"Zenkyo?" call Kevin.
"Yes?"
"Now what are you trying to plan, huh?"
Zenkyo frowned. She didn't understand what Kevin was talking about.
"It means?"
"Is stealing now your favorite hobby, um?" Kevin said, continuing to write down his sentence.
Zenkyo was silent. Her anger flared. She could accept if it was an accusation from someone else, but if the accusation was from a close friend of her own, this was really very painful. She took several deep breaths to control her emotions.
"Is stealing my heart not enough for you, Zenkyo?"
"Heehhh?" Zenkyo screeched, furious. She threw her pen and it landed on Kevin's forehead. "Not funny!" Zenkyo groaned.
"Aakh!! How cruel are you to a handsome man like me, Zenkyo?"
Zenkyo pursed her lips, ignoring Kevin's groans and ramblings.
"Ahahaha, smile, Zenkyo!"
Kevin pulled the corners of Zenkyo's lips, forming a smile.
"Well, this is good! You have to smile if you want to look beautiful, Zenkyo!"
Zenkyo slightly pulled the corner of her lips without being forced by Kevin. At least, there was still Kevin who would always believe in her, so she would feel a little at ease.
"Believe me! Justice will surely win," Kevin said, patting Zenkyo's head lightly.
"Thank you, Kevin-kun."
***
This afternoon, as usual, Zenkyo was a waitress at a restaurant. Taking orders, delivering food to customers and washing dishes is his job every afternoon until late at night.
Zenkyo did without complaining. Since her father did not work, she is now the breadwinner of the family.
The clock showed 7 pm, it was time for her to go home. Previously she had cleaned the entire restaurant.
There is a faint smile on Zenkyo's lips considering today is the end of the month. It's time to get paid.
Zenkyo knocked on the door of her boss room. She has managed for whatever money she spent. In addition to buying daily necessities, she also set aside to pay for school fees.
"Come in!" A deep voice from inside the room.
Zenkyo slowly entered and bowed.
"I've cleaned up all the restaurants, and I'm leaving to go home, Boss."
The man in front of Zenkyo nodded. He took the brown envelope that he had prepared on the table.
"Here's your salary for this month. I've deducted it to compensate for the things you broke."
Zenkyo received it, she checked the value of the money she just received. Just a few tens of yen bills. Zenkyo was surprised, this nominal did not match her hard work so far.
"Sorry boss. Wasn't our agreement first that you pay me 500 yen per hour. That means as long as I work 4 hours per day it will be 2000 yen. I work this month for 26 days. My salary should be 52,000 yen. Why do you only give me 30,000 yen, please? Boss?" Zenkyo protested.
"If you don't accept it, you can get out of here! After all, it's a good thing I hired a student like you!"
"Sorry, you can't do this to me! I can sue you!" threatened Zenkyo.
"Sue if you dare! But, just so you know, I'm going to sue your old dad for making a fuss at the restaurant last week!"
Zenkyo froze. She could no longer argue. She couldn't bear to see his father imprisoned. Zenkyo remembers the incident when her father destroyed Zenkyo's workplace.
Last week ...
Blam!!
Pyar!!
Klang!!
There was a commotion at Hakushu's Resto And Cafe. A man in his 40s had a tantrum. He destroyed some of the furniture in the restaurant.
Zenkyo and several other maids came out of the kitchen to see the commotion. How shocked Zenkyo was when she found out that the troublemaker was her own father, Mr. Nakagawa Ryota.
Mr. Ryota walked unsteadily towards his daughter, she was still under the influence of alcohol it seemed.
"Zenkyo-chan! Why did you leave without leaving any money, Honey? I need money to buy a drink," said Mr. Ryota.
Zenkyo was silent. She was confused about her father's current attitude. All eyes were on them.
Without waiting for his daughter's approval, Mr. Ryota forcibly pulled the backpack that was still perched on Kenkyo's back.
Mr. Ryota took out the entire contents of Zenkyo's bag. He found some yen tucked between the books. His smile grew.
"Ahahaha thank you, My Daughter."
Zenkyo held her father's arm.
"Don't pay that money, Papa! It's to pay this month's tuition," Zenkyo pleaded.
Mr. Ryota waved Zenkyo's hand just like that.
