We see someone in their teen years at the height of 5 '6. This person was carrying a bouquet of flowers as he walked towards a graveyard head. He crouched down to put the baguette of flowers down beside the graveyard head. The person then suddenly started speaking.
???: "Mom, Dad. It's been 8 years since you 2 died." They said it with a solemn voice
The person continued to speak, saying
???: The cops have evidence that it's the mafia group called "Nogitsune". The cops can't do anything about it, even with the evidence they have gotten. The influence of the Nogitsune is too powerful. as They said as he started to tear up, saying the words with a tone threatening to break
He looked at the graveyard head, and it had carvings saying, "Here lie Mrs. Hikaru and Mr. Hikaru.". The person who was in that place is now known as Hiroshi Hikaru, the human who lost both his parents on the same day to Nogitsune. He has been bullied due to that fact; some pitied him, some made every school he goes to a living hell. He was adopted by a kind stranger who was passing by his house on the day his parents were murdered.
*Flashback*
As Hiroshi was crying while being hugged by the stranger, the ambulance and the policemen arrived. They saw how many bullets were fired, and they also saw the bodies of Hiroshi's parents. Hiroshi, due to crying so much, fell unconscious as the medics tried to make him calm down, having spent all of his energies at crying. The medics carried him and put him down in a stretcher as they put the dead bodies in a bag. The stranger went to the ambulance as they escorted Hiroshi to the hospital in order to check up on him.
As they arrived at the hospital, the medics slowly put the stretcher down the ambulance as they carried Hiroshi to a new, more comfortable bed. They called a doctor and had the doctor check Hiroshi's vitals and see if he was hurt anywhere. The doctor, upon a very close inspection, shook his head in a way of saying no. The doctors, the medics, and the stranger left the room as a way to make sure he had space when he woke up.
Now, with Hiroshi, he was having a bad dream. He was sweating profusely as he was moving in his bed due to his nightmare. In the nightmare, he saw his parents' dead bodies getting shot by something that he couldn't find out what it was. He has tried to stop shooting his parents bodies but it was like he was just a spectator to something that he cannot help or escape. He was just there shouting but no volume was heard from him. It felt like a loop for him, seeing the thing keep on shooting the bodies of his parents over and over again.
He looked desperate, and he was crying in his dream so much that even in the real world, tears began to flow out of his eyes. Lucky for him, the kind stranger was checking on him and he saw the tears on Hiroshi's eyes, so the stranger shook Hiroshi as he woke up from his nightmare, in shock. His eyes darted everywhere in the room as he looked towards the kind stranger. He then asked the stranger,
Hiroshi, with a shocked tone, said, "Who- who are you? Where am I?"
???: "My name is Kawahara Masa. You are in the hospital, kid. Take it easy now."
Hiroshi, upon hearing that he was in the hospital, immediately remembered what happened and in a tone of worry, he asked Kawahara
Hiroshi said with a heart stopping tone, "Where… where are my parents… Please tell me that they are alive."
Kawahara looked at Hiroshi with sadness evident in his eyes as he mentally prepared himself. As soon as he was mentally ready, he looked at Hiroshi with eyes of sadness as he said
Kawahara, "Your parents got shot a lot of times. Due to that reason, They…. They were declared dead at the scene of the crime. Right now, as we speak, the doctors are looking at the bullets and finding out who the ammo belongs to." He explained to Hiroshi, who was crying as he went, what was happening.
Hiroshi, after listening to Kawahara, looked down. He couldn't contain his tears anymore and they silently fell down his cheeks. Kawahara was in disbelief, as he thought that Hiroshi would have more of a reaction than just silently crying. He thought that Hiroshi would cry loudly, as the thought of his parents being murdered and not knowing who the murderer was was enough to break Hiroshi down. However, Hiroshi was just there, silently crying.
Kawahara said in a worried tone, "Hey kid, are you okay?"
