She demonstrated a brilliant jodan mawashi-geri against a fellow black belt in karate. Before she knew it, she had moved out of the infield Recently, she has become obsessed with baseball in her private life. For the past two years, alongside her work, she has been going to batting centers and looking for a team where she could play in actual games. She eventually found out that a grass-roots baseball team founded by an acquaintance was recruiting members, so she joined. Even more surprisingly, she attended the same elementary school as professional Yomiuri Giants players Masahiro Tanaka (37) and Hayato Sakamoto (37). A few years ago during the offseason, she even played grass-roots baseball with Tanaka. Having been exposed to baseball from a young age, in a not too close but not too far way, she now feels that passion anew. “Since the team was newly founded, I was able to play as a regular at first. But gradually, higher-level players joined, and before I knew it, my position moved from the infield to the outfield. These days, I spend more time warming the bench (laughs). I want to win the games, so it can’t be helped, but it’s a little frustrating.” Her dream is to serve as the starting pitcher for the ceremonial first pitch at a major baseball stadium. Last June, she appeared as the catcher for the special first pitch performed by pin comedian Kouta Okada (35). At that time, just like with this year’s CM, the internet and social media buzzed with “Who is this beautiful woman!?” “Only professional players get to play at the big stadiums. For non-players to step on the mound, the ceremonial first pitch is the only chance. Next time, I want to stand there not as a catcher but as a pitcher. I don’t care about throwing 100 km/h or anything like that. I just want to throw a strike right down the middle properly!” Moreover, her talents are not limited to karate or baseball. “I’m really good at tasting nori (seaweed)! (laughs) Since I was little, I’ve loved nori especially flavored nori. When I started working part-time in high school, I spent my earnings comparing different brands—‘This nori tastes better,’ ‘That nori is cheaper,’ and so on! Even now, gifts from family and friends often include nori (laughs). Because of that, I can identify where a particular flavored nori comes from just by tasting it. When I go to sushi restaurants, I even order nori rolls without any filling just to enjoy the nori. Recently, with the talks of nori shortage, I can’t buy as much as before, which is disappointing.” Finally, when asked about her future aspirations, she thought for a moment before responding: “My official title is still model. There are models in my agency who have children. There should be various ways and forms of modeling for different age groups. From now on, I want to find work that suits me and continue doing it for a long time!” According to her manager, “There are many offers for models with acting experience, so work requests for Kaede Aono never stop.” It seems that, just like her CM, Aono’s future also looks reassuring.