After the afternoon exam, Takashi met up with Tanaka Kota and Otani Shota at their usual family restaurant.

Watching Takashi stab his steak repeatedly with his fork but not eat it, Otani couldn't help asking, "Takashi, why aren't you eating?"

"Lost my appetite," Takashi replied with one hand.

"Lost your appetite?"

Otani looked at him suspiciously.

Among the three of them, Takashi was always the most enthusiastic about eating.

And now he had no appetite?

"Mmmgh mmph?"

Tanaka mumbled with a mouthful of noodles.

"Did the exam go badly?"

"No… I just don't get why girls get angry so easily."

Takashi was baffled. He had just taken a nap in the cafeteria, and when he woke up, Umaru wasn't speaking to him anymore.

What had he done wrong?

Just thinking about Umaru ignoring him made him want to curl up in Hitomi's arms and silently cry.

"The reason girls get mad is one of the world's great unsolved mysteries. If you manage to figure it out, the Nobel Prize is yours."

Tanaka Kota patted him on the shoulder sympathetically.

"True."

Takashi didn't dwell on it too much.

"Summer break's coming up. Any plans?"

Tanaka asked his two friends about their summer plans.

"I might be a bit busy this summer," Otani Shota spoke up first.

"How come?"

Tanaka Kota looked at him.

"Thanks to my outstanding performance at Koshien, I've been invited to summer training camps by both the Yomiuri Giants and Hanshin Tigers."

Otani Shota said cheerfully.

"Wait, professional teams are already scouting you?"

Tanaka Kota stared at him with envy.

Just thinking that his childhood friend might soon be earning millions made his heart churn with jealousy.

"They're just getting in touch for now. There's no guarantee I'll be picked in the draft,"

Otani said modestly, but the grin on his face practically split his cheeks.

Takashi smiled. "Still, that's already great. Most people don't even get a chance."

Speaking of baseball, Takashi suddenly remembered something. "By the way, I can't find the clothes I left in the baseball locker room. Otani, did you see them?"

Otani Shota stiffened and averted his eyes, clearly guilty. "Nope."

There was no way he'd admit that he took Takashi's clothes to impress a girl.

By leveraging his connection as Takashi's teammate, Otani had managed to strike up a conversation with his online crush [No Cilantro], and the two had even met up in person recently.

The girl was just as cute as her photos—maybe even cuter.

Otani genuinely liked her.

That was actually the real reason he was in such a good mood today—more than the professional team's interest, he was close to getting a girlfriend.

Takashi narrowed his eyes at Otani's suspicious behavior. "You really don't seem like someone who doesn't know."

Otani stiffened and widened his eyes. "Why would I want your sweaty clothes? To sell them?"

Takashi thought for a moment.

Fair point.

He could understand borrowing lighters or napkins—he'd done that himself.

Even though he wasn't a smoker, he still liked pocketing lighters.

But taking someone's used clothes? You'd have to be seriously messed up.

"Well, not impossible…"

Tanaka Kota took a sip of soda and chuckled. "Actually, there are tons of people online offering to buy socks Takashi has worn."

"Kitahara, ever consider it?"

Takashi shivered in disgust. "Hell no, I'm not selling my used stuff."

"Anyway, Kitahara, got any summer plans?"

Otani, eager to change the subject, quickly moved on.

Takashi pulled out a pair of sunglasses from his jacket pocket, put them on, and gave a cool smile.

"I'm shooting commercials, landing endorsements, and making bank."

Otani Shota: "???"

Tanaka Kota: "???"

"I didn't expect to become this popular either."

Takashi shrugged.

"Since I'm just too popular, I have no choice but to make my debut."

He seemed to suddenly have an idea.

"You—"

"Don't speak yet."

Takashi raised a hand to silence Tanaka Kota, then pulled out his phone and called Ogitsu Yoshiko.

"'I'm Just Too Popular, So I Have No Choice But to Debut' — that's a solid manga title, don't you think?"

Tanaka and Otani exchanged a look of complete bewilderment.

When Takashi finished his call, Tanaka finally asked, "You're really planning to debut?"

Takashi took a sip of juice. "Do I look like I'm joking?"

"Are you trying to become a Kimura Takuya-style idol?"

"Kimura Takuya? That's way too low-tier. If anything, I'm aiming to be the next David Beckham."

Takashi laughed.

Beckham was the most commercially successful football star ever.

He wasn't the best in terms of pure skill—though he had plenty—but his fame far outstripped many other legends.

Even more than Maradona in some cases.

Back when Takashi was a kid and the internet wasn't as widespread, even people who didn't watch football had heard of Beckham.

Even Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf had a character modeled after him: "Beckham Wolf."

"You want to be a heartthrob like him?"

Otani teased.

"And don't you daydream about being Sasuke every day?"

"No, I just want his powers and looks. You can keep the trauma."

Takashi snorted. "So you want the benefits but none of the hardship."

Tanaka watched them banter and felt a creeping sense of inferiority.

Takashi and Otani Shota had found their goals and were actively pursuing their dreams.

But he was still stuck.

It wasn't that he couldn't be happy for his friends' success—but seeing only them progress while he remained stagnant left a bitter taste in his mouth.

Takashi noticed Tanaka suddenly going quiet. Under the table, he kicked Otani lightly and nodded toward Tanaka with a glance.

"Bro, don't worry. The national tournament this summer is your stage to shine, isn't it?"

Otani patted Tanaka's chest encouragingly.

"But our soccer team isn't as strong as the baseball team. And we don't have a Takashi."

Tanaka's tone was still dejected.

Even if he wanted to show his skill, he had to first get on the stage.

You can't forge iron without strong materials.

But with their current soccer team, they had no shot at even qualifying.

"Uh… well…"

Otani couldn't say anything.

It was true—the baseball team wouldn't stand a chance this year without Takashi.

Without him, there wouldn't be any exposure or hype.

And Otani wouldn't have even met [No Cilantro].

Otani knew Tanaka did have ability.

But sometimes, ability alone wasn't enough. You also needed a platform to showcase it.

"If you don't have a stage, I'll give you one."

Takashi's words instantly grabbed Otani and Tanaka's full attention.

They both looked at him.

Takashi pointed to himself, grinning smugly. "Don't forget—I'm the top idol in the country right now."

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