<55> Becoming a Star!

Chapter 55: Becoming a Star!

Outside the hotel where the Seidou High School baseball team was staying, a large crowd had gathered.

A significant portion of them were journalists from various media outlets.

Among them was the plump journalist who had watched the game earlier.

Due to his rather robust build, his clothes were wrinkled and disheveled, making him look quite distressed.

"Let us in! We just want to interview Furuya!" the journalists exclaimed in unison.

There were also numerous fans who had come specifically to get autographs.

In their words, it was only a matter of time before the Seidou High School baseball team soared to fame.

If they didn't get an autograph now, they feared they might not have another chance in the future.

Director Ota wore a bitter smile on his face.

The team's popularity brought him some pride as the baseball club president, but the sheer number of people was overwhelming!

If they were to let Furuya out to meet the press, the young player would undoubtedly struggle to handle it all.

If he said a few inappropriate things, it wouldn't just tarnish his own reputation, but the entire Seidou High School baseball team's as well.

"I sincerely apologize! Our team's coach and players are currently focused on preparing for the next match. Please, everyone, go back for now! After the finals are concluded, or if we happen to lose, we will certainly hold a press conference!"

Director Ota was following the strategy he had discussed with Coach Katou to deal with the crowd.

But what kind of people were these journalists?

They were seasoned professionals who had spent years interviewing others—there was no way they wouldn't recognize Seidou High School's polite refusal.

Once Seidou lost…

Then who would care about their reports anymore?

Even if they wrote beautifully, they wouldn't be able to produce anything that anyone would be interested in.

Interviewing the Seidou High School baseball team could only happen now; it absolutely had to happen now.

The reporters were relentless, and the fans were reluctant to leave.

The situation had suddenly reached a stalemate.

Neither side was willing to back down.

Inside the hotel, the players of Seidou High School's baseball team were not, as their director had said, studying the next opponent.

At that moment, they were all peering out the window, secretly watching the scene outside.

"How did we suddenly become so popular?"

Not only were the people outside bewildered, but even the members of the Seidou High School baseball team themselves felt unprepared for their newfound fame.

"It's pretty simple! It's because of the score from that match..."

Soon, one of the young players from Seidou began to piece together part of the truth.

This was the only reasonable explanation they could come up with.

Of course, not everyone agreed with this explanation.

For instance, a player named Miyuki kept his eyes on Furuya.

Just the fact that he had thrown a pitch clocked at 155 km/h was enough to draw attention.

Not to mention that Furuya's performance on the field was about more than just pitching.

He also hit a home run.

Even though Furuya didn't have any more stunning performances in the subsequent games, that match had established him as a key contributor to Seidou's victory.

Ordinary people might just be enjoying the spectacle.

But those sports journalists, who worked professionally in baseball, had far more discerning eyes.

"They probably recognized the difference in my partner a long time ago, which is why they're focused on him," Miyuki guessed, and he was undoubtedly spot on.

The journalists outside were indeed there primarily for Furuya.

That said, Miyuki wasn't too optimistic about those reporters.

Their coach had never been an easy person to deal with.

Especially not at a time like this.

However, Miyuki's judgment turned out to be wrong.

Coach Kataoka held out for just over an hour before he had no choice but to relent.

The reporters were no amateurs; seeing that Coach Kataoka's route was blocked, they quickly activated their connections.

These journalists had considerable influence and knew many people.

One of them reached out to Seidou High School's academic director.

The academic director had a sharp, high-pitched voice and came off as somewhat sycophantic.

However, his desire to promote Seidou High School was stronger than anyone else's.

Upon hearing that so many journalists were eager to interview the baseball team, the academic director was practically bubbling with excitement.

How could he refuse such a golden opportunity that seemed to fall from the sky?

Feeling that he might not have enough clout to convince the stubborn coach to comply, he decided to go directly to the school principal.

When the principal heard about this situation, his reaction was quite similar to the academic director's.

"Then let's do it!"

"What's the debate here?"

In the principal's office, the academic director used the principal's landline to call Coach Kataoka.

When Coach Kataoka saw the caller ID, his brows knitted tightly.

Before he even picked up the phone, he had guessed that it wouldn't be anything good.

As expected, the academic director directly told him they should hold a press conference.

Since the reporters were so enthusiastic, they should naturally give them some face.

From another perspective, building a good relationship with the media would be beneficial when they aimed to reach Koshien in the future.

There was some logic to this argument.

However, Coach Kataoka's concerns were clearly greater.

"Furuya has just joined the team, and with all this attention on him, he could easily become anxious..."

Coach Kataoka was worried that too much attention might inflate Furuya's ego.

If a player's mentality becomes an issue, regardless of their talent, problems could arise.

"What is our responsibility as teachers? Isn't it to guide our students? If we can't even handle this simple matter, how can we justify being teachers and coaches at Seidou High School? I have complete faith in Mr. Kataoka's ability. I believe you can help Furuya adjust his mindset."

The academic director clearly understood Coach Kataoka's concerns.

However, he didn't quite agree with his approach.

Could they really isolate a player like Furuya from external interviews just by blocking the media?

Let's face it, in this age of information explosion, it was impossible to shut someone away from the world.

A pitcher with a speed exceeding 150 km/h would inevitably become the center of attention.

Media interviews were just a part of the territory.

Whether he accepted it early or late, Furuya would eventually have to face the media.

This was something Coach Kataoka also knew very well.

For this reason, he didn't outright refuse.

Instead, he informed the reporters outside that they would hold a small press conference in the hotel lobby.

At that time, Furuya would attend, and everyone could concentrate their questions during the event.

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