The day was Sunday, which means no school for Hiroshi but he has work to do today. Hiroshi's alarm rang as he woke up, and he looked at the time. He woke up the moment his alarm rang, which was the first surprise of the day. He got up and stretched his body, then he went down for breakfast and another surprise was that Kawahara was cooking breakfast for the both of them
"This is new; normally you come home at night and leave in the morning for your work." Hiroshi said this to Kawahara, who turned around.
Kawahara replied with a laugh, "Well, as I said last night, the hospital isn't as busy as it was."
"Well, it's good that you are getting a break from working, sir Kawahara," Hiroshi said to Kawahara, who just got done cooking.
"Sit down, and let's eat." Kawahara instructed as he put the food he cooked to the table
Hiroshi sat down and they both ate in silence, as they usually do. After all, Kawahara knew what was happening to Hiroshi but he didn't want to rush the boy with his emotions
Hiroshi thought to himself as he ate his breakfast, "This day has been strange; first I woke up before my alarm rang, and Kawahara is here."
However, with all of this thought, he still continued to eat peacefully, as after a while of thinking, he just decided to roll with it. After eating their breakfast, Hiroshi got all of the dishes that needed to be washed and started to wash them. Kawahara went back to the Couch as he watched some TV and apparently, a paparazzi was at the restaurant last night as he heard from the TV about him leaving Sakura sweetheart. Kawahara just laughs
"I told you to be careful with this family, but it seems like the heir has taken a liking to you," Kawahara giggled after laughing and calming down.
"That was just a business meeting." Hiroshi blushes while doing the dishes.
"More like a date, and after kissing you on the cheeks? Definitely a day, my boy." Kawahara said as he laughed even harder at Hiroshi.
"You saw the news?" Hiroshi asked, turned around and looked at Kawahara, surprised
Kawahara assured, "Everything that is concerning the family of Yoshiko will be taken and create a rumour."
Hiroshi, still not satisfied, asked, "So, what's the current rumour then?"
"The rumour right now is that you and Miss Shizuko are dating each other." Kawahara says to Hiroshi, as he couldn't hold back his laughter
"Was it the kiss on the cheeks that fired this rumour?" Hiroshi asked after letting out a sigh, but he has a red face.
Kawahara told Hiroshi, "Well, what did you expect? They say that when a boy tried to lay a finger on her when she was a child, she beat them up really badly. The kid was the same age as her, by the way."
Hiroshi sputtered, "So that means..."
"Yes, as of right now, a lot of people think you are dating her due to this rumour." Kawahara says this to Hiroshi, confirming it before Hiroshi could ask.
Hiroshi just sighs and continues to wash the dishes until he is done. Once he was done washing the dishes, he went to his room. He opened up his laptop, and he sat down at his desk. He saw that Izumi was online and that under his name there was a game he was playing. He went to Google and searched "Yoshiko Family" in the search bar. He clicked the go button, and he saw a lot of results immediately, but at the top of the page was a photo of Shizuko kissing him. He frowns and blushes as he still somewhat feels her lips on his cheeks. As he scrolled down, he saw an article titled "Shizuko Yoshiko ended her family's ties with the Phillips Family!'' He was curious so he clicked it and he started to read the article.
*Timeskip*
It took Hiroshi a while to read the entire article. He found out that the heir of the Philips had said to his business partner that Shizuko was his soulmate, and due to that fact, the Phillips family immediately rose from the ranks. When Shizuko found out about this, she made a public statement that what the Philips Family has been saying is not true and that they will be cutting their partnership with each other. After their lie was revealed, every single partner of the Phillips family had terminated their partnership, and their stocks immediately plummeted. He tried to find a picture of them but apparently, the Phillips family had erased all of their trace on the internet and the only article left is the one he read.
He stretched his body as he was done reading. He looked at the time and saw that his shift was to start in 1 hour and 26 minutes. So, he went to the bathroom to get ready for his shift. After getting ready, he went downstairs and when Kawahara saw him
"Going to work?" Kawahara asked as he put the book he was reading down.
"Yeah, I am," Hiroshi replied as he went to put his shoes
"Wait, I'll drop you off." Kawahara offered it to Hiroshi as he got off the couch.
