《Shinwa no Sekai》


 PROLOUGE - The unexpected event

    In a world named Shinwa no Sekai, there were people who had animal features. The way this world works is quite different than ours. There is a hierarchy ranking system in this world; the higher the species to which you belong, the more privileged you are, better opportunities, greater jobs, and respect and authority you can acquire. There are 3 powerful species that rival each other''s power, the kitsune species, which are people that have fox attributes. The people born into the "Kitsune" species are known to be beautiful, and extremely intelligent. The kitsune are known to have a fox tail and a pair of fox ears. The Kitsune species makes up most of the models. The most famous Kitsune family is known as the Yoshiko Clan. There is also a saying, the more tails you have, the higher your status, with 1 being the lowest and 9 being the highest.


    The second most powerful species is the "Neko" species. These species are known to be the laziest out of all the other species. They always try their best to get out of work and order others around. Though, in truth, the Neko''s just want to play around all the time, which makes them lazy. They say that a serious Neko only happens when something bad happens. Okane Clan is the famous clan from the Neko species, and they are known to have the most laziness characteristic out of all the Neko species. That being said, do not blame their laziness for being weak, they are dangerous when they seek revenge.


    The last but not least powerful species are the wolf species. Unlike the kitsune and the Neko species, the wolf species built their fame by being the most trustworthy, loyal and bravest species out of all the other species. The wolf species most famous clan is the Uehara Clan, as almost all of their members are law enforcers and lawyers, and the eldest child of this clan usually ends up being the leader of the police department. They say once a wolf is on your tracks, there is nowhere for you to run.


    Now in a town named Haimamoto, A baby boy was being born into this world to a wonderful couple. The hours of labor and delivery had been exhausting, but when Mrs. Hikaru saw her newborn son, the new mother felt a sense of joy and relief as she held her newborn in her arms. She cried tears of joy at the sight of her newborn child. After a while, they were moved to a different room, where the baby was placed on a bed specifically made for newborns. They put Mrs. Hikaru in a better bed that could help her body rest from the painful labor she went through.


    Mr. Hikaru who was following them closely, then went to the side of his newborn baby as he looked at his wife, he said,


    With a smile, Mr. Hikaru said, "Our son looks so cute, doesn''t he?"


    While exhausted, Mrs. Hikaru, with the strength she had left, smiled and said, "Yes, he indeed does, what should we name him?"


    Mr. Hikaru then started to think for a long time, as his wife just chuckled at how hard he was thinking. After 15 minutes of thinking, their baby was smiling brightly in his sleep, and then Mr. Hikaru and Mrs. Hikaru looked at each other as Mr. Hikaru started saying


    Proud of this magical moment, Mr. Hikaru said to his wife, "I think we should name our son Hiroshi Hikaru."


    With a playful curiosity filling her voice, Mrs. Hikaru replied, "What does it mean?"


    Mr. Hikaru replied with a voice full of certainty," It means "generous light. I want our child to grow up generous and full of light."


    Mrs. Hikaru cheerfully replied to her husband, "We will make sure that he will. That''s a wonderful name you have chosen, dear."


    -Fast forward to 5 years later-


    Hiroshi is now 5 years old and today would be his first day on kindergarten, as of right now, he is on the car with his parents and they are talking with each other


    While driving, Mr. Hikaru hits up a conversation with his son


    "So, Hiroshi, how are you feeling, bud?"


    With a powerful tone, Hirosh replied, "I am excited, dad! I''m finally going to school! "


    Mrs. Hikaru with a tone of worry said to her son,


    "Now, remember what we discussed, if you see a kitsune, a wolf, or a Neko, what do you do?"


    In a mature manner, Hiroshi replied, "If I see a kitsune, a Neko, or a wolf, I will show them respect."


    His parents looked at each other, and they smiled at each other as, at such a young age, Hiroshi was already showing maturity. Which is a good thing as this world is dangerous to normal people who weren''t born into a species and instead were just normal humans. They were treated as nothing more than low ranks, as they didn''t have anything special. So, with that in mind, being mature at a young age was a must for humans. You are considered lucky by others if you have friends from powerful species. That being said, most normal humans are unlucky due to the fact that they don''t get much help from the government.


    As they arrived at the school of Hiroshi, Mrs. Hikaru, Hiroshi''s mother, went with him to the classroom as she showed him the way. Mrs. Hikaru was smiling as Hiroshi, even though he was born normal with nothing, he was showing excitement to meet his fellow kindergartener. As they reached the class of Hiroshi, Mrs. Hikaru bid her son farewell and left him to his teacher and the classroom.


    The Teacher shouted with a flowery tone, "Ok, everyone! We should start introducing ourselves first, ok?"


    The teacher looked at the reaction of the children and saw some excitement in them and she started to speak again, saying


    Teacher, "My name is Chiasa Koizumi, I am from the rabbit species, as you can tell by my long ears."


    A boy with a pair of ears and a tail stood with absolute arrogance and said with a boastful tone, "My name is Yoshinori Sone. I am from the wolf species; I demand respect from all of you low-lifes"


    The teacher just awkwardly smiled at Yoshinori so in order to avoid conflict she immediately he pointed to another kid, and the kid stood up lazily upon seeing the teacher pointing at him


    With a sluggish moan, "My name is Izumi Ikari; I am from the neko species." then rapidly sat back down


    The teacher clapped her hands as she called another kid and this kid immediately stood up and she started saying


    In a surprising twist, the wolf girl politely said, "My name is Kiyomi Aoki, and I am from the wolf group. I hope all of us can be friends."


    The teacher then started to point to the other kids, and they all introduced themselves and the teacher smiled at how they introduced themselves. One by one, every one of them got done with their introductions until it was time for Hiroshi to introduce himself to everyone


    Slowly building up the courage, and with a friendly tone, Hiroshi said, "Hi, my name is Hiroshi Hikaru. I am from the human species. Nice to meet all of you." then sat down as gently as he could.


    "So then, why don''t we open our basic English book to page 11." the teacher instructed with a gentle tone


    As their teacher were teaching them, Hiroshi paid attention to the teacher, and he got what the teacher was explaining and teaching to them. He was smart for his age, as he was able to do the activities that his teacher gave to them. It wasn''t until a short time later; the bell rang, signifying that it was time for recess. So, Hiroshi took out his lunch box to see what his mother had prepared for him. Since he appeared to be the only one of the human species in that class, he sat by himself, what he did not expect was 2 people followed him to his table and sat down beside him.


