CHAPTER 356: CHAPTER 8: CHANGE OF HEART

Iwate Prefecture, Hanamaki City.

Standing in front of the Ohtani household, Kuriyama Hideki gazed at the single-family home before him, and somehow recalled the previous attempts to negotiate with Ohtani Shohai.

"Supervisor Kuriyama, please return, Shohei still doesn’t want to see you."

"Although we are Shohei’s parents, ultimately, he is responsible for his own life; he is a child with strong opinions, and once he makes up his mind, he’s as stubborn as a bull—if he doesn’t want to see you, there’s really nothing we can do."

"Supervisor Kuriyama, thank you for your appreciation—but I’m sorry, as I’ve said before, I will decline all offers from Japan. Going to the United States has always been my dream, and I hope you can understand."

...

The Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters wanting to choose Ohtani Shohai was by no means a hasty impulse at the draft meeting; it was a decision made by the entire team, including the management, coaching group, and scout team, after thoroughly analyzing the circumstances of each candidate.

Though last season, under his leadership, the Ham Team seized the Pacific League victory and returned to the Japan Series after three years, the fact remains that most of the team’s core players were over 30 years old, and the issue of an aging lineup persistently troubled him:

Experienced and capable old players are naturally good most of the time; but if too many senior players hold their positions without release, it deprives the team of the vitality and energy it needs.

In Kuriyama Hideki’s view, this year’s excellent draft was clearly the best opportunity to inject fresh blood into the team.

When the scout team conducted their research, their main attention was actually focused on the Takayama Three Giants. It was just that at the time, Lin Guanglai had not yet announced his "Dual Swordsmanship" declaration, and the Ham Team was not very inclined to join the fray against more than four other teams; it was the same situation with Fujinami Jintaro.

Thinking it over, using the first pick to gamble on Ohtani Shohai was a choice with certain risks, but also relatively reasonable.

Before the draft meeting started, the Ham Team, set on solely fishing for Ohtani Shohai, dispatched the appropriate personnel early on to first get in touch with the player; yet, even with Kuriyama Hideki personally stepping in those previous times, they ended up encountering closed doors.

Counting today, this was the third time Kuriyama Hideki had come from Hokkaido to Iwate Prefecture—to be honest, his future very likely depended on the outcome of this trip: if he succeeded in securing this epoch-making talent, both the team managers and fans would naturally lavish praise upon him; however, if he failed to do so, and wasted such a valuable resource for two consecutive years without results, and if the performance in the new season declined again, his position might be precariously unstable.

According to current information, at least four American teams had offered minor league contracts to Ohtani Shohai, including top giants like the Dodgers and the Red Sox; but at least as the involved party, Kuriyama Hideki was quite confident in himself: he was sure he could snatch Ohtani Shohai away from the Americans and bring him to the Sapporo Dome’s field.

After one more review of his briefcase to ensure that all the prepared materials were there, Kuriyama Hideki, like a fresh graduate going for an interview at a big company, took a step forward and pressed the Ohtani house doorbell.

"Coming—"

The doorbell had just rung when a woman’s response sounded from inside; in no time, a middle-aged lady opened the door. Upon confirming the visitor’s identity, she bowed slightly in greeting: "Supervisor Kuriyama, you’re here."

"Ma’am, sorry to disturb you," Kuriyama Hideki quickly returned the bow to her.

This lady was none other than Ohtani Shohai’s mother, Ohtani Kayoko—this Yokohama-born woman used to be a semi-professional badminton player, and in her middle school years, had represented Kanagawa Prefecture in the national tournament, clinching a runner-up title.

Standing behind Ohtani Kayoko was a middle-aged man, and upon seeing him, Kuriyama Hideki promptly greeted him too—Ohtani Tetsu, Ohtani Shohai’s father, who had played baseball for a company team and now coaches a junior baseball team in Iwate locally; he was also Ohtani Shohai’s first coach.

It can be said that Ohtani Shohai’s exceptional athletic talent is absolutely inseparable from his parents—in a country like Japan, where the average height is generally moderate, Ohtani Shohai, who had grown to 193 cm by high school, was truly like a giant.

"Sir, Ma’am, is Shohei home today?" After entering and surveying the area, Kuriyama Hideki didn’t spot Ohtani Shohai, hence he asked this question.

In response, Mrs. Kayoko felt a bit awkward, unsure of how to begin; after a while, she said:

"Supervisor Kuriyama, Shohei is indeed at home today, but... but as you know, just like the last few times you came, this child is determined to go to the United States and is still unwilling to communicate with you."

At this, Ohtani Kayoko sighed and said softly: "As a mother, I actually hope Shohei can stay in Japan, after all, the United States is a place he’s unfamiliar with. He’s a 17-year-old child, and if he encounters any difficulties there, I wouldn’t be able to help him. Moreover, I’ve heard that in the United States, there seems to be frequent discrimination against us Asians..."

Mrs. Kayoko’s worries were indeed justifiable, and those who had previously persuaded Ohtani Shohei to stay in Japan had used similar reasons, but still couldn’t change his determination—as his parents said, being a genius, Ohtani Shohei has a very resolute heart and once he sets a goal, he’s bound to fulfill his promise.

Having patiently listened to a mother’s concerns, Kuriyama Hideki nodded in response and replied, "Mrs. Kayoko, do you happen to know which room Shohei’s bedroom is? Would it be possible for me to speak with him alone?"

Directed by Ohtani Kayoko, Kuriyama Hideki arrived at Ohtani Shohei’s bedroom door.

"Shohei, Shohei—Supervisor Kuriyama has something to say to you, could you come out for a moment?"

The mother called out from outside, but no response came from inside.

"I’m really sorry, Supervisor Kuriyama, Shohei is really being quite rude... sigh—" Ohtani Kayoko regretted being unable to gain a response to her call and had to turn around to apologize once more to Kuriyama Hideki.

Regarding this, Kuriyama Hideki merely waved his hand saying, "It’s okay, ma’am, let me handle this."

Ohtani Kayoko nodded and then went downstairs, leaving the entire second-floor space to Kuriyama Hideki alone.

Knocking on the door without getting a response, Kuriyama Hideki began to speak to himself:

"Shohei, I know why you want to go to the United States, and I don’t intend to repeat those clichéd arguments persuading you to stay."

"I came today to just ask you one question—do you want to surpass Lin Guanglai? I’m not talking about as opponents, winning one or two games, but as a Dual Swordsmanship player, over the next ten or twenty years, or even in the historical standings of the entire sport of baseball!"

"If you do, then I hope you can listen to my..."

Before Kuriyama Hideki could finish his words, the tightly closed room door suddenly opened.

Looking at the tall young man standing before him, Kuriyama Hideki’s face broke into a satisfied smile.

He knew, his gamble this time had succeeded.