After once again having to pick up Steve's naked body off the floor of a shower, Ken chided himself for once again forgetting such an important detail. This would now be the 3rd time that Steve had collapsed in the shower because of imparting a skill to him.
Not to mention he had also done the same to Shiro some years before.
"What happened?" Steve asked, finding himself naked on the bathroom floor with a towel draped over him.
"You passed out in the shower…"
"Again? Why does this keep happening to me… Maybe I need to see a doctor or something." Steve replied, rubbing his head.
Ken didn't know what to say, nor could he advise his friend from going to see a doctor. Going might result in some wasted time and money, but it wouldn't be harmful to get a checkup.
"You can talk with the medics when we get back next week." He said eventually, patting the guy on the shoulder. "Mom will be cooking breakfast soon, maybe that will make you feel better." He said, consoling the guy.
"Y—Yeah, you're right." He replied, clutching the towel to preserve the little dignity he had left and got up from the floor. "Shower is all yours…"
Ken watched the guy leave and let out a small sigh of relief. He closed the door and locked it before jumping into the shower himself. Despite the embarrassment Steve had felt, it was likely that he would have thanked even if he had he known the truth.
The fact that the system would allow Ken to impart a legendary skill to Steve was something that he could have never predicted. It mentioned that it would help pitching and batting, but there was no way that it wouldn't have an effect on catching as well.
Now that Clinton had graduated, Steve would be the starting catcher in their sophomore year. Having this legendary skill would improve his playing greatly, perhaps increasing his draft stock greatly.
Ken felt some excitement and looked forward to seeing the differences in his friend. While it wouldn't make much of a difference while he was pitching since he also possessed the skill, when it came to catching with the other pitchers, the changes should be evident.
For the next few days, they settled down at Ken's home. Steve was called back to his own house after his parents guilt tripped him, otherwise he would have stayed the remainder of his summer break.
Soon enough it was time to say his goodbyes to his parents.
His mother had warmed up to him once more, no longer ignoring his existence. She hugged him deeply and held on like she didn't want him to go.
"I miss you Kenny… Please look after yourself." She said, kissing him on the cheek.
Ken didn't shy away or feel embarrassed and let her show her love. After stepping back she hugged Ai as well, speaking in whispers so that he couldn't hear.
He turned to his father and the two embraced.
"I know you're busy, but make sure you call your mother once in a while okay?" He asked, patting him on the back.
"Mmm, I promise Dad."
With that, the two left for the airport, leaving both Chris and Yuki watching their taxi drive off. Chris saw his wife's sad expression and wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close.
"They'll come visit again soon." He said, consoling her.
Yuki didn't respond right away, wiping the tears away from the corner of her eyes. "He's growing up so fast… They both are." She mumbled.
"Mmm. Pretty soon they won't need us anymore." Chris said, both pride and bitterness within his tone. He felt Yuki flinch in his arms and instantly knew he messed up.
"What do you mean they won't need us!?" She wailed, tears flowing down her cheeks like she had a broken water pipe.
"T—That's not what I meant!" Chris shouted in a panic, trying to calm down his hysterical wife. But no matter what he did, she continued to cry.
His face faltered for a moment before he thought of something. "Once they have babies, they'll need us even more!" He exclaimed.
The moment he said this, the crying stopped instantly.
"Really? You think so?"
"Of course honey… What kind of life would a child lead without their grandparents?"
'Ah damn it…' Chris cursed inwardly, annoyed at his big mouth.
Yuki's face shifted to one of sadness in the next moment, her head lowering. "You're right…"
"Honey… You know that's not what I meant. The circumstances are completely different." He tried to console her.
"Mmm, it's fine." She replied, wearing a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "We're not even in the same country, so it's not like I could mend that bridge even if I wanted to."
Chris frowned, but he pulled her close and hugged her tightly. "It's not your fault. She's the one who cut us off, remember?"
The two stood like this for a while in silence. It was a sad moment that reopened some old wounds, but they would get through it, like they always did.
Chris had felt his wife grow a little distant lately, oftentimes seeing her staring out the window, gazing at the street unmoving. At first he had thought nothing of it, but it was clear that there was something going on.
"Do you miss Japan?" He asked, seemingly out of nowhere.
Yuki pulled back, her puffy eyes looking at his face with suspicion. "Why are you asking this all of a sudden?"
"It's just a question." Chris responded simply.
"Of course I miss Japan… This is nice here, but it doesn't feel like home." She admitted, though it seemed painful to do so.
Chris nodded. While he was living out his dream job of being a coach, his wife was suffering at home. As a man, this went against his bottom line.
"When Ken get's married, I'll retire and we can move back to Japan."