Hiroshi, "You don't."
"I want to eat in the café as well." Kawahara continued as he got his key from the table.
Hiroshi sighs and just decided that if Kawahara was to want to drop him off, he should just let him.
*Shizuko's POV*
I was in my house, relaxing and drinking tea, when someone knocked on my door
"Come in!" I shouted towards the door and looked at it, waiting to see who was knocking.
A familiar voice to Shizuko spoke from behind the door "Long time no see Shizuko."
"Wow, you are actually punctual these days, Grizia." I said to her as I stood up from the chair I was sitting in.
"Shizuko, you know I'm always punctual when it comes to drama." She said this to me as she hugged me
I hugged back as I laughed at what she said to me. I invited her to sit down on the balcony with me.
"So, any luck on your soulmate?" I asked her while smirking slyly.
"Haha, very funny." She groaned as she sat down.
"Didn't you say you were going to be the first to find your love?" I said it to her teasingly.
"You don't have to keep rubbing in my face that I'm single!" Grizia said to me, irritated at my teasing.
"Why, I'm still single as well. Thank you very much." I replied with half-sarcasm as I laughed.
"You still haven't told him?" Grizia asked me, surprised.
"Well, I am still enjoying my time getting to know him and teasing him." I told her as I sipped my tea
"So, you are just messing with him right now?" She asked me as she poured herself some tea.
"It may seem like that, but in truth, I want to find out more about him first so that I know what to do when I tell him." I explained this to Grizia, who was eyeing me weirdly.
"And so, what are you doing to him right now?" Grizia asked me as she stared right into my eyes.
"I am trying to hire him as my personal assistant." I answered her truthfully.
"What if someone tries to steal him from you?" Grizia asked me suddenly.
"Now, now... Anybody who dares steal my life will suffer something worse than death." as I growled at her as my tone dropped low and my eyes seemed like they were ready to kill anyone.
"I should not have asked that." Grizia whispered to herself.
I calmed down after a while as I started to converse with her about a totally different topic. Of course, we started to talk about a mafia group that has been truly pissing me off lately
"So, how are you dealing with them?" She asked me as she looked at me seriously.
"I took one of their lands, which pissed them off. They asked me for a meeting, which I attended, but they had the audacity to not show their leader." I said it in total awe of how I was disrespected.
We continued to talk about the mafia group, which worked to kill some time
*End of Shizuko's POV*
Now, with Hiroshi, he was at work. It was an hour before his shift ended, and he was going to ask his boss about something. He was bombarded with questions by the customer, which were about his relationship with Shizuko. Of course, he didn't answer them directly, as he knew what would happen if he did. He did his best to tell people that they had questions, and the people stopped as they were afraid that Hiroshi would tell Shizuko people that they were annoying him.
He told Kawahara that he would just take a cab home, which Kawahara agreed to. Hiroshi then hears the bells in the front door ring, which signifies that a customer has arrived, and he sees a familiar old man walk through the door and start to head towards the front desk. Behind the old man was the kid Hiroshi saw with him last time and some different people who Hiroshi figured out must be the parents of the kid
"Long time, no see, young man," the old man said to Hiroshi with a smile
" Welcome back, sir. What would you like today?" Hiroshi asked with a kind tone
"Old man, I would like what I had last time," the old man replied with a smile.
"I would also like to order the same kind of coffee he ordered, and... what about you?" A customer said this to Hiroshi and asked the woman beside him.
"I think I would really like a "Sakura Quantum Coffee," please. the female customer added.
Hiroshi affirmed, "Alright, please take this. The order would take a while due to the Sakura Quantum Coffee."
"How much, and also how long would it take?" the thirsty customer asked Hiroshi as his ears began twitching.
Hiroshi assured, "I would say around 5 to 7 minutes, sir. And the total is 50 dollars, sir."
The person paid with a card and Hiroshi got the order and went to the kitchen as he saw the others were resting. He gave the head barista the order, and the baristas went to work as Hiroshi went back to man the cash register. He was glad the old man was able to enjoy it without having to worry about the payment. After 7 minutes, the order was ready and Hiroshi took the tray that his co-worker gave him. He walks to the table with the tray and once he arrives, he put their order on their table
"How would you like to work for my company?" The customer suddenly offered to help Hiroshi.
