Baseball: A Two-Way Player-Chapter 535 - 117: The Morning After Becoming Champions

"Newspapers have arrived!"

In the early morning in Fukuoka, a man riding an electric scooter, his age obscured by a helmet, lifted stacks of newspapers from the rear cargo box and placed them in front of the convenience store.

Once he completed the task and drove off into the early morning darkness, it wasn’t long before a young person in a convenience store uniform came out, brought the stacks of newspapers inside, unwrapped them one by one, and placed them on the most prominent shelves.

With the rise of electronic reading, traditional print media across Japan, large and small, have faced significant challenges: after all, online news delivers information faster, with richer content and more comprehensive information, even leading paper giants like Yomiuri and Nikkan have gradually sought to embrace new media.

However, for Japanese salarymen who value tradition, or you could say those who are somewhat stuck in the past, grabbing a newspaper on the morning commute remains an essential part of their daily routine; after all, some things simply cannot be replaced by the plethora of information online.

As dawn was just breaking, salarymen needing to catch an early train hurriedly entered this convenience store next to the station; after browsing near the shelves for a while, they took their goods to the checkout counter.

"One cup of coffee, one rice ball, that’ll be 300 yen, please." The cashier maintained a polite smile, gesturing for the customer to make the payment.

"Could you heat the rice ball for me, please? Thank you." After handing over a few coins from his wallet, the salaryman unconsciously directed his gaze toward the newspaper rack to pass the time while his rice ball was being heated.

In the Showa era, similar shelves in convenience stores were beloved by older men, as they mostly stocked those indescribable adult magazines; however, with the bursting of the bubble, those "good old days" have become a thing of the past.

No longer were men drawn in by the enticing third-page girls; instead, they were captivated by the "Nishi-Nippon Shimbun" newspaper on the top shelf.

As the largest local newspaper in Fukuoka and the entire Kyushu Region, the depth and breadth of the Nishi-Nippon Shimbun’s coverage of political, economic, social, and cultural events in Kyushu and Fukuoka is unmatched by any national newspaper; whether it’s municipal developments, community activities, or local business information, the reporting is very detailed, far surpassing those of national dailies.

Today, however, the front page headline was not dominated by politicians; the top headline of the Nishi-Nippon Shimbun was entirely dedicated to the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks’ victory at the Kyocera Dome last night.

The salaryman’s eyes were immediately drawn to the massive, striking main headline:

"Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, Championship after 3 Years, Pacific League Victory!"

Below the striking headline, in slightly smaller print, were local reporters and media’s high hopes for the team:

"Advance proudly towards Japan’s Number One!"

Beneath the headline were two photographs, one on each side, filling up the entire page.

On the left was a photo of the "Do-age" ceremony on the field after the victory, where team members tossed their manager high into the air, a signature celebration for every victorious team.

On the right was a group photo of the players in the center of the field after a brief celebration: in the photo, everyone was beaming with joy, the captain Matsuda Naohiro holding the Pacific League victory banner; the most popular among the fans, Lin Guanglai, was positioned beside the owner Sun Zhengyi and chairman Wang Zhenzhi.

The salaryman picked up the newspaper and placed it on the checkout, "I’ll take a newspaper as well."

Just as the salaryman was standing in the eating area, ready to quickly finish his coffee and rice ball, the convenience store door was pushed open again.

A boy in a school uniform burst in frantically, rushing to the cashier and asked, "Do you still have today’s Nishi-Nippon Shimbun?"

The cashier pointed to a nearby shelf, indicating he could help himself; only after seeing the newspaper with the SoftBank Team’s victory printed on it did the boy visibly relax.

"Luckily, I got up early today, finally didn’t miss it—last year, I couldn’t get it when Lin’s three consecutive home runs off Tanaka happened because it was sold out."

"You never read newspapers... why did you come so early to buy one today?" a voice from behind the boy inquired, seemingly his companions.

"Ah, you don’t understand..." came the laughter from the side, "He’s doing this to please Xiaohua? Everyone knows Xiaohua is a die-hard fan of Lin from the SoftBank Team, and he likes Xiaohua but dares not confess, so he can only express his affection indirectly like this?"

Facing his friends’ teasing, the boy’s face turned red, "Who... who said it’s just for Xiaohua? I’m telling you, don’t... don’t wrong me out of nothing—actually, I’m a pro baseball fan too."

"You can fool your buddies, but don’t fool yourself—there’s no one else here, why not admit it? I say, take this opportunity at the cultural festival and clarify the relationship, like this..."