Tetsu slapped the hand away almost immediately. "How many times I gotta tell ya to stop callin' me that. Call me Tetsu ya bastard." He said, wearing a big grin.
Out of nowhere he moved forward and hugged him tightly, squeezing the air out of Ken's lungs with his huge arms. Even with the weight training he'd been doing, it seemed he was no match for the man's strength.
"O—Okay." Ken wheezed. "It's good to see you again Tetsu."
Despite feeling a little awkward at first, Ken soon felt right at home. Seeing Naomi again reminded him of his own mother, and he was quickly made to feel welcomed in the house.
As tumultuous as his relationship had been with Tetsu during the past few years, one fact remained. The guy had walked into a hostile environment and rescued him when he was captured by Tetsuhiro's thugs.
Whatever differences they had at the time were annulled right then and there. The only reason why he felt so awkward afterwards is because he felt guilty about whisking Ai all the way to America without her parents.
He couldn't imagine what sort of worry a parent would have in that situation.
They were treated to a lovely Japanese meal by Naomi who despite being terrible at baking, was great in the kitchen. This had always confused Ken since they ran a bakery full time.
Both Ken and Ai were jet lagged from the long flight and the time differences. After dinner, Ai excused herself and went upstairs, beckoning for Ken to follow. However, Tetsu grabbed his arm and spoke for him, "He'll be up soon."
Ken raised his eyebrow, but waved at Ai to go without him. He needed to chat to Tetsu at some point anyway, though he would have wished he was in better shape to do so.
"Follow me." Tetsu said, standing up from the table and heading towards the lounge room. He had been here before on the day where Ai moved. Back then he had met Tetsu's gangster friend Tsukasa.
Once in the lounge, Tetsu gestured for Ken to have a seat. He then left the room briefly, returning with an expensive looking bottle of whiskey.
"I know yer not 20 yet. But 1 drink shouldn't hurt ya." He said with a grin, procuring two glasses and pouring some in each. The guy then left once more, returning with two large ice cubes.
Ken felt like it would be rude to refuse, even though he had yet to drink anything since regressing. But in his previous life, he could only afford beer, so whiskey was something that would be a rare treat.
Handing him the glass, Tetsu let out a grin. "It burns on the way down, just so ya know."
Ken smiled and took a sip, feeling the burn almost instantly. Despite this, the aftertaste was smooth and had a lovely wood flavor the sat upon his palate.
"Good whiskey." He commented, raising the glass in appreciation.
"Bah, what would you know about good whiskey?" Tetsu said letting out a laugh, but he didn't disagree.
"Ya been takin' good care of my girl?" He asked, swishing the liquor around in his glass.
"Of course. We see each other every week unless I'm traveling with the team." Ken responded with a nod. He would see her more if he wasn't worried that he would become a distraction to her studies.
"Mmm… I trust ya Ken. I heard the news about yer suspension. Those bunch'a bastards are way outta line." He spat, clearly upset about the situation.
Ken shrugged, "It is what it is, the university is doing what they can to appeal the verdict, but who knows what will happen."
Tetsu was silent, taking another sip of his whiskey. "Are ya doin' alright?"
Ken took his own glass and sipped once more, savoring the burn. He felt like a cigarette right now, feeling that it would pair well with the burn of the whiskey.
"About as well as I can." He eventually responded. For some reason, the Tetsu today felt dependable and easy to talk to. It was as if he really was a father, and not just some irrational kid like he had acted in the past.
Tetsu let out a hollow chuckle. "Yer all grown up now Ken." He said, his words filled with both pride and something more.
Ken raised an eyebrow, "I wasn't before?"
He shook his head. "When I look at ya now, I see a man. A man who will do whatever it takes for his loved ones, even if it means gettin' dragged over the coals."
Ken listened, swishing the last bit of whiskey in his glass. Tetsu's words made him feel warm inside. For some reason, the validation seemed to fill a hole, one that he didn't know existed until now.
He brought the cup up to his mouth and gulped down the last bit of whiskey, feeling like he'd just swallowed a tongue of fire. He embraced the burn and locked eyes with Tetsu who was sitting across from him.
"I have an ulterior motive for staying here." He said plainly, "it's about Ai."
Tetsu's face suddenly blanched with shock, his bottom lip quivering. "D—Don't tell me…"
Ken nodded and was about to speak up, however he was interrupted.
"AI'S PREGNANT!? I'm gonna be a Granddaddy?" he shot to his feet, tears already pooling in the corners of his eyes.
"W—Wait. That's not—"
The sound of footsteps rang out as Naomi burst into the room. "I'm gonna be a Grandmomma!? This is the best day of my life!" She squealed, running into the arms of Tetsu.
The two embraced, jumping up and down on the spot. The pure joy emitted from them would have been wholesome, were it not for the fact that they had completely misunderstood.
Ken massaged his temples and spoke up, "She's not pregnant! I wanted to get your blessing to marry her." He stated, trying not to show his annoyance.
"Eh?"
"EH!?"
Both Naomi and Tetsu looked at each other briefly before obvious disappointment flashed on their features.
"Oh… I see. That's wonderful."
Ken sighed, however he was assaulted by another bone crushing hug by Tetsu in the next moment.
"You've got my blessing kiddo."