Tokyo: The story begins with a confession.

Page 3

"Is that so? I'll do my best," Tetsuya Ishida said with a shy smile.

"The basketball team is indeed good. I've looked into our school's basketball team, and they're not very strong. With your physique, Ishida, you'll definitely be put to good use, and there's absolutely no problem with you being a starter."

Kobayashi Yoshihara stroked his chin and commented, then looked at Uesugi Kenichi, "After saying so much, Uesugi, you still haven't said which club you want to join. How about joining the baseball club with me? With me here, I'll definitely get you into Koshien. You'll be the pitcher, and I'll be the catcher. We'll become the best ace duo, and we'll definitely shock the whole country!"

"If I could win the Koshien tournament, that would be a real honor for my family. Girls would go crazy chasing after me." Kobayashi Yoshihara said with a lewd smile, as if he had already made it to Koshien.

Kenichi Uesugi couldn't help but chuckle as he looked at Yoshihara Kobayashi, who was filled with longing. He began to doubt whether he had made another mistake in his judgment. Judging from Kobayashi's current performance, was he really such a great baseball player?

Besides, what's so good about dating during college? It's a complete waste of time. I really don't understand why he's so excited about it. He can't stop talking about girls in every other sentence.

Seeing everyone waiting for his answer, he thought for a moment and said, "I don't know which club to join yet. I'll see when the time comes. Maybe I won't join at all. And if I join a club, will it affect my studies?"

Uesugi Kenichi became somewhat uncertain. Putting aside whether it would affect his studies, he also needed to find ways to make money, so it seemed that he wouldn't have much of a chance to experience this club.

Watanabe Fuuta looked surprised after hearing his words: "How could club activities affect studies? Club activities are usually held after coursework is over, and if you achieve good results in club activities, you can get a recommendation for a good university. Even if you don't want that recommendation, it can promote friendship among classmates and improve your communication skills. In the future, if you want to find a job, the results of club activities are also a very important bonus."

Kobayashi Yoshihara chuckled and said, "That's right, it's Uesugi. If you really achieve good results in club activities, many high schools and famous companies will be eager to recruit you. How about it, do you want to join the baseball club with me? If we can make it to Koshien, that would be a huge achievement."

Watanabe Futa smacked Kobayashi Yoshihara on the head in an annoyed tone: "Don't talk nonsense here."

"You don't believe I can make it to Koshien?"

"I can't be bothered to talk to you, Uesugi-kun, don't you have any self-awareness?"

"Futa, you bastard! You don't even play baseball, how do you know I can't make it to Koshien? That's going too far! I've undergone rigorous training, and I'm not just aiming for Koshien, I'm going to take down the Akazan flag!"

"I'm sorry, although I don't know much about baseball, I've watched the Koshien tournament over the past few years. With your training level, you're still a long way from them. Besides, our school isn't a baseball powerhouse, so this is simply impossible. It would be better to set a more achievable goal."

"The previous training was just an appetizer. You should see my future training before drawing conclusions!"

Seeing the two of them suddenly start arguing, Uesugi Kenichi felt a little puzzled. Are Japanese club activities really that important?

He wrote down what Watanabe Futa had just said, intending to investigate it thoroughly when he got home.

He then turned to Hideki Sato, who hadn't said much, and asked, "Sato, why don't you join any clubs?"

"Because I need to work to earn money. There are just too many new games and figures coming out lately, and it would cost a lot of money to collect them all." Hideki Sato pushed up his glasses, seemingly already immersed in the world of anime.

Kenjiro Uesugi nodded. There was indeed a lot of free time for students in this country, and it was not unusual for many students to choose to work part-time during their free time.

"Let's talk about the club tomorrow. See you tomorrow."

Kenichi Uesugi boarded the train home, declined their offer to accompany him, and walked on alone.

After boarding the tram, it started to sway and move. He gripped the handrail, his mind still preoccupied with what Watanabe Futa had just said.

Are community movements really that important in this country? After all, it's just a college, not a university.

After thinking for a while without figuring it out, he took out his phone and went online to look up information about it. After looking at it carefully for a long time, he finally understood.

"It's completely different from my great Celestial Empire," Uesugi Kenichi muttered to himself.

Chapter Seven: The Influence of Baseball

Unlike China, Japan doesn't have professional sports schools in elementary and junior high school. However, there are corresponding club systems starting from elementary school, and the importance of clubs increases significantly in high school. Many students choose sports or other professional clubs in college.

Aside from a small number of people who join the club simply out of interest, a large number of people have a more serious purpose in doing so—to make it their profession and future path.

After high school, students begin to polarize, not only in choosing clubs, but also in academic courses, which are divided into several categories.

There are four main categories: Special Advancement Program, General Program, Physical Education and Arts Program, and Business Program.

