The Texas team's Coach was somewhat embarrassed.
It's true that he was in his forties, and suddenly making such a request at this moment made him feel a bit ashamed.
It was clear that the players from the Seidou baseball team, due to their long journey, were extremely exhausted. They all looked as though they might fall asleep at any moment.
At this time, asking them to meet with his guest felt like an extra burden.
The Coach of the Texas team couldn't help but feel uneasy in his heart.
If it were possible, he truly didn't want to humble himself by asking for such a favor. But the guest's identity was too special—he even held the fate of the players' futures in his hands.
Even for the sake of Lincoln, the Coach of the Texas team decided to compromise for now.
"It is for the players too..."
Faced with the earnest request from the Texas team's Coach, Coach Kataoka hesitated deeply.
He could roughly guess who the Texas team Coach wanted to introduce to Sawamura.
He had gone through similar situations many times when he was at Seidou High School.
Even though he spread his wings wide, trying to protect Sawamura with everything he had, there were still people in this world whom he couldn't refuse.
It wasn't just him—even the Takashima group sometimes couldn't reject such people.
If they made an excessive request, Kataoka could reason with them. But if it was just a private meeting with a player, refusing would seem too heartless.
Looking at the embarrassed expression of the Texas team's Coach, Kataoka felt a sense of empathy, almost as though he were looking at himself.
"I'll ask Sawamura's opinion!"
Even though Kataoka was inclined to help, he didn't make any decisions on his own. He decided to discuss it with Sawamura first to see what he thought.
The 17-year-old was already considered half an adult, especially given Sawamura's rich past experiences.
In Kataoka's opinion, Sawamura's mental age far surpassed his physical one.
With that in mind, there were certain matters that Kataoka believed could be discussed with Sawamura.
And Kataoka believed that Sawamura would make the right choice.
"Looking for me?"
Sawamura was initially taken aback but quickly understood.
He recalled Lincoln's strange behavior earlier and had already guessed the situation.
This must be someone big from the Major Leagues who was coming to see him.
Otherwise, Lincoln—who usually remained as calm as a mountain—would never suddenly act so passionately.
Things that were out of the ordinary always had a reason behind them.
Since Lincoln acted that way, it must be for a good reason. Sawamura had already suspected this during the match.
However, since this reason didn't directly involve him, he didn't pay much attention.
Now, it seemed that the person who was coming had probably watched the game and developed an interest in him.
For a second-year high school student to attract the attention of a big-name figure from America's Major League was an exciting thought for Sawamura.
Although he had been contacted by people from the MLB, they were all representatives of the team and scouts.
But from Lincoln's actions, this was not the case here.
Sawamura wanted to see exactly who was interested in him.
"No problem!"
Sawamura gave Coach Kataoka an affirmative answer.
Kataoka smiled and nodded.
Sawamura and the Texas team's Coach headed to a building.
Meanwhile, the Seidou baseball team members took the bus back to their resting place.
The Texas team Coach said he would send a special car to take Sawamura back later with one of the event organizers.
After observing this scene, Kataoka furrowed his brows slightly.
He realized that the Coach wanted to meet Sawamura for more than just a casual chat.
It seemed they were planning a deeper conversation.
This was a clear signal. If Sawamura had no objections, it meant the other party was ready to recruit him directly.
'Was Sawamura, just a second-year student, already this popular?'
Kataoka couldn't help but feel amazed.
On the bus, Seidou baseball team members watched Sawamura leave with complicated expressions.
Vice-Captain Maezono's eyes were filled with jealousy.
He was a third-year student and still not being noticed.
Yet the second-year students, Sawamura and Furuya, were often treated differently.
Coach Kataoka was a man of great care for his players.
Normally, no one could ask him to accompany them.
But ever since the Seidou baseball team had dominated Koshien continuously, men in suits and black leather shoes had often come to watch the team's games, always accompanied by Kataoka.
People weren't stupid; they knew these men were from professional baseball or scouts.
Why did they come to Seidou High School?
Naturally, they were interested in the players.
Half of them were focused on the graduating Miyuki, and almost as many were watching Furuya.
As for those who were interested in Sawamura,
Well, it was everyone.
Yes, everyone! Whether they were a scout, reporter, agent, hell, even if they an ice cream salesmen, everyone and their mothers were interested in Sawamura.
How did Maezono know this?
It was simple.
The way those people looked at Sawamura was like how they would look at a top-tier model.
"Really envious!"
Maezono couldn't help but feel that compared to Miyuki and the others, he really wasn't doing well.
"Miyuki, have you decided which team you want to join after graduation?"
Maezono brought up the topic again.
The others looked at Miyuki with eager eyes.
No one was a fool. When Sawamura was left alone, they naturally knew what he was going for.
This sparked their curiosity about Miyuki and Furuya's future plans.
