<159> Rei-chan Is Surprisingly Adorable

Chapter 159: Rei-chan Is Surprisingly Adorable

"Oh! I see! You're talking about Sawamura Eijun-kun, right? What a coincidence—I just invited Sawamura-kun too!"

At first, when Sendo rejected her offer, Takashima Rei felt a tightness in her chest, much like when Sawamura had rejected her.

Perhaps in recent years, she had grown overly sensitive to rejection due to experiencing it frequently.

Sawamura's reasoning had been simple—he wanted to stay with his teammates. Sendo, however, was even more straightforward.

Whether facing Sawamura or Sendo, Takashima Rei's relief upon hearing that neither had been scouted by other schools was understandable.

She believed in her school's facilities and their ability to win over a baseball-loving boy like Sawamura.

What truly surprised her, though, was that the "monster" in Coach Nakani's eyes was merely an accessory to Sawamura.

Recalling her conversation with Coach Nakani, she understood that this might have been due to Sendo's absence during that critical game.

On the other hand, when Sendo heard Rei's explanation, he also sighed in relief.

"That's right! So, may I ask—what was Eijun's response to you?"

"He rejected me! But I invited him to visit our school! If you don't mind, I would like to extend the same invitation to you!"

"If you're hoping your school's environment and facilities will change my mind, that's impossible! But if you can get that idiot to join, I'll accept your invitation and join Seidou!"

"No problem! I think I can look forward to seeing you in a Seidou uniform next year!" Rei was clearly confident that she could win over Sawamura!

She had also realized that Sendo's personality made it unlikely for him to change his mind once he had made a decision.

"The fact that Sendo didn't play in that game—could it have been Seidou's stroke of luck?" Rei pondered. In her view, without that unexpected turn of events, it would not have been so easy to convince Sendo.

From the sequence of her visits, it was clear that persuading Sendo had always been a challenge.

She had prioritized visiting Sawamura's home first, setting aside ample time specifically to deal with Sendo.

Now, however, those extra hours seemed unnecessary, allowing her the opportunity to better understand this pillar of Akagi Junior High School.

It was evident to anyone that Akagi was a completely different team with and without Sendo. It wasn't just about Sendo's skill but also his psychological impact on the players.

Without Sendo, Akagi felt as though it had lost its confidence.

Of course, Rei also believed that if Akagi had a better catcher, Sawamura could become a pillar like Sendo.

"There's something I'm curious about. Sendo-kun, would you mind satisfying my curiosity?"

"I didn't expect you to be such a gossip enthusiast!"

"I don't gossip about just anyone!" Rei replied, staring directly at Sendo.

"Sure! Honestly, I like your personality!" Sendo answered. Rei, after all, was a flawless beauty, making it difficult to refuse her requests.

Moreover, Sendo shared her love for gossip, though his teammates were too pure to provide any interesting stories.

"What happened during the game Akagi lost?" Rei asked bluntly, catching Sendo off guard.

"..." Sendo hadn't expected such a direct hit.

"I was sick! In the hospital!" he replied calmly, without any signs of displeasure.

"So, that incident is what prompted your decision today, isn't it?"

"Oh? Impressive—you guessed that?"

"I have some additional intel!"

"Ah, I see. Well, you're not wrong!"

"What were your original plans? Honestly, I was ready to play the long game with you!"

"Not play baseball and just be a shut-in..."

Cough!

Rei, sipping tea, nearly choked on his response.

She hadn't anticipated such an answer.

"Then why do you play baseball? Isn't it because you like it?"

"It's just okay—not particularly fond of it or against it. Baseball is tiring! I prefer being a shut-in, reading manga or watching anime," Sendo said casually.

"Oh, right! You asked why I play baseball, didn't you? It's because Eijun is so annoying! They're just too weak!" he added with a grin, recalling Rei's earlier question.

"That's a... unique answer," Rei thought, struggling to find the right words to respond while feeling an overwhelming sense of relief.

