Ken made his walk from the train station to the front of the school with his bag slung around his shoulder. Since today was the day of the friendly match, the coach had organized a bus for the team to depart from their school at 9am this morning.
Spring looked to be on its last legs as the morning breeze carried with it some heat. Since it was the second week of May, the cherry blossoms were already gone, signaling the coming of Summer.
Soon the cicada's would be singing their song of triumph, bringing with it the glorious sun.
Coming around the corner he saw that there were already quite a few people gathered. The coaches plus most of the first squad had arrived early, and were just waiting for the other players and staff to arrive.
Ken saw his friend Shiro standing stiffly against a pole, his expression one of pain and discomfort.
Seeing Ken from afar, Shiro averted his gaze and tried to look inconspicuous. Yet due to his sore muscles, even turning his head elicited a painful response causing him to wince.
"Here he is." Yuta called out with a smile.
"Hey rookie, throw me a few pitches so I can warm up okay?" Makoto said, immediately going into his warm-up routine.
Ken smiled in response, but before he could answer the coach sent a karate chop onto the top of the captain's head.
"Stop messing around. We're meant to leave in 10 minutes."
"Everyone seems to be energetic this morning." Ken said, a smile creeping onto his face.
"Can you blame us? This is the first game we've been able to play in almost 3 months." Hiroki came over, putting his arm around Ken's shoulder.
The two had gotten closer over the last month. While it was still a rather new friendship, Ken already knew a lot about his old teammate so it gave the illusion they'd both known each other for a long time.
Ken nodded, looking over the members present, even spotting Akira who surprisingly acknowledged him.
'Oh? Seems like he's matured a lot faster than last time. Is it because of my charm?' He thought, inwardly praising himself.
'Speaking of charm…'
"Where's Tatsuya?" He saw Jun amongst the first squad, but his brother was missing.
"He's over there hitting on the managers." A small voice came from behind him, causing Ken to spin around.
"Ah, thanks Naoki Senpai." He replied.
Ken thought it was a little ironic that the person with a fringe that covered his eyes was the first person to find Tatsuya. However, it was only now that he fully understood what was said.
He quickly turned his head, looking towards the three managers who were approached by the handsome and debonair Tatsuya.
His eyes widened as he saw Ai shifting uncomfortably and staring at the ground. Ken instantly felt a pang in his heart, followed by a wave of displeasure and anger.
With his long strides, he quickly made it over to the four students and stood in between Tatsuya and Ai.
His imposing frame and defined chest now blocked the 2nd year student who suddenly had a look of annoyance creep onto his face.
"Senpai, I believe your brother is looking for you." He said, a fake smile plastered on his face. Ken's words were as polite as possible, which was quite difficult for him at this point.
"Eh? Are you messing with me?" Tatsuya lifted his head, looking right into Ken's face which was only a foot away from him.
Ken did his best to remain calm, but his facial features suddenly turned menacing and his voice dropped a few octaves.
"Go see your brother. Se-n-pai"
He accentuated the 3 syllables of the last word, giving off a dangerous atmosphere. This paired with the expression on his face told Tatsuya everything that he needed to know.
"Ha ha ha~ Sorry Ace, we were just chatting" He said, patting Ken on the shoulder.
After doing so, he quickly made his way over to the others, not turning back.
Since he was a player, Tatsuya had often been in confrontations with other potential suitors and could often tell who he could walk all over. However, he instinctively knew that Ken was not one of those people, so he quickly gave up.
Even if he were to eek out an unlikely victory, it would destroy the team chemistry. Plus, he could tell that the manager wasn't exactly into him enough to make it worth his while.
Ken breathed a sigh of relief, not even realizing he had been clenching his fists hard.
Coach Hanada saw the whole thing and was quite taken aback. However, an understanding expression formed on his face not long later.
'I guess he is a teenager after all.' He thought.
In the entire time he'd known Ken, there was always a mature air around him. He always kept his emotions in check and analyzed things rationally, never jumping to conclusions.
Yet here he was, ready to fight for his lady's honor.
"Ah I wish I could be young again." Coach Hanada said, letting out a deep and melancholic sigh.
"T-Thank you Ken." Ai said, tugging on his shirt from behind.
Her voice was soothing as usual, however there was a hint of vulnerability in it, alerting Ken.
He turned around and was suddenly struck dumb.
Staring back at him was definitely Ai as he knew her, yet the light makeup and grateful expression on her face made her seem a little older and more elegant. While it wasn't as exaggerated as her mother, it held an entirely different kind of charm.
Ken couldn't help but stare at her for a while, causing Ai to blush in response.
"Geez, first my parents and now you. Can't a girl wear a little make up every now and then?" She said shyly.
"So pretty." These words came out of Ken's mouth somehow, likely due to the malfunctioning of his brain.
Instantly Ken felt severe embarrassment assault him causing him to quickly avert his gaze. Yet inwardly he was screaming at his brain, demanding to see the manager who would let him say such a mortifying thing out loud in front of Ai.