"I don't want to think about anything now. I just want to win our third consecutive championship! Only then will we be stepping into the threshold of legend."
Miyuki said with determination.
Furuya hesitated for a while but eventually said nothing.
Recently, Furuya had been preoccupied with chasing after Sawamura, so he hadn't thought about life after graduation.
After hearing their Captain's declaration, the teammates finally calmed down.
Each one of them fired up with passion and declared they would not disappoint their Captain…well after teasing him a little.
Meanwhile, Sawamura arrived at a meeting room.
As soon as Eijun stepped into the reception room, he was struck by a pleasant surprise.
The reception room had a large transparent window occupying almost half of one wall. The sunlight streamed in, illuminating the entire room brightly.
It felt very comfortable.
'Wow!'
Sawamura couldn't help but praise in his mind.
He wasn't some inexperienced rookie who had never seen the world.
He had participated in various negotiations.
Although Sawamura wasn't an expert in negotiation skills, he knew enough.
The fact that the meeting place had been specially chosen here clearly indicated that a lot of thought had gone into it.
"Is there anything uncomfortable?"
The Coach of the American Texas team, acting as a guide, noticed Sawamura's hesitation and immediately asked with concern.
Sawamura smiled and shook his head.
"There's nothing wrong. This place is very comfortable..."
After entering the reception room, Sawamura saw that there were already four people waiting.
Three of them were adults, and one was a teenager.
The teenager was none other than Lincoln, the opponent of the recent game, and Sawamura's vanquished foe.
'Just as I thought!'
Sawamura's mind was made up.
Just as he had guessed, they were here to sign him.
Even though he had already reached a deal with the Yomiuri privately, and had a semi-deal understanding with S.F. Giants, Sawamura still wanted to meet the big shot from the Major Leagues who was interested in him.
This was like buying something.
Sawamura knew very well that his current abilities far surpassed those of his past life. Even compared to professional or major league pitchers, Sawamura believed he was on par.
But how would he specifically rate himself?
What is his true worth now?
Sawamura only had a rough estimate in his mind, but nothing concrete.
To put it simply, what is his worth, and what conditions should he propose to the team owners?
Sawamura had no clear idea.
In order to avoid being deceived, it was necessary to 'shop around' and compare offers.
Just like buying something, it's the same principle.
If you're unsure about the price, it's wise to ask around and find a reasonable price.
Sawamura wanted to hear what the big shot from the American Major League thought he was worth.
Only then did he seriously start observing the three adults.
And to his surprise, they were all familiar faces.
There were some he had just met in this lifetime, and some he already knew from before his regression.
One was Robert himself.
This one didn't need much introduction. He was the persistent guy who insisted on becoming Sawamura's agent.
Apart from Robert, there was another adult with a hearty face.
Sawamura was very familiar with him and even felt a sense of closeness.
When he had just arrived in America, due to his limited English, this kind-hearted man had served as his translator for two whole years.
Although it wasn't professional, the two had spent so much time together that they had developed a closer relationship than most people.
"Sakata-san!"
Sawamura greeted the man with a smile, then turned his attention to the last person.
'As expected, it was him!!!'
When Sawamura saw Sakata, he was almost certain.
Only someone like this could have caused the Coach of the American Texas team to act so submissively and bring his enemy here.
"Boss Abel!!"
When Sawamura called him out, Coach Abel froze for a moment.
If his memory served correctly, this should be the first time they had met in person.
Why was Sawamura speaking so familiarly to him?
It felt like he was greeting his uncle.
Although Abel didn't quite understand why Sawamura was so intimate, he couldn't help but be happy with this.
This should be good for their conversation.
"What a lively young man! Since you know my name, I guess I don't need to introduce myself, right?"
Abel said with a humorous tone.
It was then that Sawamura realized he had unconsciously used the same affectionate term from time in the MLB.
It couldn't be helped. After all, in the past, Coach Abel had looked after Sawamura.
Even during the lowest point of Sawamura's career, Abel had never excluded him from the first team.
It was said that this had caused some friction with the team's administration.
It wasn't until later, when Sawamura started to showcase his unique skills, especially his breakthrough with his Slider, that Abel's burden eased.
In a way, Sawamura was quite successful in his past life.
Considering that he only began proper baseball training in high school, for him to become a Major League-level player was already an impressive achievement!
Not to mention that Sawamura had developed his own unique style and characteristics.
During his journey to success, many people claimed to have helped him, including some shameless reporters, teammates, and even a certain Kuramochi-kun.
While some of these individuals had influenced Sawamura in various ways, whether positively or negatively, it would be a stretch to say they had truly helped him grow.
For Sawamura, those who genuinely helped him and whom he recognized were no more than five people.
Including his current Coach, Kataoka, his mentor, Chris, his close partner, Miyuki, and his agent!
And the last one was Coach Abel.
…