She had secretly investigated Sendo and was shocked by his stellar academic performance.

Combined with his lukewarm attitude toward baseball, she had felt it would be nearly impossible to recruit him.

The benefits Seidou could offer—such as exemption from the entrance exam and privileges for baseball—didn't hold much sway over him.

For Sawamura, however, these were significant incentives.

Seidou's entrance exam was known for being tough.

Two renowned youth baseball players in the original story had ended up at Yakushi High School because they couldn't pass Seidou's exam without a recommendation.

But for Sendo, it was a breeze.

He could get into any school he wanted, even the world's top universities, if he desired.

Some people achieved perfect scores because they hit their limits; others achieved them because they were inherently brilliant.

Sendo was clearly the latter.

Even the perks for baseball-recommended students, like free tuition, lodging, and meals, were irrelevant to Sendo. His family, likely wealthy farmers, didn't need financial support.

"Anything else you'd like to ask? I find it hard to refuse questions from beautiful women," Sendo joked.

Of course, it wasn't entirely true—just his sense of humor at play.

Though Rei didn't adhere strictly to Japanese etiquette, she wasn't used to people being overly casual with her.

However, she wouldn't actually reprimand someone for it, as evidenced by her interactions with Sawamura in the original story.

Still, Sendo deliberately teased her, finding amusement in her reactions.

"Thank you! One more question—how much do you usually train?"

...

Sendo really wanted to quip, "Training? What's that?"

But his sense of self-preservation stopped him from bragging recklessly!

Though his training was minimal, it wasn't entirely nonexistent.

If there was someone to blame, it was Coach Nakani!

Sendo had a hard time refusing the specialized regimen the coach had devised for him back then.

It wasn't much, but it was efficient, and now it was second nature to him.

So, Sendo gave a brief explanation of his training routine.

However, in Takashima Rei's eyes, it was so little that it might as well have been nonexistent.

"Training? This barely keeps you from gaining weight!" Rei wanted to retort but refrained.

She had to admit, though, the training plan was professional and effective, even if some parts felt strange to her.

After all, it was specifically tailored to Sendo's physique, which understandably felt off to her.

She now understood why Sendo found baseball exhausting—such a minimal routine still felt burdensome to him.

"I think I've asked everything I wanted to know. So, when are you planning to visit our school?"

"I never said I would!" Sendo was about to reject her outright but suddenly remembered Sawamura's visit and the "big moment" that he absolutely couldn't miss—a scene that could be deemed blackmail material for Sawamura's life.

Missing it would be a lifelong regret!

So, he quickly changed his mind.

"Will Eijun be there? If he's going, I'll visit the same day as him!"

Rei, who had already braced herself for rejection, was stunned to hear an acceptance instead.

"Understood! In that case, could you share your phone number with me?"

"Sure! But in exchange, give me your LINE!" Sendo grinned mischievously, his expression that of a boy trying to flirt on the streets.

"Alright!" Rei found herself amused by the boy's antics.

In Japan, exchanging contact information between unrelated men and women, especially strangers, was rare unless they were close friends.

Even teachers and students rarely exchanged LINE contacts.

Yet, Rei made an exception.

Sendo's personality intrigued her.

In his eyes, she glimpsed a curious and playful side that she found endearing.

For a moment, she even saw him as her peer.

Her face turned slightly red at the thought—after all, she had been single for who knows how many years.

But fortunately, Sendo was too engrossed in his phone to notice.

"Your avatar is surprisingly cute!" Sendo suddenly commented, noticing Rei's adorable cartoon profile picture.

"Ahem!" Rei cleared her throat seriously.

"Oh, sorry!" Sendo immediately apologized, realizing he might have overstepped.

"When Sawamura contacts me, I'll let you know. It's getting late, so I'll take my leave now."

"Alright! Take care on your way home! Oh, Rei-chan! Can I message you?" Sendo asked.

He realized he found this little onee-san rather likable—not in a romantic sense, but as someone whose personality was fun and whose conversations could be interesting.