"Sir?" Hiroshi asked with shock, as he thought he heard him wrong.
"I have a company, and I believe you are fit to become more than this." He further stated this to Hiroshi bluntly.
"I would have to refuse the offer, sir." Hiroshi rejected the offer politely so as to not offend the customer.
"Before you flat out refuse, here is my business card. Call me when you change your mind and reconsider my offer." He said this to Hiroshi as he handed him a business card.
Hiroshi just took the business card with a note and left. He went back behind the cash register as he continued to work, completely putting the offer he was just recently offered behind the back of his mind, but that is going to have to stay between you and me.
*1 hour later*
Hiroshi was done with his shift, so when he saw that no one was coming in at the café, he left the cash register. He then went to the staff room and took off his work clothes. He went to the office of his boss after changing. He knocked at the door and the boss tells him to come in
"Sir, I would like to ask about something." Hiroshi told his boss as he sat down.
"What is it about Hiroshi?" His boss asks him as he did some paperwork.
"What would you do if you were offered a job with a $30,000 Salary monthly?" Hiroshi asked, trying not to sound obvious.
"Miss Shizuko offered you a job at her company, didn't she? He asked Hiroshi as he figured it out.
"Yes, sir, Miss Shizuko offered me to be her personal assistant." Hiroshi hesitantly explained to his boss.
"The answer should be obvious, right?" He said this to Hiroshi as he pulled a paper out of one of his desk drawers.
"But... I enjoy working in this café." Hiroshi replied to his boss as more of his once-sealed emotions became at ease.
"Sometimes in life, Hiroshi, we have to take the chances. Just because you enjoy this job does not mean you would not enjoy working on another job unless you try it." He ensured Hiroshi, as he understood that Hiroshi was feeling anxious.
"But sir, I'm also in debt to you; you allowed me to have a job at this café when nobody wouldn't let me work part time." Hiroshi added
"Ah, anybody would allow that to happen as well, Hiroshi; it isn't as if I am the only one who would. " Treat me, Hiroshi; you don't want to be stuff working at a café; you are still young and exploring the world." He told Hiroshi, as he knew what happened in Hiroshi's past, thanks to somebody who told him.
"I understand, sir, then... I would like to quit working in this café." He said this to his boss because he felt confident about what he had been told.
"Don't feel guilty, my boy; we can still meet up sometimes to have a drink." He cheerfully told Hiroshi as he gave him the resignation paper.
"You know I don't drink, right, sir?" Hiroshi clarified his decision with a smile.
"We would never know." He said it with a laugh to Hiroshi.
Hiroshi laughs a little and bids his boss farewell. He left the office of his boss as he closed the door. Hiroshi then exited the café through the back door and went to the road. He waved for a taxi and after a few minutes, a taxi stopped at his side. After Hiroshi entered the taxi, he told the driver his address, and they went to his house.
*Timeskip*
Hiroshi arrived at his house, and he paid the taxi driver before exiting. Hiroshi again smelled something in the air, and he smiled a little. Kawahara poked his head around the corner
"Hiroshi, how was work?" Kawahara asked Hiroshi before going back to the kitchen.
"I feel like you are on vacation, Kawahara." Hiroshi said it sarcastically as he took off his shoes.
"Well, I studied his files and saw he was a good doctor, so I hired him." A voice suddenly spoke as Hiroshi looked towards the dining table.
Hiroshi, shocked, said, "Miss Shizuko, what are you doing here?"
Shizuko replied, "I did not know you were related to him, Hiroshi."
Hiroshi answered back after a moment of silence, "Well, he is my adoptive guardian."
"Oh? And what happened to your parents?" Shizuko asked Hiroshi, oblivious as to what had happened.
Hiroshi, after being asked about what happened to his parents, immediately wanted to cry, and he felt intense sadness As his eyes were getting teary, he steeled himself and forced a fake smile. Unknown to him, Shizuko felt a pang of sadness as his feelings connected to her. And it was plain obvious that Shizuko has dealt with several fake smiles and knows which is genuine and which is fake and she saw that Hiroshi was faking it
Hiroshi replied as his voice began to break, "Oh, well, they had to go somewhere."
