The trio spent the next 40 minutes of the trip in mostly silence. What was meant to be a triumphant return was marred by the dangerous exploits of the two teenagers.
Only when they were close to home did Daichi open his mouth and ask his father something.
"D-Do you think the Coach will be mad…" He said with a forlorn expression.
"I don't know…" Chris responded truthfully.
However, inwardly he was a little torn. He could tell from how Daichi was acting that he really liked Miho, however Chris had only just been appointed to the Assistant Coach role and did not know what sort of effect this could have on their work relationship.
Yet in the next moment his expression changed.
"Alright Daichi, I want you to keep contact to a minimum with Miho for now…"
Daichi lowered his head in the back of the car before agreeing. He definitely liked Miho, but he didn't want to put his father's job in jeopardy because of it.
Yet just when he was about to resign himself and stow away his feelings, Chris continued the next part of his sentence.
"Once we get to America though, you can pursue her wholeheartedly. Just make sure it doesn't interfere with your training or performance."
"Eh?"
Both Ken and Daichi were surprised at his words. After all, wouldn't the most prudent thing be to avoid such kinds of drama? Especially when it involved the Head Coach.
Chris on the other hand grinned widely.
"After all, it will be harder for him to kick any of us off the team while we're in the states."
"Hahahaha!" Ken couldn't help but laugh joyfully at his father's words. It had been so unexpected that it felt even funnier.
It wasn't long before Ken's laughter incited the same response from the other two. Daichi felt tears forming on the corner of his eyes, but he didn't know if it was from laughing too hard or some other kind of emotion.
He had never had this kind of figure who would risk it all just for his happiness. At least not until he was adopted into the Takagi family.
"Alright we're home." Chris said happily.
Although he had only been gone for 2 days and a single night, he was still excited to see his wife and bring the good news.
The trio alighted from the car and entered the house, feeling jovial.
"Honey, we're home."
"Welcome home"
Yuki's smiling face greeted them from around the corner, her face full of expectation.
"So? How did it go?" She asked, clearly not able to hold back her curiosity any longer.
"Heh, you're looking at the 2 latest additions to the National Team." Chris said with some fanfare. He had a proud look in his eye as he showed off his two kids.
"Congratulations boys!"
Yuki quickly moved forward and hugged each of them warmly, celebrating in their achievement. Yet in the next moment her expression faltered briefly before she could recover.
Chris who was behind the boys saw the sadness flash briefly in her face, yet he only smiled in response. He knew exactly what his wife was thinking in that moment, yet he let it be for now.
"Ah that reminds me…" She said, moving back and placing her attention on Ken.
"Have you been ignoring Ai lately? Naomi called me and told me something was up." Her face was in a frown, as if his achievements were already forgotten.
"I-I tried to call her before we left but it didn't go through." Ken stammered briefly, feeling a little guilty.
Chris couldn't help but let out an amused smile, however he decided to come to his son's rescue.
"Honey, Ken's been busy at the tryou—"
However, he quickly swallowed the words when she turned her fierce gaze towards him, feeling the wrath of his wife ready to burst.
"Ahem, I need to go get changed."
With that, he quickly ran up the stairs and left Ken behind like one would a dead man.
Once the big guy was gone, Yuki turned to him once more before letting out a small sigh. She turned around and grabbed some money out of her purse before handing it to him.
"Go and get some bread rolls for our hamburgers tonight. I don't want to see you home until you've patched things up with Ai." She said, a mixture of warmth and threat within her tone.
Ken was forced to take the money, yet he was feeling lost for words. He hadn't even had the time to relax, yet he was forced out of the house already.
He looked to Daichi only for his mother to snap at him.
"Don't look at your brother, he can't help you. Only you can fix your own mistakes." She said, giving a shooing motion.
Then in the next moment she gave Daichi another hug and told him to come inside.
Ken wasn't exactly proud of his next words, however there was a brotherly urge that overtook him.
"Oh Mom, you'll never guess what happened… Daichi got a girls email address today, the Coach's Granddaughter no less."
Daichi stiffened before turning his head slowly towards Ken who was wearing a haughty expression on his face.
Their eyes met briefly before a peel of laughter came out from the latter's face as he bolted out the door.
"I'm leaving!"
Since Ken hadn't had the chance to take his shoes off just yet, he was able to escape in record time, running onto the streets as he continued to chuckle in a diabolical manner.
'This must be what it feels like to be an older brother.' He snickered inwardly.
However, his playful mood didn't last too long afterwards as his mind drifted to Ai. Sure he felt a little bad for ignoring her while he was away, but like his father said, he truly was busy.
Technically Ai was his first female friend, so he didn't exactly know where he had gone wrong.
He hadn't even talked to Shiro since they last saw each other in Osaka yet he was certain that if he was to call him now, there would be no issues.
If his father could hear his inner thoughts right now, he would feel like a failure. How could the son of the Tall Casanova himself be so stupid when it came to women.