Though calling her "Rei-chan" so casually might seem impolite, it made her seem younger and more like a peer, so he went with it.

Besides, he could tell she wasn't overly concerned with formalities.

"Sure, but I'm quite busy, you know!" Rei replied before hastily leaving, feeling that continuing the conversation would only put her at a disadvantage.

"Such a cute girl!" Sendo murmured, watching her retreating figure.

Suddenly, his grandmother's voice pierced through the room like a sharp jab:

"That's not polite! Do you like that woman? You know there's quite an age gap between you two!"

His grandfather joined in:

"But if you like her, it's fine. In Japan, no one cares about these things. You could marry her after high school! But what about Fumino? She's a good girl too!"

"And Japan doesn't allow polygamy!" his grandmother added, delivering a finishing blow.

"Wait, what?!" Sendo was utterly dumbfounded, overwhelmed by their sudden barrage of assumptions.

"What's all this talk about age gaps, Fumino, and polygamy?! I have no such thoughts at all! Why are you so eager for me to find a girlfriend?!" Sendo lamented internally but dared not voice his thoughts, knowing full well his grandmother's indomitable spirit in arguments.

Reluctantly, he came up with an excuse to escape.

"I'm heading to my room to read manga. Oh, by the way, Grandpa, Grandma—don't mention my scouting offer to anyone, not even the Sawamura family!"

With that, he fled, leaving behind a parting reminder.

...

Overall, it was fortunate that Sendo had given clear instructions.

Later that evening, Sawamura Eijun's grandfather, Sawamura Eitoku, came by for drinks and casually spilled the beans about Eijun.

However, thanks to Sendo's earlier warning, his grandparents refrained from saying much.

When Sendo overheard this, he couldn't help but laugh.

He knew that with Sawamura Eitoku's loose lips, it wouldn't be long before all their friends found out.

Knowing Eitoku's personality, Sendo figured he would go "door-to-door" gossiping with the neighbors by tomorrow, which happened to be Sunday.

Reflecting on these antics, Sendo recalled a moment from his past life when Sawamura was relentlessly teased by everyone.

He could also guess that Sawamura would almost certainly visit Seido for a tour tomorrow.

Sure enough, Sendo's evening plans for anime-watching were disrupted when Takashima Rei sent him a LINE message informing him that Sawamura would be visiting Seido the next day.

Sendo didn't waste the opportunity to chat with Rei further.

Even when Fumino joined the conversation and began private messaging him, Sendo effortlessly juggled both chats.

His single life had trained him well, and he skillfully managed a "one versus two" scenario without breaking a sweat.

In fact, he even found time to multitask—reading manga while helping Fumino with her studies and explaining concepts to her.

Beyond that, Sendo briefly mentioned Seido's recruitment efforts to Fumino, which piqued her curiosity and led to a lively conversation about the school.

For Sendo, multitasking was second nature. Nobody noticed any inconsistency in his behavior, and he maintained his "universal affection" image seamlessly.

Takashima Rei, meanwhile, quickly realized that Sendo wasn't just interesting—he was highly engaging to talk to.

Before long, she found herself enjoying their chats and began opening up more.

She even shared updates about Seidou's recent years with Sendo.

While it was unusual to discuss such matters with a recruit, Rei felt unexpectedly comfortable talking to him.

Despite her professional demeanor, Rei occasionally felt the pressure of her role and the desire to confide in someone.

Previously, there hadn't been anyone she could talk to like this. She suddenly remembered Miyuki's soul-piercing questions and felt a pang of nostalgia.

Under normal circumstances, it would have been unthinkable for her to share such details with a prospective recruit.

However, Sendo's position as "Sawamura's tagalong" made it unlikely for him to change schools, even if he learned about alternative options.

This gave Rei peace of mind.

Most importantly, Sendo had already assured her that he wouldn't interfere with her efforts to recruit Sawamura.

Their conversations felt as natural as if they had been friends for years.

Their relationship grew warmer and closer in no time.