Hiroshi looked at Kawahara and said, with a pained and saddened smile, in a pained tone
Hiroshi, "Crying loud and hard won't bring my parents back to life. Revenge won't bring them back to life," either. Kawahara was shocked as he heard this
Kawahara was shocked, as he never thought that Hiroshi was only 9 years old. It just goes to show how much Hiroshi's parents taught him a lot of important lessons at a young age. It also showed that Hiroshi was close to his family. He understood what was going through Hiroshi's mind
Kawahara, "It's ok to cry if you can't take the pressure." As he said this, Hiroshi slowly started to cry
Hiroshi, hearing the words of Kawahara, started to cry harder, but still silently. Kawahara just patted his back in show of support and care to Hiroshi.
*POV of ???*
Today, out of nowhere, I started to feel as if something bad had happened. I felt sad and in pain at the same time. I was surprised, as this would only mean that my soulmate is feeling these things strongly. A kitsune can feel their soulmate's pain, happiness, and other emotions when they are greatly felt by the soulmate. I have a bad feeling about what happened to my soulmate to make him feel this way. So, I went to my father's office to ask him to investigate some incidents.
As I walked into the office, some of my father's goons were there, being severely scolded by my father. I always wonder why he puts up with these kinds of henchmen. As he saw me enter the room, he dismissed the goons. I sat in the chair in front of his desk.
???: "Father, I am afraid that something bad has happened to my soulmate. Would you please see if there were any kinds of incidents that have happened?" I asked in a calm way
???'s father: "Sure, my sweet little fox; however, it might take several days.". He said this to me while he spoke to the people in the room
I just nodded and decided to exit the room as I went to my room and to my balcony. I sat down at the table in my balcony while I started working on my paper works for my business that my parents gave me. I heard a knock on my door and my mother entered with tea and biscuits and sat down at the opposite side of the table. She poured me some tea in a cup and slide it in my direction, then she poured herself some tea
???'s mother: "I heard what happened from your father."
I took my cup of tea and sipped from it
???: "Yes, I felt sudden pain and sadness earlier and knew that at that moment something must have happened to him."
???'s mother: "Be careful, we are members of the kitsune species, we are protective of our mates, if it goes overboard, he may fear you." my mother warned me.
???"Yes, I understand, mother; do not worry, I will control my possessiveness and protectiveness toward him once I meet him," I replied calmly to her.
We continued to talk while I did my paperwork for the business under my care. My mother taught me some important things about the Kitsune species, knowing I may need them someday.
*End of ??? POV*
Fast forward to 4 days later, and Izumi and Kiyomi visited Hiroshi in the hospital. Kiyomi, upon entering the room, immediately flung herself to Hiroshi and, not to everyone's surprise, Hiroshi was shocked at what Kiyomi did. Kiyomi was embracing Hiroshi tightly.
Hiroshi, "Kiyomi, too tight." He said in a sluggish tone, thanks to Kiyomi's tight hug
Kiyomi, "I was so worried for you! I thought that you were dead when you weren't in school for 4 days straight!" Kiyomi said in a sobby mess of a voice to Hiroshi
Izumi, "The news was quite a shock, mate…."
Izumi, "I'm sorry for your loss. Izumi said in a tone of sadness, which is not heard from his species that much."
Hiroshi, "I'm fine, thank you both for your concerns."
Kiyomi, upon realizing how dead the tone of Hiroshi was, it made her quite shocked, sure Hiroshi spoke nothing like his age but it was always with a tone of playfulness, something that was gone. Kiyomi let go of the hug and stared at the eyes of Hiroshi, and she saw no light. In the eyes of Hiroshi, it showed his unique dark blue pupil that no longer has any kind of "spark" in them, unlike before.
Kiyomi, "Why…. Why are your eyes not sparkling anymore?" she sobbed while she said this.
Hiroshi, not knowing what Kiyomi was saying, asked her
Hiroshi said with a monotone voice, "What are you talking about, Kiyomi?"
Izumi, upon hearing what Kiyomi said, took a closer inspection and saw that Hiroshi's eyes were dead. It was as if Hiroshi was devoid of emotions and his face became shocked
"Izumi?" Hiroshi asked, still sounding emotionless.
with a shocked face, Izumi said "Your eyes, Hiroshi, look so dead…."
