<h4>Chapter 422 Personal Manager</h4>


    After about a 25-minute ride, Hiro arrived at his destination. It was a traditional restaurant known for its exclusivity, a ce often reserved for the society''s elite.


    The restaurant, with its serene garden entrance, papernterns, and tatami rooms, provided a peaceful respite from the chaos of the outside world. And it was also located quite far away from the city.


    Upon his arrival, he was warmly greeted by a few of the standing staff members of the restaurant who were dressed beautifully in traditional Japanese attire. He politely returned the greeting as he bowed his head.


    "This way sir," one of the staff members said, her tone sweet and melodious.


    It was as if they were awaiting his arrival. Their hospitalitybined with the peaceful ambiance, helped him to feel at ease. It was the most peaceful he had felt in a long time.


    As he entered, he was assaulted with the scent of freshly brewed tea and the soft sounds of a Koto ying in the background. The ambiance inside the ce was rather tranquil.


    Then thedy showed him to the private room that Eric had reserved. The room in itself wasn''t anything extravagant, but somehow it felt like entering a different dimension when he walked through the door.


    The sunlight entering from the window, the scenic garden outside, everything felt so soothing that he just couldn''t help but admire the understated elegance of this ce.


    "Mr. Eric will arrive soon, until then please take a seat," thedy said as she showed him to the table.


    Nodding his head, he followed her. Then he sat with his legs crossed. There were no chairs in this room, but only a tea table and some cushions.


    Then as he got seated, thedy left. She again entered the room holding a teapot and a cup. Then she brewed him some tea to enjoy until the arrival of Eric.


    Taking the cup from her, he took a sip. It was rather hot but refreshing. Just from a sip alone, he felt as if his mind was melting. While enjoying his tea, he then awaited Eric''s arrival.


    Shortly after Eric arrived wearing a familiar smile on his face.


    "Hiro, it''s been too long," he greeted warmly, extending his hand.


    "It has, Eric," Hiro replied, shaking his hand firmly. "This ce is amazing."


    "I thought you''d appreciate the peace and quiet," Eric said, settling down on the cushion opposite Hiro. "And I wanted to discuss something important in a rxed setting."


    Then as the two of them settled down, the waiter served both of them some green tea before taking their orders. Since Hiro hadn''t been to such an extravagant ce before, it only felt right to him that it''d be better for Eric to handle the ordering.


    After a little thought, Eric ced his order. Getting their order the waiter turned to leave. And the two of them continued to converse. Catching up on old times, and reminiscing about past games, performances, and achievements.


    While they continued to talk, the waiter entered the room with a handful of delicate tes of sushi. Since they were in Japan, and also in a traditional authentic Japanese restaurant, Eric felt it''d only do the ce justice if they were to order some sushi.


    So with such thoughts in mind, he had ordered sushi. And just from the looks of it, Hiro could tell that it was damn expensive.


    Having nothing to eat, he could eat a boar right now. Though he maintained hisposure from the outside, he was salivating from the inside. Upon seeing the nicely ted sushi in front of him, he swallowed secretively.


    "Then shall we proceed? You must be hungry, right?" Eric asked.


    Hiro nodded his head. This was the moment he had been waiting for long. So, how could he refuse the offer?


    Then the two of them started eating. Eric ate rather elegantly while Hiro despite his attempt on trying to hold him, wolfed down as if he was starving for three nights. Eric however didn''t mind his gesture as he found it quite interesting.


    To Eric, it seemed as if apart from his appearance, his eating habit was the only other child-like thing Hiro possessed. Watching him chow down the dishes, it really felt as if he was in the presence of a kid and not somebody mature.


    After all, the way Hiro talked and orchestrated himself defied his age. So while talking to him, he couldn''t help but shake this feeling that he was lying about his age.


    While they ate, they continued to exchange their pleasantries, trying to know more about each other''s situation. Eric had gone up to be one of the top agents in Europe. And, he had been constantly trying to contact the top clubs in Europe to get him signed.


    Even though despite his reputation he hadn''t had any real-time sess until now, he was still trying his best to get him signed. Also, he got to know from Eric that Mateo had been signed by Girona for his excellent performance in the World Cup.


    Having insider news, Eric shared that it wasn''t just Girona who were after him but top clubs like Barcelona, AC Mn, Benfica, and even Manchester City were interested in him. But afraid that he wouldn''t get much ying time in these top clubs, he chose Girona in the end that''s what Eric spected.


    It wasn''t just Mateo, but Alex, Simon, and many others had already embarked on their professional journey in Europe. There were still many remarkable exceptional talents who were already showing their charms in Europe due to which clubs were rather hesitant to sign some unknown talents outside Europe and America.


    Even though there were quite a lot of exceptional talents emerging from Africa and Asia, the prejudices regarding the race continued to remain.


    "I''ll try my best from my side, but you need to show your qualities on your part as well Hiro," Eric said as he tried to encourage Hiro.


    "I''ll do my best Eric," he answered earnestly, determination shing in his eyes.


    After the initial pleasantries, suddenly Eric''s expression grew serious.


    "Hiro, we also need to discuss your increasing fame and the demands thate with it," Eric began, leaning forward. "I can see it''s starting to overwhelm you. Previously I thought that it''d be a while before you reach such a stage so I neglected it. But your growth is even beyond my expectations."


    Hiro sighed, setting his teacup down. "You''re right, Eric. Handling all these endorsements and my social media is bing too much. I get flooded with emails all the time. And, it''s bing increasingly hard trying to handle my social media ount as well. I could no longer choose to ignore it like I did it before."


    "Then how about hiring someone who could handle all that stuff for you?" Eric presented his opinion after listening to Hiro''s worries.


    Hiro felt rather unsure about it as he knotted his brow into a frown, "But I''m not sure about having someone else handle my personal life and information."


    Eric nodded, understanding his hesitation. "I get it, Hiro. It''s a big step to trust someone with that part of your life. But think about it—having a professional manage these things will allow you to focus more on what you do best: ying football. They can filter out the noise, handle the logistics, and ensure that your public image remains intact."


    "Almost all of the professional yers do it," he added.


    Hiro started pondering over Eric''s words. The logic was clear to him, but it still bugged him to have someone handle his personal information,"It''s not just about trust. It''s also about privacy. My personal life is... personal."


    What if they misuse his information? Having someone manage his personal information meant that he''d be at risk of getting his identity misused. So, he was rather hesitant about the idea of letting someone else handle his personal information.


    Catching on the whiff of his hesitation, Eric smiled gently as he tried to assure Hiro, "Of course, and that''s why I''m suggesting someone who''s not only skilled but also trustworthy."


    Since it''s a person who has managed to gain Eric''s trust, it wouldn''t do him any harm to hear about the person now, would it? With such thoughts in mind, he meekly asked about the person, "Let''s hear about them first"


    "There''s a young woman, a recent college graduate, who has excellent reviews. Her name is Ayumi Tanaka. She''s 21, lives here in Japan, and she''s very professional and she''s skilled as well. Plus, she''s got the right bnce of energy and expertise to handle the demands of your career."


    Still, even after hearing Eric''s praises of her, Hiro hesitated about the idea of having a stranger manage his affairs. However, a part of him seemed interested as well, so he asked, "Tell me more about her."


    Sensing Hiro''s interest, Eric continued, "Ayumi graduated top of her ss in business management."