Afo walks towards IJ and Ome who were sitting on the bench outside waiting, he already had a change of clothes wearing casual clothes which indeed looked good on him, he waved at them as he approached them with his other hand holding his smartphone to his ear.
"hello Mrs. Hana"
"you are really brave to call a married woman this hour in the day" Mrs Hana replied in a flat tone.
he meets up with Ome and IJ in no time, they walked by the road side.
"I'm sorry ma I thought you'll probably be at work." Afo replied.
"no I had an urgent call so I had to rush home and leave the place to Gerald and the others" she said in a little bit of eased up tone.
"so is it ok if I talk to you now or--" Afo asked.
"today was your final game right, sorry couldn't be there but Gerald said he had someone record it so I'll watch it later" Mrs Hana said still in a flat tone.
"ma you sound like you are in a bad mood, should I call later??" Afo decided to ask since she sounded somewhat upset.
"no I mean yes I'm in a bad mood but you calling now I assume you have good news and I can really use some good news right now" she answered.
"ok so after the game the manager and the captain of d'tigers came offering to recruit me as their player once I'm done with highshool".
"d'tigers isn't that--??"
"yes"
"that is indeed good news, congrats boy I'll call in the others for a celebration next week cause I'm really tied up this week"
"ok ma, aaaaaand I finally told Reva how I felt" she exasperates.
"Afo I told you to not do that, she isn't just the kind of person for you." She waited for a response but Afo gave none.
"Afo are you listening??"
"yes Mrs. Hana"
"anyways what was her response" he thinks for a while which Mrs. Hana definitely took for some kind of dramatic suspense or rejection.
"she said yes" she felt relaxed and the same time dissatisfied as she is against his feelings for Oreva.
"we'll just keep your relationship to yourself and let me just take it the only good news I heard was the first one you told me."
"yes, yes"
"ok stay safe kid, don't do anything stupid ok"
"yes ma!!" he ends the call as he turns to IJ.
"sorry I was on the phone the whole time and I also didn't even ask what way you were going"
"its fine"
"when are we getting the ice cream"
"it's just up ahead, after that we take the bus and home we go that's what you want right." She answers his question with a yes, after a little while of walking they arrived and entered into a minimart and went to the vendor where ice cream is.
"so which one do you want tiny"
"I can't choose haven't really--" Afo tried to hear the rest but the tone in which she said the last part of her sentence was even lower than her normal level of speaking but understood what she was going to say.
"ok chocolate is the most popular and I'm having chocolate so we're going with chocolate, what about you Mrs. IJ"
"h-huh me" IJ stuttered.
"um first of all can you drop the miss." IJ saud to Afo since Afo didn't seem like he would drop it on his own.
"ok what should I call you then"Afo asked to get her name which surprised her because they both introduced one another not too long ago but Afo immediately dismissed her name since he didn't want to think about anyone else or see anyone else as more beautiful than his current 'Oreva'. You can air quote that.
"Just IJ would be fine" she gave him her name once more ignoring that he might have quickly dismissed her name.
"Oook IJ" he pronounces her name in a slow manner as if retarded.
"What do you want" he asked her pointing to the ice cream and other various snacks arranged on the shelves.
"I'm fine"
"It's a thank you for what you did for me"Afo told her trying to make her understand it was alright to be comfortable around him.
"I should be the one thanking you for earlier" IJ replied as she was confused on who owed the most favour.
"Ok then thank me by accepting this" he said so as not to increase the upcoming back and forth rattling.
"Well thank but can I thank you in my own way" Ome kept looking at them both as the chatted like they've known each other for a long time.
"Oh what is it, ashamed that a highschool kid is going to buy you a college girl ice cream, your Friends aren't even here to judge" Afo teased her winking at her.
"What younger yes but I go to the same school with you" she pauses after she completed the sentence just realizing how awkward it was for a girl her age to be in highschool second year.
"Sorry I didn't realize we went to the same school I'm kind of a ghost in school so..." Afo replied since he didn't really notice her.
