“Oh.” Ken felt a little bad, especially since he hadn’t known this information in his previous life. Just what kind of friend had he really been to Daichi?
Without pushing on the issue, he grabbed a few of his side dishes and quickly placed them on top of his friends rice before he could object.
“Don’t worry about me, this is too much food for someone of my size.” He said with a smile.
Of course he was lying. Now that Ken had upped his exercise, his body needed much more calories to sustain his growth. He would need to speak to his mother and ask for more food at lunch times.
Unaware of Ken’s thoughts, Daichi stared at the side dishes piled onto his rice and felt like crying. What did he do to deserve such a friend?
They had only known each other for a few days, yet Ken had already treated him with more kindness then he had experienced in his whole lifetime. His tears fell silently as he began to eat the delicious side dishes he had been given.
He silently made a vow to be the best friend he could be to Ken. He would treat him as if he was his brother, no matter what happened in the future.
“Um, Ken. Weren’t you talking about baseball the other day?” Daichi said after secretly wiping up his tears.
“Mmph” Ken looked up with his mouth full of food, staring at Daichi with disbelief.
He quickly swallowed his food, a look of excitement creeping onto his face.
“Yeah! I am… I mean was the Ace pitcher for Seiko. You should join the team and play baseball with us.” He said.
Daichi had a few questions, but considering Ken did not elaborate, he chose to leave it be. He looked a little uncomfortable as he said his next words.
“I-I don’t really know anything about baseball. I’d be too afraid to mess up.” He admitted.
“Hehehe.” Ken’s face had a weird smile pasted all over it, making him look a little deranged.
“Don’t you worry man. You can come and train with me for the next four weeks! By the time the spring tournament is in full swing, we’ll both be in great shape.”
Daichi felt a little doubtful, but Ken’s enthusiasm eventually won him over. He already felt that Ken had shown him a lot of sincerity with his actions, therefore he would feel guilty if he didn’t at least do this for him.
He nodded, “Okay, I’ll be in your care.”
“Great!” Ken couldn’t help but exclaim loudly, causing the other students who were also having their lunch in class to turn around and look at him.
However, Ken did not care. He was currently over the moon with how his friendship was progressing with Daichi. Hell, this time last week it felt as if they would never return to how things were in his previous life.
Not long after, the lunch bell rang and class resumed.
Ken spent the rest of the school day in a great mood, now that he had gotten his friend back. He couldn’t wait to begin training properly and join the baseball team as a first baseman.
The school bell rang, signifying the end of the school day. Thankfully, both Ken and Daichi were both not on cleanup duties today and could both head out straight away.
“Where do you live at the moment?” Ken asked as the two walked down the flight of stairs from their classroom.
Daichi responded, only for Ken’s eyes to widen. “What!? That’s only a few streets from my house.” He said in shock.
“Perfect! That will make our training a lot easier.” Ken continued, letting out an ominous chuckle.
Daichi felt his stomach tense up at the laugh, letting out a nervous laugh in response.
The two took the same train home and chat away like two old friends. Ken was continually surprised at some of the information he learned, letting him know how much of a crap friend he had actually been in his past life.
He vowed inwardly to make a better effort in this life, after all Daichi deserved it.
They arrived at Ken’s house first as it was closer to the train station.
“Okay, I’ll meet you on the corner at 5:10am tomorrow for our first training session.” Ken said, grabbing his friends hand tightly.
“T-T-Ten past 5!?” Daichi felt his body go weak at the statement. He usually only woke up at 7am before having some breakfast and heading off to school.
It was only now that he suddenly questioned if he had made the right decision to train with his new friend.
“Yup! Don’t be late on your first day.”
Without waiting for a response, Ken opened his gate and headed inside, leaving Daichi to question his decisions in the middle of the street.
The baby face Daichi remained in the same position for another 5 minutes, before making his way back home in regret.