Just remembering those words caused Yuki to puff her cheeks in annoyance. She muttered something along the lines of stupid men and their stupid ways before going back to preparing food.
What mother didn't want to take their child's pain away? She could see the hurt and rejection in his face even now, making her feel like she had failed him.
But instinctively she knew that what her husband had said was right.
"Arghh, I'll never understand men…" She huffed.
In the shower, Ken washed away all the sweat, feeling his muscles sing out in satisfaction. While he had been running every day over the past year, today was the only time that he'd truly pushed himself.
He had used Mika's training regime, yet noticed that his body had not been able to keep up. This either meant that he had gotten worse over time naturally, or it had something to do with the system.
Judging by all the other areas that were affected, he was 99% sure that it was because he no longer had the system.
'So it's not only my Baseball skills that are tied to the system, but my bodies fitness as well.' He thought inwardly.
If that was the case, he had a theory as to why.
"The Elixirs…"
The main reason why he was able to excel so quickly in his physical state was because of the Elixirs. They were wondrous drugs that boosted all of his physical attributes at the cost of excruciating pain.
'When I upgraded the system, it said that all of its functions would be unavailable. If I assume that the functions include Elixirs, then my regression in fitness would make sense.'
As the water poured down his head and body, Ken began to craft a theory, one that began to make more and more sense the longer he thought about it.
Originally he had thought functions referred to things like the Image Training and Identify aspects of the system. Skills and traits too would fall under the same category, rendering them unusable.
Yet now that he truly thought about it, Elixirs were also a byproduct of the system.
'But what about the Recovery Elixir?'
His body suddenly shivered as he thought this far. Not only had the Recovery Elixir saved himself from death, it had also cured his Grandfather's lung cancer.
If those were also reverted like the other Elixirs, then both he and his Grandpa would be goners.
'Damn it, I really need to think things through next time…' He thought, grasping his chest where his heart was beating wildly.
The fact that he was still alive and he had received his Grandpa's letter confirmed that the Recovery Elixirs seemed to be independent of the others.
When Ken finished showering, he felt another surge of motivation and began to review his tapes once more.
BUZZ BUZZ
"Hey, I'm back home. Are you free?"
Ken's eyes widened as he saw the message.
Not even a second later he left his room and descended the stairs.
"I'm going out to see Ai!" He said to his mother.
"Ai? Ah I forgot Naomi mentioned she was coming back today." Yuki murmured.
"Wait! Did you put deodorant on?"
SKID~
Without another word, Ken ran back up the stairs and put on some deodorant and checked the mirror to make sure he was presentable. He'd been too excited and forgotten to do the basic steps.
This wasn't the first time that Ai had returned to Yokohama, but it had been about 3 months since they'd last seen each other.
After triple checking everything, he ran back down the stairs.
"I'll be home for dinner~"
With that he made his way to Ai's house, with a spring in his step. For the first time in quite a while, he actually felt good about himself.
Around 15 minutes later, Ken arrived out the front and saw Tetsu.
"Look who it is…"
The guy was still intimidating as ever, even while wearing his blue baking apron. Ken noticed a scar running up his arm that wasn't there when he last ran into the guy.
"H-Hello Mr. Koyama." Ken said, bowing slightly.
Tetsu's face lit up with a smile and he let out a hearty laugh.
"No need ta stand on ceremony my boy! HAHAHA" He walked over and slapped him on the back a few times before leading him towards the house.
Ken cringed in pain a little, but he put up with it. Ever since he and Ai had started dating, Tetsu's attitude towards him had done a complete 180.
"Ai's upstairs, come on in."
"Honey! Ken's here."
As they entered the threshold, Tetsu called out to his wife and announced his presence.
"Ken! It's good to see you again." Naomi said, bringing him into a hug.
Ken could only smile wryly as he was treated like an esteemed guest upon entering.
While he couldn't complain about the treatment, he really just wanted to see his girlfriend.
After a few moments he heard footsteps coming down the stairs, causing his ears to perk up. Ken turned his attention to the sound and saw a figure revealed step by step.
The girl was barefoot and wearing denim shorts and a cute white top. Her body was shapely and had seemingly been developing in the 3 months since they'd last seen each other.
What was once a budding woman had now blossomed into a beautiful flower.
Her clear blue eyes stared at him with a hint of embarrassment, yet her smile lit up her beautiful features, causing him to lose his train of thought.
"Hey…"
"Hi…"
The two stood apart with Tetsu and Naomi looking on expectantly. As if feeling their intrusion, Ai walked over and grabbed Ken by the hand before leading him up to her room.
"Ah wait." Tetsu muttered, however they were both gone before he could finish his words.
He frowned a little, however Naomi shook her head.
"We can trust her." She said simply, smiling at her husband.