    Hiroshi respectfully but curiously asked,


    "Why are you guys here, Miss Kiyomi and sir Izumi?"Bowing his head slightly as a show of respect.


    Izumi, with a lazy tone, said,


    "Don''t bow down, and just speak to us normally. Personally, I don''t see the reason of doing that." As he opened his lunch box


    Kiyomi, with kind intent, said,


    "I agree with Izumi here, Hiroshi, just because we are of higher species, it doesn''t mean you have to treat me and him with respect."After saying that, she also proceeded to eat


    Hiroshi, being shocked, just decided to nod as he ate and talked with Izumi and Aoki. The 3, while eating their food together and genuinely having fun with each other, decided to be friends with each other. The 3 seem close, even though it was the first day. They kept talking with each other as time went on.


    The bell rang again as it signaled it was time to continue their school, so Hiroshi, Kiyomi, and Izumi packed their lunchboxes and put them into their bags. They then sat down on their chairs as the teacher began to teach them. Hiroshi paid attention to the teacher, while Izumi, a neko, slept in class. Kiyomi tried to wake up Izumi; however, she was unsuccessful, so she just gave up and started to listen to the lesson.


    The teacher explained and discussed until the bell rang for the 3rd time, signaling that class was over. The teacher then assigned them their homework and the kids started to pack up their bags. As soon as Hiroshi finished packing, he started to walk towards the exit. Kiyomi and Izumi followed him and they started speaking until they were at the gate and saw their parents so they bid each other bye. Hiroshi ran up to his parents


    Hiroshi with a happy tone hugged his parents while shouting, "Mom! Dad!"


    His parents hugged him back and they entered the car after hugging each other, after the car started moving, they began to talk


    Mrs. Hikaru curiously asked her son, "So, did you enjoy the school?"


    Hiroshi overwhelmingly exclaimed, "Yes, mom, I enjoyed the school. I made 2 new friends today!"


    His mom smiled as his dad started speaking


    Mr. Hiroshi, "Oh, who are they, son?"


    Hiroshi: Izumi is from the neko species and Kiyomi is from the Wolf species.


    Parents were shocked from what he said,


    His parents were quiet for a few seconds due to the fear that Hiroshi might be betrayed and be bullied by the 2, so after some time of silence, they asked their son


    With concern for his future, Mrs. Hiroshi asked, "Are they kind to you, Hiroshi?"


    Hiroshi sensing the worry in the tone of his mother, he replied with a reassuring tone, "Yeah, mom, they were very kind to me and nice as well! We ate lunch together on the same table and talked while eating."


    Mr. Hiroshi with a somewhat relieved tone, "Well, just be careful, son. If they hurt you, just tell us, and we will put you in a different school."


    Hiroshi, seeing that his father was still worrying for him, he replied, "Don''t worry, dad! Kiyomi and Izumi were very nice to me. We talked a lot while eating, they were funny and seemed nice."


    His parents smiled, looking at each, they were sure that that it seemed like their son would have good friends. His dad then saw a McDonald''s, so he drove to it, going through the driveway. They ordered their food, and Hiroshi ordered a happy meal with nuggets. After they got their food, they started heading towards their home, talking with each other.


    As they arrived at their home, His dad parked their car in the garage as they got out of it. Hiroshi immediately went to the kitchen to eat his happy meal. His parents just smiled at how excited Hiroshi was to open it. After they ate the food they ordered, Hiroshi decided that he wanted a quick shower. He grabbed some clothes from his drawer, and went inside the shower.


    After some minutes, he finished showering, grabbed his books, and started to do the homework he received from his teacher. He started to answer math and then the rest of the other subjects. He finished after a few hours as he went to play some games before going to sleep. He was enjoying playing when his mother came to his room, knocking before opening the door


    Mrs. Hikaru, "Hiroshi? You should go to bed now; you still have school tomorrow."


    Hiroshi, "Ok, mom, I''ll go to sleep now. Goodnight mom."As he turned off his game and went to his bed.


    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    Mrs. Hikaru "Goodnight, son, sweet dreams." She turned off the lights of his room and left.


    After the door closed, the glow in the dark stars that Hiroshi''s parents put up on the ceiling of his room began to glow. He counted how many stars there were, and he slowly drifted off to sleep.


    As Hiroshi fell fast asleep, he began dreaming.


    Hiroshi found himself in a mystical forest, the leaves of the trees in this mystical forest were all white. It was a wonderful sight, seeing all of those wonderful whites up above his head


    Hiroshi asked to himself out loud with a tone filled with wonder, "What is this place?"


    As he wandered around, he could feel a gentle, cold breeze that somehow felt warm at the same time. The white leaves swayed alongside the breeze, and Hiroshi found the sight of it to be beautiful. Suddenly, a huge gust of wind happened forcing Hiroshi to shield himself, closing his eyes. When Hiroshi opened his eyes, he found a white, nine tailed fox beside his foot that was looking at him


    Hiroshi, "Whoa, a fox... Its white¡­." the sight left him stunned


    The white fox looked majestic all over, the fox''s fur looked like the softest one you will ever have; and the eyes of the fox had a pure purple color that suited the fox. Its majestic 9 tails swish from right to left. The fox was beautiful and majestic, in other words. Hiroshi tried to touch it, but the fox suddenly jumped towards his face. Expecting his face to be hit, he closed his eyes and waited for the impact. But it never came, so he opened his eyes and saw that the fox was nowhere to be seen. He looked to his back, and to the sides but there was no sign of the fox; it''s as if it had vanished. Suddenly, the majestic forest started to appear all blurry, and he heard the words


    "Wake up, Hiroshi. Wake up; you might be late to school." the voice sounded distorted to him


    The voice abruptly ends his dream


    Hiroshi woke up to be shaken up by his mother, as he opened his eyes and rubbed them, he looked at his mom


    Hiroshi, half awake, said, "Good morning, mom."


    Mrs. Hikaru gently asked, "Good morning, son, how was your sleep?"


    With a yawn, Hiroshi replied, "My sleep was fine, mom."


