Heartstrings & Homeruns | Kenji Sato

CHAPTER 25

Chapter Twenty-Five: Confrontations and Unsettling Revelations

The next morning, I woke up to the aroma of something cooking in the kitchen. The warmth of Kenji's body beside me and the soft sound of his even breathing were the first things I noticed. We had been up until 4 AM. My whole body was sore but I also never felt more satisfied in my life. I lay there for a moment, savoring the peace, before realizing...

I don't live with anyone.

I sat bolt upright, startling Kenji awake.

"What's wrong?" he asked groggily, propping himself up on one elbow.

"There's someone in the kitchen," I whispered, my heart pounding as I instantly stood up to get dressed.

Kenji was instantly alert, his protective instincts kicking in. He grabbed his clothes, putting them on before following me toward the source of the commotion.

To our surprise, the culprit wasn't a burglar—it was my younger brother, Akaashi, standing in front of the stove, headphones around his neck, and flipping pancakes like it was his own kitchen.

"Oh, hey, sis," Akaashi greeted casually, not even looking up. "Morning, Kenji."

"Uh...morning?" Kenji froze, his face a mixture of embarrassment and panic.

"Akaashi, what the hell are you doing here?" I stared at my brother, completely flustered.

"Oh, I crashed here last night. My school trip ended early, and I wanted to hang out with my friends in Tokyo before heading home. I texted you, remember?" He explained briefly.

I racked my brain but couldn't recall any texts. But judging by the way he was completely unbothered by Kenji's presence, Akaashi had clearly made himself at home.

"And you didn't think to, I don't know, announce yourself when you got here?" I crossed my arms, glaring at him.

He shrugged, smirking. "You were busy. I figured I'd just let myself in and crash on the couch. By the way, don't worry, I had my headphones on the whole time."

My face turned bright red as Kenji coughed awkwardly beside me.

"Uh, so...you're a fan of baseball?" Kenji asked, clearly trying to change the subject. He turned to face us, finally noticing Kenji's disheveled appearance. Akaashi's then immediately eyes lit up as he finally realized who Kenji was.

"Holy shit," he gasped. "Kenji is Ken Sato the baseball star and he's sleeping with my sister," he said as if he couldn't believe it himself. His eyes were about to pop off of their sockets and his jaw was almost on the floor.

"Well, I guess that's one way to put it?" Kenji scratched the back of his neck, looking anywhere but at me as he struggled to respond to my brother's remark.

"Why my sister though? You could obviously do so much better." Akaashi's grin widened as he turned to look at me

"Akaashi!" I snapped, slightly offended.

"What?" he said innocently, turning back to his pancakes. "What I meant to say is you've got good taste, sis. Can't say the same about Kenji though."