"Satan cares about your school! It's better for you to work now, you don't need to go to school anymore," said Mr. Ryota as he stepped out of the restaurant.
Zenkyo sat limply on the floor. She doesn't know her father anymore. Her father had completely changed. Her tears just flowed even though she tried to hold them back.
"Why have you changed now, Papa?" she muttered.
***
Zenkyo was at the front of her class. She repeatedly exhaled roughly, afraid that yesterday's events would repeat itself. What must she do to uncover the truth?
"Good morning, Zenkyo-chan?" A young man suddenly came and put her arm around Zenkyo's shoulder.
Zenkyo turned around.
"Kevin? What are you doing in my class?"
Hirano Kevin didn't answer. He smiled sweetly as he pulled Zenkyo into class together.
"Attention please!" Hirano Kevin exclaimed.
The whole class immediately focused on Kevin and Zenkyo.
"We've been hiding our relationship all this time, but just so you know, we've been in a relationship since a few weeks ago. So, whoever dares to interfere with Zenkyo, he will deal directly with me. You remember that!"
Kevin pointed at Kei, the young man who presumptuously spat at Zenkyo yesterday.
"And you, you bastard! I'm still waiting for your apology to Zenkyo."
Kei looked down shyly. He stood up and bowed right in front of Zenkyo.
"Zenkyo, I'm sorry! You can spit back at me or even hit me. The one who put Himeka's cellphone in your bag was me," said Kei, regretfully.
The whole class cheered for Kei's stupidity. They gave Kei hateful looks.
One by one Zenkyo's friends apologized to her. Zenkyo just nodded. Her mind is still focused on how Kevin can handle all of this?
She glanced at Kevin.
"I'm really cool, so you don't have to always show your admiration," Kevin said arrogantly.
Zenkyo immediately gave an affectionate kiss to her friend who presumptuously made an announcement like this without asking Zenkyo's approval first.
Before leaving class, Kevin patted Kei's shoulder. The right corner of his lips lifted, forming an indescribable smile.
"You did a great job, My Friend."
***
Within a day everything had changed. No noise. There was no sound of objects falling and no more screaming in this simple house.
As far as Zenkyo remembers nothing has changed when she opened her eyes this morning. Everything seemed to return to the previous few months. Her very happy life with her father.
This morning, something was strange with Mr. Ryota. Unlike usual, he looks neat and handsome today. He was busy fixing his hairdo in front of the mirror. Admire his handsome face that still looks charming even though he is over 40 years old.
"Papa? Where are you going?" said Zenkyo who had just entered Mr. Ryotaa's room.
Mr. Ryota smoothed his bow tie. He posed like a model in front of his daughter.
"How? Does Papa look 10 years younger, heum?"
"Ahahaha," Zenkyo couldn't hold back her laughter, "Papa looks more like a cafe waitress that way."
Master Ryotaa frowned. He looked back at his reflection in the mirror.
"Does it really look like a maid?" he muttered.
Zenkyo noticed his father's changed expression, she felt guilty.
She approached the man on whom she depended. She took off her father's coat, removed his bow tie and folded the white shirt up to his elbows.
"This is better, Papa." Zenkyo continued.
"Yosh! Papa stay first, huh!" said Mr. Ryota. Just a few steps, he walked back towards Zenkyo. He kissed his daughter's forehead lovingly.
"Forgive me, Sweety? Papa promised to change after this. During these few months papa felt that I was not the real Papa. I hope you will still forgive me."
Zenkyo's lips trembled. Is this reality? It felt like Zenkyo had rediscovered her father figure.
"No matter how many times Papa hurts Zenkyo, there will always be forgiveness for Papa because Papa is the only one Zenkyo has in this world."
Zenkyo hugged her father's stomach. "I'm sorry too, if Zenkyo can't be a reliable kid. Keep being the Papa like this!"
Mr. Ryota gently stroked his daughter's head. He looked at the photo of a beautiful woman hanging on the wall of the room.
"Thank you, Zenkyo."
Zenkyo hates all apologies. What's the point of saying sorry if in the end she was left alone like this? She prefers her father to be rude. At least she could still see her father every day.
Zenkyo hugged her father's photo frame. No matter how much she tried not to cry, the tears kept betraying her. She missed caress. The caress of her mother and father.
"Mama, Papa ... why are you guys being so mean to me?"