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Of all the nights to run away from her husband, of course Mayumi had to pick one where it was absolutely pouring with rain. Just her luck, really.
Ushering Ryuji closer to her, so that he would be shielded from the rain by her umbrella, she searched the backstreets of Tokyo for any place they might be able to stay until the rain passed.
Not very far away there was a small cafe with Leblanc written on the awning, which still had its lights on. Taking a closer look, Mayumi could see that the sign was still flipped to open and, looking through the window, she could see a man standing behind the counter.
Swallowing her nerves (and a little bit of her pride), she stepped inside.
The man turned around as they entered, slinging a tea towel over his shoulder. “Oh hey, what do you…” Upon seeing her drenched face, he smiled, in a way that was more welcoming than anywhere else they had met before. He was an older man, around Mayumi’s age, with wire framed glasses and a graying beard. There was something oddly world-weary about him, but he still had a comforting presence.
“We’re not… interested right now. We just needed somewhere to get away from the rain.” Mayumi panted as she put away her umbrella, cringing a little at the way it dripped water all over the floor.
The man gave a good natured chuckle. “Heh, I know how that is. There’s an umbrella next to the counter if you need one. You two can stay here as long as you need.”
“Thank you… thank you so much…” Mayumi’s cheeks were damp, but she couldn’t tell if it was because she was crying, or if that was just what was left of the rain on her.
She was a little startled when he tossed the tea towel he was holding to her. “Dry yourself off a bit,” he muttered, turning around to reach for his coffee maker. “How do you take your coffee?”
“I’m not sure I’ll have enough money to pay you…” mumbled Mayumi, unable to meet the man’s eyes.
The man didn’t stop his careful, practiced moments. “I didn’t say you had to pay. It’s on the house.”
Mayumi managed a small smile at that. “Oh… thank you.”
“It’s no trouble,” replied the man, pushing a cup of coffee towards her and a smaller cup of hot chocolate towards Ryuji. “That should warm you both up. I’m Sojiro Sakura, by the way.”
Taking a sip of the coffee, she replied, “I’m Mayumi Sakamoto, and this is Ryuji.” It had been so long since she last referred to herself with her maiden name…
Ryuji, for his credit, mumbled a hello, before glaring at Sojiro between sips of his hot chocolate. His worried face was relieved somewhat as his chocolate mustache formed above his lips. Even if this Sakura man was suspicious, he made good hot chocolate…
Mom seemed to like him too. Maybe he wasn’t so bad after all?
Mayumi, on the other hand, was happy to engage in some small talk with Sojiro, until he finally bit the bullet and asked, “Why are you two out so late? Especially with a child…”
Ryuji clutched his dinosaur backpack - the only thing that had managed to bring with them when they left - even close to his chest, glancing towards Mayumi, clearly expecting her to come up with an excuse for them.
And, like always, Mayumi faltered.
“Umm… Ryuji wanted to… that is, we’re on a little… trip right now.”
“A trip?” questioned Sojiro, eyeing the pair curiously. “If that’s the case, where is your luggage?”
“I…”
Sojiro leaned in a little too close, making Mayumi flinch away. “Sakamoto-san, is everything okay? You’re acting very strangely.”
“I know, it’s just…” Mayumi saw Ryuji looking at the two of them innocently, then turned back to Sojiro. “It’s been a long day, okay?”
“I understand. Been a long day for me, too. A long month, really…”
“Did- did something happen?”
“Apologies, but I’m not comfortable sharing that with you right now, Sakamoto,” mumbled Sojiro, scratching at the back of his neck. “Maybe some other time, if we meet again.”
Mayumi took another sip of her coffee. “Maybe…” She finished much faster than she anticipated, and all she could do was stare at an empty cup, wondering what to do next.
“Come on, Ryuji. We need to go now,” she said, putting a hand to his back to usher him towards the door.
“Okay, mom…”
“Are you two heading home now?” Sojiro asked, causing Mayumi to freeze, still holding Ryuji’s hand. “The rain’s still pouring.”
Hesitating in the doorway, Mayumi turned around, scrutinizing Sojiro’s face, trying to gauge his intentions. There was nothing cold or cruel behind his eyes, but she had thought the same about Takeshi when they first started dating…
“No, we’re not…” She felt Ryuji tugging at her trousers. “We don’t… have one right now.”
“... really now?”
