Ken returned home later that night, still riding high from his performance earlier. Though he had practiced against Rohan and Daichi, it was completely different when in the middle of a game.
Out of his 5 at-bats, Ken hit two home runs and two doubles, stamping his impact on the game.
'Things might get a little tricky against Ryan tomorrow though…' Ken thought.
He was well aware that the two would most likely be facing off against each other tomorrow. However, this time he did not intend for it to be a pitchers duel.
With his newfound batting prowess, Ken intended on getting ahead while keeping the Blue Marlins to negligible runs. But there was a problem.
While the Deadeye Batter skill could identify the type of pitch, things might be difficult with Ryan's pitches particularly. Since the guy used unorthodox grips, it caused the pitches to act quite differently than usual.
Ken wasn't sure if the color would match what pitch he was being thrown.
For example, if he saw the color red it would mean that a slider is coming. But with Ryan's grip, Ken was worried that the system wouldn't register that it was a slider at all.
'I'll just have to wait and find out. Worst case scenario, I'll just make him throw as much as possible until I've figured it all out.' Ken thought to himself.
"We're home." Ken announced as he walked into the house.
With all the night games they'd been having lately, everyone in the house had been conditioned to having a late dinner. As usual, Yuki and Naomi were in the kitchen, putting the finishing touches on the food.
"Welcome home you three." Chris who was seated at the dining table placed his newspaper down and greeted them.
Tetsu was sitting across from him, scrolling his phone. The guy looked up and gave a brief nod before returning to his browsing.
Thankfully his daughter was more welcoming. Ai struggled to get out of her chair and waddled over to Ken, hugging him tightly, "You played so well tonight."
Ken smiled contently, his hand moving down to her bulging belly.
Ai was now around 37 weeks pregnant, meaning she was only 3 weeks away from full term. However, if the kids were born now, they wouldn't be classed as premature.
This also meant that technically, Ai could go into labor at any time from this point onward. Ken was eager to meet his children, but he surely hoped they would at least wait a couple of days after the World Series ended.
"How are you feeling? Are Natsuki and Kenji treating you well?" He asked softly.
"It's getting a bit harder to get around," Ai admitted, giving a grin. "But its not like I have to do much around the house. Between my mom and Yuki, I don't have to worry about anything."
"And that's how it should be." Yuki called out from the kitchen, sending a look to Ken. "Your husband should be the one taking care of you instead of going out and playing games."
"Come on honey, its not like Kenny has a choice, its his job after all." Chris spoke up, defending his son.
However, Yuki merely shook her head and sighed, "You're lucky you have a good mother and mother-in-law."
"You're right, I really appreciate your help mom and Naomi." Ken said, giving her a smile. He planted a kiss on top of Ai's head before heading over to the kitchen.
"Don't get in my way." Yuki said, busy moving around the kitchen.
However, Ken let out a chuckle before tracking her down and pulling her into a hug. Only then did her frown ease.
"Cheeky bugger…" she said, seeing how he wasn't letting go.
Ken laughed, "Don't say that bachan, your grandchildren are probably listening."
Hearing the name Bachan, Yuki couldn't help but smile. "You're right, I'll be careful in the future." She said softly.
"Now get out of the kitchen, food is almost ready."
"Yes bachan." Ken replied with a grin.
It seemed that calling his mother bachan was an effective way of getting her to calm down. He would remember that for the future.
"I'm going to grab a shower then I'll come down for dinner." Ken said, heading upstairs to the main bedroom.
As soon as Ken left, Daichi was about to do the same but he was stopped abruptly.
"Daichi dear, I didn't want to bring this up in front of Ken but…" Yuki said.
"Honey… Just focus on dinner, I'll speak to him." Chris sat up from his chair and placed his hand upon his son's shoulder before turning to the other guy behind him, "You too, Rohan."
Rohan's eyes widened in surprise, but he still agreed. The trio walked out to the back deck for a little privacy.
"What's wrong Dad?" Daichi asked in confusion, the guy looked quite serious.
Chris ensured that the door was closed before walking further out onto the deck, not answering right away. He let out a sigh before turning back to look at his son.
"I'll preface this by letting you know this is not something that I want to say," He started, looking a little pained. "But you know what kind of person your brother is… he is just a big softy."
"Dad, just get to the point. We're all adults here." Daichi said, still feeling a little worried.
"You guys will need to move out soon. As soon as the World Series is over, you have at most a few weeks to find somewhere else to live." Chris stated, looking between the two.
Hearing this, Daichi let out a sigh of relief, "So its just this? We already have a place lined up just down the road from here."
"Oh thank goodness." Chris said, looking visibly relieved.
Rohan on the other hand looked worried, "Ah crap…" he muttered.
"You can come live with us for a while," Daichi said with a smile, "Once you get your new contract you'll have some money to get your own place."
"Thanks man, you're a lifesaver."