Hiroshi, " What do you mean dead?" still having the same tone
Kiyomi did not know whether to cry more or hug Hiroshi tighter, as she understood that Hiroshi was suffering. Izumi, meanwhile, senses several negative feelings from Hiroshi: Sadness, helplessness, vulnerability, and frustration. He knew that Hiroshi needed someone to be there for him, so, as one of Hiroshi's best friends, he patted his back as a way to say "You are doing just fine."
You see, the wolf species has a special ability. They have the ability to see a "spark" in the eyes of everyone they meet. The brighter the "spark," the kinder the person is. There are some cases where the spark in the person either dies or simply dwindles away. Kiyomi only knew the basics of that ability, so she doesn't know a lot yet. In the case of Hiroshi, however, his "spark" died due to feeling such strong emotions at a young age and, at the same time, having a negative impact on his brain.
Meanwhile, for the neko species, they have the ability to sense the emotions of others. Their sensitivity to emotions is most heightened if they are close to the person that they are reading. That is how he was able to express the feelings that Hiroshi was feeling.
After Kiyomi stopped crying and hugging Hiroshi, Kiyomi and Izumi talked with Hiroshi and tried to get used to the new Hiroshi. Both Kiyomi and Izumi were not used to it, but they got used to it once they kept on talking with Hiroshi. Then the time for them to go home came.
Izumi, "It looks like visit hours are over. Me and Kiyomi should go now."
In a tone of worry, Kiyomi said, "Already? *sighs* Well, Hiroshi, take care of yourself; see you in school."
Hiroshi, "Bye; see you in school." He said this in the same tone.
2 days later, it is now Saturday. Hiroshi has been released from the hospital as he wasn't injured but they wanted to be sure he would be okay. While Hiroshi was in the hospital, Kawahara went to adopt him, as Hiroshi had no other relatives he could stay with. That, and because Kawahara is from the rabbit species. Their species is known for being able to take care of a lot of children, and they are also known as one of the nicest species. So, with that in mind, the cops told Kawahara to take custody of Hiroshi.
Hiroshi, who heard the news, did not react as his emotions were not active. The doctors told him that it was from shock, and they don't know how to cure it or if his feelings will ever return to Hiroshi. Kawahara understood how shocked Hiroshi was.
Kawahara, "Hey, let's go to your house to pick up some of your clothes." He said this as he followed him to the car.
Hiroshi, "Thank you."
Kawahara just nodded his head and they continued to walk towards his car. As they reached his car, he opened the door while saying
Kawahara, as he signalled for Hiroshi to get into the car, he said "Go in."
Hiroshi entered the car as Kawahara closed the door and went to the driver's seat. Once he got on, he started the car and started to drive towards Hiroshi's house. The ride towards Hiroshi's house was quiet except for the radio playing songs. They drove for almost 50 minutes until they finally arrived at the location of Hiroshi's house. It seemed like it was cleaned up by the policemen. Hiroshi went upstairs to his room and got his clothes. Once he was finished packing, he looked around his house one final time before he went towards the car of Kawahara, who was waiting in the car. As Hiroshi entered the door, Kawahara could see the sadness and pain in his eyes.
Kawahara was concerned, and he asked, "Are you alright, kid?"
Hiroshi, "I am alright, sir; do not worry." he said in a dead tone,
Knowing that Hiroshi was still suffering, Kawahara decided to just end the conversation there and drive towards his home in silence.
*End of flashback*
As Hiroshi got done visiting the grave of his parents, he started to walk away from the graveyard. He got into a cab and he told the driver to go to Kazunori Café. After he paid the driver, he went inside the café and went to the staff room to change into his work clothes. Kazunori Café was a famous café known for its delicious dishes, and the café was also known to have one of the fastest cafés there is, getting your order ready within 10–15 minutes. Due to this fact, a lot of positive reviews came to the café. Hiroshi was its number 1 employee; he always worked diligently, and his boss saw that.
As Hiroshi finished getting dressed, he entered the break room, where he saw his fellow employees and his boss in distress. He was confused on the inside, but his face showed nothing.
Hiroshi, "Sir, what's going on?"
When Hiroshi spoke, everyone in the room was shocked, as they did not hear Hiroshi enter the room. When his boss saw him, his boss immediately smiled
Boss. "Perfect timing! Ok, listen up, we need to deliver a delivery at the main company site of "Kibō no Mirai Technology." As He said to Hiroshi, whose face still remained the same
Hiroshi, "So, I will be the one to deliver it?"
