoulder. The concern was clear in his voice and Ken felt marginally better because of it.
Once the two had left, Ken moved over to his laptop and downloaded his statements. The money he had to pay to Alex took a considerable chunk out of the money his Grandfather had given him, and he couldn't help but feel guilty.
Thankfully he was on a full scholarship, so this money should easily last him for the remaining 2 and a bit years he intended to stay at college. Provided the school didn't revoke his scholarship due to this whole fiasco.
Thinking to this point, a surge of irritation swept through Ken. While his father was on a lucrative deal with the Texas Shorthorns and could likely fund his schooling without any issue, this was beside the point.
Ken had been loyal to the Bobcats, doing favors for them with his large following online and the like. In interviews he always praised the team's coaching staff and the great conditions at the University.
If they were to turn their back on him now, he might have to consider drastic measures.
Ken was a simple person who valued loyalty and respect above all else. Should anything cross his bottom line, he wouldn't hesitate to cut them off.
'I hope it doesn't come to that.' Ken thought bleakly.
After sending the bank statements to the coach via email, he sat back in his chair and let out a deep sigh. Grabbing his phone, he called Ai to let her know what had happened, lest she find out about it through the media first.
Ai listened carefully and consoled him, like she always did. By the end of the phone call he felt better. They had made plans to catch up tonight as she wanted to see him in person.
Long time no see (In Japanese)