Shizuko, trying to find out more, asked, "Oh? Well then, I'm sure you miss them."
"Well, I do, of course." Hiroshi said as he went to sit down at the dining table.
"Dinner is prepared." Kawahara says as he puts the food down on the table.
Hiroshi got up and helped Kawahara prepare the table. Shizuko's eyes were fixated on how Hiroshi was moving. She tried to figure out what happened to Hiroshi's parents
Shizuko thought to herself, "I might have to hire a private investigator in order to know."
Shizuko got her phone and messaged her best friend. Kawahara and Hiroshi sat down at the opposite side of Shizuko and when she saw that they were waiting for her to finish, she got off her phone. When Kawahara saw that she was done, he clapped his hands
Kawahara exclaims, "Well, let's eat!"
Hiroshi asked after being served, "Sir Kawahara, Miss Shizuko says she hired you."
Kawahara replied, "Ah, I was going to tell you, but it looks like Miss Shizuko beat me."
"He will become the personal doctor for my family due to his skills." Shizuko says this before putting food in her mouth, causing her tails to wag.
"Oh, I see. Well, I'm glad he will have time to recover from overworking himself." Hiroshi says with a small smile as he starts to eat as well.
All 3 of them ate as they made small talk with each other. after they finished eating, Kawahara took the dishes before Hiroshi could even say anything
"Entertain Miss Shizuko for a little bit, Hiroshi, will you?" Kawahara says this as he walks back to the kitchen to wash the dirty dishes.
"Uhm… Miss Shizuko, about the offer you made to me, Hiroshi asked nervously. He was nervous, but it wasn't that obvious.
"Oh? That was fast. What will be your answer?" Shizuko said to Hiroshi as she suddenly looked serious.
Hiroshi explained, "I talked with my boss at the café, and he said that I should take your offer, so... I accept Miss Shizuko."
Shizuko joyfully said, "That is delightful; now shall we discuss your work days?"
Hiroshi, "Well, I have college to attend."
Shizuko repeatedly insisted, "You may quit the college; I offer 30K dollars as your payment. Surely you know that is one of the highest you will acquire."
After a while, Hiroshi thought about it and sighed, "Ok, I'll work for you, Miss Shizuko."
"Wonderful. Should I expect you to start going to work tomorrow?" Shizuko asked, as she has a full-on smile on her face, and she made sure Hiroshi wouldn't notice.
Hiroshi informed Shizuko, "I still have to notify my college about my quitting, Miss Shizuko."
"Well, I will notify them about it instead. Be rest assured." Shizuko adds, as she already has her phone out.
Hiroshi asked to clarify, "Then I guess... I will start tomorrow?"
Shizuko said in a no-nonsense attitude, "I will come pick you up at 6 AM sharp; you better be ready by that time."
Hiroshi asked, "Yes miss Shizuko, uh... How should I address you?"
Shizuko said in Flirty-childlike tone, "Just call me as you have done; I do like hearing my name come out of your mouth."
Hiroshi blushed and just nodded due to being embarrassed. Seeing this reaction from her soulmate, she giggled softly to herself. She checked her watch and saw the time
Shizuko ended, "As much as I enjoy talking to you, I still have some matters to attend to. So, I will be going now."
"Well, see you tomorrow, Miss Shizuko." Hiroshi said as he stood up and bowed his head down.
Shizuko fought against herself to pat Hiroshi on the head. She went and walked towards the door, closing it after going through it. Hiroshi then got up and started to walk towards his bedroom upstairs. He went to the shower first, however, before proceeding to go to his bed. He closed his eyes after a few moments and started to drift off to sleep.
*Dreamland*
Hiroshi this time, instead of seeing the forest awoken in a bed. He sat straight up, looked around and saw that he was in a huge bed that could practically fit 10 people in it. Hiroshi started to get off the bed, and once he opened the door, exited the room. What he found out outside of the room was a hallway, though he doesn't know where they lead to. He went to the first door and it was another bedroom, and he went through several doors and they were all bedrooms. He got to the final door, opened it and saw that there was a bigger hallway. He thought about going back to the room he was in. that was until he saw that there were stairs which led down. He proceeded to check where the stairs would end up so he walked down the stairs. Once he was down the stairs, he finally saw a familiar location—a living room he dreamt of some days ago. He sat down at the couch and as he sat down, he heard a female voice come from behind him
"Did you miss me?" The female voice asked Hiroshi as she sat down on the couch near him.