“We couldn’t stay in our home any longer. It wasn’t safe for me or Ryuji.”
Something in Sojiro’s voice turned soft. “So… you’re homeless?”
“Yes…”
Ryuji tugged at Mayumi’s trousers again and whispered. “Can’t we stay here, Mommy? I like him. He makes nice hot chocolate.”
A part of Mayumi’s heart splintered at Ryuji’s childish request - a part of her heart that she was sure was destroyed long ago - and she felt compelled to ask. There was no harm in asking, after all. Maybe, just maybe, this gentle man who makes good coffee and better hot chocolate will be willing to offer them a helping hand.
“I’m sorry, I know it’s too much to ask, but I’ll do anything you ask! I can work here and you don’t have to pay me, I… I…” Mayumi started choking up on her tears.
“Mayumi…” Sojiro took her shoulders. “You don’t have to do any of that stuff. Besides, if you didn’t stay here, you could’ve ended up somewhere far worse.”
“You… how do I… why?” Mayumi stuttered.
“I don’t need a reason to help you other than the fact that you need it. Besides, it could make the place a little less lonely. I love my daughter, but having another adult around would be nice.”
Mayumi pulled Sojiro into a hug, sobbing into his neck. “Thank you… thank you so much! You don’t know how much this means to us. Thank you…”
Surprisingly, Sojiro let her cry, even though she was getting her tears all over his shirt.
Maybe she and Ryuji really could have a life here?
It was nice to dream…
***
As it turned out, there was an empty attic room above Leblanc that had been used as a storage room for a while. It was dusty and there was a weird smell in the air that wouldn’t go away, even when they opened the window, but somehow, Mayumi felt safer there than she ever did while she and Ryuji lived with Takeshi.
There was only one bed in the attic room, which was really just a mattress propped up on some cinder blocks, and Mayumi decided that Ryuji would sleep there. She’d have to settle with sleeping on the ratty, old couch. At least it would be more comfortable than sleeping rough.
Ryuji looked around the room, oddly quiet for how Mayumi normally saw him act. He then noticed one of the sheets covering the shelves was moving with a strange bump underneath it.
“Ryuji, you shouldn’t be-“
But it was too late, Ryuji had already pulled up one of the sheets, and a small orange-haired girl was revealed to be under there.
Mayumi’s ears were still ringing minutes after the two of them screamed.
The little girl ran over to Sojiro, and hid her face in his trouser leg. She was shaking, and Mayumi could hear faint crying.
“I’m so sorry!” Mayumi apologized, hands clenched together as she ushered Ryuji towards her. “Ryuji tends to explore new places a lot and I had no idea she was here!”
“No, it’s my fault for not telling you that she was up here,” Sojiro insisted, patting the girl on the head. “Futaba startles very easily, and she’s not great with strangers, so she usually stays up here while I’m at work.”
“Dad, who are they?” mumbled Futaba, glancing over at Mayumi and Ryuji.
Sojiro scratched at the back of his neck - it seemed to be a nervous habit of his - and replied, “Their names are Ryuji and Mayumi Sakamoto. They’re going to be living here for a bit.”
Futaba cocked her head to the side. “Why? Can’t they stay at their house?”
Faltering a little, Sojiro said, “Their house isn’t safe anymore, so they can’t stay there. Does that make sense?”
Though she still didn’t look completely convinced, Futaba nodded, still clinging to his trouser leg. “Hi… I’m Futaba Sakura,” she mumbled, looking down at the ground while waving at them. “Nice to meet you.”
Ryuji grinned. “I’m Ryuji Sakamoto, but you can call me Ryuji if you want. I’m really sorry that I scared you, that wasn’t very nice of me.”
Futaba managed a weak smile “… it’s okay.”
“It’s getting late; I should probably get Futaba to bed,” said Sojiro, picking up the small girl. “You and Ryuji should try and catch some sleep too.”
“Okay. Thank you again,.”
“Really, don’t mention it. One parent to another; it was the least I could do.”
“That explains a lot actually.” Mayumi thought out loud, tugging at her bangs. “Goodnight, Sakura-san.”
Sojiro gave her an easy smile. “Come on, you can call me Sojiro.”
“... goodnight, Sojiro.”
***
A few days passed with relative ease. Mayumi was slowly pulling her life back together, one thread at a time. One of the first things on her to-do list was to find a job. As much as she appreciated Sojiro’s kindness in allowing her and Ryuji to stay in Leblanc for free, she wasn’t interested in becoming indebted to the man, especially after what happened last time she tried that.
