'With this I can work with the coach and design ideal training plans for our players.'
Ken's head was instantly filled with fanciful ideas of building up a professional squad out of a High School team.
Of course not all the players had the potential to be pro's, but that didn't mean they couldn't be good enough to win nationals.
"Arghh I'm fired up!"
This time, Ken seemed to have forgotten it was currently 12am and his mother was sleeping. He paled when he suddenly heard the footsteps of his mother thundering towards his room.
'Oh crap…'
He heard the door creak open slowly, feeling a dark aura pour in through the doorway.
"Kennnnnyyyyy~" The voice of his mother sounded like a ghoul, causing the hairs on his body to stand up.
Ken gripped his bedsheets up to his chin, fear evident in his features.
"M-M-Mom I'm sorry! I got too caught up read—"
"GO TO SLEEP!"
"EEK"
The sound of the door slamming caused the room to almost visibly shake, or perhaps that was Ken shivering in fear that made it appear so.
He had almost forgotten just how scary his mother was if she didn't get enough sleep. Even his father who was one of the bravest men he knew, would make his presence scarce whenever this occurred.
Once his beating heart finally calmed down, Ken decided it was no longer worth the risk of staying up so he decided to go to sleep.
The next morning Ken woke up at the usual time, feeling a little out of sorts. Thanks to using the Image Training every night for the past month, he had only been sleeping for around 5 hours every night.
'I guess my sleeping pattern is catching up with me.' He remarked, rubbing his bleary eyes.
He got up and washed his face, sluggishly getting changed into his workout gear.
"Morning Mom." Ken said sleepily, on his way to the front door.
Eerie silence was the response, causing him to pause his steps. He could feel a dangerous aura behind him, silently screaming at him to not turn around.
"I-I'm going out for a run…" He said in a panicked voice, quickly picking up pace and running out the door without even stopping to put his shoes on.
It wasn't until he closed the door that Ken breathed out a sigh of relief.
"That was scary… I might go a different route this morning and take my time."
Ken put his shoes on and started his run. Thanks to it being spring, the sun was beginning to rise a little earlier in the day, however it was still rather dark at this time.
He always felt alive on his morning runs, allowing his body to warm up and embrace the day. Yet ever since Daichi had left for Osaka, his run had been a little lonely.
If it wasn't for his determination to get better, it might have been a lot harder to keep up this kind of consistency. But once he got into the rhythm, it allowed his mind to roam free.
'Ah, I should really test out this new Training Program function on myself.'
During his run, Ken remembered that he could also use his new function on himself.
[TRAINING PLAN]
PLEASE SELECT A SKILL YOU WISH TO IMPROVE:
>Pitching: A- [500 Major Points]
>Fielding: B- [100 Major Points]
>Balance and Coordination: S [10,000 Major Points]
>Agility: A+ [2000 Major Points]
>Strength: A [1000 Major Points]
>Stamina: S [10,000 Major Points]
The first thing he noticed was how exaggerated the cost was.
'Isn't this just to make a training plan for improving a skill? So why is it so expensive?'
He stared at the list in front of him for a while, not sure of what decision to make. If he assumed making it to S grade gave additional rewards, then the best course of action would be to upgrade his Agility.
However, this was quite costly. Agility also wasn't a much needed skill for his position as a pitcher.
Of course it would have impacts on his ability to run between bases, but he hadn't even talked to the coach about where he was in the batting line up. If he was a lead-off hitter, it might make sense to choose this.
This led to another point, just how much would it cost to create training plans for his teammates? If they were as expensive as his own, then could he afford to spend his major points on himself?
It would make more sense to dedicate his Major points into strengthening the team, giving them the best chance of winning nationals.
With these thoughts in his mind, Ken decided to dismiss the window for now until he learned some more information.
CRASH
THUD
Ken felt a bout of pain as he crashed into something hard, causing him to tumble unceremoniously to the ground. He had been so focused on the system window in front of him that he had not even been paying attention on the path in front.
Since the sun was barely peaking over the horizon, it did not help his circumstances.
"Argh damn that sucked." He admitted, standing up and dusting himself off.
He turned his head to try and see what he had run into, only for his body to seize up.
"I'm so sorry! A-Are you okay?"
A beautiful yet soft voice full of concern rang out, causing Ken to flinch in response.
'A-Ai!? What is she doing here?'
Ken was dumbstruck. How could he have done such an embarrassing thing in front of this girl of all people.
"Ken is that you?" She asked, however in the next moment her voice turned to panic.
"A-Ah Ken, are you injured? Oh no, what happens if you can't play baseball because of me?"
She began to fuss, checking him over for injuries. Since the situation was so urgent, she completely forgot about her usual shyness.
Ken felt a little weird being fussed over by someone that was not his mother, but he was still too stunned to talk. He saw that a bicycle was on the ground, along with some bags which had spilled out in the collision.
'Crap, I must have run into her while she was riding.'
There was fresh bread and pastries on the path, but the thing that caught his eye was the blood on Ai's elbow, likely where she had made contact with the ground.
'T-This girl is hurt, but she's the one checking over me without even complaining.'
Only after a few moments was he able to speak up.
"I'm fine, don't worry about me. Let me see your arm." He said after working up the courage.
He grabbed her arm gently, surveying the scrape which marred her beautiful pale skin. The girl flinched in response, not expecting the sudden physical contact. Yet after feeling the strong yet gentle hands on her, she relaxed.
"O-Ow."
"Sorry! Come, let's head to my place and get you patched up. My mom has a first aid kit." Ken replied.
"Ah… But my bike." Ai looked at her bike which seemed to have seen better days, it was likely she wouldn't be able to ride it like this.
"Ah! The pastries and bread… I was meant to deliver them to Mrs. Masuda."
Ken instantly felt embarrassed, having caused all this mess. However, he quickly made a decision and bent down to pick up the bike, slinging it over his shoulder and carrying it like a bag.
He also collected the bags of bread and pastries and handed it to the girl beside him.
"Let's drop these off and head back to my place."