Boss, "Who else has a good chance at not failing this thing up?"
Hiroshi, "Ok, sir, if that is what you need me to do."
Colleague 1, "Look at him acting like someone special."
Colleague said 2: "I know, right?" he replied.
His colleagues continue to gossip about him while he prepares the order with his boss. Being the favourite employee of the boss due to his diligence, his fellow employee was jealous of him. Once he was done, he went to one of the delivery cars and drove towards the main company site of Kibō no Mirai Technology. He made extra sure to keep the orders intact. He drove slowly, as was indicated by the speed limit. Once he reached his destination, he started to compose himself, as he knew if he failed this, the Kazunori Café would be shut down.
After composing himself, he exited the car and went inside of the building, heading straight towards the front desk. As he reached the front desk, the employee asked
Employee 1, "Hello, sir, what is your business here today?" She asked politely
Hiroshi, "I'm here to deliver an order." He replied
Employee 1, "Ok, wait, let me call someone from upstairs." She said this to him as she grabbed the telephone and dialled a number
Hiroshi waited patiently as he looked inside the company. The inside of the company had a beautiful interior design. The building was made of polished marble, which made it look extremely fancy. The design of the building really looked like it was made for rich people, and it was. As Hiroshi was done looking, the front desk employee was also done talking on the phone.
Employee 1, "Sir, please go to the top floor, which is floor 300, and if a guard stops, say you are making a delivery." She gave him instructions in a polite tone
Hiroshi: "Thank you." As he said this, he got to the elevator and pressed the 300th floor.
*??? POV*
As I got done taking the phone call and knowing it was my order, I stretched as my back was starting to hurt from sitting all day and doing stupid paper works
???: "Paper works, paper works." I mumbled to myself as I kept signing the documents laid on my desk.
Just then, I heard a knock from the door
???: "Come in!"
As one of my guards came in, another person came in, and when he came in
???: 'Oh, what a cutie~ I must say, he is quite the looker'
???"Ma'am, this person says he is delivering some food." My guard asked me
???: "Yes, Jefferson, he indeed is. You can leave now." I told my guard as he bowed down
Jefferson, "As you wish, ma'am."
As he left, I motioned for the delivery boy to come closer, and he got it and went closer to my desk. When he got close enough, he put the stuff I ordered on my table
???: "Your order is here, ma'am." He said to me in a somewhat cold manner
???: "How much is it all?"
???: "It's 307 dollars, ma'am."
I gave him the exact amount of money and as he started to leave, I started speaking again
???: "Say, what is your name?" I asked in curiosity as I buried my face in my hands.
Hiroshi: "My name is Hiroshi, ma'am."
???: "He did say that the café's employee of the month has a cold tone. So, this is him, huh~?" I thought to myself
???: "My name is, as you know, Shizuko Yoshiko. It is nice to meet you, Hiroshi."
He reluctantly shook my hands. Once we were done shaking hands, I was about to smile at him and thank him for delivering when I saw his right cheek glow white, and it was the shape of a skeleton. I had a shock in my face
Shizuko, "Is he my soulmate?" As I thought to myself, "Well, this is quite interesting."
Hiroshi, "Uhm, are you ok, ma'am?" Hiroshi asked me as he snapped me back into reality
When I heard him call me, I shook my head as I then thought of giving him my personal assistance
Shizuko, "Yeah, I'm quite alright. Hmmm…. How much does that café pay you?"
Hiroshi, "About…. 3,700 dollars monthly, ma'am. Why do you ask?" Hiroshi asked in a curious tone
Shizuko, "That's quite small, is it not?" I asked him
Hiroshi, "It's enough to pay for my daily needs, ma'am." He confidently replied
Shizuko, "How good is your attention to details?" I asked him as I began to write something on a piece of paper.
Hiroshi hastily said, "Uhm…. It's moderate, to say the least."
Shizuko, "Are you good with multitasking?"
Hiroshi said it with a hint of confidence in his tone. "Yes, I can multitask just fine, ma'am."
Shizuko, "Alright, that's all." After finalizing the details on the paper,.