Finding a job proved much more difficult than she thought. She was poring over the adverts in a job magazine, when Sojiro came up behind her, placing down a cup of coffee. “What are you up to?” he asked.
She picked up the coffee and took a sip. “Still trying to find a job. There isn’t much on offer, though.”
“Well, what are you interested in? I got a couple people in the know if you need help.”
“That’s nice, but…” Mayumi’s voice trailed off as she silently denied his offer.
Sojiro offered her a small smile. “Mayumi, if you need help, just ask. I won’t bite.”
“Right.” Still, she waited for a moment before she continued. “Before I dropped out of college, I was interested in pursuing a medical degree. I’m qualified as a nurse, but I’m not sure if that’s enough for anywhere around here.”
“You happen to be in luck,” said Sojiro. “We happen to have a clinic right in this neighbourhood. The owner’s a regular of mine, so I can put in a good word for you, Sakamoto. In the meantime, you could always help out in Leblanc. We don’t make a ton of money, but I’d be able to pay you a decent enough wage.”
“Oh… that means a lot, Sakura-san.”
Stretching a little, Sojiro said, “Didn’t I say you could call me Sojiro?”
“Only if you call me Mayumi,” countered Mayumi, smiling a little as Sojiro’s face went a little red, and he turned away, grumbling something about having to check on Futaba. It was only as she watched him walk away that Mayumi realized she would have preferred it if he had stayed.
She wasn’t sure what to do about that.
***
Futaba didn’t like new people very much. She didn’t like loud people very much either.
Ryuji was both of those things, and he was everywhere she went now, but at least he had said sorry for scaring her, so she decided that he wasn’t too bad. Dad said that he and his mom were going to be staying for a while, and that she had to try to get along with him, since he’d be living in the cafe’s attic with her.
Which meant that she had lost her favorite hiding spot.
It was something that she’d completely forgotten about until she was startled by an unfamiliar customer and ran up into the attic to hide. There was Ryuji again, sitting on the couch that her dad had cleaned up, meaning the cover that she loved to hide under was gone.
“That’s my spot.”
“I don’t see your name on it!”
“I was here first! Where’s the cover?”
“There’s like a million other beige blanket thingies in this place! You can just use one of those.”
Reluctantly, Futaba chose the one near the shelves. She didn’t know what Ryuji was doing here, and all she could hear was him turning the TV on, and a familiar tune played.
To cope with the boy stealing what was rightfully hers, she hummed along to the theme, tears in her eyes.
She heard Ryuji ask, “You watch this show too? Neo Featherman is my favorite.”
Nodding, Futaba shuffled a little closer. “I used to watch it with my mom. Who’s your favorite Ranger?”
“Yellow Owl,” replied Ryuji, grinning ear to ear. “He’s the coolest.”
Futaba snorted. “That’s basic. Everyone loves him.”
“Well, who’s your favorite?” grumbled Ryuji, crossing his arms petulantly.
“Green Parakeet, because I have taste,” replied Futaba, moving out of the cover so she could see the television properly.
She had no idea why, but that made Ryuji laugh out loud, and he grabbed ahold of the remote to turn the sound up a bit. “Wanna watch it with me?”
Hesitating for a moment, Futaba finally sat down right next to Ryuji, pulling the cover off of the shelf over herself. “Yeah. I haven’t had someone to watch it with in ages…” Ryuji sneezed, and Futaba giggled at the kitten-like sound.
“Sorry, it tends to get a bit dusty in this room. You’ll get used to it.”
With that, the pair settled down for a Neo Featherman marathon, neither of them noticing how much time had passed until the sun started to go down. Yawning a little, Ryuji mumbled, “It’s getting late, won’t your dad want to know where you are?”
“He knows I’m here,” replied Futaba. “Plus, he was the one who wanted me to be your friend in the first place.”
“... okay.” Ryuji yawned again, louder this time, and leant his head against Futaba’s shoulder. “You know, I always wanted a little sister.”
Futaba’s eyes widened at that, but when she turned to look at him, Ryuji was already fast asleep.
Eventually, she decided that, knowing the rest of her family, she could have a much worse big brother, even if Ryuji was a bit annoying sometimes.
Soon enough, they were both fast asleep, cuddling on the couch.
