"Mystic Star Cafe, cool name," Stiles said with a smile as all three of them stood in front of a cafe, somewhere in New York.
The building was made of light grey bricks, with large windows that let in plenty of natural light. The entrance was framed by two large wooden doors, with a black awning above them. The awning was decorated with a few potted plants, adding a touch of greenery to the cafe. The sidewalk was lined with small round tables and chairs, perfect for enjoying a cup of coffee or a light snack. The tables are made of light wood, and the chairs were dark blue, adding a pop of color to the cafe. The cafe also has a few outdoor umbrellas, providing shade for those who want to sit outside and enjoy the sunshine, while listening and watching the hustle of the city.
"You have an aesthetic eye, Rei." Star joked.
Rei shook his head as he ignored them and pushed the doors, caressing their ears as soft lo-fi music entered their hearing.
The three of them looked around the cafe, the walls were painted a soft, muted grey, with white trim and accents. The floors were warm, dark wood, and the furniture was a mix of modern and vintage pieces.
The tables were made of sleek, black metal, and the chairs are upholstered in a soft, cream-colored fabric. The lighting was soft and inviting, with a mix of overhead and wall-mounted fixtures. The bar was made of beautiful, dark marble, and the barstools are upholstered in a deep, rich velvet. The countertops were a mix of white marble and black granite and the shelves were stocked with a variety of teas, coffees, food, and other beverages.
The atmosphere was cozy and inviting.
The three of them enjoyed the look before they walked toward the counter.
"You guys order first," Rei said as he took his phone out and took a picture of the menu, and sent it to Yuxin.
Star and Stiles shook their heads before ordering.
Star got a chocolate boba and four vanilla ice cream mochis, while Stiles got a strawberry frappuccino and a slice of lemon cake.
After texting Yuxin, Rei looked at the menu before ordering.
He got an Oreo frappuccino and a slice of jiggly cake.
After they all paid they sat down at a table.
"When did you guys start playing baseball?" Stiles asked as they waited for their things.
"I started little league when I was five, but started when I was four," Star answered first.
"I started when I was four also but never played on a team before." Rei followed up.
"I started when I was five, but Rei how come you never played on a team?" Stiles asked.
Rei thought about it for a bit before answering, "My dad's the best MLB player in the league even back then, people look at you differently when they find out, even coaches, and when my mom passed all I ever did was comfort my sister, hit in cages, and pitch."
Star and Stiles stayed silent for a few seconds, "I'm sorry about your mom Rei, everyone was devasted when the news spread."
Rei was about to answer when suddenly a familiar melody began to play over the cafe's speakers. His heart clenched in sadness as he recognized the song as one from one of his deceased mother's albums.
His eyes widened in surprise as a soothing melody filled the air. Star and Stiles noticed the song and Rei's change in demeanor and looked at him with concern, but remained silent letting Rei immerse in the moment.
Rei felt a wave of emotion wash over him as he listened to his mom's song, the memories of his mother flooding his mind. He closed his eyes, letting the music take him back to a time when his mother was still alive. He could almost feel her presence in the room, and he was filled with bittersweet longing.
"We haven't listened to her music ever since she passed... my sister took it the hardest since she's the oldest, as did my father naturally but he still listens to her music, I think when he listens to it he can feel her presence, hugging him," he admitted as he his eyes remained closed, calmly listening to the song.
"Her music was revolutionary." Stars spoke seriously for the first time.
- Beep!
Suddenly a notification was heard from his phone breaking him away from reminiscing, he looked at his phone, and a smile appeared on his face, and all the sadness he felt washed away like it was never there.
"I'll be back," Rei said as he got up and headed to the counter.
A few minutes later Rei appeared with all the drinks and food.
He served the drinks, and food and sat down.
"Damn this is good," Star exclaimed as he drank his boba.
"Really good." Stiles agreed as he nodded.
Rei chuckled, as he agreed with them.
The three of them continued talking about different topics before a barista brought a large square box and a small square box.
Rei thanked the barista.
"What's that?" Stiles asked as he took a bite of his lemon cake.
"Yuxin has a sweet tooth apparently, so it's jiggly cake and four red velvet cupcakes." Rei chuckled, as a soft smile materialized on his face.
