Kazuya carefully examined the ingredients by the game. He saw the information like [Ordinary Chicken Meat], [Not very fresh fruit]. There were no words like "Spoiled" or "Rotten." He relaxed a bit and ordered some dishes considering Yoko's taste. He knew Yoko might feel shy to order.
After ordering, they casually chose a corner to sit down. The stall owner brought a stove with charcoal underneath and a wire mesh on top. He also sneakily asked Kazuya if he wanted a cup of beer. Kazuya declined as he didn't want to make some trouble since Japan had strict alcohol consumption regulations for minors.
Yoko carefully wiped the bowls and chopsticks, and Toratoro wandered back and forth between them, seemed a bit uneasy because of strange environment. After finishing the first set of utensils, Yoko arranged them neatly, poured tea for Kazuya first, "Please, Onisan."
Kazuya thanked her, "Yoko, you need to eat well."
Yoko's cheeks dimpled and she nodded enthusiastically, "Yes, Onisan!"
Having this meal was a feast for Kazuya and Yoko. They walked back home along with Toratoro.
The spring breeze, carrying the moisture from the sea, felt refreshing and slightly salty. After taking a deep breath, Kazuya stretched lazily, feeling the accumulated stress, mental fatigue, and annoyance dissipate. Yoko followed by his side and also felt relaxed, temporarily putting behind all the troubles in life.
Toratoro was the happiest. It excitedly holding a bone it had just eaten, occasionally stopping to lick it. Its tongue covered in tiny spines had licked the bone clean, but it looked like it couldn't get enough. Licking for a while, it would raise its head to check. If it saw that the two had gone too far, it would quickly pick up the bone and catch up. It seemed afraid of being abandoned on the street.
When they returned to the apartment, Kazuya specially accompanied Yoko to her door. This time Yoko didn't feel embarrassed. It seemed she could now face Kazuya calmly in such situations, "It's okay, Onisan. My mom leaves for work at this time."
Kazuya chuckled awkwardly, "That's good then. I'll head back now. Yoko, See you." He ruffled Yoko's head and gave Toratoro a kick, signaling it to follow him home.
Yoko grabbed the hem of his clothes. She stayed silent for a moment and softly said, "Thank you, Onisan."
Kazuya waved his hands, "It's just a meal. There's no need for such a formal thank you."
"No, it's not about the meal... the grilled meat were indeed delicious, and I do thank Onisan for that, but what I want to thank you for is..." Yoko spoke a few sentences, seeming unsure of how to express herself, "Is Onisan pitying me?"
After all, they had no connection or motives, unlike her mother's so-called friends who looked at her with different intentions.
Kazuya bent down and looked into her eyes, "It's not pity, Yoko. We have a connection. This is fate. I just did what I wanted to do... Did it bother you?"
During the time when he was most vulnerable as a child, he had also wished for someone to give him a bit of warmth. Now, seeing Yoko who reminded him of his past, he wanted to do something, which was a kind of compensation for the regrets of his past.
Yoko pondered for a moment. But seeing the sincere look in Kazuya's eyes, she smiled again, "No, it's not a bother, Onisan. I'm really happy!"
Kazuya let out a sigh of relief, "That's good. I hope you can be happy, Yoko."
Looking up at Kazuya's blurry face in the darkness, Yoko vigorously nodded, "I'll remember it!"
"Bye." Kazuya ruffled her small head once again and walked towards his own room. Toratoro circled in place, looked around at the two people, and finally wagged its tail at Yoko before following Kazuya.
Yoko watched Kazuya kicking Toratoro and heading home through the crack in the door, then locked the door. The faint smell of smoke and alcohol lingered in the room, making her small face darken for a moment. However, after a short while, a smile appeared on her face again seeming she recalled something. She murmured softly, "Fate?"
…
The next day, Kazuya felt refreshed and invigorated. Yesterday's match had allowed him to vent some pent-up frustration. However, as he walked in the school, he noticed people pointing at him and whispering. His classmates seemed to discuss him in hushed tones. Kazuya paid no attention, focusing on his studies, and soon the school day came to an end. He bid farewell to Yuma and Shin (they still had club activities) and headed home alone. Just as he reached a secluded alley near the apartment, a loud voice came from behind: "Stop!"
He turned around and saw three people rushing towards him with a fierce aura. He reached for his waist instinctively and then realized that this was the real world. So he didn't carry a sword on the street.
The three people ran swiftly, carrying sword bags on their backs. They stopped about three or four meters away, asking in unison, "Are you Kazuya Matsuoka?"
Kazuya replied in confuse, "Yes, I'm Kazuya Matsuoka. What's up?"
They wearing middle school uniforms and looking very young exchanged glances. Then, they nodded simultaneously. One of them took a step forward, struck a pose, "I am Nobita Nobi!"
"I am Takeshi Goda!"
"I am Honekawa Suneo!"
As they introduced themselves, they gathered and displayed cool and strange poses: Nobita Nobi with a monkey scooping the moon, Takeshi Goda Ue with a howling mad dog, and Honekawa Suneo standing like a proud rooster. Varied in height, they formed a funny arrangement. Finally, they exclaimed together, "We are the Haruna Guards!"
Kazuya was left speechless. Where did these three comedians come from? He asked tentatively, "And then...?"
The three members of the Haruna Guards, having the names reminiscent of the characters from Doraemon and maintaining the dynamic poses reminiscent of the Ginyu Force from Dragon Ball, froze. After a moment, they looked at each other and whispered, "Where's Haruna Aneki(Sister, it can refer to a girl whom the speaker respects)?"
"Wait for me!" A distant voice shouted, and a girl carrying an incredibly long sword bag ran towards them, kicking up dust in her wake. She arrived, jumped in front of the three, stroke a pose that exuded an air of dominance, and loudly declared, "The Haruna Guards is here!"
Kazuya remained speechless, while the team before him erupted into internal strife.
"Why is Aneki so slow?"
"Yeah, this formation isn't imposing anymore!"
"That's right! Weprracticed for so long!"
The three middle school boys complained in hushed tones, and the girl among them felt wronged. She explained, "The wooden sword is too long. It got stuck at the tram door when I got off, almost dragged away by the tram. You three jerks just ran off without helping."
"What? Aneki told us to catch up quickly at that time!"
"Aneki is so clumsy. You can't come out if you go in vertically, you have to come out horizontally!"
"I tried both ways, but it's hard to come out! Fortunately, I'm smart and wise. I came out diagonally, or it would have been a disaster this time! By the way, how did you guys get the wooden sword into the tram?"
"We went straight in..."
They bickered quietly, and Kazuya sniffed... What was going on? The number of comedians became four?
He asked the girl, "And who are you?"
The girl called Aneki proudly declared, "I am Haruna Guards Leader Haruna Sakura!"