***
Some things changed quite drastically over the next few weeks.
For one, Futaba and Ryuji had become thicker than thieves, and would spend most of their time in the attic (which was now Ryuji and Mayumi’s room) watching Neo Featherman. Sojiro had to tell them to turn down the volume a few times, but he was more than happy that they were getting along.
Mayumi started her job at Takemi’s clinic, and agreed to help Sojiro at Leblanc on her days off in return for a reasonable wage. Unfortunately, she had started working at the clinic right in the middle of flu season, and came down with a nasty bug as a result of that.
Ryuji and Futaba had both agreed to do their best to take care of her during that time. While Ryuji had wanted to stay off school to look after his mom, Sojiro had gently insisted that he still go to class. While Futaba would check up on Mayumi every so often (Sojiro insisted that she wear a mask in that room, despite Futaba’s sensory issues when it came to them, she managed for her), Ryuji offered to help Sojiro with the cafe.
After a moment of consideration, Sojiro took the kid up on his offer. Even if Ryuji didn’t know how to make coffee or curry, he could at least carry the plates and cups over to the customers and do the washing up.
It was almost cute to see the intense concentration on Ryuji’s face as he scrubbed the dishes in the sink. He was so short that he had to stand on a stepstool and even then, he had to stand on his tiptoes to properly reach. He never saw Ryuji as the dishwashing type in the first place, but as Ryuji very excitedly told him, he did the dishes for his mom most days before they ran away.
One of Sojiro’s regulars - an elderly man named Hiroshi - gave Ryuji a scrutinising look. “Sakura, where did you get this kid from? Is he another one of yours?”
Sojiro chuckled. “Not quite. Ryuji and his mom are staying with me for a bit. They’re… old family friends.”
“Ah, I see,” said Hiroshi. “Well, he’s a very helpful young man.”
“Thank you, Mister!”
Eventually, Hiroshi finished his coffee and paid, leaving a small tip with his bill, which Sojiro gave to Ryuji. “Don’t go spending it all in one place now, okay?”
“What are you, my dad?” Ryuji snorted. When he realized what he had said, he froze. “I didn’t mean it like that,” he hastily added. “That would be ‘effing weird.”
“Hey, language,” Sojiro chastised. “Your mother wouldn’t like it if I let you swear.”
“Come on, ‘eff isn’t a swear word,” Ryuji grumbled.
Sojiro didn’t budge. “It’s about the principle of the matter.”
“Whatever… sorry, I guess.”
Since he probably wasn’t going to get much more out of the kid, Sojiro eventually let it go. He could lecture the kid about appropriate language another day. “In any case, I should close up soon. Why don’t you head upstairs and check on your mom for me?” Sojiro suggested.
“Right, I’ve been at this for way too long.” Ryuji quickly agreed, hanging up his apron on the hook by the door. Going for the stairs, he hesitated. “Sojiro?”
Sojiro looked up from his washing up. “Yeah?”
“… thank you.”
“No problem, lad.”
***
Things had been quiet for a few weeks. Since it was April, school was about to start up again, much to Ryuji’s horror and Futaba’s ambivalence. Ryuji was going to attend the local elementary school, and Futaba planned to continue her online schooling for at least another year. While Ryuji had helped break her out of her shell a little, she definitely had a long way to go until she was ready for in-person school.
Mayumi’s job with Tae had been going well too, and the doctor had nothing but positive things to say about her new employee. Given how easily she picked up everything related to the cafe, Sojiro wasn’t surprised. Mayumi was a brilliant woman in every sense of the word. All she needed was a chance to prove herself.
There was a chance that Sojiro felt more for Mayumi than feelings of admiration. Regardless, it wasn’t the time for him to express those feelings; Mayumi had only just gotten out of an abusive marriage. Out of respect for his newfound friend, Sojiro decided that it would be best if he kept his newly discovered feelings to himself.
It should have been another normal night at the cafe. Mayumi was working well with a smile on her face. In a way, Sojiro almost couldn’t remember a time when Mayumi hadn’t been here, though maybe that was some experiences before then blending together. Whatever it was, it felt nice to work in tandem with another person. That period of downtime before closing had a sort of ease in the ending of the day.
Then the bell rang, and Mayumi dove into the storage cupboard upon seeing who it was. A man Sojiro didn’t recognize, but judging from her reaction, he knew it couldn’t have been good.
