A little later in the evening, Ai arrived at Satow Stadium. Ken had told her that she needed to go to the ticket booth in order to claim the reserved seat since he hadn't been able to hand it over in person.
The line wasn't too busy and she was able to secure the ticket.
After passing through security, Ai made her way into the designated seating and saw an attractive woman with her long blond hair tied up in a bun right next to her seat.
Ai sat down and turned her attention to the field. They were good seats and she could see the two teams going through their warm-up drills below.
"Hi there."
Ai turned to see the woman smiling at her. For a moment she didn't know how to respond, but she eventually replied, "H—Hello."
Her English was still not the best, but it had been getting better. The hardest part was when someone spoke too fast, or if they had an accent that she didn't recognize.
"You must be Ai."
"Eh? You know me?"
The woman giggled, holding out her hand. "I'm Tara, Ken's Social Media Manager." She said, her eyes filled with amusement.
Hearing this, Ai didn't take the hand right away. Her eye's scanned Tara, looking her up and down as if to evaluate her from the perspective of a woman.
Just when Tara was about to take back her hand, Ai grabbed it. "Nice to meet you Tara."
Though she wore a smile, it didn't reach her eyes. It was clear that Ai was wary of this woman, especially now that she saw just how pretty she was.
It wasn't that Ai didn't trust Ken, but that all women regardless of their man's loyalty would feel somewhat threatened when met with another pretty woman who spent a lot of time with their partner.
Tara could feel the tension, but it wasn't unexpected. She leaned forward and whispered, "I'm also Steve's… girlfriend."
The words felt a little foreign, but surprisingly they made her happy.
"Oh…" Ai's expression changed, a sense of camaraderie blooming. Her smile widened, this time genuine. "You must have your hands full then."
"Hah, you can say that again." Tara replied, letting out a giggle. There was a flash of something dirty in her eyes for a moment, as if she meant something else by the statement.
However Ai was not yet proficient enough with English to understand the double meaning.
The two continued to get acquainted with each other now that the ice had been broken. Ai was also happy that there was someone else she could practice her English with.
On the field, Ken cast his gaze into the crowd as if looking for someone in particular. Once his eyes fell upon Ai and Tara in the stands, he breathed a sigh of relief. He had been worried Ai would be stuck outside of the stadium.
Around 30 minutes later, all the ceremonies were over and done with and Ken took the field alongside his teammates. The announcer called out their names, his deep voice rattling through the speakers.
Ken had to admit that hearing his name said with enthusiasm was a nice change compared to the away games over the past few weeks. The crowd being in their favor was also a boon, filling him with some confidence.
There was also the fact that Ai was here to watch him perform live for the very first time.
Ken's eyes shined as he looked ahead towards the first batter from the University of Pennsylvania. However, his eyes were focused on the strike zone. He could almost see a translucent box hovering in the air, as if he knew exactly where to pitch.
Ken felt an unexplainable sensation run through his body, something that he hadn't experienced before. It was a kind of supreme confidence that left him unshakable, almost as if the result of the match was inevitable.
Part of him was intrigued, but he didn't want to break his immersion.
WHOOOSH
PAH
"There it is! 100mph fastball!" The announcer chirped, eliciting a cheer from the crowd.
PAH
PAH!
"3 up, 3 down! Ken sends the Earthquaker's lead off batter's back to the dugout!"
For the next 80 minutes, Ken was in a trance. The cheers of the crowd felt like rain pattering on his back and his teammates words were muted. The only thing he could see was Steve's glove hovering within the strike zone.
He was so engrossed in the game that Ken didn't even notice that it was the 9th inning already. Usually he would have been taken out in the 7th, but things felt different tonight.
Ken leapt forward, sending a nasty curveball right at the plate. It seemingly stalled in mid air before dropping into Steve's glove as the swing of the bat sailed over it.
"Strikeout!"
Catching the ball thrown his way, Ken returned to his spot on the mound before picking up the rosin bag and rolling it around in his hand. He glanced to where Ai and Tara were sitting, seeing that they were at the edge of their seats.
'Why do they look so nervous?' Ken thought briefly.
If it was any other time he might have explored this thought, but right now he was in the zone. He didn't know how long until the game would finish, but as long as batters kept coming up to the plate, he would strike them out.
He turned to home plate once more and let out a breath. He lunged forward, sending a roaring fastball towards the top of the strike zone.
WHOOOOSH
CLICK
The bat struck the ball from underneath, sending it high into the air. The arena seemed to hold its breath as they watched it float down towards the mound.
Ken held out his glove, not having to move an inch as it found its way back home. There was a few moments silence before the crowd erupted into a crazy fervor.
He was about to step back into position to face the next batter but before he knew it, Steve had arrived in front of him, grabbing him by the waist and lifting his body.
'Huh? Is the game over?'
*DING*