    Mrs. Hikaru, "Go take a shower and get into your uniform. Then come downstairs, breakfast is ready." She walked out of his room and went downstairs.


    Upon fully waking up, he went to the bathroom as he started to take a shower, taking off his clothes and then entering the shower space of his bathroom.


    *??? POV*


    As I woke up from my sleep, I sat up and thought to myself


    ???, "It would appear that my soulmate has been marked." - As I said this in my thought as I got up from my bed-


    I stretched as I walked towards my balcony and looked at my family''s garden, smiling as I saw the white flowers bloom and the servants taking care of them. I then started to think to myself again


    ???, "Though, that being said, I did not see any tail in that dream, but just the mark appearing in the cheeks of a person whose face was blurry. Is my soulmate a human?" As I asked myself in thought as I started to wonder about the possibility of my soulmate being a potential human.


    ???, "Controlling him would be easier if he were to be a normal human, and from what I heard from mother and father, humans are not prideful, so that is its own plus. However, it would also mean double security for him." I thought of this while walking back and forth my room, trying to see and weigh the cons and pros of all possibilities to be ready for it.


    While I kept pondering in thought, my 9 tails kept swishing back and forth. I then heard a knock in my bedroom door and I heard them say


    ???''s Butler, "Miss, breakfast is already being served, and your parents are waiting for you." -I heard the voice of my personal butler.-


    I decided to think about this later, after breakfast. After all, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. I changed my nightgown to something more, and once I was done changing, I opened the door to my room before proceeding to the dining hall, where I was greeted by my servants.


    *End of ??? POV*


    As Hiroshi finished showering, he put on his uniform as he went downstairs, and he greeted his father


    Hiroshi, "Good morning, dad!" He said this to his father as he sat down beside him.


    While busy reading the news, Mr. Hikaru asked, "Good morning, son, how was your sleep?"


    Hiroshi, "I slept well, dad, Thanks for asking. What''s for breakfast?" as his stomach started to growl


    Mrs. Hikaru, "Our breakfast today is bacon, egg, and miso soup." while handing over the food


    Hiroshi, "They look delicious, mom! Itadakimasu!" said as he devoured the meal


    Mrs. Hikaru curiously asked, "So, Hiroshi, did you dream of anything?"


    While stuffing his mouth Hiroshi replied, "Yeah, I did dream of something weird; I was in a forest that looked very mystical, the leaves of the forest were all white, like they were covered in snow, yet it wasn''t."


    Mr. Hikaru said, "Well, that is certainly weird," as he sipped his coffee


    As they continued to eat and talk to each other, they soon finished. Hiroshi and Mr. Hikaru then went to the car, and Mrs. Hikaru followed them as she locked the door to their house. As soon as Mrs. Hikaru put on her seatbelt, Mr. Hikaru started to drive towards the school of Hiroshi.


    After 20 minutes of driving, they soon reached the school of Hiroshi. Hiroshi got off the car, and his mother rolled down the window of their car as she said,


    With a worried voice, Mrs. Hikaru said, "Hiroshi, be careful in school."


    Hiroshi, trying to reassure his mom, said to her with a smile," I will, mom, don''t worry. Bye, mom, bye, dad." As he headed into his school


    His parents started to drive towards their work as Hiroshi met up with Izumi and Kiyomi. Kiyomi started the conversation by saying


    Kiyomi said, "So, what should we play today?" as she asked Hiroshi and Izumi as they walked toward their classroom.


    Hiroshi suggested, "Maybe we should play tag?"


    Izumi pointed out, "Won''t that be a disadvantage? Wolves run very fast."


    Hiroshi, "You are correct, it''s a disadvantage to us; then what are we going to do?" He said this while looking at Kiyomi


    Kiyomi, "I''ll be going easy on you guys; I won''t run at my top speed."


    Hiroshi, already excited to play, said, "Well, alright, then I don''t mind, I guess."


    With his iconic lazy tone, Izumi said, "Well, since you all voted to play tag, I guess we''ll play it later after class."


    Izumi, "What a pain! I just wanted to rest under the sun and not do anything today." He quietly mumbled to himself, not loud enough for Hiroshi to hear but certainly loud enough for Kiyomi, who glared at him


    Soon after agreeing to play tag, they arrived at their classroom as the other students also started arriving. Once their teacher saw that all of her students were inside the class, she started to teach the students.


    Teacher, "Open your English book to story 2." while she rapidly turned to a page.


    -4 years later-


    Hiroshi is now 9 years old, and his relationship with Izumi and Kiyomi is strong. They were the best trio and out of all of them, Hiroshi was the smarter, Kiyomi was the most diligent and Izumi was the laziest one out of the group. Izumi was often scolded by Kiyomi for being lazy and not doing much work. While Hiroshi just watched from the sidelines every time, either eating or drinking milk tea,. It was clear as day to Hiroshi that Izumi liked Kiyomi; Izumi pondered whether this smart friend of theirs was dumb as a brick. While Kiyomi did not know what to feel about this,


    As of the moment, Kiyomi is again scolding Izumi because he did not do his homework.


    Kiyomi exclaimed, "We had 2 days to complete this homework; why did you not do it?!"


    Using his usual excuse, Izumi said, "I was too lazy to do it, ok?"


    Kiyomi started to rage, "There you go with that reason again!"


    Izumi countered, "It''s too much homework, and this homework was hard."


    Kiyomi angrily said, "What do you mean, it''s hard?! It''s basic English, you numbskull!" while smashing Izumi with a book on the head


    While trying to find a perfect excuse, Izumi said, Wel- Well, I also had to do other homework.


    Kiyomi got mad as she grabbed Izumi''s backpack.


    Izumi, "Hey! Why did you take my bag." as he tried to fight for his backpack


    Kiyomi brought out the books that they had assignments on, and she started to see if Izumi had done the homework for the other class. She checked all of the books, but she saw that none of them were answered.


    With a scolding tone, Kiyomi said, "See! You did not do a single one of the assignments!"


    Kiyomi then started to lecture about being responsible and how neglecting homework can lead to failing grades, meaning that he can''t graduate or go to the next grade. Izumi kept on trying to counter Kiyomi but he kept on failing


    Hiroshi said as he finished his milk, "Why don''t you calm down Kiyomi? You and I both know he is lazy because he is a neko."


