"That game lasted fifty-one minutes?"
Zhang Han sounded doubtful. In his impression, it felt like it should have been even faster.
"Our offense took longer," Miyuki said, as if he had read Zhang Han's thoughts. "If you only count defense time, it wasn't even twenty minutes."
To be honest, Miyuki felt the same way. It seemed like it should have taken even less time.
But that feeling was actually a psychological illusion.
During defense, everyone was tense, worrying about giving up runs, and every player was fully involved, which made time feel longer. Offense was different. They were scoring runs, after all. No matter how long it took, no one minded.
Because of that, Zhang Han and Miyuki both felt that the game had ended in the blink of an eye.
"I heard you're going to be interviewed?" Zhang Han asked.
"What, you want to go instead? I can switch with you."
"Forget it. I'm not interested."
The final itself had not been tiring, and the process was fairly straightforward.
If someone wanted to interview him after the games against Ichidai Third High School or Inashiro Industrial, Zhang Han would have been willing to go.
Not for himself, but for Kameshima and Narumiya Mei.
Zhang Han would have liked to say something on behalf of those two opponents. They might not have appreciated it, but he would have been willing.
Zhang Han did not participate in the interview. Shortly afterward, he received a personal profile sheet from Takashima Rei.
About eighty to ninety percent of the content was true, with ten to twenty percent exaggeration mixed in. Of course, even the real parts had been carefully polished.
"Is it really necessary to go this far?" Zhang Han asked. "I'm a baseball player. Even if I go pro in the future, I'm not a celebrity."
Takashima Rei's expression was serious.
"Of course it's necessary. This is the era of the internet economy. Any of your personal actions will be magnified. Whether it's to make sure you don't embarrass Seido, or to make more people like you, I think you need to maintain this image. Maybe right now, this profile doesn't fully match your true personality, but if you pay attention to a few details, you can make it align naturally."
"I'm not a monk who needs to follow strict rules," Zhang Han said, clearly displeased. "This is just my personality. Is it really necessary to deliberately change things so more people like me?"
Zhang Han respected others, but he had never been someone who changed himself to please people.
"If you only want to play baseball for fun in high school and don't plan to pursue it professionally, then it's not necessary," Takashima Rei said calmly. "But if you haven't decided yet, or if you want to become a professional baseball player, then I suggest you adjust some of your habits slightly. Having more people like you benefits not just yourself, but your team and even your hometown."
Zhang Han was still somewhat reluctant.
Takashima Rei smiled.
Good-looking boys often developed a kind of protagonist mindset. Their lives tended to go smoothly, which came with both advantages and disadvantages. In most cases, such people were quite stubborn.
Zhang Han appeared polite, but that was more the result of his upbringing. His underlying personality followed the same pattern.
"Every industry has its rules," Takashima Rei continued. "If you plan to enter an industry, you have to follow its rules. For example, smoking isn't a crime. But if you're a public figure, you absolutely can't do it on a program or in public. For ordinary people, it's just a matter of personal conduct. For celebrities, it's about influence. If something goes wrong, you could be blacklisted."
Zhang Han nodded.
That point made sense.
"If you want to enter professional baseball, it's better to follow certain rules," Takashima Rei said. "They might not seem important to ordinary people, but they can make your path much smoother. When giving interviews, try not to talk about…"
"I understand," Zhang Han interrupted.
A smile appeared on Takashima Rei's face.
Perhaps because of his family background, or because he had studied abroad early, Zhang Han's thinking was already very mature, despite being under fifteen.
When speaking with him, Takashima Rei often forgot his age and felt as though she was talking to someone her own age.
"I believe your future prospects will be incredibly bright," she said.
As the daughter of Seido's school board, Takashima Rei was naturally a supporter of Seido. She had seen very few players who could achieve such results in their first year. She could count them on one hand.
Aside from two who did not go professional due to injury or choosing university, every one of them went on to achieve great success.
Given Zhang Han's potential, combined with his appearance and background, his future prospects would likely surpass those who came before him.
While Takashima Rei was talking with Zhang Han, her phone suddenly rang.
"Mr. Sawamura, hello."
Zhang Han was startled.
Takashima Rei's voice was unusually gentle. It was clear she held the person on the other end in high regard.
Previously, only Miyuki and Kuramochi had received this kind of treatment. According to them, when Takashima Rei invited them, her tone had been just as gentle. Zhang Han felt that when she invited him, it was not very different.
Based on that, he guessed that the potential of the person on the phone was no less than Miyuki's or Kuramochi's.
"Have you decided you want to visit?" Takashima Rei said. "I'm really sorry, but since our baseball team has qualified for Koshien, we are currently in closed training. It's not suitable to receive visitors right now. Could you wait until after Koshien? I'll invite you to Tokyo then."
"Alright. I'll contact you again later."
Takashima Rei hung up, her face full of smiles.
"Is that the pitcher you mentioned before?" Zhang Han asked. "Is he very strong?"
"As for his strength, it's hard to say," Takashima Rei replied. "But his potential is limitless."
She smiled and pushed up her glasses.
"If that's the case, why not let him visit directly?"
The closed training was real, but there was still time to receive visitors. In fact, Seido had already done that more than once.
"Timing is very important," Takashima Rei said. "I want him to first see our players at Koshien, then bring him to visit the school. Seeing players he watched on television appear right in front of him will have a much greater impact. Also, any private discussions are better left until after Koshien, to avoid unnecessary complications."
Zhang Han was inwardly amazed.
She had thought of everything.
It seemed Takashima Rei was absolutely determined to recruit that pitcher.
Zhang Han could not help but feel curious.
What kind of person was he exactly?
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