Later that night, Ken received a phone call from the coach, urging him to come into his office. The time was already 9pm, so he was surprised that the coach would still be working this late.
Ken felt his stomach in a knot as he made his way across campus towards the fitness center. It had been a tough couple of days, but he was hoping for some good news since tomorrow was the final game of the series.
As he arrived at the office, Coach Brown was waiting for him by the door and gestured for him to come in. From the look on his face, it was clear that he was not bringing good news.
"Take a seat."
The coach walked over and sat at his desk, pulling out a piece of paper and placing it in front of Ken. It was an email from the NCAA Enforcement department.
Ken read through the contents and almost crumpled the letter in his hand by the time he reached the end. He raised his gaze to the coach, "Are they serious? 24 games?"
His tone carried his barely contained rage, hidden just beneath the surface. 24 games was half a season, not including the post season games, which meant he would not even be able to play organized baseball for almost a year.
"You saw what they said… The value of the VIP tickets was the determining factor of the punishment." He replied, though his expression showed he was also unsatisfied with the decision.
"We will have to submit a formal request to reinstate your eligibility after the penalty is served since it is classed as a level 2 significant infraction. They've also recommended the review of your current athletic scholarship." Coach Brown continued, his tone even.
Ken felt his shoulder drop and a sense of helplessness overcame him. He couldn't believe that he was in such a situation, especially when he believed he'd been doing the right thing all along.
"Ken… I'm sorry that it came to this." Coach Brown said, looking pained. "But this isn't the end. I've already talked to the athletic director, we'll be launching an appeal and pursuing damages."
Ken raised his head, a hint of hope within his desolate eyes. "You can do that?"
Coach Brown nodded, "And it's something we should do. The punishment does not befit the crime, especially since both yourself and the university have been fully cooperative in the investigation. We won't stop until we get to the bottom of this."
Hearing the man's words, Ken felt a little better, but that didn't change the immediate situation where he would have to miss out on the post season. After working so hard during the year, he would have to forgo the most important games of the year.
Ken stood up from his chair and thanked the coach, bowing slightly.
"I'll see you at practice tomorrow okay. Don't do anything rash, we'll release an official statement to the media about the investigation and our intention to appeal. If anyone approaches you for an interview, let us know and we'll handle it."
The coach made his way around his desk and placed his hand upon Ken's shoulder consolingly. "This is just a small hiccup Ken, you're meant for great things. Please don't let this effect you."
Ken nodded, though his mind was preoccupied. He left the office and began to walk the grounds of the campus, his eyes out of focus.
His mind was numb and it felt like he didn't have control over his body. He felt like a little kid once more, the same kid who was told to give up pitching by the scout at Osaka Toin.
Tears of frustration began to pool on the corner of his eyes, making his vision misty.
"Ken? Oh my god, what's wrong?" A female voice called to him before he felt hands on either side of his arms.
'Who is it?' Ken thought. He blinked his eyes a few times, trying to clear away the tears. The warm tears ran down his cheeks and he could finally see the figure in front of him.
Amelia was in front of him with her smooth brown hair tied up in a long ponytail and soft green eyes looking at him with concern. Ken barely registered who it was before he tried to continue on his way.
"H—Hey, I'm worried about you." She said, tightening her grip on his arms.
Ken could have broken free easily, but he didn't. He turned to her pretty face and stared into her soft eyes. In another life he might have chased after this woman, they might have even been perfect for each other.
However, there was only room enough for one woman in his heart, and this was not her.
"I'm fine. You'll hear about it in the news tomorrow." He said softly, removing her hands from his arm. They were soft and slightly cold. His touch lingered briefly before he turned his body and began to run, leaving the woman alone once again.
Ken ran with no destination in mind. He ran along the streets of New York, his body soon layered with sweat. For the first time in a long while, he didn't know what to do next.
A bitterness crept into his psyche, taking root. He found it ironic that even while being fully healthy, he was unable to play baseball. The circumstances were different to his previous life, but the end result was the same.
As he continued to run, he eventually found himself in front of a familiar building. It was only now that he realized it was Ai's dorm.
Ken began to catch his breath and pulled out his phone, noticing he had some missed calls from Steve and Tara. He ignored them and pulled up his contacts, hovering over Ai's number. He didn't want to talk about what happened, he just didn't want to be alone right now.
Just as he was about to put away the phone, his phone began to vibrate. Looking down at the caller, it was Ai.
"Hey…"
"Where are you!? Tara called me saying that you disappeared."
"I'm out the front of your dorm…"
"Eh? I—I'll be down in a moment."