"You don't find it weird that someone my age is still in second year" IJ asked Afo with eyes that expected an honest answer.
"There's a reason right? So doesn't really matter" Afo replied while shrugging his shoulders.
The embarrassment she felt disappeared immediately after she looked into his eyes, he had all sincerity and no trace of malice or lies in his statement, she felt like she was falling in love with someone despite knowing he already just got a girlfriend recently.
"I'll take vanilla" she finally decided.
"That's my mom's favorite" Afo said with a smirk on his face
"Really, what's she like" she asked curiously.
"You really want to know" he grabs the ice cream and multiple snicker chocolate into the trolley after pointing them at Ome to confirm if she liked it and she nods yes.
"Well if you want to know, she's a nice person if not for the fact that she's a drunk, addicted to drugs and for some reason is immune to break up and can date over 50 guys a year I'm not exaggerating" IJ looks at him in surprise, seeing that same expression that said it was alright.
"I shouldn't have asked sorry" she replied with a dejected look.
"Nothing to be sorry about I only tell that to people that I trust and despite just knowing you I feel I can trust you" she gets a little flustered which she could not hide they walk slowly as they join in on the line.
"Really" she asked.
"Yeah can't I trust you" Afo asked and turned his gaze to her eyes.
"S-Sure" she replied in a sudden tone.
"How's your mom then" Afo asked and continued slowly pushing his trolley.
"She's um um, um" IJ couldn't give an answer.
"Don't worry, you don't have to answer ok" he said as he pat her head like his child.
The cashier packages their items, Afo picks up his wallet and pays as they exit the mart.
"Okay time to head home where are you headed" he turned and asked her.
"Don't worry about that"
"What ashamed to tell a younger boy your house" Afo once again decides to tease her
"T-T-Thats not it at all" Afo listened to her reply and decided to make another offer.
"I know, but can I pay"
"You already got me ice cream so it's fine" she interrupted him halfway through.
"This is for the restroom incident not for the arcade" Afo said holding up two fingers as he counted the event's.
"Well" she pauses for a while.
"Think of another way to pay me bye!!" She rushes of with the bag on her hand making sure not to look backwards.
" Big brother is a dummy and a pervert" she looks at her in surprise.
"What did I do" a bus stops in front of them and they entered.
"Humph" Ome ignored and took a seat.
" Huh and I didn't even ask her contact" Afo thought to himself.
IJ gets to her house, she gently opened the door trying to sneak to her room.
"Where the hell are you coming from" a stern male voice asked immediately she stepped into the house.
"Um I'm coming from our school basketball game" she turned to gently look at the figure coming to her.
"Really then why were you sneaking in" the voiyasked again.
"I didn't want to wake you up--"
"Lies" she shuts up in shock as he shouts at her.
"Where did you get that from" pointing to the bag she was holding behind her but she just looks down in silence.
"Answer me god damn it" he yells at her angrily one more.
"Um a friend got it for me" she breaks down in tears immediately as she trembled in his presence.
"So you have a guy who fucks you out there for something this cheap" he asked mockingly as he grabbed her by the hair.
"No that's not it"
"Shut the hell up and when you speak to me look at my face or shut up" he grabs the bag to look at what was inside while Ome shrieked letting the bag go.
"I'll be taking this, by the way I need 5000" he stretched out his hand in demand.
"I'm guessing you got a tip at your workplace or the guy that fucked you gave you--" still looking at the girl in front of him.
"I told you that wasn't it he is--" he slaps her sending to the floor immediately.
"First don't raise your voice at me and next when you speak to me look at my face, now give me some cash I'm going out." With her face to the ground trying to hide her tears, she dips her hand into her pocket and brings out some cash stretching out her hand to him.
"Pft 2000, well this might do" he brings out a snicker chocolate bar and tosses it to her.
"You can have this I'll be back in the morning" he opens the door and exits, she turns around and laid on her back grabs the candy bar, she continued staring at the ceiling trying to hold in her tears but turns out unsuccessfully as she breaks down in tears.