Still, he put on a brave face, and simply asked, “Do you need anything?”
“Where is she?” demanded the man, his voice low and dangerous.
Sojiro decided to play dumb, for now. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“My wife. Where is she?” shouted the stranger, slamming a fist onto the countertop. Sojiro could see Mayumi flinch a little at his voice, and he was grateful that she was hidden, and that their children were safely out of sight upstairs. He really hoped Futaba and Ryuji had the common sense to not come downstairs while there was such a commotion going on.
“Sir, I’m going to have to ask you to lower your voice,” Sojiro insisted, stepping around the countertop, “or you will have to leave my store.”
The man grabbed onto the collar of Sojiro’s shirt. “Fuck you. I know you’re hiding her somewhere. So, where is she?” Every syllable came out of the man’s mouth sharp and gritted. “I finally find the place where I can get the ONE thing I’ve been owed all my life and you can’t even give me the fucking time of day?”
“You can’t own a person like that,” Sojiro said, fighting every instinct in his body to stay calm. “She owes you nothing.”
“She’s my wife.”
Sojiro felt rage flare through him. “And you’re a bastard. What’s your point?”
“I ought to fucking -”
The stranger didn’t get a chance to land a single punch. Years of combat training kicked in, and Sojiro grabbed the man’s shoulders, easily throwing him to the ground. Honestly, he had probably used far more force than was reasonable against a civilian, but he wasn’t interested in showing this man any mercy.
Grabbing him by his collar, Sojiro lowered his face until it was inches away from the stranger’s. “If I see you in my place of business again, then I will be forced to take more drastic measures. Do you understand me?”
“You bastard!”
Sojiro only tightened his grip. “Do you understand me? Now leave .”
Grumbling as he went, Mayumi’s husband skulked away, no doubt to nurse his wounds, leaving Sojiro standing in the middle of his cafe, with no idea of what to do next.
He had just assaulted a man to defend a woman he had only known for a few weeks. A man who had threatened the safety of both of their children, as well as Mayumi herself. Speaking of Mayumi, the woman was still hiding in the storage cupboard, no doubt terrified out of her mind. He really ought to check on her…
Knocking on the door, he called her name. “Mayumi? It’s me, Sojiro. Are you okay?”
There was a moment of silence before Mayumi quietly replied, “I’m okay, I just need a second. I'll come out soon, I promise.”
While her voice was a little shaky, she didn’t seem as scared as Sojiro worried she might have been, so he decided to take her at her word and let her come out in her own time.
Now as for what to do next, he took a moment to remember what exactly he was doing before that incident. He was just about to close up shop and…
Ryuji and Futaba.
He had left the kids totally alone; they must have been freaking out! He could only imagine how Ryuji was feeling after hearing his dad’s voice again, and there was a good chance that hearing so much yelling would send Futaba into a panic attack, considering what happened to her when she was living with Youji.
He dashed upstairs to see Ryuji holding onto Futaba, but didn’t have time to talk to them before getting a fist to the face from Ryuji.
Talk about karma…
While his eyes were closed and he clutched his nose in pain, he heard Ryuji yelp. “Sojiro?! I am SO sorry! I heard Dad downstairs, and I thought he was coming up here, and-”
“No, no you’re good.” Sojiro assured him. “Thank you for protecting my daughter.”
Ryuji didn’t look convinced. “You sure you’re okay? I think I hit you pretty hard.”
Sojiro finally opened his eyes and recuperated. “Yeah, I would’ve done the exact same thing if I were you.”
“So you’re not mad at me?” Ryuji asked in a high-pitched, worried tone.
“No, just really feeling that karma considering I did the same thing to your dad.”
“You did what ?!” Ryuji’s fear immediately vanished, his jaw dropping at Sojiro.
“Dad’s tougher than he looks!” Futaba piped up. “He used to be in the government!”
“I had no idea…” Ryuji mumbled, looking a little sheepish. “Is Mom okay?”
Nodding, Sojiro replied, “Your mom’s fine, lad. He didn’t even see her by the time I took care of him.”
“... thank you.”
“Don’t worry about it, kid.” Sojiro stretched out his bruised knuckles. They were gonna hurt like hell tomorrow…
Worth it.
“Why don’t we all head downstairs?” he suggested. “I think your mom would be happy to see you and make sure you’re okay. I’ll make us some hot chocolate.”
