On the day of the first game of the World Series, Ken woke up as usual and went for his morning run with Daichi, Steve and Rohan. Michael had been joining them often, making the most out of his opportunity to mingle.
He had met all of Ken's family and friends and quickly became part of the group. This was more than he could have expected, especially from someone as famous as Ken.
"What time do you need to be at the arena?" Michael asked, looking more nervous than even Ken who had been named the starting pitcher already.
"The game starts at 8pm tonight, but coach's want us there before 2pm." Ken replied, going through his stretches.
"6 hours before the game? Isn't that too early?" he balked.
Ken shrugged, "Between the meetings and media interviews, as well as treatments… The time should go by quickly."
"Treatments? Are you injured?"
Daichi scoffed, "Ever since Ken got a massage from Lee, he gets one whenever there's a chance to."
Ken cleared his throat, not addressing the allegations, "You've got VIP tickets, so you only need to be there 20-30 minutes before the opening ceremony.
Thankfully, Michael didn't comment on the massage part and simply nodded in response. "Well, I'll leave you guys to it. Good luck tonight, we'll be cheering for you in the crowd."
"Why don't you join us for breakfast? It's still pretty early." Ken offered, seeing how his friend seemed to be a little restless.
However, Michael shook his head, "I promised to take Rachel out today. If she finds out I had breakfast without her I'll have to face her wrath." He replied, wearing a wry smile.
Ken chuckled, "fair enough, just stay out of trouble alright?"
"Yes sir!"
As Michael left, Ken continued his stretches, easing the tension in his muscles.
"You really like that kid huh?" Steve said, his tone slightly teasing.
"That kid has awesome potential. He'll be joining us in the Majors in a few years, no doubt about it." Ken replied matter-of-factly.
Steve raised an eyebrow, "How do you know? Have you been keeping an eye on him?"
Ken blinked a few times. He just realized that he had never seen Michael play a single game before, even when he played a televised game this season.
Suddenly, he felt guilty. "Ahem, I have a good eye for people, just you wait and see."
Steve turned to Rohan and Daichi, wearing a suspicious expression, "I guess I'll take your word for it." He said eventually, putting an end to the topic.
The group returned back home and decided to jump in the sauna, only to see two figures inside already.
"Dad, Tetsu? What are you guys doing in here so early?"
The two groaned in response, their bodies covered in sweat. They looked both exhausted and in pain for some reason.
"Wait… You guys aren't sick are you?" Ken asked, backing away from the entrance slowly.
"No… We're just sore. Turns out swinging a golf club is more painful than one would think." Chris replied, letting out a sigh.
"But you've been playing golf for a couple of weeks now, what changed?"
Chris and Tetsu looked at each other, as if deciding who would answer.
"Well, yer Dad reckoned he could out-drive me so we had a competition on the drivin' range." Tetsu said, wincing.
Ken looked between the two middle-aged men and couldn't help but laugh. The two looked like kids who had been caught being bad by their parents.
"It wouldn't have been this bad if you didn't keep asking for a rematch…" Chris added, sending Tetsu a glare.
"Well sorry fer bein' competitive. Yer too tall, its a huge advantage for drivin' distance." Tetsu claimed, sending a glare back to him.
Ken listened to the two bickering like children for a little while before shaking his head. Since they weren't sick, he decided to join them in the sauna for a while.
With the addition of the others, there were now 6 people snugly fit into the sauna. It was a little uncomfortable, but everyone knew each other well enough that it wasn't awkward.
*Toot*
In the constricted place, an inconspicuous noise went undetected among the chatting men. However, it didn't take long for it to rear its ugly head.
All 6 men froze, their eyes darting to one another, trying to find the culprit who had dropped their guts. The smell was sour, making it even harder to breathe than it already was.
"Alright… Who farted?" Ken asked, his tone serious.
"I wouldn't dare." Steve replied, wiping the sweat from his brow.
No one fessed up to passing wind and the smell quickly dissipated, the perfect crime. Just when the conversation was starting up again, the smell returned, this time even worse.
Ken's eyes snapped to Steve whose face had twitched. "You dare fart in my sauna again? Have you no shame?"
"Dude! It wasn't me." Steve pleaded, raising his hands.
Another pop went off beside Ken, this time sounding like a bunch of firecrackers being set off. He turned, only to see Tetsu staring directly at him.
"Whoops… That was me, but the first wasn't." He said.
BRRRRPHHHT
The whole wooden bench vibrated, as if the ground was shaking.
"Oh dear… Pardon me." Chris said, waving his hand in front of his face. "It must have been the natto side dish we had last night."
Ken blinked a few times, not knowing how to react. There were now 3 people out of the 6 who had passed wind in his sauna. He couldn't exactly kick anyone out, not if he didn't want to get in trouble later from his Mom or Ai.
His expression darkened, yet a smile crept onto the corner of his lips. Ken stood up from the wooden bench and walked over to the door, blocking it.
He stared at everyone present before grinning widely.
'Mika, use flatulence protocol…'
[Confirmed. Using flatulence protocol, please stand by.]
BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRTPFFFTBTBTBT