The Old Baseball Player System

Shun woke up a little earlier than usual on Friday morning, but as always, he quickly left the house for his daily run. After finishing, he returned home and headed straight to the bathroom for a quick shower.

He didn't even notice how rushed he was, clearly, the boy was eager to get to the stadium and play. Shun then put on the Shoto baseball team uniform and double-checked that he hadn't forgotten anything before grabbing his bag and heading down to the kitchen.

"Good morning!" - As soon as Shun entered the kitchen, Aiko greeted him with a lovely smile from behind the counter.

"Good morning, Mom!" - Shun replied cheerfully as he walked to the empty table and sat down. Since he was heading to school earlier than usual today, he had asked his mom to make breakfast earlier, and because of that, they were the only ones awake in the Takahashi house.

"Here you go." - Aiko brought Shun's breakfast to the table before sitting down herself. She wasn't hungry yet, and her slightly sleepy eyes made it clear that waking up earlier than usual had taken a toll. Still, Aiko sat at the table with a smile, keeping her son company.

"Thanks!" - Shun quickly expressed his gratitude as he dove into the delicious meal his mother had prepared.

"Pft! Slow down, you little rascal!" - Aiko chuckled lightly before lovingly scolding her son. She knew Shun too well to not notice his excitement, but she didn't want him to get sick during the game because he hadn't chewed his food properly.

"Yes, ma'am!" - Shun immediately complied, raising his hand in a mock salute. He then slowed down, savoring the food while continuing to eat.

"Your dad and I are coming to watch your first game. Yumi wanted to skip school to come too, but we only managed to convince her to go after she found out she could watch the second game this afternoon. So, you'd better win, got it?" - Aiko said with a playful smile, but Shun could imagine how hard it must have been to convince his little sister to go to school today.

"Hehe, no problem!" - Shun replied confidently without pausing his eating, which made Aiko laugh softly. Mother and son continued chatting animatedly while Shun finished his breakfast.

"All done!" - Shun announced, standing up quickly. Aiko also stood up, picking up his plate to take it to the sink.

"Good luck!" - Aiko called out as she reached the sink. Considering how rushed Shun seemed, she assumed he would simply dash toward the door without saying goodbye. But as soon as she set the plate down and turned around, she was surprised by a tight hug from her son.

"Thanks, Mom. Love you!" - Shun said, hugging his mother without a hint of embarrassment. He then kissed her cheek and bolted for the door with his bag.

Shun understood very well how much effort it took for his mother to take care of him. Yet, she hadn't complained about waking up early to cook and keep him company during breakfast. Because of this, Shun was deeply grateful to her, and in that moment, he decided to show his appreciation, even if it was through something as simple as a hug.

Aiko stood still for a moment, a goofy smile on her face as she watched Shun disappear through the door. In that instant, just hearing her son's words and feeling his embrace made waking up early entirely worth it.

---

Shun walked briskly to the Shoto Junior High School baseball field, but when he checked his phone and saw it was only 6:30 a.m., he realized he was likely the first to arrive. However, when he reached the field, he was surprised by what he saw.

Not only was he not the first to arrive, but he didn't even make it into the top three, four players were already on the field. Two of them were first-years, Ryosuke and Sho, one was a second-year, Daigo, but what surprised Shun the most was seeing a third-year who had beaten him there, the young samurai, Ren.

"Good morning!" - Shun greeted cheerfully, catching the attention of all four boys present.

"Good morning, Senpai!" - Ryosuke, Sho, and Daigo stood up and greeted Shun enthusiastically. Shun nodded at them but kept his focus on the one person who hadn't greeted him.

Shun began walking toward Ren, who was sitting in a corner. But as he got closer, he noticed the boy was dozing off. Shun felt a twinge of irritation at the sight, if Ren was so tired, why had he come so early? He could have stayed home and gotten a bit more sleep in his bed.

"When did he get here?" - Shun turned to the other three boys and asked. Both Daigo and Sho turned to look at Ryosuke, prompting Shun to do the same.

"He was the first to arrive." - Ryosuke shrugged, his tone slightly frustrated. The boy had arrived extremely early to show his dedication, but Ren had beaten him to it. Not only that, but Ren had been sleeping since he arrived, making Ryosuke question whether Ren's "victory" was truly fair.

Hearing Ryosuke's words, Shun fell silent. From Ryosuke's tone, Shun understood the boy's effort to show his determination. But what truly irritated Shun was the realization that Ren had arrived even earlier than expected. On top of that, this foolish samurai was sleeping outdoors in just his uniform, risking catching a cold.

"Hey, everyone! Good morning!" - Before Shun could address Ren, he heard Kenta's cheerful voice. Shun glanced at Kenta, then back at Ren, now with a hint of pity in his eyes. The poor samurai was about to be disciplined by Shoto's captain.

Kenta greeted the younger players one by one, but as soon as he approached Shun to greet his friend, he noticed Ren sitting on the ground, sleeping like a princess. Kenta's expression shifted as he furrowed his brows in irritation. Like Shun, he also thought Ren could get sick sleeping outdoors at night, but Kenta was a bit more aggressive than Shun.

"Wake up, you idiot!" - Kenta shouted angrily as he gave Ren a kick.