    Kiyomi and Izumi stopped and looked at Hiroshi


    While stunned, Izumi said, "You were so quiet; I thought you were absent today."


    Kiyomi, "Were you there from the beginning?"


    Hiroshi, with a calm tone, said, "Yes, from the very beginning, I was here listening to you 2 bickered with each other as I ate."


    *Flashback*


    As Kiyomi was scolding Izumi, she could see Hiroshi silently sitting down at the seat that was across from them. He ate his food and watched Kiyomi and Izumi argue about doing and not doing the homework. He looked at them as if he were seeing lovebirds fight each other for dumb reasons. He kept on eating as Kiyomi and Izumi kept on fighting each other. As Hiroshi kept on eating peacefully, he started to do his math homework right there. It has been a habit for him to do his homework during lunchtime as he focuses on the other subjects. Hiroshi finished his math homework quite fast, and he looked towards Kiyomi and Izumi to see that they were still arguing, and that''s where he decided to speak to them.


    *End of flashback*


    Currently, the 3 of them are walking towards their classroom. They entered the classroom right on time as the school bell rang. Hiroshi, Izumi and Kiyomi sat on their assigned seats. When the teacher entered, he saw all the students on their seats.


    Teacher, "Okay, class, let''s begin today''s lesson. Please bring out your books and turn to page 154." as he said to his students as he started writing on the blackboard.


    As they all opened their books to page 154 and the teacher saw it, he began to teach the students. Izumi, being a neko, started to fall asleep due to how bored he was. While Hiroshi, who was a perfect scorer, paid attention to the teacher, as for Kiyomi, she looked towards her side as she sighed and started taking notes for Izumi as she saw him sleeping, knowing he would beg her for them.


    The teacher explained the fundamentals of the lesson as Hiroshi and the other students, except Izumi, started taking down notes to use for studying. Apart from Kiyomi being the one taking notes for Izumi, she also acted as a tutor to Izumi, so she had the responsibility to look after Izumi.


    After a while, the school day ended, and the 3 of them, Kiyomi, Izumi, and Hiroshi, were at the gate of the school. They were waiting for their parents; Hiroshi was trying to call his parents, but both of them would not respond, and Hiroshi thought they were busy, so he had to walk.


    Concerned for Hiroshi''s safety, Izumi asked, "So, are you sure you don''t want a car lift to your place? It''s dangerous, especially for you."


    Kiyomi offered," Want me to ask my parents to drop you off at your house?"


    Hiroshi, upon hearing what Izumi said, thought to himself that it was indeed quite dangerous for humans to be outside alone, especially when the human is a child. Being born to the lowest species there was, it was quite tough, as most of the good jobs were mostly occupied by people with animal features, and humans basically had almost no priority.


    After careful thought, Hiroshi replied, "If it isn''t too much trouble, Kiyomi, I would like that."


    Kiyomi, "Alright then, you know the way to your house, right?"


    With an assuring tone, Hiroshi replied, "Yeah, I know the way to my house."


    As they were talking, the parents of Kiyomi and Izumi arrived to pick them up.


    Izumi, Well, it looks like it''s time we all go home.


    Both Hiroshi and Kiyomi replied, See you tomorrow, Izumi. As he and his parents drove off


    Hiroshi followed Kiyomi to her car, and when Hiroshi saw the parents of Kiyomi, he then bowed his head in sign of respect for their status. Kiyomi''s parents saw Hiroshi


    Mr. Aoki asked his daughter curiously, "Kiyomi, who is this young fellow?"


    Kiyomi respectfully replied, "Dad, he is my friend, Hiroshi. His parents aren''t answering his calls and it''s dangerous for him to walk to his home."


    Upon looking at Hiroshi and seeing no animal features on him whatsoever, the mother of Kiyomi got the reason why it was dangerous so she said


    With a welcoming smile, Mrs. Aoki said, "Well, then, come on. Come inside the car."


    Hiroshi, "Thank you, ma''am and sir."As he said with respect in his voice


    Kiyomi entered the car as Hiroshi followed her inside the car. Once Hiroshi closed the door, the father of Kiyomi started to drive towards their house as Hiroshi told them the exact name of the street that they were living in. The father of Kiyomi kept driving and then he asked Hiroshi this question


    Mr. Aoki curiously asked, "So, what''s your full name, kiddo?" as he asked, trying to find out more about Hiroshi.


    Hiroshi respectfully replied, "My name is Hiroshi Hikaru."


    Upon hearing his name was Hiroshi, Kiyomi''s mother lightly smirked and looked towards her daughter in secret, as if telepathically saying


    Mrs. Aoki said, "So this is your crush, huh?" as her smirking told Kiyomi of what her mother was thinking off.


    Kiyomi begged her mom with pleading eyes, "Mom, please don''t."


    Kiyomi''s mother smirked more as she then decided to ask Hiroshi this


    Mrs. Aoki teasingly said, "So~ Hiroshi, what do you think of Kiyomi?


    Kiyomi: "MOM!...." as she yelled with an obvious blush on her face


    Hiroshi: "What do you mean, ma''am?"He asked densely.


    Mrs. Aoki: "Well, do you think that Kiyomi is pretty?" as she said to Hiroshi, trying to clarify her question.


    Hiroshi, oblivious to what Kiyomi''s mother was trying to say, said, "I think she is a very pretty person, ma''am. She''s also very kind, always helping those in need."


    Upon hearing those words from Hiroshi, Kiyomi began to glow red from embarrassment


    Mrs. Aoki laughed and said, "I see you as one of those guys."


    Hiroshi, "What do you mean, ma''am?"


    While trying to avoid eye contact, Kiyomi said, "I don''t know whether to thank you or to be disappointed." as she tried to hide the red glow of her cheeks


    Mrs. Aoki teasingly said, "C''mon now, Kiyomi, are you sure you want him to know?"


    With an intense glare at her mom, Kiyomi exclaimed, "I did not mean that!"


    Mrs. Aoki said, "Hiroshi, my daughter has...", as She was about to reveal it when her daughter stopped her by interrupting her


    Kiyomi strikingly butted in, "Do I have the passion to play the piano?? Yes, he does!"


    Confused, Hiroshi added, "You never told me and Izumi that?"