“Yes please!” exclaimed Futaba, hugging Sojiro. Though he acted uninterested, Sojiro could tell Ryuji was excited too.
He was glad that he invited Mayumi and her son to stay with them.
***
Ryuji didn’t hate many things.
He hated thunderstorms. He hated it when his mom put mushrooms in his curry. He hated bullies.
The thing he really hated was his dad.
Takeshi was the worst! He always made Mayumi feel scared, and there was nothing Ryuji could do about it without making Takeshi even more mad. Every day living with him was like walking on eggshells, just waiting to crunch underneath your feet and leave a mess.
And the worst part was that Ryuji looked way too much like his dad. They had the same widow’s peak, the same dark hair, even the same shaped nose. The only thing he really got from Mom were her eyes.
The more he grew up, the more similarities he found between himself and Takeshi.
Which gave him one more thing to hate.
Himself.
He figured there wasn’t anything he could do about it, barring shaving his head or something stupid like that, so he did his best to let it go.
One day, he and Futaba were watching Neo Featherman, and Ryuji finally worked up the courage to ask Futaba something he had wanted to know for a while. Glancing over at Futaba, he asked, “How’d you get it to look like that?”
The girl raised an eyebrow. “What?”
“Your hair, dude!”
Futaba shrugged. “Well I never really knew my dad, but I think the straight hair comes from Mom. Sojiro showed me a couple pictures of her before, and her hair was pretty straight.”
“No, not that!” Ryuji noogied Futaba, causing her to shove him away with mock annoyance. “Where’d you get the carrot top?”
Fidgeting with the ends of her hair, Futaba replied, “Oh, that. My dad helped me dye it.”
“Just like that?”
“Oh yeah, he lets me do a lot of things. Unrestricted internet access, cafe security, embezzlement of money stolen from him…”
“What?”
“That last one was a joke,” Futaba assured him, even if he could clearly hear her mumble, “As far as you know…”
Ryuji snickered a little. For all her grumpy demeanor, Futaba was pretty funny. “Think he’ll help me dye mine?”
Futaba threw her hands up. “I don’t know! He’s not your dad!” she snapped. “What does your mom think about it?”
“Never bothered to ask her. I just know my teachers would kill me if I tried.”
“If they ever try, I’ll make sure Sojiro gets them fired!”
“He can do that?”
“Last time I went to an in-person school he did that to some ableist teacher I had. Punched him in the face and everything!”
“Woah… so where do we start?”
“Eh, I couldn’t decide what color I wanted to dye my own hair at first. I think I got the options I was considering somewhere…” Futaba dug around one of the drawers until she found a small pamphlet, which had a bunch of pictures of women with differently coloured hair. “You’d look good with orange hair,” she said, pointing at a woman with a short orange bob.
Ryuji scrunched his face up in disgust. “You can pull it off, but I don’t think I could.”
“You’re just jealous that you don’t look this good,” Futaba grinned. “What color do you want, then?”
Thinking for a minute, Ryuji eventually pointed to a picture of a woman with bleached blonde hair. “I saw a guy with hair like this in a movie,” he explained. “That guy was so cool! He beat up like twelve guys all by himself!”
With the color picked out, Futaba and Ryuji went downstairs to tell Sojiro they were walking to the corner store, which sold - among other things - hair dye.
“Come on, we can be orange twins!” Futaba insisted, as they walked down the streets of Yongen-Jaya together. “Come on, you know you want to.”
“No, ‘taba.”
“Please?”
Ryuji chuckled, affectionately bumping his shoulder against hers. “Futaba, nothing you say is gonna convince me.”
“It’ll convince people that you’re my brother.”
“We’re not even siblings,” countered Ryuji. “Besides, I don’t need orange hair to do that.”
“Fine… I still think you’d look good as a redhead.”
With the hair dye picked out, they returned home, sneaking right past Sojiro and Mayumi, who were spending a quiet evening together in the kitchen, sipping coffee and chatting.
“Are you sure you know how to do this?” Ryuji asked Futaba one last time, curiously watching her set everything up.
Futaba nodded. “Yeah, I remember what Sojiro did when he dyed mine. I can handle it.”
“Just making sure…”
“Come on, I’m not gonna totally mess it up,” Futaba insisted, pulling Ryuji over to the sink. “Have a little faith in me.”
