Ken met up with his parents after the game who showered him with praise for everything. They both looked proud as punch, leaving him feeling a little embarrassed by the end of it all.
They had scheduled to return the rental car today and were going to head back home on the bullet train tonight. Ken was given the option to leave with them or go with the rest of the team tomorrow.
It wasn't a difficult choice for him in the end. There's no way he would miss out on celebrating with the rest of the team, not after such a big win.
Of course he might not get the chance to collect all of the system rewards just yet, but there it wasn't like they were going anywhere.
"We'll see you at home tomorrow then Kenny. Have fun with your teammates, but make sure you get proper rest… And no physical activities."
Yuki who was still reluctant to let Ken leave after the hospital incident, made sure to give out instructions for him. There was an obvious care behind her words that made it difficult to get upset at her nagging.
"I will mom, I promise." Ken said with a grin.
With that, he bade farewell to his parents and rejoined his teammates as they headed back to the residence to get changed. While there were showers in the locker rooms at the stadium, everyone felt more comfortable doing so at their residence.
By the time they had all showered and got changed, it was almost time for dinner.
The coach had ordered around 20 pizzas as a celebratory meal, something that the teens had not expected.
Seiji had gone all out, sacrificing his savings in order to celebrate properly with the team. It just showed how much he was invested and cared about the players.
Thus, the team gorged on their food and savored the sweet taste of victory that only hard work and dedication could achieve.
It wasn't until around 11pm that their energy began to decline and one by one they retreated back into the rooms to sleep.
Yuta and Yuko had disappeared much earlier in the night, their whereabouts unknown to anyone. However, thanks to the jovial atmosphere, no one seemed to notice their disappearance.
Surprisingly it was the usual group of Hiroki, Yusuke, Ken, Ai and Kaori that were left standing this late into the night. They had all grown as friends since the beginning of this trip to Osaka.
Shiro was asleep at the table, like a child who was out with their parents a little too late.
Ken could notice Kaori stealing glances at his sleeping face every now and then, causing him to smile briefly. Now that he looked at Shiro, he did look kind of peaceful while asleep.
"Well, we should probably get some sleep." Hiroki announced after letting out a yawn and stretching slightly.
"I'll take Shiro back to the room." Yusuke said, approaching the small figure and picking him up easily.
Now that it was just the 3 of them left, Kaori cleared her throat, sensing her cue to leave.
"Ahem. I am also tired… Goodbye."
With that, she slunk out of the room, leaving Ai and Ken as the only ones still awake.
Ken felt slightly awkward having been left alone with Ai. For some reason he was terrible when it came to making conversation in a one on one setting with the opposite sex.
Perhaps this was a common thing for teenagers, or perhaps he was just an awkward individual. Either way the result was the same.
He stared at the table for a while, his mind racing on what to say next.
Yet it was Ai who said something first.
"You looked really happy on the mound back then…" She stated softly.
'Hmm?' Ken turned his gaze to Ai in question. He had been on the mound a lot of times these past 2 weeks, which time was she referring to?
As if reading the question directly from his mind, she continued.
"Just before you pitched to your brother, it was like all of your worries had disappeared."
Ken silently took in her words, his mind going back to that point in time. He remembered it vividly, the shedding of his old life and finally accepting that this version of him was who he truly was.
After a few moments of silence he nodded. "Yeah, I think I just figured out some things you know?"
He didn't know how to explain it to her, though he wanted to. She would probably think he was crazy if he told her that he had already died once and returned to the past.
Ai nodded, seemingly satisfied with his answer.
There was another long silence, but this time Ken didn't feel the urge to fill it. He could see that Ai was still thinking deeply about something, so he didn't want to interrupt her.
After what felt like an age, she spoke up.
"I… I want to chase my dreams too." She said. Her words were soft, but he could feel an underlying determination within them.
However, she seemed a little uncertain, or perhaps unwilling would be the better description.
"That's good right? It's better to chase your dreams than to live with regret." He replied, wearing a soft smile.
Ken wanted to encourage her. He didn't like seeing the unsure expression on her pretty face, he liked the confident and assertive Ai that he had a crush on all this time.
Ai paused at his words, her expression changing a few times. Finally it seemed that she had made her mind up, though her eyes began to water slightly.
"Thank you Ken." She said, her soft lips turning up into a radiant smile.
Ken was almost blinded by her beauty, however there was something a little off. Her smile should have shown happiness, yet her eyes spoke of a deeper emotion.
Was it sadness?
"Well, I'm feeling a little tired so I'll head to bed first. Congratulations on winning player of the tournament." Ai said before swiftly leaving.
Ken was dumbfounded as he watched her retreating figure.
'Why did she look so sad?'