The Special Advancement Program is designed for the top students in a school. The students in this program are in an elite class created by the school's best teachers, somewhat like the elite classes in Chinese high schools, which bring together the best students in a school.

The majority of students are in the general education program, so they can just study normally, which is equivalent to completing compulsory education.

The Business Studies major adds other practical skills to the general studies major, such as software programming, office skills, accounting, and business management. It is somewhat similar to the courses taught in vocational schools in China. Generally, students who choose the Business Studies major want to enter the workforce directly after graduating from high school.

The Physical Education and Arts Department is responsible for teaching physical education, art, and music, and is geared towards those with special talents in these areas.

Students who choose to join this subject are often highly motivated and enthusiastic about the course. Many students in this subject also join clubs related to their chosen field. The school will also reduce some unnecessary courses for students in this subject so that they can focus on practice and hopefully bring honor to the school.

In a way, RB is somewhat similar to the United States, with a complete national college competition organization system for various sports, professional referees, venues, influential websites, media, and TV stations that follow and report on the events. For popular sports with a large audience, it's even more impressive, with national media outlets dedicated to reporting on the events and conducting personal interviews with famous athletes.

In Japan, it's fair to say that if you participate in sports, your family will not only not stop you, but will also strongly support you. This is because in Japan, if you have talent and can achieve results, it's relatively easy to succeed by taking these paths, and you'll also have a high social status.

In this atmosphere, club activities have permeated almost every RB high school student.

"No wonder Watanabe Fuuta is so strange. I guess you have to be careful what you say sometimes."

After learning about the baseball and Koshien tournament that Kobayashi Yoshihara mentioned, his expression immediately became somewhat serious.

"Is baseball really that influential?" Kenichi Uesugi looked at the content on his phone with disbelief.

Judging from the information on the phone, baseball has a huge influence in Japan. You can find all kinds of discussions about baseball everywhere you browse. Although it is rarely seen in China, in Japan, this sport is basically equivalent to table tennis in China. It is the most popular sport in the country, without exception.

And it's not just men; women also love this sport.

The reason for this situation is closely related to Japan's history. After Japan surrendered in World War II, the whole country fell into a state of desolation. Under such circumstances, baseball once became the country's spiritual sustenance.

Baseball is a sport that combines teamwork with one-on-one competition, making it highly entertaining. It also allows for miracles to happen, with the possibility of a comeback even in seemingly impossible situations. This aligns with the country's expectations, and the occurrence of such miracles can easily ignite a frenzied atmosphere.

As for Koshien, it refers to a baseball stadium located in Hyogo Prefecture in the Kansai region. The stadium was built in the year of the sexagenary cycle, hence the name.

Koshien Stadium is the venue for the finals of the RB High School Baseball National Tournament. Any student who loves baseball or aspires to a professional baseball career considers coming to this stadium a lifelong honor!

However, the path to Koshien is extremely brutal. Every summer, nearly 5000 high schools participate in the preliminary rounds, fighting each other in a single-elimination tournament. Finally, 49 teams are selected from each region to enter Koshien for the finals.

The final also uses a single-elimination format, meaning that if you lose a match, you pack your bags and go home.

It is even more severe than the NCAA basketball league in the United States.

It's impossible to win a championship without both skill and luck, let alone achieve consecutive championships. It's extremely difficult, and very few teams have managed to do so over the years.

However, winning the championship at Koshien Stadium brings both fame and fortune, and a bright and promising future lies ahead.

During the finals, the 50,000-seat Koshien stadium was packed to capacity, the national television station broadcast the entire event live, and 30 million people watched online at the same time. Under such circumstances, once a team demonstrates its potential or achieves good results, professional baseball teams will choose to recruit them, and prestigious universities will also recruit the Koshien champion team.

When a contestant wins the championship and returns to their hometown, they will be treated like a hero, with thousands of people lining the streets to welcome them. This is an experience that is simply irresistible for a young person.

After reading the information, Uesugi Kenji couldn't help but be amazed. Although Japan was terrible in some aspects and had a lot of problems, there were also some aspects that were worth learning from.

If China could establish such a comprehensive university competition system, given its large population, a large number of exceptionally talented individuals would surely emerge, and football would no longer be a source of pain for fans.

Are there really 1.4 billion people in China who can't elect eleven people to play football?

He doesn't believe it!

However, many talented people simply do not discover their talents, and the system itself is also a significant problem.

As he was digesting the knowledge he had just acquired, the tram doors suddenly opened, and a large group of women, chatting and laughing, poured in, making the already crowded carriage even more cramped.

Chapter Eight: Crew Cut

Kenichi Uesugi wasn't surprised. These days, every time he arrived at this station, many girls would flock in. He only found out later that there were several girls' schools nearby.

Seeing the men around him, whether students or office workers, all holding their hands high above their heads and gripping the railing, he sighed and raised his own. —This was to prove his innocence and that he had absolutely no intention of groping or assaulting any women.