    Kiyomi''s mother almost laughed at what was happening while Hiroshi was confused for the entire way to his house, and he said to himself "girls are confusing". After 20 minutes of driving and talking with the parents of Kiyomi, they reached Hiroshi''s house and Hiroshi got out of the car as he said


    Hiroshi, "Thank you, Sir Aoki and ma''am Aoki." In respect as he bowed down


    Kiyomi and his parents said that he was welcome to be dropped off by them any time again in the future and bid him farewell. Hiroshi bid them farewell as he went towards his house. As he reached the door to his house, he saw that the lock was broken. He pushed it lightly and saw that the door was not closed. He was getting chills as he entered his house cautiously.


    Softly Hiroshi said, "Mom? Dad?" as he entered his house slowly but surely, trying to find where they were.


    Once he was inside, he saw the kitchen in a wreck and the living room, and it looked like there was a sight in his house. He slowly went to the kitchen, as he saw it was more damaged than the rest. As he entered the kitchen slowly, he could see that there was a struggle. As he went behind the kitchen counter, he saw something that he had never wished to see.


    There in front of him, behind the kitchen counter, were the dead bodies of his father and mother. He was shocked beyond words. He felt as if his entire body broke as he stared at the dead bodies of his parents. As he continued to stare longer due to shock, his eyes began to fill up with tears after recovering from the shock. He collapses to his knees, crying and shouting


    Hiroshi, "MOM! DAD!"Flooded with emotions, these were the only words he could muster


    He continued to shout and cry loudly until a nearby passer by heard it. The nearby passer by was about to knock when he saw the door was busted, so he entered it cautiously, and he followed the crying voice of Hiroshi. As he continued to walk, he saw how damaged the house of Hiroshi was, and when he finally found Hiroshi, he found out why the kid was crying.


    His first reaction was to check if the 2 people have any kind of pulse. He put his hands in their throats to see if there was any form of breathing and he saw there was none. He saw how hurt and broken Hiroshi looked, so he went slowly towards him as he was begging to envelope Hiroshi in a hug. Hiroshi was too busy to see what the guy was doing, and then he suddenly felt like he was being hugged and he cried in the arms of the stranger.

 Chapter 1 : Decided faith

    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.


    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    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 Caf¨¦. After he paid the driver, he went inside the caf¨¦ and went to the staff room to change into his work clothes. Kazunori Caf¨¦ was a famous caf¨¦ known for its delicious dishes, and the caf¨¦ was also known to have one of the fastest caf¨¦s there is, getting your order ready within 10¨C15 minutes. Due to this fact, a lot of positive reviews came to the caf¨¦. 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 "Kib¨­ 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 Kib¨­ 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 Caf¨¦ 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 caf¨¦''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 caf¨¦ 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 caf¨¦ 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 caf¨¦.


    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 Caf¨¦, 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 Caf¨¦, 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¨C60 and was a part of the bear species


    Hiroshi, "Hello, sir, welcome to Kazunori Caf¨¦. 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 caf¨¦ 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 caf¨¦ 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 caf¨¦?"


    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 caf¨¦?"


    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 caf¨¦ 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

 CHAPTER 2 - Appearance of a Mark

    Kawahara, after hearing Hiroshi''s voice, looked behind him and smiled


    Kawahara said in a cheery tone, "Welcome home, Hiroshi!"


    After greeting Hiroshi, he went back to cooking


    Kawahara, while cooking, said to Hiroshi, "Take a seat; I''m almost done with dinner."


    Hiroshi took a seat after hearing what Kawahara said


    Hiroshi, "How long are you going to stay home?"


    Kawahara Replied, "Well, just for tonight. I have to go back to the ER tomorrow."


    Hiroshi nodded, although it wasn''t seen by Kawahara. After a few minutes, the food that Kawahara was cooking was ready. He smiled when he saw that the food that he was cooking was ready and he grabbed 2 bowls and filled them with the food he cooked. He took the food-filled bowl and put 1 of them in front of Hiroshi.


    Hiroshi, "Curry?" Hiroshi asked as he got his chopsticks.


    Kawahara: "Mhm, curry with rice," he says to Hiroshi with a smile as he sits down and grabs a pair of chopsticks as well.


    Hiroshi and Kawahara ate in silence. Kawahara knew that Hiroshi doesn''t like to speak that much ever since that incident, and Hiroshi knew that Kawahara must be tired from working in the ER 24/7. He was grateful to Kawahara since he was taken in by him. The first days that Kawahara became the legal guardian and the adopter of Hiroshi were interesting, to say the least.


    *Flashback*


    After they arrived at the home of Kawahara after a long trip, Kawahara saw that Hiroshi was tired, so he led Hiroshi to the room that he was going to stay in. He led Hiroshi to the second floor and to a room with just a bed and nothing else


    Kawahara, in an attempt to cheer up Hiroshi, said, "I''m sorry it isn''t much, but tomorrow, we will go shopping for things to decorate your room, ok?"


    Hiroshi said in a monotone voice, "This is fine, sir Kawahara."


    Kawahara just smiled at Hiroshi, and since Hiroshi was feeling tired, he went to the bed in the room and fell asleep. After Kawahara saw that Hiroshi was asleep, he went back to his car and got the stuff Hiroshi brought with him. He put the stuff in a corner of the room that Hiroshi is sleeping in. Kawahara saw that it was already late so he also went to his room to get some sleep himself.


    Meanwhile, with Hiroshi, he was having a dream


    *Dreamland*


    Hiroshi was standing in the middle of a forest, a familiar forest. The forest has a majestic white color, just like the dream he had 4 years ago. He started walking, and as he walked, a cold wind started to blow against him. Hiroshi started to struggle against the wind. He was able to keep his balance, but the wind was too strong, g and he got knocked over by the wind. When Hiroshi got knocked over by the wind, it stopped. Hiroshi kept on trying to stand back up, but the wind kept on starting up again whenever he tried to do so. After a few tries, he was exhausted and tired, so he gave up. That''s when a white, nine-tailed fox appeared, the same one that he had dreamed of in the past. The fox came closer to Hiroshi''s face and started to lick it


    Confused, Hiroshi asked, "Why do you keep appearing in my dreams?"