Despite everything, Ryuji really did trust Futaba, which surprised him. They had been total strangers only a few weeks ago.
“Okay, okay. Go for it.”
Besides, what was the worst that could happen?
***
Sojiro was having a wonderful time with Mayumi, when he realized something. Their children were being awfully quiet.
And that was worrying because he knew exactly what his daughter could get up to if left to her own devices. Things like hacking into government servers and dismantling whole websites because the CEOs canceled a show she liked. He could only begin to imagine the trouble she was roping Ryuji into.
“I’m sure it’s nothing.” Mayumi waved it off. “If anything, the two have been canceling each other out. I’ve never seen Ryuji so much calmer since he met Futaba.”
“You may well be right,” conceded Sojiro. “Having Ryuji around has really helped break Futaba out of her shell. Still, I think checking on them would be a good idea.”
The last thing either of them expected was to walk in on Futaba standing behind Ryuji, a packet of hair dye in one hand, as she smoothed through Ryuji’s badly bleached hair with the other. “I can fix this. I can fix this. I can-”
Upon hearing the sound of the door opening, she turned around, meeting Sojiro’s eyes, and realized that they had been caught.
“Hey, Dad,” she said, laughing nervously. “Uhhh… surprise?”
Sojiro didn’t even have it in him to be annoyed. Instead, he took the hair dye from Futaba’s hands, muttering to himself, “If you’re going to do it, at least do it right.”
Looking to Mayumi for permission - who merely smiled and nodded - Sojiro set about properly bleaching and dying Ryuji’s hair for him.
“Still think it should have been orange,” Futaba taunted, making Ryuji blush bright red.
What had started out as a moment of childish rebellion became a moment for them all to come together as family…
…even if they hadn’t realized it yet.
***
It had been close to a month since Mayumi first met Sojiro, and she couldn’t imagine her life without him. In the short time they had known each other, Sojiro had become one of her closest friends, and she began to ponder her true feelings about the man.
Spending time with Sojiro came with an ease that Mayumi had never felt when she was around anyone else. Still, it took her a long time to understand that her feelings were anything more than platonic. In fact, she only realized that when she was getting boba tea with Tae. Sojiro sent her a picture of the kids playing video games together, making Mayumi smile warmly, sending him a heart in reply.
“You know, I’ve never seen anyone else make you smile like that,” Tae remarked, sipping her boba tea. “When are you going to tell him how you feel?”
Mayum furrowed her eyebrows, placing down her cup. “What do you mean?”
“I figured you would have realized by now,” Tae chuckled. “You look at that man like he’s… special to you.”
“Oh, it’s nothing…” She stopped before she finished. “Okay, maybe it’s a little something. I wouldn’t want to bother him though, Sojiro is far too generous to me already. I’ve burdened him too much already.
The look Tae gave her was almost pitying. “I really don't think that's true… still, it’s something to think about,” she remarked, returning to her drink.
Mayumi tried to put the conversation out of her mind, as she returned to Leblanc for the evening. Unfortunately for her, Sojiro was there behind the counter, which only made the thoughts return full force.
Perhaps Tae was right?
But then her mind shifted to what she said about Sojiro.
He’s far too generous to me already. I owe him way too much.
So when she saw Sojiro with no other noise to distract the two of them under the whirring of some machines, she asked, “Hey, Sojiro. It’s been long enough that I need to ask you something?”
“Go ahead,” He said calmly, wiping down the countertops. “I’m in no rush.”
“Are we… no…” She shook her head. “Am I a burden to you?”
That made Sojiro pause. “What are you talking about?”
“You’ve helped me so much. You’ve given me a home, a job, a life . I’m starting to wonder how you could do so much for me and expect nothing back,” Mayumi said, tears gathering in her eyes, though she tried to stop them.
Sojiro stepped around the counter, a gentle hand on Mayumi’s shoulder. “You’re not a burden to me. Not at all; you’re my friend. When we first met, I offered to let you stay here because I worried about your safety. I wouldn’t have been able to sleep at night if I let you and Ryuji sleep rough. Anything could have happened to you.”
“You’re such a worrywart,” Mayumi sniffed.
“I kind of have to be,” Sojiro laughed. “Let’s just say that Futaba’s given me her fair share of gray hairs over the years and leave it at that.”
Mayumi managed a tiny smile. “Ryuji did the same for me.”
