'T-This is fear.'
Ken felt his heart pumping furiously as he was met with such resistance.
After what felt like an eternity, the pressure gradually receded, allowing the three to breathe normally once more.
Chris was the first to break the silence, talking loud enough that his wife could easily hear him.
"How about we all go to the public bath together and give your mother some space?" He said, some of the fear still evident in his expression.
"Ah, sounds like a good idea dad."
"Great idea!"
The two replied, glancing at Yuki every now and then to make sure the same thing wouldn't happen again. However, after receiving no response, they quickly made themselves scarce.
Chris too looked as if he was walking on eggshells. He lowered his posture and whispered to the two boys, directing them to go grab a change of clothes and meet him outside.
A few minutes later, they were all out of the house, only now able to let out a sigh of relief. Daichi seemed to be the most confused out of the group, having never seen this side of Yuki.
Seeing the confused expression on his face, Ken decided to speak up.
"Mom can be really scary, as you just saw. As long as you stay on her good side, there's nothing to worry about." Ken assured Daichi, patting him on the back consolingly.
Chris nodded, a serious expression on his face.
"Your mother is sweet and has a lot of love to give, yet she can have quite the temper…"
"Did I tell you she knocked out Ai's dad with a single punch?" Ken said, keeping his voice hushed.
"Eh!? One punch?" Daichi was gobsmacked.
"Pfft, that's nothing." Chris intoned, wagging his finger.
"I once saw your mother take out 6 delinquents at once when we were dating in University."
Both Daichi and Ken gasped dramatically, their imaginations running wild.
CREAK
The three almost jumped a meter high after they heard the front door swing open. They spun around only to see Yuki's face staring at them from the opening, a stiff smile on her expression.
"Hurry up. Dinner will be ready soon."
SLAM
Not even waiting for a response, the door was slammed shut, leaving the 3 guys to shudder.
"How about we leave now?" Ken suggested.
"I agree."
"Agreed."
With that, the trio made their way to the local public bathhouse, not even daring to look back at the house.
They returned an hour or so later, freshly clean.
Thankfully, Yuki seemed to have returned to her previous loving self, as if everything that had happened was merely an illusion.
Dinner was Pork Katsu with various side dishes. It was clear that Yuki had gone all out for this meal, not knowing when the next time everyone would be present in the house.
As they tucked into their food, there was a silence that overcame the table. Yet it wasn't awkward, it was actually the opposite. Everyone enjoyed their meal, happy just to be in each others presence.
Ken was actually the one who spoke up next, asking how long Daichi was planning on staying.
A wry smile appeared on Daichi's face as he answered the question, "Probably just the next two nights. It was hard enough getting this much time off considering Nationals is about to start."
Ken nodded. While the time was short, he could understand the coach's worries. If Daichi wasn't on the first squad it probably wouldn't have mattered much, but he was the starting catcher.
"Well I'll be at training in the morning, but I'll be free in the afternoon. How about we hang out then?" Ken suggested.
"Oh, you don't want to invite me to training then?" Daichi asked, letting out a hollow chuckle.
"Ha ha. I think our coach would have a hernia if a potential opponent joined our training." After saying so, he took another few mouthfuls of rice.
Daichi laughed in response. His coach would also probably suffer the same fate, if not worse.
"Speaking of which, we won't face each other until the semi-finals if we both win our first few rounds."
"Oh? That kind of sucks. I was hoping you'd be in different groups." Chris said, feeling a little disappointed.
Yuki spoke up this time, "Let's just be happy that you both will have a chance to compete with each other like you promised last year."
At the mention of their promise, both Ken and Daichi smiled. They had come a long way from the beginning of this year. Once they decided to go to different schools, there was only one way they'd be able to play each other in an organized tournament.
Making it to Nationals.
In essence, they had completed the hardest part and now only needed to win a few more matches each in order to fulfill their promise.
Suddenly, it didn't seem so far out of reach.
The two locked gazes and could feel a shared determination between themselves. Despite not verbalizing it, they could hear the three words burning from within.
'I won't lose.'
The rest of the dinner went by filled with jokes and laughter, filling the once quiet house with a sense of warmth and togetherness.
The one most affected by this was Yuki, whose face was beginning to hurt from the constant smile she was wearing. However, there was a bittersweet sensation in the back of her throat, knowing that this was only temporary.
Chris who knew his wife more than any other, felt her sorrow beneath the surface. He placed his hand on hers, sending a wordless comfort her way in the only way he could in this moment.
Yet inwardly, he knew that something needed to change. He had another month or so to think things over before he was due to fly back to America for another 3 months.
After dinner, Chris helped with the washing up while Daichi and Ken continued to catch up at the table.
*DING*
[SYSTEM REBOOTING]