Hiroshi, "If that is all, I will be leaving now, ma'am." Afterward, he bowed down and left my office
I got up from my chair, grabbed the cake, and went to the window wall of my office. As I ate, my 9 white fluffy tails began to wag as I noticed how tasty it was. It was definitely the right call to build that café in secret. As I looked down, I could see Hiroshi walking towards the car that the company bought for deliveries. In my head, I still could not believe he had my mark on his face. I need to make sure not a woman is to lay a finger on him; he is in MY possession after all. I smirked as I saw him drive towards the direction of the café.
After finishing the cake that I bought, I called in one of my guards. As he entered the room, he saluted in the doorway before proceeding to go in.
Jerry, "Ma'am, you called?"
Shizuk: "Jerry, I have a new task for you." I told him as I put my hands together on my desk.
Jerry, "What is it, ma'am?"
I grabbed a folder and gave it to Jerry. He took it from me as he began to scan the book
Jerry asked in a cold tone, "Ma'am, what do you need to happen to this person?"
Shizuko, "Oh, nothing, except spy on him for me. Keep tabs on him. I want every detail, got it?" I dictated to him
Jerry, "As you wish, ma'am."
Shizuko, "Don't fail me, Jerry. Though I doubt you will fail, as you are part of the dog species,. Species are always hired for spying and guarding, right?" I maliciously inquired
Jerry, "I won't fail, ma'am." as he left with a bow
I smiled as I began to do my paper work again while thinking of him.
*End of Shizuko POV*
Hiroshi, after getting inside the car, began to drive towards the Kazunori Café, He connected his phone to the car via Bluetooth as he started listening to his playlist. After about 24 minutes of driving, he reached Kazunori Café, Once he was safely parked in the employee's parking area, he went inside and quickly went outside to the cash register to start taking the orders of the customers. His first customer for the day was an old man who was about 54–60 and was a part of the bear species
Hiroshi, "Hello, sir, welcome to Kazunori Café. What would you like to order, sir?"
The old man then started to look through the menu as to see what he wanted to order
Old man, "Young man, I would like a café latte made with espresso and steamed milk, and 2 Anpan... -Oh, and also hot chocolate."
Hiroshi, "Ok, sir, is that all?" He asked the old man after finalizing the order
The old man nodded, and Hiroshi put the order in and asked the old man for the payment. The man began to look towards his wallet but he didn't have enough
As his bear ears began to droop, the Old man groaned, "Uhm… young man, just make it 1 Anpan."
Hiroshi saw this and he felt bad, knowing that this person's family might be struggling, so he immediately returned the money of the old man and said with a kind tone
With a glimmer of kindness in his eyes, Hiroshi said, "On the house, sir."
Shocked by Hiroshi's kindness, the old man clarified, "Young man…. are you sure about this?" He asked in a confused tone.
Hiroshi said, "Sir, please go to your seat; your order will arrive shortly." Hiroshi ended with a bow.
The old man smiled and returned to the table where his grandson was sitting. Hiroshi then called on the next customer as he began to take the others' orders, and he looked at the old man and his grandson, who were enjoying their meal. He smiled a little bit but it wasn't noticeable. He continued to work until his shift ended, as he left the cash register and another person took over the cash register. He went to the employees-only room, and he got changed out of his work outfit and into his outfit for going out.
The boss came in the employee's only room just as Hiroshi was about to leave and the boss called out to him, saying
Boss, "Hiroshi, come to my office for a little bit. then he proceeded to the employee's only room and went to his office."
Hiroshi, upon being summoned, went to the office of his boss. He walked into the office and closed the door behind him as he sat down at the chair In Front of the desk
Boss, "So, Hiroshi, you have been working hard."
Hiroshi just sat there in silence as he let his boss continue
With a smile of admiration, the boss said, "I saw what happened earlier; that was a nice gesture of kindness you did back there."
Hiroshi, with a stern voice, said, "It was the right action, sir."
Boss suddenly inquired, "Oh, by the way, are you good with cooking?"
Hiroshi was confused but confidently complied with the answer, "My cooking is ok, sir."
The boss jokingly said, "Well, better get started on learning how to cook better."
