The Old Baseball Player System

Shun went downstairs still feeling a bit uncomfortable in his formal clothes. The boy, who usually only wore sportswear or a baseball uniform, wasn't used to dressing this way.
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Shun's father, Kenshin, was already in the living room, wearing a black dress shirt. He had returned from a trip earlier that day but seemed excited about the party. From what Shun heard, many baseball players had been invited since Hana's father was a famous sports doctor in the professional Japanese baseball world.

"Shall we go?" - Aiko appeared in the living room and said. She was wearing a long blue dress, her hair was done, and her face was lightly made up, highlighting her already beautiful features. Shun knew his mother was stunning, but it was rare to see her dressed up like this.

"Hm, let's go." - Kenshin said while admiring his wife, feeling truly lucky to have married someone as beautiful as Aiko.

Shun noticed his two sisters smiling excitedly behind their mother. The little Yumi was wearing a cute blue dress that matched her mom's. Meanwhile, Mika was in a shorter black dress, and Shun couldn't help but sigh, knowing that his friend Toji would probably have a nosebleed when he saw her in that dress.

Thus, the Takahashi family got into the car and made the short drive to the Hoshino family's house.

Shun watched in awe through the car window at the grand facade of the Hoshino home. It seemed a sports doctor earned quite a bit, as the house was impressive. Shun noticed several cars parked along the street and a steady flow of people entering the house. His father parked the car, and they all got out, heading to the party.

"Welcome!" - They were greeted at the door by Hana's parents, Sophia and Satoru Hoshino.

Shun just smiled at the two while his parents engaged in brief conversation with the hosts. They didn't talk for long, as the couple still had many guests to welcome. Aiko quickly handed Sophia a small gift, and Sophia smiled in response.

"Mika, Hana and Kaori are outside!" - Sophia smiled and informed her daughter's friend before the Takahashi family moved forward.

"Thanks, Mrs. Hoshino!" - Mika smiled as she thanked her and then turned to her parents.

"I'm going to say hi to them, okay, Mom?"

"Of course, dear! Aren't you going too, Shun?" - Aiko smiled at her daughter and then looked at her son, asking him.

Shun felt a bit panicked by the sudden question. He could feel his sister's playful gaze on him, making him even more nervous.

"Uh, I'll grab something to eat first..." - Shun quickly came up with the first excuse he could think of, though he really was hungry, considering he hadn't eaten anything yet.

"Alright, behave yourselves." - Aiko looked at her son and said before heading off with Kenshin and Yumi to greet other guests at the party.

"Don't worry, Mom!" - Mika said with a smile, watching their parents walk away. She then started to walk as well but couldn't resist teasing her brother a bit as she passed him.

"Pft! You're such a coward!" - Mika whispered with a light laugh at her brother, who was clearly scared of girls.

"You..." - Shun glared at Mika, but she didn't seem to care, as she was already walking away, leaving her irritated brother alone.

"I don't deserve this..." - Shun muttered to himself, feeling unjustly treated. For some reason, it always seemed to be a woman in his family making fun of him.

Shun's stomach growled, interrupting his dramatic thoughts, prompting him to head straight to the food table.

"Wow! Looks like I'm about to have my well-deserved feast!" - Shun stared at the beautifully laid-out food, his mouth watering. He wasted no time in grabbing all kinds of food and eating without much etiquette, thankful his mom wasn't around to see.

"Ohhh! Sushi!" - Shun heard a deep male voice beside him. Even though the words were few, Shun could detect a bit of an accent in the voice, but he could also tell that the man was really excited about the food.

Shun excitedly looked to his side, curious to see who his fellow food enthusiast was, but froze in shock when he saw the tall figure next to him eating eagerly.

* cough cough * - Shun choked on his food in surprise.

"Hey, boy, are you alright?" - Shun heard the man speak again, but this time it was in English.

"S- Sir, yes!" - Shun took a deep breath before responding with some difficulty, feeling his body tremble slightly as he looked at the figure in front of him.

The man had dark brown skin, stood 6'4" (193 cm) tall, and had an extremely strong build. That was the Major League legend, now in his second season in Japan, born in the Dominican Republic, José Martínez.

"Haha, you had me worried there, kid!" - José said, giving Shun a friendly pat on the shoulder before turning his attention back to the table, eagerly attacking the delicious food.

'He touched me! The José Martínez touched my shoulder!' - Shun tried to stay cool on the outside, but inside, he was freaking out like any true fan. Of course, he had no idea what José had said since he didn't understand a word of English. But he liked to imagine José had said something like: "I believe in you, kid!" or "You've got potential, kid!"

Shun admired his idol for a while before also turning back to the food and continuing to eat everything he could. Not even one of the greatest baseball players of all time could make Shun's stomach ignore its hunger.

After a while, with Shun and José Martínez eating side by side in silence, Shun heard another excited voice, but fortunately, this time it was in Japanese, so he could understand what was being said.

"Oh, here you are, Shun! Long time no see, kid!" - Shun felt an arm wrap around his shoulder as he turned to see who the voice belonged to.