A couple hours after the game ended, Steve, Brian and Ken went downtown to do some shopping. Since the two had broken their bats, they would need a replacement for the final game tomorrow.
They would play the winner from the losers bracket match held tomorrow morning. Virginia Tech would play against Gonzaga once again to see who would come out on top, whereas Wright State had already been eliminated after two straight losses.
There was only a single sports goods store nearby, but Ken was happy upon seeing the size of the store. The trio walked in and were greeted by an expansive building which looked almost like a warehouse.
Shoes, uniforms, equipment for many different sports. Basketball, Baseball, football, it was basically an emporium for American sports.
"Dude, this place is huge…" Steve gaped in awe.
"Good afternoon, are you looking for the Basketball section?" A young woman in her early 20's dressed in a black uniform asked, smiling sweetly.
"Ah no, I wanted to look at your baseball bats if you don't mind." Ken replied. This was not the first time that he'd been mistaken for a basketball player, so he wasn't surprised anymore.
"Oh, sure thing. Please follow me." She replied, turning on her heel.
Steve and Ken followed promptly, but Brian lagged behind for a brief moment. This didn't escape the eye of Steve who was hyper aware of his surroundings.
He saw the dazed expression on Brian's face and instantly knew that he was smitten. A mischievous smile appeared on his face a moment later as a plan entered his mind.
"Here is our baseball section. Is there anything in particular that you were looking for?"
"Wooden bats please. Ours broke in the game yesterday." Ken replied, his tone still carrying some sorrow.
The woman's face lit up briefly and she tucked a strand of her brown hair behind her ear, "You guys play locally? I haven't seen you around here before."
"We're college players from Columbia University." Steve interjected, "This guy right here is our star player, and he's only a freshman."
He placed his hands on Brian's shoulders and pushed him forward in front of the assistant. Not expecting to be thrust into the conversation, Brian's face instantly turned beet red and he was at a loss for words.
"Oh? But I thought their star player was Ken Takagi, the sophomore pitcher?" She asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion.
"Y—Yes, this is Ken here." Steve said, pointing to his tall and confused friend beside him.
"You're Ken!?" She cried out in shock. "Would you mind if I get your autograph? Wait, sorry that was rude of me."
"Um, sure. Would you mind helping us with selecting a bat first?" Ken replied, feeling a little awkward.
"Absolutely." She replied happily, heading towards where the bats were stored.
Ken followed, leaving Brian and Steve in the same position.
"Look man… I'm sorry for embarrassing you like that." Steve said seriously.
"It's fine." Brian replied softly.
Steve had wanted to make the guy feel a little embarrassment because he could feel that he found the girl attractive, but he didn't think that this would be how things ended.
With a glum atmosphere, they eventually moved to where Ken was being shown the wooden baseball bats. The girl was conscientiously explaining the benefits of each wood type to him. It seemed she knew her stuff.
"Most of the Major League players use bats made from Maple since its the hardest of the bunch. Not only is it more durable, the hitting power is said to be better." The woman explained.
For the next 30 or so minutes, they looked at different bats and Ken eventually settled on one. It was a black and priced at over $300.
"We'll get two please." Ken said.
"Okay, meet me at the counter." She replied happily.
After she walked away, Ken turned to Steve, "I'll pay for the bats, just make sure you take care of these ones…"
Usually Steve would be jumping for joy after receiving such a thing for free, however his mood was a little off, causing Ken to raise his eyebrow. Now that he was paying attention, he could see that Brian also seemed depressed.
"Alright… What's going on?"
After being given the run down, Ken let out a sigh. He could remember back when he would get so easily depressed over a woman so he felt a little sympathy for Brian who was usually so upbeat.
"There's no time for distractions guys. We have our final match tomorrow afternoon which will decide whether we move onto the super regionals." Ken chided, feeling like he was the only adult in the room.
"Yes sir…"
Both of them responded half-heartedly, causing Ken to roll his eyes. "Go wait outside while I pay for these."
Brian and Steve did as they were told and left the store, waiting out the front while Ken paid for the bats. For the first time in what seemed like forever, the duo were not fighting with one another.
"One day I'll be as famous as Ken." Brian said, seemingly out of nowhere.
Steve nodded. "If we win the College World Series, you'll be just as famous."
"Mmm. The reason I came to New York was because of Ken… For some reason I felt like he could help me improve and give the best shot of winning." Brian leaned up against the wall of the building and said so.
He didn't know why he was talking like this, especially in front of Steve, but he was in a weird mood.
Steve was silent for a while before responding in kind. "I moved all the way from Texas to follow Ken. He was the only one who believed that I could go pro… I even played as a walk on for most of last season."
Hearing this, Brian turned to Steve in surprise. Despite spending the past 8 months with the guy, they had never spoken on a deeper level.