As the day went by, Yuki found himself struggling to focus on even the simplest of tasks. His mind was consumed by the weight of Mattheo's offer, and the possibilities that lay before him. He couldn't concentrate on his classes. It was as if he was stuck in a never-ending loop, replaying the same conversations over and over in his head.
Before he knew it, the bell had rung, signaling the end of the school day. Yuki gathered his belongings, still lost in thought, and stumbled out of the classroom. His feet seemed to carry him on autopilot, and he didn't realize where he was going until he found himself standing in front of the old building he was familiar with in the last couple of weeks.
"Yuki-kun, you are here! Come in!" The rusty voice of an old woman greeted him from inside the building.
Yuki shook his head, entering the building quickly while putting his bag down on one of the chairs there. "Good evening, Sachi-baasan." He greeted the old woman politely.
Yuki let out a deep sigh as he was trying to take his mind off the conversation with the Silvestri couple before and started doing his work, turning on one of the laptops there while checking for a stack of books on the desk. Sachi glanced at him from behind her crescent moon glasses before asking, "So, what is bothering you, my boy?"
Yuki's body straightened for a second before he shook his head. "Nothing, Baasan."
Sachi snorted lightly. "If you don't want to share, I don't mind. But I hope you don't think you need to lie to me, okay?"
Yuki closed his eyes for a second before letting out another deep sigh. "What gives it away?"
"Well, unlike the usual, you come here alone and not with Riku-kun or Kato-chan, and I have seen you coming from afar and you didn't even realize you were walking here, looking so surprised the moment you heard my voice. If that is not telling about a man full of problems, I don't know what is."
Yuki snorted back at her. "That's funny. If I don't know better, I would mistake you for a detective, Baasan."
"What makes you think I am not one already?" She grinned cheekily while waving a Sherlock Holmes book in her hand. They both laughed merrily at the bad joke she made, lightening up the atmosphere.
After spending a few seconds in silence with him waiting for his laptop to be ready while Sachi was waiting for him to say, Yuki finally sighed, decided to trust his instinct, and told her the story.
"I received a big offer today, Baasan."
"Oh?" Sachi raised her eyebrows, putting down the book in her hand.
After that, without even being commanded to, the story came out of his mouth as he recounted the conversation that he had with the Silvestri couple from A to Z. Sachi listened to her words patiently without interrupting even for once, sometimes even nodding in understanding or shaking her head in disagreement to show her stance.
Yuki took about fifteen minutes to finish the story, and when he finally did it, he sighed in relief, and this time was a true relief that came from inside his heart. Before this, he didn't know he needed to tell someone about it, but he was glad Sachi was here to listen.
"So, what do you think, Baasan?" He asked.
Sachi smiled for a moment before saying, "Well, what I am thinking right now is you need a glass of water to relieve your throat first." She offered him a glass of water.
Yuki chuckled as he accepted it. "Well, you are not wrong. Thank you, Baasan."
"As for your story…" Sachi waited until Yuki finished his drink. "You are offered a sponsorship that would pay your school for the next three years and still give you pocket money better than what you could earn here, and the only thing you need to do is to keep your grade in the top ten of your class and help the volleyball team? I don't know why you are so hesitant at this point. This looks like a steal in my eyes."
"I don't know…."
"Wait, let me guess it first!" Sachi stopped him from explaining more, fixing the angle of the glasses on her face so she could look more like a detective. Yuki snorted, couldn't help but smile a little at that. "If I were you, I have two reasons to hesitate. First, this deal is too good to be true, and second, you feel responsible for helping the orphanage, especially after your matron had to go to the hospital a week ago, is that right?"
Yuki threw his face away, couldn't help but feel embarrassed to get read like an open book by Sachi. Still, he had to admit the words came from the older woman was right. For the first reason, he could count the times he met the Silvestri family with one hand, so for them to be this kind was something unnerving. And for the second, right when he was determined to help the orphanage, this kind of offer came, and it would be a lie if Yuki said he wasn't shaken off by it. Still, he felt guilty when he thought it would just be him who received all of this and not the others.
"Well, if you are still hesitant about this Silvestri couple, you can research them once again after you go home, either asking your sensei or diving into the internet. They are former professional players, right? It should be easy for you to find the information about them." Sachi advised him patiently.
"As for your feeling toward the orphanage, hey, it is not like you are leaving them! You are still living in the orphanage, and the money you earn will be a lot compared to working here! You don't even have to work hard anymore, just fulfill your promise to help the volleyball team and you can use your free time to accompany your little siblings. Isn't that a win-win solution?"
"I guess you are right…" Yuki sighed, putting the glass on the desk.
Seeing the hesitation still lingered on his face, Sachi rose from her seat, decided to give him one more advice. "Listen, Yuki-kun, sometimes, the more you think about it, the more hesitant you will become, always weighing the pros and the contras. But sometimes, the only need to listen about what you need or what you want is," She poked Yuki's chest, "Right here."
Yuki glanced at the place where he got poked. "…My heart?"
"That's right, because this," Sachi flicked his forehead then, "Is not always as helpful as you think."
Yuki rubbed his forehead, frowning. But after a moment, he gave a tentative nod. He realized that he genuinely appreciated this entire conversation.
"I don't know how you wouldn't cringe even after giving such cliché advice like that, Baasan." Yuki chuckled a little.
"Bah! I am an old woman! I can be as cliché as I want and no one would give a shit!" She waved her hand nonchalantly, making a rude gesture that would make her two granddaughters frown in disapproval.
Yuki's grin widened as he couldn't help but tease her. "Should you try to prevent me from accepting the offer? I mean, I wouldn't work here as often as I do right now if my financial situation was better, you know?"
"Bah! I don't believe it! I know you will get dragged by Kato-chan tomorrow and everything will just go as usual!"
Yuki laughed, knowing that she was right. For a moment, they both chatted and laughed with each other, the more than 50 years gap between their age was like nothing there. Inwardly, Yuki was glad he had this talk with Sachi. The old woman might be strange sometimes, but she could always come out with genuine advice. And while he was still hesitant about everything, at least he could see the truth behind her words.
Sometimes, the only thing that he needed to listen to was his heart.