Ken looked at himself in the mirror, donning his stylish black suit that Ai had made him pack for the All-star game. Ever since regressing, he’d steered clear of suits since they reminded him of his previous life.
However, he had to admit that he looked good. Ken wasn’t a vain person by any means, but he was amazed by his wife’s fashion sense.
‘I guess it makes sense, since she studied fashion…’ he thought to himself.
“Are you ready?” Daichi asked, appearing close by.
Ken turned to him and saw the dark green suit he was donning. “Did Miho pick that out for you?” he asked, wearing his poker face.
“It was actually me…” Daichi replied, raising an eyebrow.
“I see.”
“So, are you ready to get your photo taken on the red carpet?” Daichi asked with a grin.
At this, Ken’s face fell. He already hated having his photo taken, but now he would be forced to walk in front of the press and even pose in front of countless cameras.
“Is there any way to go in through the back of the stadium?” He asked hopefully.
Daichi didn’t even bother responding to the question, instead wrapping his arm around his brother. “Come on, it’ll be fun. You’ve been working on your smile right?”
Ken grumbled, “let’s just get this over with.”
Some time later, Ken and Daichi arrived at the venue in the back of a limousine. The chauffeur opened the door and Ken stepped from the vehicle, greeted by blinding flashes from the cameras.
He almost cursed out loud, but managed to compose himself.
The paparazzi began to shout, trying to get his attention. All he could do was wave and try to smile while fumbling his way onto the red carpet.
Thankfully once Daichi exited the limo, the cameras were turned to him, allowing Ken to recover from the bombardment of light. Ken turned to his brother and saw that he was also suffering, bringing a grin to his lips.
The two were ushered down the red carpet and forced to attend a few interviews separately. Daichi was quite popular after winning the home run derby last night, meaning Ken was able to avoid some detection thankfully.
“Ken, you and your brother are the only rookies in this years All-star game. What does such a thing mean to you, and what’s it like having your brother join you on the journey?”
“I mean it’s great. I feel really lucky that we were able to get this far. It’s nice to join an event like this and celebrate in the middle of a long season.” Ken replied, trying to sound interested.
“Did you have any declarations to make before the game?” The guy asked, his lips turning up in a smile.
Ken resisted the urge to scowl at the man, instead giving a fake laugh, “Nothing today I’m afraid. I just want to go out there and give the fans a good show.”
After this interview, Ken managed to make his way through the press and into the tunnels. He waited close by for Daichi who did not have the same luck he did.
Soon enough, the two made their way over to the locker room. They were one of the first to arrive since they blitzed through the red carpet part of the night.
Ken walked over to his locker and saw a gray jersey hanging up with Detroit written on the front in gold lettering. His last name and number were on the back.
“I thought we were wearing our away jersey.” Ken commented.
“I think they changed it this year. These are pretty cool though,” Daichi said, inspecting his own.
The door to the locker room opened and a figure walked in wearing a light gray suit and shiny black shoes. His deep black shirt brought the outfit together, making him look like some kind of model.
Ken’s eyes narrowed as he saw Leo. He resisted the urge to scoff at the good looking man, not wanting to draw attention to his jealousy.
The two nodded at each other, not exchanging any words before the man walked to his own locker.
Once everyone got dressed into their gear, the coach arrived into the locker room. Ken had met the man yesterday at the open workouts briefly, but that was it.
“You guys ready to put on a show?” Johnnie Baker, the coach for the Houston Arrows spoke up, smiling widely.
His smile was infectious, bringing with it a easy atmosphere.
The team was taken out onto the field where the sun was still high in the sky. The roar of the crowd echoed through the packed stadium, filling it with electricity.
Ken looked around, marveling at the sight. This was the largest crowd he’d played in front of, without a doubt. Every level of the bleachers were filled, waiting to watch the best in the league duke it out on the field.
“This is even bigger than Koshien.” Daichi said, nudging him.
“Yeah, it feels a little different though.” Ken admitted.
The announcers spoke over the speakers and began to announce the players for each team. When his name was called, Ken was thankful that he was not called a unicorn in front of all these fans.
It seemed that such a nickname was only valid in Detroit.
Once the announcements were done, the players lined up on the field for the national anthem. By now, Daichi had learned the national anthem, so he didn’t need Ken’s help anymore to participate.
Then it was time for the ceremonial first pitch from Fernando Valenzuela, a legendary pitcher for LA. He was met with a standing ovation, showing how much the home crowd appreciated him.
“Ken, I’ll be putting you in around the 8th inning. Does that work for you?” Coach Baker tapped Ken on the shoulder.
“Fine by me coach,” Ken replied. He didn’t usually close out games since becoming a professional, but it didn’t mean that he couldn’t when he needed to.