"Young Master Kitahara, here."
Just as Takashi was about to breathe a sigh of relief, a woman dressed like a bodyguard handed him a card.
"What's this?"
Takashi didn't take it but looked at Narii in confusion.
"Aren't you heading to the batting center? Go to this one—it'll offer you something unexpected."
Narii leaned on her hand, smiling and waving at him.
Takashi watched the car drive away, curiosity rising about what made this batting center special. He decided to go check it out.
Pocketing the card, he headed for his parked bike while dialing Sawamura Sayuri.
She picked up almost instantly.
"Sweet boy, why did you hang up on your mommy just now?"
A mature, sultry voice came through the phone.
"You weren't secretly cheating on my little Eriri behind her back, were you?"
"Auntie, I—"
"Call me Mom! "
"That's… way too fast."
Takashi rubbed his temples in frustration.
Honestly, he'd rather face a harem war than deal with Sawamura Sayuri.
Even though she was incredibly attractive.
It was strange.
Eriri and her mom looked nearly identical—same build, same face—but Sayuri just had an allure Eriri didn't.
"Well, you'll have to call me that sooner or later… unless you're not planning to marry my Eriri."
For some reason, Takashi felt like Sayuri was hinting at something.
"I'm sure Watanabe-kun isn't that kind of person, right?"
A threat!
Takashi heard the threat buried in her sweet tone.
"Of course not, Mom. My biggest dream is to marry Eriri and become her husband."
Moments ago he was still claiming Narii was his one true love. Now he instantly changed his tune and called her "Mom" on the spot.
A teasing laugh came through the phone.
"Good boy. You just got out of school, right?"
"Yeah, just now."
"Want to grab dinner? It's been a while since mother and son spent time together."
"Probably not today. I need to practice baseball. My goal is to win Koshien."
Takashi deliberately lowered his voice, trying to sound more serious.
"Really?"
"As real as pearls. What kind of son lies to his mom?"
His tone was sincere—but in his heart, he silently added: "If you were actually my mom…"
"Well then, good luck with your training. I think the Koshien opening ceremony is next week, right? I heard Aoba will be playing—I'll be cheering for you."
Sawamura Sayuri encouraged him.
"You're coming…"
Takashi suddenly regretted his excuse.
Couldn't he have picked something else?
What if she showed up and didn't see him playing? How would he explain?
Let's not forget—he was dating Eriri under the name Watanabe Takashi.
Where was he supposed to conjure up an actual Watanabe Takashi?
"Of course I'm coming! What kind of mom wouldn't attend her son's game? Or… Watanabe, do you not want your mom to watch you play?"
Inside her car, Sawamura Sayuri lifted a pair of binoculars and peered through the window at Takashi, who stood at the school gate with a dead look in his eyes. She smiled.
Kid, if I don't give you some pressure, you'll think the women in the Sawamura family are easy to deal with, huh?
"No way!"
"It's just… My skills aren't that great. I might not make the starting lineup."
Takashi tried to patch the hole.
"That's okay. Even if I only get to see my sweet boy in a baseball uniform, it'll be worth it."
Sawamura Sayuri added with a smile, "Oh, and I'll be bringing your wife along to cheer for you."
Takashi: "..."
"Alright then, I won't bother you. Good luck with training!"
Staring blankly, Takashi looked up at the sky at a 45-degree angle.
"…I'm doomed."
What if his identity as Watanabe Takashi gets exposed?
Knowing Eriri's temper, if she found out he'd been lying the whole time—even giving her a fake name—Takashi didn't even dare imagine how mad she'd be.
What was even more terrifying was that once Eriri confronted him, all the things he had done behind her back—who knows how many times he jumped ship—would be exposed.
The whole school would know what kind of person he really was.
No, it might even be the whole country.
Koshien was a national event. Every single tournament attracted countless media outlets vying for coverage.
By then, there wouldn't be a place for him anywhere in the entire country.
No—if things really got to that point, he should first worry about how to survive.
After all, would Hitomi and Narii let him off the hook?
"Looks like I have no choice but to use that move."
Takashi had made up his mind—sacrifice the pawn to save the king!
Before Koshien arrived, he would break up with Eriri directly!
That meant this week.
Even though he was reluctant to let go of Eriri—after all, someone who could explode with gold coins and points was rare.
Of course, even a breakup had to come with a proper excuse.
Breaking up out of nowhere definitely wouldn't work.
Silent treatment?
That wouldn't work either—too slow, and Eriri was a stubborn one. She'd definitely cling to him.
He needed a way to make sure Eriri would never cling to him again.
Takashi tapped rhythmically on his motorbike like he was playing piano keys, brainstorming his plan.
'Ah, got it!'
It didn't take long for Takashi to come up with a devilish idea.
…
"Ma'am, he's gone."
Inside a luxury car, Sawamura Sayuri watched Takashi ride off on his beloved little motorbike. She gave the driver an order: "Follow him. Don't lose sight."
She had to see for herself whether this so-called 'precious son' of hers was really going to train… or to hook up with girls.
According to the intel, this guy was seriously unfaithful.
He had several backup girls at the same time. If he wasn't on a date, he was on his way to one.
At this point, her daughter's head must be greener than the Tokyo Skytree.
Sigh… She really had no idea how her daughter managed to pick men like this. She didn't inherit a bit of her taste or her skill in romance.
Every guy she chose was worse than the last.
"Yes, ma'am."
The luxury car immediately started up, following Takashi from a distance—close enough to track him, but not so close as to alert him.
After about half an hour of driving, Takashi stopped his bike and walked into a baseball club.
"Let's go."
Once it was confirmed that Takashi was indeed there to train, Sawamura Sayuri instructed the driver to leave.
Just after her black luxury car drove off, a girl appeared. She had tied her school jacket around her waist, was chewing bubble gum, and had the look of a delinquent.
"Why's the Sawamura family's car showing up here?"
The girl muttered, and with a loud pop! the gum exploded in her mouth.
"Whatever, not my business. And it's my break time anyway."
She curled her tongue, kept chewing her gum, and walked into the same baseball club.
Meanwhile, inside the club, Takashi finally encountered the "surprise" Narii had mentioned.
"Hello, nice to meet you. I'm Shohei Ohtani."
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This "Shohei Ohtani" is different than his friend "Otani Shota" in case you dont get it. Shohei Ohtani is a real baseball player.
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