For the next few hours, Ken truly felt blissful. The fleeting thought which had run through his mind was now firmly implanted, filling him with both excitement and satisfaction.
If it wasn't for the fact he was caught up in baseball, Ken would have rushed out and bought a ring in a flash before popping the question. Marriage was something that he'd never entertained before, but with Ai, it felt exciting.
As he thought about his life before regressing, Ken wondered if things would have been different if he started dating Ai after being injured. Would he still have been depressed?
Or would he have lived happily with this woman by his side, leaving behind the game that he loved.
"A penny for your thoughts?" Ai hugged his arm tighter, and spoke up in a soft and caring voice.
Ken who had been thinking silently for a while turned his head to look at her. There was a hint of melancholy in his voice when he replied.
"Would you still be with me if I never played baseball?"
The question lingered in the air for a few moments without a response. Ai's expression changed a few times as she realized he was asking a serious question.
"What drew me to you was how how hard you worked. It doesn't matter if its baseball, basketball or even art, as long as you tried hard, I would have noticed you eventually." She replied sweetly.
Ken blinked a few times, not expecting such a response. When he had chased her in his previous life, Ken enjoyed baseball a lot, but he certainly wasn't as hard working or driven as he was since regressing.
In fact, he lost count of how many times he had chased after Ai before getting injured in his second year of High School. It turned out that he had approached things wrong from the beginning.
"So if I were to quit baseball… Would you go and get married with me right now?" Ken asked, his gaze locked onto Ai's.
The question was ridiculous, especially considering how far they had come already. But Ken's deep brown eyes were serious, as if he was willing to drop everything he'd worked so hard for in that moment.
Ai was taken aback at his resolve. The guy who only had baseball on his mind all these years was putting her above all of his dreams.
She hesitated. There was a warm feeling that spread throughout her body and she truly experienced the love that Ken felt for her.
"Mmm." She nodded, her face turning red. Ai pulled herself into his body, trying to hide her expression.
"You've made your point. But I couldn't take away your dream, I'm not that selfish…" Ai said, her voice trailing off. "I promise that I'll support you, no matter what. So let's not talk about abandoning baseball okay?"
Ken felt his lips turn up into a smile as he held the woman he loved closely. He couldn't ask for more, this was all he needed. A good woman who would share in his triumphs and failures, always supporting him.
The two spent the rest of the day together, visiting various places in Central Park. It wasn't until the baseball game was getting closer that they caught a cab and made their way to the stadium.
Ken was a little nervous, particularly since Alex had said he wanted to test him out. While it was nothing official, he didn't want to embarrass himself in front of some Major players whom he might meet again in the future.
They arrived at Yank Stadium over an hour before the start of the game, but there was already a line. As the two lined up, Ken spotted a line for the VIP area and grabbed Ai by the hand.
Upon arrival, there was a large security guard which made even Ken look small. The guy almost looked like he was a football player, deterring anyone from making a ruckus.
"VIP's only in this line." He said gruffly, blocking the way. Ken couldn't blame him for assuming that they weren't VIP's since he was only wearing a tracksuit.
"Here are our tickets." Ken said, handing over the two tickets that Alex had given them.
He took the tickets and inspected them carefully. "Oh, you're the guy Alex told me about." He said, nodding.
"Oi Chuck, take these two in to see Alex." He shouted to one of the other security guards before directing Ken and Ai further in.
"Thank you."
With that, the two were led into the stadium by the one named Chuck. He didn't speak, however he was inspecting Ken out of the corner of his eye, his expression unreadable.
Ken tried to ignore it, feeling a little uncomfortable.
Eventually they made their way onto the field at Yank Stadium, showing the pristine grounds of one of the most beautiful fields in the world. Ken felt the urge to take off his shoes and walk barefoot on the well maintained grass, but he was able to resist.
They were then taken over to the bullpen towards the back of the field.
"Are you nervous?" Chuck, the security guard asked. It was a little odd since it was his first time speaking during the 5 minutes they had already walked.
"Hmm? Why would I be nervous?" Ken asked, his expression showing his suspicion. What did this guy know that he didn't?
"Well, Alex said that you were his number 1 fan. Who wouldn't be nervous meeting their idol?"
"…"
'This bastard…' Ken felt his eye twitch at the shameless words of Alex Cole. The guy had interrupted his beautiful moment with his girlfriend and gave the tickets as a gift, yet this was what he was telling the staff?
Ai began to giggle, feeling that it was rather funny. Only after hearing her infectious laugh did Ken manage to calm down a little.
"Hey Alex, I brought over your number 1 fan." Chuck announced upon arriving.