The Old Baseball Player System

"Hey Shun, we're going to karaoke. Do you want to come with us?" - Hana said as she approached and gave Shun a beautiful smile.

"Huh?" - Shun looked distractedly at Hana's beautiful smile. He couldn't believe what was happening. Was Hana really inviting him on a date? He wasn't dreaming, right?

"Ohh, great idea, Hana! You should come, Shun. It's been a while since we all hung out together!" - Unfortunately for Shun, his friend Toji snapped him out of his daydream, bringing him back to reality and making him realize that Hana wasn't inviting him on a date.

"Ah, sorry, I'll stay with the team to watch the game of our next opponent." - Shun said as he scratched the back of his head. Even though he didn't want to miss the chance to go out with Hana, he had priorities. He knew this was his last chance to make it to the Kanto tournament, and he intended to give it his all to reach that goal.

"Oh, right, see you later then!" - Hana said, a bit surprised. This was probably the first time a boy her age had said no to her.

"Hm, see you later!" - Shun said, feeling a little regretful, but he quickly accepted that he had made the right decision. As much as he liked the girl, it didn't make sense to chase after someone out of his league. He had to focus on baseball! After all, baseball didn't prefer good-looking and talented boys, at least not as much as girls did.

Shun said goodbye to his other friends with a smile, while his sister Mika stood there, too shocked to believe her idiot brother had actually turned down an invitation from Hana.

Shun watched as his friends from Tokyo Nakano walked away and sighed. He knew he had made the right choice.

"Hey, man, did you really turn down an invitation from that hottie? Now that's dedication, dude!" - The young samurai Ren said, impressed, as he threw his arm over Shun's shoulder.

"Senpai, you're amazing! I've never seen anyone turn down a girl that beautiful!" - The young pitcher Sora also said, equally impressed.

"Shut up!" - Shun replied irritably as he shrugged Ren's arm off his shoulder. He was already starting to regret choosing to stay with these idiots.

After some time, the next game of the Tokyo tournament finally began. Shun paid extra close attention to this game, considering he would be the starting pitcher in the next match.

The game didn't last long, with Aoba Junior High School's baseball team emerging as the winner. Aoba was a well-known team in the Tokyo tournament, having finished in the top 4 last year. Shun noticed they used the same strategy as Seishin, the small ball, a common strategy for Japanese teams.

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None of Aoba's batters stood out individually, but they were all excellent at making contact with the ball, and all were capable of executing perfect bunts. Shun grew concerned as he observed Aoba's hitters, these guys were probably the worst possible matchup for him right now.

He would have to be extremely careful not to give up too many walks in the next game, as these players were more than capable of bringing runners home.

As for Aoba's pitcher, he was also very good. Although he wasn't at the level of monsters like Kohei, his pitches were tricky. To start, his fastball wasn't the usual 4-seamer but a sinker, a fastball with a downward and glove-side break that he skillfully placed low in the strike zone.

In addition, his breaking pitch was a forkball, a pitch similar to Jiro's splitter but with a more gradual drop compared to the splitter's sharp fall. With both pitches having downward movement and always being placed low in the zone, it was tough to get big hits off a pitcher like him.

"Looks like the easy part is over. These guys won't be easy at all..." - Shun said as he stood up from his seat.

"Haha, it wouldn't be fun if it were easy!" - Ren said with a grin, standing up as well.

"It doesn't matter, we just have to win." - Kenta said determinedly. He quickly glanced at Shun and continued:

"But are you going to be okay pitching against these guys, Shun?" - Kenta asked as he stood up, fully aware that this type of team was a natural nemesis for a pitcher with control issues like Shun.

"Hm. Don't worry, I'll be fine..." - Shun replied with a confident smile. He couldn't wait to finally take the mound in the Tokyo tournament the day after tomorrow.

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Meanwhile, on the way to karaoke...

Toji, Akira, and Satoshi were walking ahead, chatting, while three beautiful girls followed behind them.

"I really didn't expect Shun's team to have improved so much. Maybe they really will make it to the Kanto tournament this year!" - Kaori said excitedly.

"Well, he has been training a lot, after all. It would be strange if he hadn't improved..." - Mika said, remembering her brother coming home every afternoon dirty and sweaty. She still wasn't used to this new Shun, who even trained on weekends.

"Oh, true, he's grown a lot too. He doesn't even seem like the same person anymore! Don't you think so, Hana?" - Kaori asked with a light laugh, glancing at her blonde friend.

"Huh? What?" - Hana replied, confused. The girl was clearly distracted, thinking about something else.

"Ohhh, don't tell me our Hana is still thinking about her first rejection?" - Mika said with a playful smile, teasing her friend.

"Shut up, it wasn't a rejection!" - Hana snapped angrily, denying it.

"Pft! Don't worry, Hana, you definitely haven't lost your charm! I bet Shun only turned you down because he's so focused on the tournament. I'm sure if you try again, you'll definitely succeed!" - Kaori joined in with Mika, teasing Hana.

"It wasn't a rejection! And I didn't try anything, and I'm not going to try again!" - Hana stomped her feet in frustration, clearly annoyed by her friends' teasing. She spoke a little louder than intended, drawing the attention of everyone on the street.

"Hana? What won't you try again?" - Toji turned around and asked, surprised by the girl's sudden outburst. When he saw Hana's face as red as a tomato, he became even more confused.

"Hmph! Nothing!" - Hana stomped her feet and huffed, marching toward the karaoke without caring if her friends were following her or not.

"Pft!" - Mika and Kaori let out a small laugh as they also headed toward the karaoke.

"Huh? What the hell just happened? Did you guys understand?" - Toji asked, bewildered, watching the girls pass by. He looked to Satoshi and Akira for answers, but they were just as confused as he was.

"Girls, man, girls..." - Akira sighed as he walked on. It wasn't like he could understand a girl's mind, even if he tried.