5 - Invitation
Conrart's first meeting with the Demon King of Earth shook him more than he would admit even to himself. Bob radiated power – not just majutsu, but a personal charisma and leadership that went far beyond mere magic. He found himself hoping that this man would personally take charge of raising the new Demon King. Surely the result would be a strong leader, well worth following.
Much to Conrart's disappointment, Bob chose one of his subordinates to be the father of the next Demon King. And Shoma Shibuya did not make a good first impression – he sounded henpecked, and seemed far too easygoing to give any child the kind of strength the new Demon King would surely need.
But if Conrart's life had taught him one thing, it was that the will of the Demon King must be followed, however foolish or ill-advised it seemed and whatever the cost to the king's followers. So he kept his doubts to himself, even after Bob left the restaurant and Shoma himself expressed similar reservations.
But then Shoma blew up at him, over, of all things, Conrart's indifference. "When you're in front of my wife or kid, if you show that lousy attitude even once, I won't let my kid go to the other world no matter how much you plead!" Shoma declared, slamming his fit against the table. "And believe me, I'm serious! You got that?"
For a frozen moment, they stared at each other across the restaurant table; then Shoma reverted to the laid-back person he'd first seemed. As if nothing had happened, he summoned a waiter and ordered champagne for two. And put it on Bob's tab without a moment's hesitation. That startled Conrart almost as much as the strength of Shoma's outburst. Which, it occurred to him, had been driven by Shoma's desire to protect a child who hadn't even been conceived yet. Perhaps there was more to Shoma Shibuya than first met the eye.
Halfway through the first glass of champagne, Conrart made up his mind. He took advantage of a pause in Shoma's conversation – really, the man talked even more than José did – and said, "Very well. I accept your offer."
"Huh?"
"To visit your town ... 'ball park,' I think you called it."
"Great!" Shoma smiled enthusiastically. "How about Friday afternoon? The Red Sox are playing the Yankees, and I know there are still tickets left because I checked this morning."
"Fine." Conrart had no idea what Shoma was babbling about, but he didn't really care. Shoma had piqued his interest. Despite his earlier disavowal, he now found himself wanting to know more about the man who would become the father of his king. This 'ball game' would be an opportunity to learn.
"It should be a good game," Shoma went on. "The Sox are seven and three against the Yankees this year, but the Yankees have the home field advantage." He leaned forward confidentially. "I'm a Sox fan, myself. They're going to the playoffs this year for sure, wait and see."
For the rest of the evening, Shoma ran on about the Red Sox and the upcoming game and something called the World Series, throwing out all sorts of numbers that were completely meaningless to Conrart. "Errors" seemed intuitively obvious, but what was the difference between "hits" and "runs"? And what was an "RBI"?
By the time they finished the champagne – most of which Shoma drank himself – Conrart was beginning to regret his impulsive acceptance. For a game played merely for entertainment, baseball sounded a lot more complicated than he'd expected. And Conrart didn't have time for more complications. Still, it would only take a few hours, and there was no graceful way to back out now.
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RBI -- Run Batted In. A run scored while a player is at-bat (though not necessarily scored by the batter). Very important player statistic, if you're a baseball fan. If you're not, don't worry about it.
Next: 6 – Baseball and Bat Wings