“Did Tae say something when you two went out for drinks?” Sojiro asked. “You usually don’t get this worked up over nothing.”
With a tiny sigh, Mayumi admitted, “She said she thought I had feelings for you.”
“And you… don’t?”
Mayumi hesitated. “I’m not sure…”
“ Oh .”
Mayumi could practically hear the realization in Sojiro’s voice.
Doing her best to gather herself, she managed to make herself speak. “Nevermind, don’t worry about it.”
“Mayumi, if you like me, I understand. I know I’ve had my fair share of women flock over to me in my day.” Sojiro’s tone was lighthearted, making Mayumi relax a little.
“Did any of them stick around?” Mayumi asked, breathing heavily.
“Well… none of them ever confessed to me quite like you did.”
Mayumi covered her mouth. “Sojiro…”
“Let’s try it,” Sojiro said at last. “Kissing I mean. If it doesn’t make you feel anything, then we can stay friends, but if it does…”
Mayumi looked up, meeting Sojiro’s eyes. “If it does..?”
For the first time since they started speaking, Sojiro was the one to look hesitant. “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”
“O-okay.”
A moment passed between them where neither moved, each waiting for the other to make the first move. Then, they both moved at once, bridging the gap. The moment felt long, and yet so brief, as they pulled away, they both found themselves wanting more.
Mayumi felt a swell of something warm in her chest; she was certain now that it was romantic affection.
Suddenly, a shout shattered the moment.
Futaba, standing in the doorway to Leblanc, had yelped Sojiro’s name, more out of surprise than anything. Giving him and Mayumi a confused and heartbroken glare, she bolted out the café, slamming the door behind her.
“Should we… check on her?” Mayumi asked, still gripping Sojiro’s shoulders.
“I’ll try to calm her down, but…” Sojiro rubbed the bridge of his nose with his free hand. “I haven’t been completely honest with you, Mayumi.”
“You haven’t?”
“There’s someone I haven’t told you about. Futaba’s mother. Her name was Wakaba.”
“Was?”
“She passed away a little over a year ago. There’s a lot I have to tell you about her.”
“Maybe you should start at the beginning?”
***
Now that Mayumi knew more about Futaba’s mother, she wondered why Sojiro hadn’t told her everything sooner. Still, she understood that he wasn’t ready to tell her until then. Grief could be a powerful thing; she knew that.
As they returned to Sojiro’s house, Mayumi found Ryuji sitting on the stairs.
“Futaba’s really upset and I don’t know why,” he blurted as soon as he saw her. “She ran right past me into her room. I didn’t want to go in without asking.”
“Good lad,” said Sojiro. “Let me go talk to her.”
Mayumi stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. “Wait, I’d like a chance to talk to her,” she stated. “I think we have some things we need to say to each other.”
Sojiro looked skeptical. “If you’re sure…”
Nodding, Mayumi replied, “I’ve got this. Why don’t you take Ryuji downstairs? He looks a little shaken up.”
“I’m not shaken up!” Ryuji exclaimed. Eventually, Sojiro was able to bribe him downstairs with the promise of hot chocolate, leaving Mayumi alone, standing outside Futaba’s bedroom.
She knocked on the door once, but got no reply. Trying the handle, she found that it was unlocked. Perhaps Futaba didn’t want to block her out as much as Mayumi initially thought?
When she entered Futaba’s room, the girl didn’t even look at her, merely reacting with a weak, “Go away.”
Mayumi did not leave. “I think we need to talk.”
“I’m not gonna let you replace mom,” grumbled Futaba, head pressed against her knees.
Considering her options for a moment, Mayumi sat down next to Futaba, trying not to be offended when Futaba shuffled away from her. “I’m not trying to replace your mom, Futaba.”
“Dad loves you in the same way he loved her,” Futaba said, her voice barely above a whisper.
Mayumi took a breath. “He does, and I love him too.”
Futaba sniffed, holding back tears. “That's not fair. Why does he have to stop loving Mom to love you?”
“He doesn’t,” Mayumi replied. “Wakaba is always going to be a person he loves, but that doesn’t mean he can’t love other people.”
“Promise?”
“I promise.”
Futaba reluctantly unwound herself, looking Mayumi in the eyes for the first time during their conversation. “Sorry I was so mean to you…”
Mayumi put an arm around Futaba’s shoulder. “Don’t be; you’re already forgiven.”
Their family had become complete… for now, anyway.