Chapter 23: Batting Pointers (1)

After their touching reunion, Ken's dad told him to go and get washed up before breakfast. Due to the season starting soon, he wouldn't have to leave the city for a while so they would have plenty of time to catch up.

Ken nodded, after finally composing himself.

Around 30 minutes later, the doorbell rang. Chris sent a questioning look to his wife, only for her to motion for him to answer the door.

Daichi's stomach rumbled loudly as he thought about what Ken's mom would be cooking for breakfast this morning. All that running had made him work up quite a large appetite.

"Can I help you?" A deep voice speaking a weird broken Japanese suddenly sounded out as the door opened.

Daichi looked up in fright at the tall man with curly hair and a defined jaw. Except for his eyes, the figure looked like a foreigner, or perhaps a half-japanese.

He felt his stomach churn partly from the hunger, but mostly because he was intimidated by the unfamiliar adult who had answered his friends door.

"U-Um… I'm here to see K-K-Ken." Daichi stammered, feeling his face redden as he tried to speak.

"Oh?" Chris raised an eyebrow, staring at Daichi with interest.

"Honey, you're scaring the poor boy. Come on in Daichi, Ken is just finishing getting ready." Yuki nudged her husband to the side and motioned for the boy to come in with a warm expression.

"Ah, sorry sorry. Ken has never had a friend over before so I was a little taken aback." He responded, feeling a little embarrassed by his actions.

Daichi bowed briefly before scuttling inside. Thankfully Ken was already walking down the stairs so he wouldn't have to deal with any awkward atmosphere.

The 3 men sat down at the table while Yuki brought the dishes onto the table. Perhaps because Ken's father was home, today's breakfast was extravagant.

Omelet over rice, bacon, toast, fried fish.

"Wow honey, you really outdid yourself today." Chris said in English, staring at the spread of food with a twinkly in his eyes.

"Don't think she made all this for you dad. This is all because of Daichi." Ken quipped back with a cheeky smile in fluent English.

Chris stiffened for a moment before throwing his head back in laughter at the unexpected joke. He ruffled Ken's hair and threw a big grin in his direction.

"Since when did you get so cheeky."

Ken's mother was also smiling from ear to ear, not minding being the butt of the joke as long as her two boys were getting along. It was then that her attention moved to Daichi who seemed utterly confused as he watched the duo, especially since hearing his name come up.

"Ahem. How about we speak Japanese while we're in the presence of company you two." She chided, sitting next to Daichi and giving him a warm smile.

"Oops."

Both Ken and Chris covered their mouths at the same time, realizing their mistake. It was only now that one could see their similarities in appearance, mainly around the eyes and nose.

The duo behaved throughout the rest of breakfast, and the atmosphere was positive as everyone dug into some delicious food. The topic quickly turned to baseball as both Ken and Chris were fanatics.

Chris talked about the players he had been scouting while away for the past couple of weeks. He had recommended 3 players to attend the upcoming training camp for the Yokohoma Warriors in a few weeks.

"Ken, your mother told me that you're starting to work out and take your fitness seriously." Chris said after a moment, his face turning serious.

"Yes, we're running 11km a day and doing other things like sit-ups, push-ups and even flexibility workouts." Ken responded between mouthfuls.

"Oh?" Chris couldn't help but look impressed at these words, feeling a sense of pride well up from within. However, he stopped after a moment, sensing something odd.

"Wait, you said we?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

Ken who was in the middle of a mouthful of food, merely pointed at Daichi who was keeping to himself while eating heartily. Suddenly seeing a finger pointed in his direction caused him to panic and almost choke on his food.

"You're training with Ken as well? Are you also on the baseball team?" Chris's gaze fell on Daichi, seemingly scrutinizing his wide shoulders and figure. His old habit from being a trainer and a scout made him analyze people with a professional eye.

"N-No sir." Daichi stammered, feeling uncomfortable from the probing gaze.

"No? No to what?" Chris asked with confusion, his deep tone making it feel like an interrogation.

"Ahh. Yes I'm training with Ken, but I'm not on the baseball team." He quickly responded, feeling his cheeks redden.

Ken piped up after successfully swallowing his food. "Daichi has got really good reflexes, I think he would be a great catcher. He also managed to make contact with 90% of the balls in the 110km/hr batting cages even though he's never held a bat in his life."

Chris whistled in response, his eyes narrowing.

"How about I take you both to the batting cages after school today so I can check out your form." Chris suggested. Whenever baseball was talked about, he always got excited.

"Yes please!" Ken almost jumped out of his chair in excitement. This was exactly what they both needed, some tips on batting so they could make it into the baseball team.

"Honey. Daichi will need to talk to his parents before he can decide, we can't just take someone else's child without permission." Yuki cut in before everyone could get too excited. It was clear that she was the rational parent.

At the mention of his parents, Daichi shrunk down a little. Yet in the next moment he gripped his fist tightly, with a determined expression.

"It's fine, I'll get permission from my mom. We just don't have a lot of money." Daichi replied, feeling embarrassed. He already felt like he was a burden by eating Ken's family's food, so he was reluctant to mention anything.

But he really wanted to go. He wanted to play baseball with Ken, doing whatever it took to make the baseball team.

Chris looked at Daichi, feeling a hint of pity crawl into his heart. He turned his gaze to Ken who also seemed to be wearing the same expression as himself, before opening his mouth.

"Don't you worry about money young man. How about you aim to become a pro and pay us back then?"

Yuki's face flushed for a moment and she looked as if she was about to say something. However, a smile and a wink from her husband made the words falter in her throat.