    The fox continued to lick his face, and when the fox was done, the fox climbed on top of him and laid there. Then the fox started to sleep, and when Hiroshi saw this, he felt a sense of comfort; it was as if the fox was comforting him. The tails of the fox then started to grow larger and Hiroshi was shocked, to say the least, He would have stood up if the wind didn''t make it impossible for him to. The white tails wrapped themselves around Hiroshi, tightly but comfortably.


    Hiroshi asked, "What are you doing?"


    The fox didn''t move as it was in deep sleep and once the tails was fully wrapped around Hiroshi, he felt a sense of peace within him. Once the sense of feeling filled him, he began to sleep within the dream. His eyes slowly closed and opened as he tried not to fall asleep but it was no use; he eventually fell asleep in the dream.


    *End of dream*


    Hiroshi''s sleeping face looked calm; the dream he had has affected him in the real world as well. This was the first night that he had slept without having nightmares about his parents'' corpse. He would always wake up in the middle of the night but tonight, there was no sign that he would wake up in the middle of the night.


    *Morning*


    Kawahara heard his alarm ring and he woke up to turn it off. He sat up and went to the toilet to brush his teeth, once he was done, he went to cook breakfast


    Kawahara, "I wonder if Hiroshi slept well." He thought to himself as he cracked some eggs and started to cook omelette for him and Hiroshi


    It took him a few minutes to prepare the food he and Hiroshi would eat and when he was done, he put the food on the table and smiled at the food he cooked. He walked upstairs to the room where Hiroshi was sleeping, and he saw that Hiroshi was still asleep and he was surprised.


    Kawahara said to himself while producing a genuine smile, "This might be the first time I have ever seen Hiroshi so peaceful in his sleep."


    Kawahara then began to gently wake up Hiroshi, and Hiroshi slowly woke up. Once he was awake, Kawahara stopped shaking him, and Hiroshi sat up and rubbed his eyes.


    Kawahara asked with a smile, "Good morning, Hiroshi. Did you sleep well?"


    Hiroshi, "I¡­ yes, I slept well sir Kawahara. Good morning. " He said to Kawahara who seemed pleased Hiroshi slept nicely


    Kawahara said as he left Hiroshi''s room, "Get washed up, breakfast is downstairs and wear something nice, we are going outside to decorate your room."


    Upon hearing what Kawahara said, he got off his bed and got some clothes from his closet, and then went to the bathroom to take a bath. He took off his clothes and entered the shower area, he put the water on the hot side and started to wash, first applying some soap to his body and after he washed the soap from his body he put on shampoo on his head. After he washed the shampoo off his head, he stayed in the bathtub for a few more minutes to make sure that no soap remained in his body. He wiped his body with a towel after getting out of the tub.


    Meanwhile Kawahara set up the table while waiting for Hiroshi to finish taking a bath. After he finished setting up the table, he heard Hiroshi come down from the stairs, he looked to the stairs and he smiled as he saw Hiroshi with clothes for going out and he also saw that he had already taken a bath.


    Kawahara welcomingly said, "Take a seat Hiroshi and eat."


    Hiroshi nodded and sat down at the table


    Kawahara/Hiroshi, "Itadakimasu." They both said as they both clasped their hands)


    They started eating, Kawahara putting food on Hiroshi''s plate while eating. Both Hiroshi and Kawahara ate their breakfast silently. They both filled their stomach and once they were done, Kawahara took the dishes they used and he thought of washing them later once they came back.


    Kawahara, "Wait here Hiroshi, I''ll go change my clothes."


    Hiroshi waited downstairs patiently, and after a few minutes Kawahara came down and he had his car keys in his hands


    With a smile, Kawahara said, "Let''s go Hiroshi."


    Hiroshi nodded and walked out of the house with Kawahara. Kawahara opened the door and Hiroshi went to sit at the back. Kawahara once he had gotten in the driving seat, he adjusted his mirrors and once he was satisfied with the adjustment, he drove off towards a mall. In Haimamoto, even though it is a town, it has many beautiful sites and even won the title of "best province in Japan" award. As they drove towards the mall, the right cheek of Hiroshi suddenly started to sting. Hiroshi held his right cheek and started to rub it. When Kawahara looked at his mirror, he saw Hiroshi rubbing his right cheeks and his eyes looked like they were in pain


    Kawahara asked, "What''s the matter Hiroshi?"


    Hiroshi not wanting to said to Kawahara


    Hiroshi, "My right cheek started to sting all of a sudden and I have no idea why." He said as he kept rubbing his right cheek.


    Kawahara, "Let me see¡­"


    As Kawahara told him to let him see, Hiroshi removed his hands from his right cheeks, and Kawahara used the mirror again to see. He was shocked; his right cheek was glowing in the form of a skull.


    Kawahara thought to himself, "Is that what I think it is? That''s¡­ a kitsune mark¡­"


    Kawahara then began to think about each and every kitsune family, how their marks look and how they grow.


    Kawahara, "It can''t be from that clan; no, the Cape Foxes family clan mark looks like a diamond, and it glows red."


    Hiroshi just sat there silently as he wondered what Kawahara was thinking of. As the pain in his right cheek went away,


    Kawahara: "No, it''s not that family as well¡­. That only leaves... the Yoshiko Clan".


    Kawahara," Say Hiroshi, do you know the Yoshiko Clan?" He asked Hiroshi, wondering if Hiroshi has already met his soulmate


    Hiroshi: The Yoshiko Clan? I don''t know them. (He said he was not showing any more emotions in his eyes as the pain has subsided.)


    Kawahara told Hiroshi, "That family is a family with pure talent for business. They own 40% of the company worldwide, making them the richest on the planet."


    Hiroshi was shocked to hear that, as he thought it was impossible and before he could say anything, Kawahara spoke again, saying


    Kawahara, in a tone of pure admiration, said, "It might seem impossible but their talent is amazing."


    Hiroshi, "Why are you telling me about this?"


    Kawahara told Hiroshi after he pulled up to the parking lot of the mall, "As soon as you meet one of them one day, you will know why I have told you of their existence."


    Kawahara told Hiroshi as he exited the car, "Alright, enough about that; let''s go shop for things you need."


    Hiroshi, "What are we exactly going to buy, sir?"


    Kawahara, "Notice how there''s barely any stuff in your room?" He paused as he looked at Hiroshi, who nodded his head.


