The Old Baseball Player System
Chapter 52: Old Friend

"Hey, Shun!" - Toji smiled when he saw Shun and quickly ran towards him.

"Long time, man!" - Toji hugged Shun while speaking excitedly.

"Wassup, man!" - Shun smiled. Some guys have a few good friends that, no matter how long they've been apart, the moment they reunite, things go back to how they were before. Toji and Shun had that kind of friendship.

"Dude, Mika told me you're going up against the team that beat Seishin in the next round! I couldn't believe it when she said Shohei lost so badly! Do you think you can win?" - Toji asked quickly, being, like Shun, a baseball fanatic.

"Of course! We're going to win it all this year!" - Shun said determinedly.

"Oh, really? Looks like you're confident, haha!" - Toji was surprised by Shun's reaction. The last time they saw each other, Shun barely talked about his baseball team. He was happy to see his friend returning to how he was before being expelled from Tokyo Nakano.

*Clears throat* - The two friends heard Mika cough to get their attention. Only now did they realize they had completely ignored the girl.

"I'll leave you two lovebirds alone, good night!" - She pouted as if she were upset and went back into the house. But even though she didn't like being ignored, she was happy to see the two getting along well after all this time.

"Ah, Mik-" - Toji realized his mistake and tried to call out to the girl, but she had already gone inside.

"Hehe, tough luck, man." - Shun just laughed at the situation. Toji had always had a crush on his sister. Of course, Mika also had feelings for the handsome green-eyed boy, that's why she let Toji walk her home.

But the two were still too young for anything serious. Besides, poor Toji suffered from the greatest affliction of the century, he liked a girl who was confused about her feelings.

"Sigh! And you, man, have you got a girlfriend yet?" - Toji sighed before asking Shun.

"Huh? I wish..." - Shun became a bit depressed and spoke in a low voice.

"Hahaha, tough luck, man!" - Toji seemed pleased with his friend's reaction and couldn't help but get back at him.

"Huh? Who the hell are you to say anything? The great Toji Takeda has liked the same girl since childhood, ten years of friendship, and you can't even hold Mika's hand, hahahaha!" - Of course, Shun wasn't going to keep quiet.

"You bastard!" - Toji quickly lunged at Shun, who reacted fast, and the two found themselves wrestling on the ground like brothers. After a while, the boys just laughed and got up, continuing to chat a bit.

Toji talked a little about Tokyo Nakano and how things were going. He then started talking about the under-15 national team. This year, they would play in the Asian under-15 games, and next year they would go to Mexico to compete in the under-15 World Cup.

Shun imagined for a moment himself going to Mexico to compete in the World Cup with the national team, but he quickly shook his head. Even though he still had a year to improve, it would be almost impossible to secure a spot on the national team since he didn't play in the senior league.

"What do you think about the main national team this year?" - Shun then asked.

"Hm, it's going to be tough. After our parents won in 2009, the team lost a lot of strength. In 2013, we lost in the quarterfinals, and this year's team also doesn't seem to be at the level to compete with the U.S." - Toji spoke worriedly. Like Shun, his father had also been a great professional player. Masahiro Takeda was the starting catcher in the 2006 and 2009 World Baseball Classic victories.

He formed a battery with Shun's father in both championships and became a hero in Japan after the win.

Currently, the Japanese national team was going through a difficult phase. The former powerhouse was now struggling with a lack of results. And things didn't look promising for this year's World Baseball Classic. The only hope for baseball-loving Japanese fans was the young talents like Toji, who were showing a lot of potential, even winning international youth tournaments.

The two friends chatted a bit more before saying goodbye. Shun was a little surprised when Toji mentioned he might come to watch his game on Sunday. It seemed his friend was very interested in Hokuto Junior High and how they defeated Seishin.

Shun then went into the house. He noticed a pair of men's shoes at the entrance and remembered that his father had returned from his trip with the team today. The boy quickly went upstairs to take a bath, got dressed, and went down to the kitchen.

"Hey, kiddo!" - Shun was greeted with a strong hug the moment he stepped into the kitchen. It had been a while since he had seen his father, so he hugged the man back.

"Hey, Dad, how are things with the Giants?" - Shun asked. His father was the pitching coach for the Yomiuri Giants.

"They're great, haha! The team is leading the division, but it's good to have a break!" - Kenshin, Shun's father, said excitedly.

"Huh? A break?" - Shun seemed a bit confused. The NPB season usually starts in late March and ends in October. They were currently in July, so for his dad to have a break could only mean...

"Did you forget, Shun? The league stopped for a week because of the All-Star Game." - Mika said when she saw her brother confused.

"Huh? When is the All-Star Game?" - Shun asked excitedly.

"Haha, the Home Run Derby is on Monday, and the All-Star Game is on Tuesday! Your mom told me your game is on Sunday, right? I've already got some tickets, we'll celebrate your victory at the All-Star Game!" - Kenshin said enthusiastically.

"Yeaaaaahhhh!!" - Little Yumi cheered excitedly. Of course, the little girl only cared that she would be going out with her whole family together.

"Ah" - Shun was left speechless. Of course, he was happy, but in his mind, he couldn't stop thinking about a few things.

"First, Toji is coming to watch, and now it seems like my dad is too. I wonder if she's also going to come?" - A blonde figure with green eyes appeared in Shun's mind.

"Heh, sorry Hokuto, I'm going to crush you guys!" - Shun thought determinedly to himself. There was no way he could lose now!