"Hey… Sorry about my girlfriend's awkward questions last night." Michael said apologetically. He had met Ken and the others in the lobby of the hotel bright an early the next morning for their run.
"Don't sweat it, she was probably just a little nervous since we're all professional athletes." Ken replied. The woman might have been a little insensitive, but he could tell that she meant no harm.
Plus, he could see that his little mentee quite liked her.
"Ugh… Why did you let me drink last night?" Steve looked tired and probably a little hungover from his many drinks the night before, yet he was still dressed in workout gear, ready to run.
"You should have just stopped at one, like Uncle Santiago." Daichi quipped, wearing a smug grin.
"Err, you don't have to call me uncle you know…" Santiago replied. Unlike Steve, his olive skin was seemingly glowing in the lights of the lobby.
"Alright sure thing… Uncle." Daichi added with a chuckle.
Ken then ensured the group was ready before beginning the run through the streets of Houston. He set the pace the entire way, just like he usually did, but this time he was a little more cognizant of Michael.
However, it seemed that the guy was more fit than he gave him credit, since he was keeping up with all of them without complaint.
'Let's kick it up a notch.' Ken thought, smiling to himself.
So he increased the pace, bringing his heart rate to the right mark to exercise effectively. His long limbs made it seem like he was galloping along the pavement, paving the way for the others behind him.
A quick look over his shoulder was enough to see Steve struggling to keep up, his face turning even paler. Michael looked to be straining to keep up, but he was not yet lost.
Ken smiled and continued the pace, only stopping after they'd run 6 miles.
The moment he stopped, he turned to see who was left. Santiago, Daichi, Michael and Rohan were there, albeit sweating profusely.
Steve appeared a few moments later, sucking in deep breaths. He collapsed to the ground and groaned. "I think I'm going to be sick…"
"We're resting for a few minutes." Ken announced, looking around the place.
A few minutes passed and Ken had yet to begin the run just yet.
"Are we going soon? I don't want my muscles to get cold." Santiago said, approaching Ken.
"Err, sure… We'll go that way." Ken said, pointing west.
Steve slowly got up from his spot on the pavement and joined in once more, this time way at the back. The group began their run again, but this time it was only for another 30 minutes before Ken stopped, wearing a frown.
BLERGHHHH
The sound of Steve emptying the contents of his stomach in a nearby bin entered everyone's ears. Those who were up early enough to witness the scene were filled with regret, while Ken and the others didn't want to be associated with the guy.
"Are you done?" Ken asked, giving him a glare.
Steve gave a thumbs up, his color returning slightly after the detox.
"Let's go back to the hotel, I need to brush my teeth…"
"Right… We should go… That way." Ken pointed to a seemingly random direction and began to run.
"Wait! Are you lost again!?" Steve yelled, his frown deepening.
"Lost? No way… The hotel is back that way." Ken doubled down, pointing to the street he was going to run down.
"Again? Does Ken get lost often?" Michael asked innocently.
"Often!? Every time we went to a new city, I'd have to map out our run, otherwise we'd get lost every single time." Steve grumbled, clearly dissatisfied.
Ken shrugged, "I told you, when you're fast enough to lead the group, you can navigate all you want," he said unapologetically.
"You say that, but you never want me to lead. You also make ME talk to people to ask for directions." It seemed that Steve felt like airing his grievances while he had the chance.
While the two were bickering, a couple of runners jogged by them while one of them stopped suddenly.
"Oh my god, isn't that Ken Takagi?" he exclaimed in shock.
"It is! Dude, can I get an autograph please?"
"Do you have a pen?" Ken asked politely. This wasn't the first time someone had asked for his autograph while he was out in public, but definitely the first time while he'd been on his morning run.
"Ah… no I don't." The guy said, disappointment creeping onto his features.
"I'm sorry, I don't have one either."
"Maybe you can sign it for me at the game tonight? I'll be sitting near the visitor dugout!" the guy said, his excitement evident.
"Yeah no problem, I'll look for you tonight." Ken agreed, "While I've got you, could you point out which way the Marriott hotel is?"
"Sure, it's right down there about 5 miles from here." The guy pointed in the almost opposite direction Ken was about to head in.
"Thanks man, I'll see you in the stands tonight." Ken said, saying his goodbyes.
"Well, you heard the guy its this way." Ken said shamelessly, starting to jog before anyone could make any snide remarks.
Michael was silent this whole time, not wanting to comment. This was the first time that he'd seen Ken as human. Usually he would see the guy on the mound, the competitive and dynamic player who could tear open any offense.
Yet now, he felt like a regular person. Someone who got lost when visiting another town and had his own flaws.
For some reason, he felt a lot closer to Ken than he ever had before. As he started running again, Michael had no regrets coming here.
Around 45 minutes later, the group arrived back at the hotel in one piece and went there separate ways. There was a team meeting and training in a few hours, so Ken showered and went to get some breakfast.
Game 3 of the Championship Series would begin at 7pm tonight.