Ironically, back in my previous life in China, I watched a lot of educational films about trams, but after coming here, I found out that it wasn't like that at all.

Due to the small size of Japan and its large population, transportation has always been a major challenge. It's manageable most of the time, but during rush hour, the trains are incredibly crowded. This is especially true in Tokyo.

It was so crowded that people could practically press their faces against the glass. In such a crowded situation, close physical contact was inevitable. Aside from some unavoidable situations, there were indeed many perverts who took advantage of the crowd to reach out and grab things like An Lushan.

In response to this situation, the government has taken strong measures to crack down on it. Once someone is found to be harassing women, it will be recorded and they will be branded with a lifelong stain. However, the measures have been too strong and somewhat excessive. Currently, there are even women who use this method to blackmail men for money. As a result, men on public transportation are now afraid to put their hands down and are simply afraid of women getting close to them.

He lowered his head slightly, lost in thought, partly contemplating his future goals, and partly trying to avoid attracting the attention of these girls.

"Hello, are you a student at Yamato Private Academy?"

Uesugi Kenichi slightly raised his eyes and looked over. A girl with a slightly chubby face and a cute appearance next to him asked shyly. There were several other girls standing next to her, who seemed to be a group.

He lowered his eyes, pretending not to hear, and moved his feet slightly, wanting to leave the place. He was wearing a school uniform and had a school badge on his chest, yet he asked such a question. Wasn't he obviously just making conversation?

Seeing that he was about to leave, the girl boldly tried to pat his shoulder, which made Uesugi Kenichi somewhat unable to tolerate it. He turned his body to the side to avoid it, and then looked at her coldly.

"What are you going to do?"

The chubby-cheeked girl was stunned by Uesugi Kenichi's cold gaze, not expecting him to react so strongly.

She withdrew her hand somewhat awkwardly, then gave a slightly stiff smile and said, "Well, I just wanted to get to know you, nothing more. If it's convenient, could we add each other on LINE?"

"I'm sorry, I have a girlfriend." After saying these words, Uesugi Kenichi squeezed his way to the front.

"Haha, Mako, I never thought you'd slip up too."

Mako Suzuki gave the girl who made the sound a light punch, looking somewhat embarrassed.

"It's not my fault, okay? Who knew he would be so aloof? He completely ignored my charm. It's just too much."

"Oh, what a pity. This is the first time I've ever met such a handsome guy. His ascetic look is so exciting."

"Wow~ You're so sexy." Another girl next to her giggled, "But you are really handsome, Mako. Keep trying and get his LINE number. Even if you can't be together, it's good to see him occasionally."

"Looks like I'll have to find some time to go to Yamato Private Academy to inquire about it. But it's so unlucky. Our school doesn't even have a male one, let alone someone this handsome. It's so tragic. Just thinking about having to live like this for three more years makes me want to cry."

"Who told us to go to an all-girls school? I'm even worse off, okay? Besides elementary school, I also went to an all-girls middle school, okay? I've hardly ever spoken a word to a boy in my entire life."

……

Hearing the whispers behind him, Uesugi Kenichi felt even more exhausted. Even without looking, he knew these girls were watching him; having too much charm could sometimes be a real problem…

After getting off the tram, on his way home, a barbershop suddenly appeared in front of him. He had already walked over, but then he remembered something and went back inside.

"Hello, welcome. Would you like a haircut or something else?"

As soon as I entered the barbershop, a boy wearing a vest came over and asked me something.

"A haircut," Uesugi Kenichi said with a smile.

"Okay, please have a seat here. Let me help you wash up first."

Apart from a few male barbers, most of the customers in the shop were women. As Uesugi Kenichi walked into the shop, a few exclamations of surprise rang out, which then turned into quiet whispers. The eyes of many women were focused on the incredibly handsome Uesugi Kenichi.

Ignoring the stares, Uesugi Kenichi sat down in the chair.

"What kind of hairstyle would you like?" The barber stroked Uesugi Kenichi's wet hair, a hint of amazement flashing in his eyes. Having worked as a barber for so many years, he had seen countless customers every day and considered himself quite knowledgeable.

But I've never seen anyone as handsome as Kenichi Uesugi even without makeup. In particular, his upright and pine-like demeanor is hard to ignore.

He felt a surge of excitement; this was simply the perfect ingredient laid out before him. Just as a good chef would love the finest ingredients, Uesugi Kenichi was the most perfect ingredient he had ever encountered!

He couldn't wait to turn this ingredient into an unparalleled delicacy.

Then we can talk to this guy again, and even give him some money to put his photo in the store as a promotional item. This would greatly boost the store's business. Just look at the way the girls around are looking at him. If we could really hang his photo here, wouldn't those infatuated girls go crazy and walk in without even realizing it?

"Buzz cut," Uesugi Kenichi said casually.