Hiroshi was relieved that he wasn't getting fired and asked, "Sir, what's going on?"
Boss, "Do you remember how I told you by accident that someone bought this café from me, but that person let me continue to work as its manager?" Which in turn caused Hiroshi to begin to flashback
*Flashback*
As Hiroshi and his boss entered a bar and sat down at a table, the boss immediately ordered sake, and Hiroshi just ordered a fruit cocktail. Hiroshi's body, for whatever reason just rejects alcohol and whenever he drinks alcohol, his right cheek would hurt and he would vomit.
When their order got delivered to their table, the boss began to drink his sake in a quick manner
Hiroshi emotionlessly said, "Sir, calm down. There is no need to finish your drink that fast."
Boss, "Even being concerned about your face shows no amount of emotion; that's quite a skill," he pointed out as he took another swig of his drink.
Hiroshi: "Well, that is something that won't change."
Boss, "After hearing your story, I wouldn't be surprised." He said this as he took another piece of meat from the BBQ grill.
Hiroshi and his boss continued to drink and cook barbeque while talking. Hiroshi's boss, after a while, drank 14 bottles of soju. He was already slurring his words and before he was about to pass out, he said to Hiroshi
Boss drunkenly said, "I jope yhe nrw oenre of the xage wOnt ruibrd i ta reputatoon."
Before Hiroshi was about to ask something, his boss passed out cold on the table, and his boss started to snore
Hiroshi thought, "Did he just say someone bought the café?"
Hiroshi decided to get rid of the thought for now as he went to pay for the order he and his boss had ordered. After paying the amount, he called a cab and since he didn't know the house of his boss, he decided to go to his house. After a while, he arrived at his house, and he carried his boss to his bed, where he went downstairs to the couch to sleep.
*Next morning*
As Hiroshi woke up, he could hear someone vomiting on the second floor, He remembered what happened, grabbed some water and went upstairs to the bathroom, where he saw his boss puking. After his boss finished puking, he gave the water to him.
After his boss has recovered a bit, he assisted his boss to the kitchen, where he gave him more water
Hiroshi, "Sorry, we don't have hangover pills."
Boss, after he took a sip of water, said, "It's alright, you don't have to worry."
Hiroshi suddenly asked, "Sir, did someone buy the café?"
After hearing the sudden question, Hiroshi's boss choke on the water he was drinking
after recovering from choking, the Boss asked, "Where did you hear that? (He asked Hiroshi after recovering from choking."
Hiroshi, "Last night, you said it in a drunk state."
Concerned for his own reputation, the boss strictly demanded: I have no idea how you could have understood whatever drunk me was saying, but yes. Last month, someone bought the café with a large amount of money. Don't tell the others.
Hiroshi just nodded as he went to prepare some food
Hiroshi asked as he prepared eggs from the fridge, "Is frying eggs fine, sir?"
Boss, "Yes, it's fine with me."
*End of flashback*
After having that quick flashback, Hiroshi then replied to his boss immediately
Hiroshi replied to his boss, "Yeah, I do remember. What about it, sir?"
After a sigh, the boss said to Hiroshi, "Well, that person is requesting for the top employee to meet her."
Hiroshi curiously asked, "For what, sir? And where?"
Boss answered, "I don't know, but a 5-star restaurant named Sakura Sweetheart."
Hiroshi conferred, "I see. I will prepare for the meeting then. What day, sir?"
With a smile, the boss told Hiroshi, "Lucky for you, I got them to make the meeting happen on Saturday, 7 PM sharp."
Hiroshi just nodded as his boss, as he then got up from the chair he was sitting on and bowed down towards his boss. He then left the office of his boss
Boss whispered out, "I pray that whatever she has instore for you, Hiroshi, that you are safe."
*With Hiroshi*
Hiroshi got into a cab and headed towards his house, which was 30 minutes away from his work. After reaching his house, he paid the driver and went to the door of his house. He was surprised to smell something cooking in the kitchen, which could only mean he was home. Hiroshi closed the door behind him, took off his shoes, and then he went to the kitchen
Hiroshi told the person cooking in the kitchen with a slight smile, "It's rare for you to be home, sir Kawahara."
END OF CHAPTER 1