Hiroshi, trying to get a glimpse of the figure, replied, "I still haven't found out who you truly are."
"Ara~ still didn't get the hints? Poor boy." The fox said as she patted Hiroshi on the head
"Can you please tell me who you really are?" Hiroshi fired back as he melted into the pats the fox lady gave him.
The fox teasingly said, "That would be ruining my fun now, wouldn't it?"
Hiroshi asked after taking a breath, "When will you tell me who you are then?"
"Once I believed that dense head of yours couldn't take anymore." She said as she playfully flicked the forehead of Hiroshi.
"What do you mean by dense head?" Hiroshi asked, oblivious as he rubbed his forehead.
"My dear, if you continue to be this dumb, I may need to take a more direct route." She said this as she giggled at how oblivious Hiroshi could be.
Hiroshi asked, trying to get more details of the enigma, "Well, do you know a person named Shizuko?"
"Oh? And why would you be thinking of another girl? Cheating on me?" She says as she tries to mess with the head of Hiroshi.
"It's not like that; she hired me to be her personal assistant, and since she's a Kitsune as well as you, I thought you would know what she likes and stuff, so my job as her personal assistant would be more, well, easier for me." Hiroshi clarified as he tried to explain to the fox lady, who could no longer hold her laughter.
"Oh, poor you; well, let's just say your mere presence will be all that she needs." She ended flirting after she calmed down from laughing.
"What do you mean?" Hiroshi asked, as he was in total confusion about what was happening.
"Don't worry about the things in that pretty little head of yours, dear; just be mentally prepared tomorrow." She answered as she brought her face close to the face of Hiroshi.
Hiroshi was surprised that her face was suddenly close to him but he couldn't see what kind of face she was making right now due to a fog still being there
"When will I finally be able to see you clearly?" He asked as he looked to the side, blushing.
"It's once I either tell you my identity in this dream or I kiss you. Then there is also the third way." She said she was trying to get Hiroshi interested.
Hiroshi questioned, "The third way, what is it?"
"The third way is when you finally put all of the pieces together and find out who I am all on your own." She answered as she suddenly pushed Hiroshi down, pinning him and surprising him.
"What? What are you doing??" Hiroshi asked, surprised while his entire face turned red.
"Just something I want to do to see your reaction. And as always, it's priceless to see your reactions." She said this as she pinned Hiroshi by the arms.
"All just to see my reaction? From what I am studying, Kitsune likes to tease more than Neko." Hiroshi noted as he calmed down somehow.
"Please don't mention the neko. The Kitsune and the Neko are on the bad side of each other." She said this after her tails suddenly started to rise up.
"Really? Izumi never told me about that… Wait, what are your tails doing?" Hiroshi asked as he saw the tails coming towards him slowly.
"Oh, well, sometimes our tails have a mind of their own." She replied as she stopped pinning Hiroshi.
"Why are Neko and Kitsune on the bad side of each other?" Hiroshi asked as he got up
"Since you are a normal human, I don't blame you for a lack of knowledge. You know the top 3 races, right? Also brush my tails, my dear." She asked Hiroshi as she magically made a comb appear.
"The top 3 are Kitsune, Neko, and the Wolves." Hiroshi answered and did as he was told, brushing her tails.
"The wolves can't stand the Kitsune, the cats can't stand the wolves, and the Kitsune cannot stand the cats. That is how the top 3 words describe it: we hate each other as we fight for whoever is the stronger race. Obviously, Kitsune keeps winning the competition. Naturally, to this end, we are constantly on each other's bad side at all times." She explains to Hiroshi while enjoying the brushing her tails got from him.
"Wait, I thought the wolves were, you know, honest and stuff?" Hiroshi says as he tries to understand what is happening while brushing her tail.
"Oh, please, that's what they want everyone to think. Ever heard of the saying, "In every yang, there is a darkness that is hidden from the world, and in every yin, there is a light that is waiting to be revealed?". She asked as she gave Hiroshi another one of her tails.
