***
The next day, the two brothers went through their morning routine. During their run, they went past the hotel where they stayed for the U18 World Cup all those years ago.
It was like running down memory lane.
For Ken, this just showed him how far he had come since that moment 6 years ago. Back then he had been just a teenager, despite having regressed from a man in his 20’s.
Now he had achieved his dreams of making it to the Major league, and was even invited to play in the All-star game as a rookie. Such a thing would have sounded so far away back then, but he had made it, alongside his brother too.
Ken was married and was going to be a father soon, something he would have never thought possible. Even with his two lives combined, Ai was the only woman he’d ever thought of.
A sense of nostalgia overcame him during the run, causing him to slow down subconsciously. He had gone through some tough times leading up to this moment, but it all seemed worth it in the end.
‘Mika, are you there?’ he asked in his mind like he had many times before.
Every since that day when he learned about this reality, she had gone missing. No matter how much he called out to her, Mika would never reply.
Like he expected, this time was no different.
“Why did you slow down?” Daichi fell back beside him, giving him an odd look.
“Did I?”
Seeing the look in his brother’s face, Daichi frowned, “How about we stop here for a rest.”
Ken obliged, slowing down to a stop and regulating his breathing. Since it was summer and they were in California, he was already working up a sweat despite it being early morning.
“What’s up with you this morning? You seem a little odd.” Daichi replied.
Ken let out a sigh, not exactly knowing how to respond. He had spoken to Daichi hypothetically about his situation before, but there was a limit to what he could say without being branded a weirdo.
It wasn’t that he didn’t trust his brother, just that things were complicated.
Ken had recently been having doubts about the whole saving the universe spiel that Mika had told him. While he couldn’t prove it either way, for some reason things didn’t seem to be adding up.
Not that he was meant to understand the secrets behind the universe, nor reality.
“I’m just a bit nostalgic.” Ken replied lamely after a moment.
“Nostalgic huh? I guess its because we played here as kids.” Daichi said, seemingly accepting the explanation.
“You know,” Daichi said, looking up into the blue sky, “I don’t think I ever thanked you for what you did for me back then.”
At this, Ken raised his eyebrow in surprise. “What do you mean? I didn’t do anything.”
However, Daichi shook his head, “Don’t you remember? Back when I first met Miho I was a bumbling mess. I couldn’t even string a few words together.” He said with a laugh.
“But with your genius plan, I was able to gather the courage to speak her. If it wasn’t for you, I would probably still be single and lonely.” He added with a smile.
“Lonely? You always had me and our parents brother.” Ken retorted.
“You know what I mean. There’s something different about having a partner, someone who you share your life with. If it wasn’t for Miho, I wouldn’t have chased my dream and come to America. She just understands me fundamentally.” He admitted.
Ken didn’t reply right away, his mind moving.
“If you had to choose only one… What would you pick? Miho or baseball?”
Daichi’s gaze snapped to Ken and a frown appeared on his face, “What kind of question is that? Of course I’d pick Miho… As much as I love baseball, it’s just a game at the end of the day.”
Ken nodded, the tightness in his chest easing. He laughed, “You’re right, it’s just a game.”
Daichi looked a little confused, but it was clear that Ken wasn’t going to elaborate. “Is it the same for you then?”
“Yes.” Ken replied without a doubt. “The only thing I want is to make sure my family is taken care of when its all said and done.”
“But…” Ken added, “That doesn’t mean I don’t love baseball. I’ve worked my whole life to try and get to where I am today, so unless I’m forced to choose between the two, I’ll be playing baseball as long as I can.”
Daichi let out a laugh, “Yeah… For me, baseball was originally just a way to play alongside you back in middle school. But then I realized how much fun it was.”
The two were like old men chatting away on the sidewalk while the sun traveled further into the sky. They reminisced about old times, despite only being young 22 year olds.
Ken and Daichi stayed like this for a while before the foot traffic got worse. They decided to jog back to the hotel and get some breakfast at a nearby cafe.
Ai and Miho were back in Detroit. Ken didn’t want Ai flying since she was 24 weeks pregnant already so they were both alone.
Helping himself to some avocado and eggs, the two brothers continued their chat. It had been a long time since it was just the two of them and Ken realized that he had missed it.
Even when they were living together in Japan, Daichi had been staying on campus in Osaka most of the time. This was the first time in who knew how long that they were alone.
“So, are you excited for tonight?” Ken asked.
“I’m not even sure if I’ll get to play.” Daichi said with a laugh.
“Yeah well, they should at least let you be the designated hitter right?”
Daichi shrugged, “I got my trophy last night, I’m happy enough with that. Just as long as you pitch well, we can both go back home satisfied.”