    Kawahara: We will be shopping for things you will be using in that room like cabinets, desk and a bed that is to your liking. (He explained to Hiroshi as he led them to the sections of furniture.)


    Hiroshi, "Sir I am ok with the room I have; there is no need." But before he could finish his sentence, Kawahara interrupted him, saying,


    Kawahara, "Look at this cabinet, Hiroshi; it looks good for all of your clothes right or do you want to find another one?"


    Hiroshi reluctantly said, "Yes, sir, it''s good."


    Kawahara, Alright then, next, let''s look for a bed for you.


    Fast forward,


    After they got everything that was needed for Hiroshi''s bedroom, they went to a restaurant. Kawahara parked his car in front of the restaurant. When they entered, a waitress greeted them, saying


    A waitress handed them menus and said, "Hello, welcome to "Midday Bento", May I lead you to your chairs?


    Kawahara replied with a smile, "That would be delightful, ma''am."


    The waitress then proceeded to lead them to a table meant for 2. Once they had arrived at the table, Hiroshi and Kawahara sat down, and the waitress gave them the menus she was holding. Kawahara and Hiroshi both started to look for what they wanted to eat. After looking at the menu for a while, Hiroshi decided he wanted a "Makunouchi" bento as his order. Kawahara, meanwhile, decided to order "Kyaraben", which you can''t blame the guy; it did look awesome. After they had ordered, Kawahara looked at Hiroshi


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Kawahara gravely said, "Hiroshi, about what we talked about, don''t say it to anyone, alright?"


    Hiroshi couldn''t contain his curiosity and asked, "Ok, sir, but may I ask why?"


    Kawahara hesitantly said, "The family I talked about; they are¡­ quite powerful to say."


    Kawahara whispered, "We don''t speak of their name in public out of fear that we might offend them."


    Hiroshi understood the tone that Kawahara used and decided to nod his head. After their little interaction, the bento they ordered arrived at their table and as they ate, they had little chats. This was the first day of Hiroshi, with Kawahara as his official guardian.


    *End of flashback*


    After they had their dinner, Hiroshi took the dishes and started washing them


    Kawahara, with a yawn, said, "Hey Hiroshi, I''m heading to bed."


    Hiroshi replied, "Goodnight, sir."


    Kawahara also bid Hiroshi goodnight and he started to ascend the stairs to go to his bedroom. Hiroshi finished the dishes first and put the remaining food in the refrigerator to eat for breakfast tomorrow. After he did all of that, he went upstairs to his bedroom. His bedroom is really clean, as Hiroshi hates having a messy room. Kawahara and his 2 friends keep calling him a clean freak due to how clean his room is. He changed into clothes for sleeping, and then, after going to the toilet to brush his teeth, he went to his bed, laying down on it. He started to close his eyes after a few minutes.


    *Morning*


    After waking up from another nightmare, Hiroshi looked at his phone to check the time, seeing that it was only 5:20, which made him sigh.


    Hiroshi grunted to himself, "Why do I bother setting an alarm if I wake up before it rings?"


    Hiroshi sat upright in his bed. After rubbing his eyes, he got out of bed and started to do some morning stretches. After doing them, he changed into his tracksuit, going downstairs and seeing a note, then picking it up and reading, "Left to work at the ER¡ªKawahara". He put the note down and went to the front door. He put on his running shoes, opened the door, and started doing his morning run. As he ran, he saw many vehicles and a lot of people; some of the people were with their pets. While running, he started to put on his earbuds and started to listen to his favourite band, "Blue Dreams." The music he was playing was titled "Memories of Dreams".


    *???''s POV*


    As I was watching the person that my boss told me to spy on, I jotted down all of the things he does. I also wrote about the people that he has met on a daily basis, but not much is written. It is only the first day, however. As I saw him exit his house, I saw him starting to run after he closed the door. I started to run after him, following him and seeing what he does during this; he seems to be well fit since he is running fast. I do wonder, though; my radar was saying that he woke up several times at night. I have to find out what''s happening; disappointing my boss is the last thing I want to do. I still remember how my superior was punished by her after he had failed her. It haunts my dreams; he was almost killed by her.


    As I was being reminded of what happened to my superior, I saw him stop at the park. I took note of what he did; it... seems like he is¡­ petting a cat. Huh, that is quite interesting. I decided to write in my notes "He likes cats" with a question mark since I am not quite certain he does like cats that much. Better safe than sorry later if it was wrong or only half true. After about 10 minutes, he started to run back to his house. I followed him to his house to see whether or not there would be any more stuff he does. After a while of running, he finally reached his house, and I absolutely learned so little about him during this trip. Well, the day only started, so what did I expect?


    *End of ???''s POV*


    Hiroshi unlocked the door to his house, and after entering it, he removed his shoes and put them in the shoe rack. After that, he started to cook his oatmeal by boiling some water and putting the oatmeal in a bowl. After the water boils, he pours it into the bowl of oatmeal; after that, he adds sweetened milk and some fruits. Hiroshi usually waits 30 to 20 minutes for this process to be done. While he waited, he went upstairs to his room and got his college uniform ready. After preparing it, he went downstairs and opened the TV, watching the news, to see whether or not he needed to prepare for rain or not. After about 20 minutes of watching the news, he decided that it was alright to eat the oatmeal now. He stood up from the couch and went to the kitchen to grab his oatmeal. When he returned from grabbing his oatmeal, he saw news about "Nogitsune". He almost dropped his bowl of oatmeal but he managed to hold it still


    News reporter 1, "The "Nogitsune" has taken territory from "Seid¨­ no Nezumi". People are asking whether or not a gang war will start."


    News reporter 2: Until recently, the "Nogitsune" weren''t doing anything. What caused the sudden change? He asked someone off-screen.


    News reporter 1: "We are joined today by the leader of the police department, Tokugawa Uehara. The leader of the police department." As the camera panned to the leader of the PD


    When the camera moved to the person, it showed a guy in his 40''s, wearing a police uniform with many badges and a pair of wolf ears and wolf tail. Hiroshi sat down and he listened intently to what they will say, He completely forgot that he was hungry


    Tokugawa Uehara said, "Hello everyone."


