That young man looked like he had stepped straight out of a manga. That was how Fujio described Zhang Han, down to the smallest detail.
"Mr. Fujio, aren't you exaggerating? Can someone really look like that?" His colleagues clearly didn't believe him.
"Any photos? Let me see."
Fujio only smiled. Of course he had photos, but there was no chance he would reveal them before the magazine issue was finalized.
Seido High School's rising newcomer, Zhang Han. Monster batter Azuma Kiyokuni. Fujio poured all his effort into crafting two feature articles.
He had no intention of writing a broad introduction to Seido itself. That approach had been done countless times—not only by others, but by Fujio in his early years as well.
And those pieces always followed the same pattern: historic achievements, excellent facilities, impressive coaching staff. It was all true, but too familiar.
Writing about players instead of the institution would make things fresher and more engaging, especially for a team fans already knew well.
When Fujio stepped into the chief editor's office, he saw the editor staring at a handful of photos as if they were treasure.
"Looking for me, Chief Editor?"
"All of these go in," the editor said immediately. "And this posed shot—use it for the cover. Talk to Zhang Han. We can offer him a small fee."
The editor was practically glowing.
"This is an interview they agreed to," Fujio said. "We don't need to pay."
"How could we not? We'll want to work with him again. Pay him. Absolutely pay him."
The editor thumped the desk, full of certainty. He could already sense the issue would be a hit.
Since the editor insisted, Fujio didn't argue. Long-term cooperation with Zhang Han would benefit both sides. If the magazine acted stingy now and someone else made a better offer later, they could easily lose the connection.
That night, the entire magazine office worked overtime printing.
The next day, 150,000 copies of Baseball Kingdom hit shelves across the country.
By the third day, some regions had sold out and requested reprints.
The chief editor slammed his palm on the desk in triumph. "I knew it. I knew it!"
Rumor had it that many people who didn't even care about baseball—otaku girls, office workers, housewives—bought the magazine just to keep the issue.
The usual print run was around 100,000 to 150,000. This issue reprinted twice and ultimately sold 250,000 copies. It broke into the top ten of all magazines that week and became the best-selling baseball periodical, surpassing Major League and Mobile Baseball.
The magazine's influence was strongest among high school students. And that influence showed itself quickly.
Before the article, Zhang Han received a love letter every few days. Afterward, three to five appeared in his desk every day.
Zhang Han was speechless. Dealing with them was a headache. It felt wrong to throw them out, but keeping them felt misleading.
"So annoying."
Somehow that comment spread, and soon Kuramochi and the others were giving him resentful looks.
Zhang Han felt completely misunderstood.
"You think I'm being pretentious? The first time I got a love letter, I really was excited. But after dozens of them… come on."
He explained earnestly, but instead of sympathizing, the others just stared at him colder than before.
"What strange guys…"
For more than a month before the Summer Tournament, Zhang Han stayed on campus for training. Even though his home wasn't far, he didn't visit once.
Ironically, after the tournament began, training eased up. The coaches said the priority was maintaining condition. Hard practice at this stage risked draining their stamina for actual games.
So Zhang Han finally went home.
His mother, Lan He, was overjoyed to see him. They hadn't been apart for this long in years. She prepared a full dinner, and the family ate together happily. During the meal, his younger sister Lan Yu brought up the magazine.
"I know. I saw it at school."
When the issue came out, some teammates bought extra copies and even congratulated Azuma and him with printouts of their pages.
"The photos are so handsome! Were they posed?"
"No way. I didn't even notice the photographer."
Lan Yu stared at him. Was he pretending he just naturally looked good from every angle?
"Oh, right—some online writers were talking about you too."
"Writers? What kind?"
"Just the usual self-media sites. Someone posted a short piece on a headline app."
Zhang Han stayed calm at the table, but later in his room, he looked it up. The article was mostly copied from the magazine and reused the photos. It had a few dozen comments, meaning a few hundred readers at least.
"Little brother is so handsome!"
"Is this a clip from a drama?"
"Can't even find his name anywhere."
"Definitely fake."
"Who cares if it's true? It brightened my day."
"Wishing this kid good luck in his baseball career."
Zhang Han closed the comments with a helpless sigh. Things had definitely gotten out of hand.
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