Ken nodded. He needed to have a proper discussion with Tetsu about his daughter. While he could have likely called him and asked over the phone, such a matter was best discussed in person.
After around an hour roaming, the two returned back to the hotel where things quickly devolved into something primal. Both Ken and Ai quickly lost themselves to their natural urges and became unionized over and over again.
Ken returned back to the dorms on Monday morning after bidding farewell to Ai. Their departure was rather bittersweet, but it was made better upon scheduling their next visit.
They had decided to rent a hotel room every month or so, provided Ken was not traveling for baseball. This all but disintegrated any of his frustrations he had due to pent up 'stress'.
"Good morning~" Ken called, strutting into his room at around 7am. There was a spring in his step, as if nothing could effect him.
He turned to see the room in shambles, dirty clothes, mess and general untidiness that happened in his absence. A bit further in was Steve and Tara staring at him weirdly.
"A—Ah, sorry about the mess." Steve said, remembering that Ken was a bit of a neat freak. His gaze moved to Ken's bed which was currently housing Steve's dirty laundry and his eye twitched.
'OH CRAP!' Realization struck Steve who suddenly paled. This was a surefire way to piss Ken off.
Unexpectedly, Ken just trudged by and placed his bag atop his bed before casually picking up the laundry and tossing it over to Steve's side without a word.
"Just try clean it up before class." He stated nonchalantly before heading back towards the door. "I'm going to grab some breakfast before class, you guys wanna come?"
Both Tara and Steve stared at Ken, as if he was a completely different person.
"Um, no thank you."
Ken shrugged, "Suit yourself." He said before whistling a tune on his way out.
Steve turned to his girlfriend and asked, "Who was that and what did he do with Ken?"
Tara giggled, "He finally got to relieve his stress. But I suggest you clean up your room before he returns. The effects won't last too long."
"Really? What would happen if I left it?" Steve queried, but he didn't even need an answer. He felt a phantom in his stomach, as if he'd just been punched in the gut.
"Never mind… I'll go clean it."
A bit later in the cafeteria, Ken helped himself to a hearty breakfast of bacon and eggs. His mind wandered as he stuffed his face, remembering flashbacks of the previous two nights.
He could still smell Ai's perfume on his shirt, causing his face to redden slightly.
However, he felt slightly guilty when he thought about how he'd been acting the last week or so. When Mika had suggested that he'd been sexually frustrated, he jumped down her throat, metaphorically of course.
Thinking along these lines, he realized that he hadn't apologized to her. Scratch that, ever since she'd accepted the mission rewards on his behalf, Ken had been quite mean, merely using her as a tool whenever he needed something.
Now that his mind was cleared up, the first thing he wanted to do was apologize.
'Hey Mika, are you there?'
[Affirmative.]
The monotonous voice responded.
'I just wanted to apologize for how I've been treating you lately. You were right about me being frustrated, and you were right about the rewards. I'm sorry.' He said sincerely.
Mika didn't respond straight away and only silence hung in the air between them. However, just as Ken was about to reiterate his words, she spoke.
[I am also sorry for betraying your trust Ken.]
Ken's eyes widened in surprise. A big part of him believed that Mika was just like a machine, lacking any emotions. But not only did her response show remorse, it actually felt sincere despite the monotone nature of her voice.
'What say we bury this feud?' Ken replied, feeling happy.
[Sounds good.]
With the air cleared, Ken felt a lot lighter. He didn't realize the weight of the grudge that he'd been holding onto for quite some time, but now with it gone, it was as if he could finally breathe again.
[I suggest you look at the sports news.]
Mika's words interrupted his thoughts, causing him to raise an eyebrow. He didn't inquire, but pulled out his phone and opened up the sports news.
Ken didn't have to scroll far to see the article.
"Blue Marlins pitcher records a shutout in his debut match."
Ken clicked the link and was brought to a 3rd party website. The first thing he saw was Ryan Smith, dressed in the white and black uniform of the Miami Blue Marlin's, standing on the mound.
His eyes widened before he quickly scoured through the article.
Without realizing, his heart began to beat louder and a fire rose from the pit of his stomach. He had heard that Ryan signed with the Blue Marlin's and would play his first game soon, but to do so in such a fashion was amazing.
Ken clenched his fist, a burning determination assaulting him.
'He's already in the league…'
Ken couldn't help but feel like he'd fallen behind, despite going different paths. For a brief moment he questioned his decision to go to college, but he quickly dismissed the doubt.
Even though the path might be longer, the benefits far outweighed the unknowns of entering the draft too early. Not only would he have to play through the minor league, he might have been screwed over with a long contract for a failing team.
Ken shook his head and closed his phone, his eyes moving to his right hand. He stared at his palm for a few moments before clenching his fist.
'Thank you Mika… I think I needed that motivation.' He said sincerely.
[You're welcome.]
'Don't get too comfortable Ryan… When I enter the league, I'll overshadow you once again.'