March 2021107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1zjROzmYD9
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWzxF8Ib4L5
If the proposal was a dream, the wedding planning was a full-contact sport.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ9yUcXRDDh
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJcSpZVJFD5
"Kevin, we cannot have a ramen bar at the wedding reception," Shino said, rubbing her temples as she stared at a spreadsheet that was starting to look like a complex military maneuver. "My mother wants French cuisine. She’s already invited three aunts I haven't seen since the third grade."107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzuLk6y1nAb
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYJ1torFWzg
Kevin was sitting on the floor, surrounded by fabric swatches for his tuxedo. "But it’s our thing, Shin-chan! It’s the brand! Besides, do you know how much people actually like tiny hors d'oeuvres? They’re still hungry after the party. A late-night ramen station is a service to humanity."107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUDqCrlfxRA
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ35Q1j5q53o
"It's a service to your stomach," Shino countered, but she couldn't hide her smile.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡozk6p4xF2b
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr6wmN4epR3
For three months, their apartment became a war room. The "leaky ceiling" apartment was now the "venue-hunting, guest-list-fighting, budget-crunching" headquarters. Shino wanted a quiet ceremony near a library or a shrine; Kevin wanted something where his teammates could celebrate without feeling like they were in a museum.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ50f6rrtDfr
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡit4RpSPzYC
But the real curveball didn't come from the guest list.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbgjZt6MQoY
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpBmo7zXrzy
One evening, Kevin came home later than usual. He didn't drop his bag with his usual enthusiastic thud. He sat at the table, his face pale, staring at a thick envelope from the Industrial League’s medical board.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0onu5VoGRO
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrf1LN2Sxj3
"The shoulder?" Shino asked, her voice dropping an octave.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrzyZNPjg09
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyKSJ6Wq428
Kevin didn't speak. He just handed her the letter.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnJcTVJQerh
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡREn6CgHAj9
The "Grade 2" tear from years ago had never truly left him. It had become chronic. The medical board was recommending an immediate transition to a full-time coaching or administrative role. His days as a starting pitcher—the very thing that had defined his career and helped fund their future—were over.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuNpAaJHAEJ
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSDnfTB3yl5
"They’re offering me the Assistant Manager position for the regional scout team," Kevin said, his voice hollow. "It’s a good job. Better pay, actually. But Shino... I won’t be on the mound anymore. Not even for the corporate games."107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSH6Lr4hitx
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxaYsLuJYFT
The wedding was only four months away. The "Pitcher and the Editor" was their identity. Shino felt a familiar pang of fear—not for their relationship, but for the light in Kevin's eyes.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGI4XFZVnQl
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ98xET5OZfw
She walked over to him, pulled his head against her chest, and held him.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3nVbX6zdgQ
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb0Tc4ybhtw
"The story isn't changing, Kevin," she whispered. "Just the setting. You’re not a pitcher because of the ball in your hand. You’re a pitcher because of the heart you put into every game. If you're managing now, then you'll just be the one leading the whole team to the win."107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqxdECrAsL9
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcfi3vO3Bb3
Kevin looked up, his eyes glassy. "I was worried you'd think I was failing. That the wedding... that we should scale back."107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡApdll4XHtn
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0p3WQk2Otu
Shino reached for her spreadsheet and, with a flourish of her red editing pen, crossed out "French Cuisine."107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4qRTLYSk9L
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnzHiugnt4H
"We're not scaling back," she said firmly. "But we are doing it our way. We’re having the ramen bar. And we’re having the ceremony at the old park near Sakuragi High, where you first taught me how to throw a ball."107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuKG1rpOM7O
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWTKSKQi7YJ
Kevin let out a shaky breath, a small, genuine smile finally breaking through. "The park? With the old oak tree?"107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ55qT3ccDUr
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrGDwMnq6W2
"The one I used to be too scared to jump down from," Shino said. "Because I know you'll still be there to catch me."107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdOBUGQDGvs
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWJjWrjDct5
The curveball had been thrown, but Shino didn't miss. She hit it right out of the park. They realized that a wedding wasn't about the perfect party—it was about promising to stay in the game, even when the coach pulls you from the mound.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF78A5vU6wg
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLZdDHeC4hy
1234 copyright protection103ＰＥＮＡＮＡeW5u5i1Ko6 尼107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsMuqyJQU3s