A few weeks after finding out that Ken had moved up to Triple-A, the morning started like any other.
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Daichi woke up and saw that Miho was still sleeping beside him. He leaned over and kissed her on the forehead before getting up and going through his morning routine.
He left the apartment, intending to go for a run. The morning air was crisp, and summer was in full effect, but Daichi felt no joy.
He ran with no destination in mind, just going through the motions, only returning an hour and a half later. He was so out of it that he did not even announce his return home and just walked in the door.
The sweet smell of pancakes filled his nostrils.
“Daichi, we have guests.” Miho called out from the kitchen.
Only now did Daichi raise his head and realize there were two people sitting at his dining table.
“Coach Takashi? Coach Hashira?” Daichi was confused. Miho’s grandfather and the head coach for his team the Hanshin Tigers were sitting at his dining table, and he had no idea why.
“Sorry for intruding out of the blue, Daichi.” Coach Hashira said with a smile.
“Oi, why aren’t you calling me Grandpa?” Coach Takashi frowned.
Daichi bowed slightly, “Apologies Grandpa, its taking some time to adjust.” He replied respectfully. “What are you guys doing here?”
“Can’t a Grandfather come and meet his favorite grandson and chat over pancakes?” Coach Takashi replied, sending him a wink, “Is what I would say if your coach wasn’t here.” He added.
“Come, take a seat.” Coach Hashira said.
“Actually, go shower first.” Miho said, poking her head around from the kitchen, “The pancakes will be ready soon.”
So Daichi did as he was told, all the while his mind was racing. Why would the coach and Miho’s grandfather be waiting in his house so early in the morning? It didn’t make sense.
Unfortunately, the longer he thought about it, the more confused he was. He rushed through a shower and got dressed, arriving at the table a few minutes later.
“Forgive me for being impatient, but can you tell me what’s going on?” Daichi asked, “You can probably understand my surprise seeing you both here. Is this about the men’s National Team?”
This was the only thing that he could think of. However, his grandfather only coached the U18 team, unless something had changed recently.
“Hehe, it’s not about the National Team my cute grandson… Why don’t you tell him already Kenji. Don’t keep the boy in suspense.”
Coach Hashira rolled his eyes and turned to Daichi, giving him a small smile. “You’ve been with us almost 3 years, Daichi. How do you feel?”
Daichi frowned slightly, feeling the question was weird. “I’m grateful that I can play the game I love for a living. I have nothing but good things to say about the Tigers.”
Coach Hashira laughed, “This isn’t a media interview, you don’t need to hold back.”
“I don’t have anything else to say. I enjoy playing for the Tigers.” Daichi replied. His eyes moved from the two coaches to his fiance who was bringing the pancakes over to the table.
“Tell them how you really feel Daichi…” She said, her eyes filled with concern.
“What are you talking about?” Daichi was taken aback. What was Miho talking about?
She set the pancakes down and sat beside him, placing her hand upon his arm. “It’s okay honey… They already know your true feelings, you just need to say them out loud.”
“What?”
Daichi’s gaze moved between the 3 people present and they all held a similar expression, wearing a knowing smile. At first it was stifling, but when he took the time to calm down, he realized that his heart was beating wildly in his chest.
He moved his hand and placed it over his heart. It was banging against his ribcage, as if it wanted to escape.
“No… I am fine. I am living out my dream with the woman of my dreams. How many people can say the same thing?” He said, trying to calm down his racing heart.
He already swore to put Miho and his family first. Such a small sacrifice was nothing compared to what Chris and Yuki had done for him.
“You stubborn bastard…” Coach Takashi said, but his lips turned up into a grin, “But I can’t say that I don’t respect your dedication to my granddaughter.”
“Daichi!” Miho yelled, tears welling up in the corner of her eyes. “I can’t stand to see you like this…”
Daichi turned. Seeing his woman in such a state caused him pain. He reached out, but she pulled away. “W—What are you talking about?” he asked, his tone raw.
“Ever since your brother got drafted, you’ve changed… You might think you’ve hidden your true feelings, but you underestimate just how much I love you… You fool.” Miho said, tears now streaming down her face.
Daichi’s eyes widened briefly. He looked into Miho’s eyes and suddenly understood that he had wronged her. He had selfishly made the decision to sacrifice his dreams without taking her opinion into consideration.
If he knew that Miho had did the same for him of her own accord, Daichi knew that he would have been livid. He suddenly felt like a hypocrite.
“I… I don’t know what to do.” Daichi said softly. He didn’t want Miho to feel like this, but he also didn’t want to be selfish, even if it meant giving up on his dreams.
“Tell them how you really feel.” Miho said, wiping away at her tears.
Daichi was silent for a moment, hesitating. He feared that if he spoke it out loud, he would never be able to take it back. If he took that step and things didn’t work out, he would be devastated.
The words were caught in his throat.
He looked up and saw the smiling expressions of the two men before it finally slipped out.
“I want to play with my brother… In the Major League.”