They continued talking and eating before they all finished.
"What do you guys want to do now?" Star asked as they sat at the table.
"Batting cages?" Rei suggested, which gained a quick yes from the two.
Rei took out his phone and searched nearby cages.
After searching he called someone, a few seconds later.
"Chase, can you pick us up at..."
...
...
...
"Damn man I knew you were rich but damn, a Rolls-Royce, and a driver." Star joked as they exited the car in front of an arcade where the cages were at.
"A castle..." Stiles said in a lackluster tone as they all stood before a large castle.
"Does it matter? they have cages, and were baseball players." Rei shrugged as he headed inside, as the other two followed.
The trio maneuvered through the arcade, taking in the sights of kids to elderly people having fun, laughing, and eating as they arrived, right before a very large and wide glass garage door that led to the outside where the cages were at.
Next to the large garage door was a large display counter filled with baseball memorabilia, Rei could even see some of his dad's stuff mixed in.
"Cages are always token operated, a token is just a dollar, and with a token, you get 12 pitches," he explained to the two as he knew neither of them had ever been to cage centers before, as he took out a twenty and ten dollar bill.
"Rei..."
"It's fine it's just thirty, if you wanna pay me back, don't make me wait in varsity by myself." he interrupted Stiles.
"Haha, you got it." Star laughed.
Rei shook his head before giving the thirty to the lady at the counter, "thirty tokens."
"Sure thing." The lady counted out thirty tokens and pushed them toward them, "Do you need any helmets, bats, or batting gloves? We can rent them out for a few dollars." She waved her hand towards a wall that had everything one would need to use the batting cages: helmets, batting gloves of multiple sizes, and all kinds of bats.
"Rei how come you didn't bring your wood bats?" Stiles asked as he and Star had their aluminum bats.
"I only have three bats, one for cages at my house, and the two I brought to tryouts, those were from my mom, and today was the first time I used them, and I didn't want to use them in cages," Rei replied as he took a few steps towards the bats, examining them.
As he was looking he saw one that piqued his interest, it was a black sams bat.
Grabbing the bat he felt it and examined it, the handle was comfortable to grip and the barrel was slightly flared, giving it a great balance. Sam's bats were known for their durability and strength.
"How much is it?" Stiles asked.
Rei flipped the tag on it.
[For sale only: $60]
"It's a little much, for a used bat." Star furrowed his brows.
"That bat goes for 160 since Sams's bats are reliable, and a lot of MLB teams use them." the lady at the counter defended, which she was correct.
"Little cub?" Suddenly a new voice entered the fray.
Rei's eyes slightly widened when he heard the voice, and he turned around to the owner of the voice, "Kaiden?"
"Haha I knew it was you, you're the only kid I know that talks like a robot," Kaiden replied with a slight laugh.
"What are you doing here?" Rei asked.
"I own this place Little Cub," Kaiden replied with a smile.
"That explains why some of my dad's memorabilia are here."
"Rei you know this man?" Stiles intervened as both he and Star were confused.
He turned to the two, "Yes, this is Kaiden Willis, he played in college, and the show with my dad and he always hangs at our house when my dad is here."
He then turned to Kaiden and pointed at the duo, "These two are friends of mine, this one is Kaminari Akumu and Starling Kaiyo."
"Nice to meet you, boys, I'm sure you guys can tell but Rei is a bit of an outcast so treat him well," Kaiden said with a smile.
Kaiden was a tall, slim man with a very distinctive look. He has long, fluffy, blonde hair that is covered by a black bucket hat, and his eyes were a bright, piercing blue.
He was kind of like a golden retriever.
"Of course!" both Stiles and Star replied with serious expressions which were quite rare, as they never met an MLB player before retired or not.
Kadien laughed as he looked at the lady at the counter, "Rent him the bat for 10."
"What if it breaks?" Rei interrupted.
"With your level of skill? If it breaks I'll personally pay for the bat."
"Deal."
"So ruthless..." Kaiden feigned a heartbroken look, before laughing.
"Have fun guys," Kaiden said as he walked away.
Rei gave the lady another ten before the trio walked past the garage door.