"What does that mean?" Hiroshi asked, not getting the full picture of what she was trying to say.
"Well, in every hero or wannabe hero, there is a villain waiting to be awakened. And in every villain, a hero is waiting to be unleashed. The hero in this case is the wolves." She explained this to Hiroshi.
"But that would mean..." Before he finished, he got cut off.
"That they are lying to the public? Yes, and they always lied to the public. There are good wolves; don't get me wrong; however, the head family of the wolves is nothing but a bunch of liars." She ferociously said this to Hiroshi.
"But I've always thought that the wolves promoted peace and honesty all throughout the police force." Hiroshi told her with an ounce of disappointment in his face.
"That is just how people who are hungry for power work, and yet some of them are honest; I am actually friends with one of the wolves." She told Hiroshi, comforting him.
Before they could further continue their discussion, however, a ring was heard, and then Hiroshi awoke to see the ceiling of his home.
*End of dream*
Hiroshi got his phone and looked at it, and he sat up in his bed. He rubbed his eyes, got out of bed, and stepped into the bathroom. He forgot to turn on the heater, so after getting out of his clothes and getting in the shower, he was immediately greeted with cold water. What a great way to start the day—a cold shower. However, due to being soulmates with Shizuko, Hiroshi enjoyed the cold shower more than he could admit.
After being done with the shower, he got out and wrapped a towel around his waist. He went to his wardrobe and started to search for a good outfit for his new job. He spent about 10 minutes trying to search, but he couldn't find one. He got out of his wardrobe
"AH!!" Hiroshi yelled in surprise as Kawahara was suddenly sitting in his bed.
"Morning to you too." Kawahara says this as he is drinking coffee from his mug.
"How long have you been there?" Hiroshi asked as he got himself together after the surprise.
"About 10 minutes or so; it's currently 5:10. And it seems like your feelings are slowly coming back." He told Hiroshi as he smiled.
"I… I guess you're right." Hiroshi answered as he finally noticed how he was reacting to things.
"Now about your outfit, I was going to save it for your birthday since I saw you didn't have one, but seeing how much you needed one,. Wait here." Kawahara informed Hiroshi as he stood up and left Hiroshi's room.
Hiroshi was confused when he saw Kawahara leaving his room. He went to sit on his bed as he grabbed his phone and saw that the time was 5:13. After a while, Kawahara came back with a blue suit in his hands
"Go change into this; this suits your job, and also wear the white polo you have." Kawahara said as he was handing Hiroshi the suit.
Hiroshi took the outfit from Kawahara and the white polo he has in his wardrobe. After getting all the stuff he needed to wear, he walked to the bathroom as Kawahara sat down in a chair. Hiroshi started to wear the polo first, then slowly wore the suit that Kawahara gave him. He came out of the bathroom after fully changing into the outfit
"And with 24 minutes to spare for breakfast." Kawahara noted as he got up and tossed a tie to Hiroshi.
Hiroshi caught the tie and started to walk, following Kawahara while trying to put on the tie. As he got into the dining room with an omelette In Front of him, he finally got the tie right. He and Kawahara started to eat as Kawahara started to read the newspaper. After about 20 minutes of eating breakfast, Hiroshi looked at his phone and saw that it was 5:50, so he took the time and went to brush his teeth.
*10 minutes later*
Hiroshi's phone started to ring and it was an unknown number
"Hello?" Hiroshi says as he answers the call.
"Come out; I'm waiting in the front." A familiar voice came out of the phone before it ended.
Hiroshi immediately got up from the couch and put on his shoes. He opened the door and exited, and he saw a Mercedes in front with the window of the passenger seat down, revealing Shizuko on her phone. He walked towards it
"Glad you came out quickly; sit in the front." Shizuko instructed as she took notice of him.
"Uhm, if that's what you want, miss Shizuko." Hiroshi replied shyly as he opened the passenger door.
"Seatbelt on." Shizuko says this after Hiroshi closes the door.
Hiroshi put on his seatbelt and silently readied himself for the day of his new job. As Shizuko saw that Hiroshi was buckled up, she started to drive towards the company.