Once he arrived in the kitchen, he saw his wife and son waiting for him, dressed nicely.
"Hey, is that my shirt?" Chris said, pointing to a nice button up that Ken was wearing.
Ken nodded, his expression one of pain and sadness. He had thought he was old enough to pick out his own clothes, yet his mother wouldn't let him tonight. He was currently dressed as if he was going to a work function.
"Oh sorry honey~ Kenny has gone through a growth spurt so I had to borrow some of your clothes. I mean, he's so lucky to have such a tall and stylish father."
Yuki's words were suspicious, however Chris's expression brightened after receiving such high praise from his wife.
"Hehe, well what can I say darling, you have great taste as usual." Chris replied, straightening up his own shirt.
Yuki's face fell in the next moment before she uttered her next words.
"Ah, let's see if we can find something a little more… stylish for you to wear honey."
With that, she walked forward and grabbed her husbands arm, gently ushering him back towards the room.
Ken couldn't help but let out a vindicated laugh as he saw that his father would also have to suffer through his mom's dress-up routine.
It wasn't until 20 minutes later that the duo returned to the kitchen. This time, Chris was wearing a more business-like number, just like his son.
The two looked at each other, both wearing a helpless expression on their features.
Before they knew it, both Ken and Chris broke into laughter, leaving Yuki with a questioning look on her face. Yet it didn't take long for her to break into a smile, she had truly missed moments like these when the house was filled with laughter.
"Okay let's hurry, I told Naomi we'd meet her at the train station."
***
Soon enough, the trio arrived at the train station. With both Ken and Chris's abnormal height, they were able to spot Ai and her family waiting near the entrance of the platform.
Ken stuck his hand up and waved, but Ai had already spotted his head that seemed to be bobbing above the crowd as he walked along.
As they got closer, Ken's eyes widened in appreciation as he saw the summer dress Ai wore. It was white with yellow flowers and flowed nicely along her figure, accentuating her budding curves and long legs.
Tetsu's eyes also widened as he looked up at Ken's father. While he was not as tall as Chibi the mustachioed gangster, this guy was handsome and exotic, with certain traits one would only find from westerners.
Both Yuki and Naomi stepped forward, giving each other a warm hug.
"Thank you for inviting us Yuki, we are so excited to go see a professional baseball match with you all." Naomi said, flashing a smile.
"And this must be your handsome husband Chris who I've heard all about. It's a pleasure to meet you, I'm Naomi." She leaned in for a hug, to which he had to bend down in order to participate.
Since he had spent a lot of time in America, he wasn't too fazed about hugs, yet the same could not be said for the others in attendance. Both Tetsu, Ken and even Ai had their eyes wide in surprise.
In Japan it was rather uncustomary to hug those whom you'd just met.
"This is my husband Tetsu."
Tetsu was probably the most dumbfounded by the situation, not even realizing he'd been introduced by his wife. All he saw was the large hand of the tall human stretch out in front of him.
Thankfully, his brain was able to pick up the pieces and accept the handshake in time before it was awkward.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Ken's father Chris."
"T-Tetsu."
Naomi completed the introductions, pointing out her daughter on the side. Ai felt a little awkward in the moment, hoping that she would not be pressured into hugging.
However, upon receiving a smile and a polite bow, she breathed a sigh of relief.
While she wasn't adverse to hugging, she'd never done so outside of her own family. The only person in attendance that she wouldn't mind completing the deed with was Ken who was standing in front of her.
At the thought, her cheeks blushed slightly, contrasting with her white dress and painting an alluring sight.
Unfortunately, Ken was too busy gawking at Naomi who had already begun having secret conversations with his mother. The two were like old friends as they huddled together as if they were making arrangements.
"Should we enter the platform then?" Chris asked with a smile, deferring to Tetsu.
"A-Ah, sure thing."
With Naomi and Yuki together, as well as Chris and Tetsu walking off, it left Ai and Ken together trailing the pack. Only now did he find the time to actually appreciate her outfit and how cute she looked.
"You look very pretty this afternoon." He said, feeling his throat seize a little while saying so.
It was weird, he usually found it easy to talk to Ai when he was alone during their commute back home after practice. Yet he was being awkward in this moment.
"Thank you. You're looking quite handsome yourself" She replied, flashing him a cute smile.
Ken almost let out a groan in response, "My mother actually picked out my outfit, not taking no for an answer. Apparently she doesn't trust my style."
Ai paused for a moment. She'd only seen Ken outside of school clothes a few times before and apart from the times where he was working out, he'd looked okay.
"Your outfit when you came over for dinner that time was good, well apart from the jeans." She said earnestly.
Ken felt his face flush red, "M-My mom picked out my shirt then too…"
"Pfft…"
"M-Maybe … You need some work… then."
Ai felt her sides hurt as she tried to hold her giggles from escaping between words.