A few days later, Ken came to a stop at the top of a hill, his face covered in a sheen of sweat. The summer breeze was hot against his skin, making it even more uncomfortable than usual.
As he began to control his breathing, Ken turned to see a figure halfway down, making his way towards him. A slight hint of amusement crept onto his features as he watched Steve struggle.
"Ganbatte!" He yelled out.
"Shutup!" Steve cursed between ragged breaths.
After a couple of minutes, the guy finally arrived on top of the hill, immediately rolling onto the ground in exhaustion. Despite the constant training for over 3 months, he was still behind Ken in both speed and stamina.
However, Ken couldn't blame the guy. After all, he had the Elixirs to buff his own physical grades, whereas Steve was all natural. When he looked at it this way, it almost seemed like he was using performance enhancing drugs.
Ken shook his head, trying to rid himself of the moral dilemma before it took hold. He had already talked to Mika about the next training plan in order to reach his current level without the buffs.
Unlike last time which had only taken 3 months, it appeared that the gap was much larger than he expected. 12 months was the length of the training plan this time, and it was far more intense.
'I guess things get harder the better I get.' Ken thought, already beginning his stretches.
"Get up before you melt into the ground."
Steve who looked like he had crawled back from the precipice of death, slowly got to his feet. His shirt was drenched, picking up the dirt and rocks from the road.
"Are we going to survive this training plan of yours?" Steve asked, his face showing fear.
Ken shrugged in response, "I will, but I'm not so sure about you." He said with a grin.
Steve let out a hollow chuckle, knowing his friend was kidding. The two went through their stretches in silence, making sure to cool down their burning muscles which would help prevent soreness the next day.
Of course the two both had the Fatigue Management skill, which made things even more convenient.
"When are you heading to Japan?"
"In 2 days time. I've already booked a place to stay in Osaka with my girlfriend to go and watch Koshien." Ken replied, his face full of nostalgia.
"Koshien? Is that the big baseball tournament you were talking about? Aren't there more romantic things to do with your girl than that?" Steve turned up his face in disgust.
"Do I need to take romance tips from you?" Ken retorted, sending him a scowl. "Plus, my brother will be playing as a senior. There's no way I'll miss it."
Steve ignored the slight, "Oh? Is this the genius catcher you were talking about?" he asked with interest.
Ken nodded, "He doesn't know I'm coming yet, I wanted it to be a surprise. In fact, my girlfriend doesn't even know I'm coming yet."
"Aww, how sweet. I bet you'll cry when you finally see her again."
Ken turned to the guy with a deadpan expression, "Do I hit you now or later?"
"H—Hey man, I was just kidding." Steve took a few steps back, raising his hands in submission. "I'm just saying, I'm sure she'll be happy to see you again."
"Mmm, even though it's only been 4 months, I miss both of them." Ken stated, his eyes drifting off into the horizon dramatically.
"…What are you doing?"
"I'm looking towards Japan." Ken replied simply.
Steve looked left and right briefly, "You're looking towards Canada. Japan should be that way." He said, pointing behind Ken.
Ken felt his face redden in embarrassment, "Shutup! I know where Japan is…" Without another word, he started jogging back down the hill, leaving his friend behind.
"H—Hey, wait for me!"
***
As Ken walked through the airport, the sight of his native language brought a smile to his face. While the signage might be mundane, to him who had not been to Japan for over 4 months, it was much more than that.
'I'm finally back home.' Ken thought, forgetting his stiff body for a few moments. The 16 hour flight had been torturous for his tall frame, especially since he was a miser and didn't upgrade his seats.
His eyes drifted to the large clock on display.
'4 O'clock… If I catch the train I should arrive at her house in the next 30 minutes.' Ken did the math in his head.
At the thought of surprising Ai, Ken felt a little giddy. It had been torture keeping such a secret from her, but he had thought it would be worth it in the end.
Just as he was about to leave the airport, he suddenly froze. 'Crap, I should get some flowers or something…'
Ken quickly changed his direction, heading towards the shopping area close by. Despite being tired and jet lagged from the long flight, he still wanted their reunion to be special.
Almost an hour later, he alighted from the train.
'Japan public transport is still the best…' He thought.
Around 10 minutes later, Ken arrived at a familiar apartment building with 5 stories. His heart was beating loudly in his chest the closer he got, but he somehow managed to keep his calm.
Taking the elevator to the 4th floor, he stepped out slowly. In his left hand were a gorgeous bouquet of flowers, and in his right was his suitcase.
Ken swallowed, feeling his throat dry up almost instantly.
'Damn it, why am I so nervous…'
After shoving down his jitters, Ken finally stood in front of Ai's door. Standing up his suitcase, he rang the door bell, holding up the flowers in front of the peep hole.
As the clinking of the door lock sounded, Ken flinched. He lowered the flowers, and saw the door swing open, however his face faltered in the next moment. "Who are you?"