    News reporter 2 asked him, "Mr. Uehara, what is the current situation? "


    Tokugawa Uehara confidently said, "We have the situation under control; as of the moment, my men are patrolling the streets."


    News reporter 1 said while pointing to a paper, "There''s word that a mafia war between the 2 groups is going to happen."


    With a serious face, Tokugawa Uehara answered, "That might happen; it is a possibility."


    After a while of watching intensely, Hiroshi''s phone rang, breaking him off from the focus. He picked up the phone, looked at it, and saw his alarm going off. It was already 6:20, and he has to go to college soon. With a sigh, he turned the TV off and ate his oatmeal, which had already turned cold. After eating his cold oatmeal, he went to the bathroom to take a quick shower. Once he was done showering, he put on his school uniform and his school shoes. He then started to sprint towards his school while listening to music.


    *Time skip*


    He got to his school just in time, as the time was 6:47. He was sweating and out of breath from running. Once he slowed down a bit, he went towards his class, but not before someone put their hands over his shoulder, stopping him in his tracks.


    A male voice said, "No need to rush; c''mon, there''s still 11 minutes till class."


    A female voice replied, "Hey! Don''t do that to Hiroshi! Let him go!"


    After the man laughs and removes his hands from Hiroshi''s shoulder, Hiroshi sighs and looks behind him. He sees his 2 best friends, Izumi and Kiyomi. Kiyomi has already started to scold Izumi about doing what he did suddenly to Hiroshi, telling Izumi that Hiroshi could have been injured


    "I''m telling you! He can take it!" Izumi said as he tried to defend himself from Kiyomi''s scolding.


    "And I''m telling you!" He is a normal person! Kiyomi said to Izumi, believing that since Hiroshi wasn''t part animal like Izumi, Izumi was stronger


    Kiyomi looked back at Hiroshi


    Kiyomi worryingly said, "Hiroshi, are you ok?"


    Hiroshi replied in a cold tone, "Yeah, I''m fine."


    "Really?" Kiyomi asked, trying to make sure.


    Before Hiroshi could even speak, Izumi butted in


    Izumi, "He said he was fine, Kiyomi."


    Kiyomi, "Shut it, Izumi, What if your strength?"


    "Don''t worry about it, Kiyomi; I''m used to him being like that." Hiroshi said to Kiyomi, in a deadpan way, who just sighs


    "You know if he is hurting you, you shouldn''t tolerate it." Kiyomi says this to Hiroshi, harshly looking at Izumi.


    Izumi asked Kiyomi, "Why would I even hurt my best friend?"


    Kiyomi asked Izumi, "I don''t know? Aren''t you always in the principal office because you fight people?"


    Izumi, "Hey! That was because they started it first. I was just fighting back!"


    "Yea! But that didn''t mean that you needed to send them to the ER." Kiyomi says this to Izumi, scolding him.


    Hiroshi, "I hate to break this couple ar- "


    Izumi/Kiyomi, "WE ARE NOT A COUPLE!!!"


    Hiroshi just sweated at them; he has yet to know that Kiyomi likes him


    Hiroshi, "Well, we have 3 minutes till the bell rings."


    Upon hearing this, Kiyomi and Izumi darted to the class, leaving Hiroshi alone. Hiroshi sighs and just starts to walk normally to his class. When he got to the class, he saw that Kiyomi and Izumi were out of breath from how fast they ran, so he went to his seat and sat down. Kiyomi and Izumi sat down at their own chairs. Kiyomi''s chair was at the front, while Izumi was in the back of the class. As soon as the bell rang, the teacher entered the class.


    "Alright, class, open your books and prepare your pen. We will begin our annual open book chapter test." The teacher told the class while writing on the blackboard, "Test."


    As soon as he finished what he was saying, everyone, including Hiroshi, was starting. All but one, which is Izumi. Izumi preferred to sleep instead of doing it. The teacher saw this and sighed


    The teacher told Izumi while she was in front of the class, "Izumi, if you don''t take this test, you will fail."


    Upon hearing that he might fail, Izumi took out his book and started to do the test as well. Kiyomi sighs to herself upon seeing Izumi slacking off. With everyone ready, the teacher began to write the questions on the black board. Each of the student started to


    After about 1 hour and 30 minutes, the time was up


    The teacher announced, "Alright, everyone, stop answering. Give your paper to my desk."


    As soon as the students heard the teacher, some of the students whined. As they got up from their seats, they went towards the desk of the teacher. Once they put their test papers on the desk, they exited the classroom and went towards the canteen. Izumi was the last one to submit his paper. As he exited, he saw that Kiyomi and Hiroshi didn''t wait for him and rushed to the canteen. He got his food and saw where Hiroshi and Kiyomi were waiting for him. He went towards them


    Izumi: "You guys are just horrible."


    "That''s what you get for trying to sleep in the middle of the test." Kiyomi says in a harsh tone, scolding him.


    Izumi yells, "You can''t blame me!"


    Kiyomi, "If you didn''t stay up all night playing games every day, you wouldn''t be feeling sleepy!"


    Izumi said with an unemotional face, "You really love to bash me, don''t you?"


    Kiyomi, "Maybe if you stopped being lazy, I would stop."


    Hiroshi ate silently as he watched the 2 bicker with each other. He stared at them both and when they felt like they were being stared at, looked towards the directions of Hiroshi


    Kiyomi, "Why are you staring like that towards me and him?" Kiyomi asked, blushing slightly from the stare she got from her crush.


    "I feel like something stupid is about to come out of your mouth." Izumi said to Hiroshi while getting stared at by Kiyomi.


    "You 2 should get married." Hiroshi blankly said blankly at both of them after swallowing his food.


    Kiyomi/Izumi, "WHAT!? ME?!? MARRY THAT PERSON??!!" as they both shouted at him questioningly at the time.


    Kiyomi pointed to Izumi and said, "I am not marrying this dunce."


    Izumi rebutted, "Like I''d want to marry a nagging girl!"


    Kiyomi and Izumi then stared daggers at each other as Hiroshi just sighs and continued eating.


    *Time skip*


    After the school day, as Hiroshi was about to leave, He saw his 2 friends at the front gate. He was going to try to sneak past them, but since Kiyomi was part of the wolf clan, it was futile. As he got caught by Kiyomi, Izumi began to run towards them. He caught his breath after running


    Kiyomi told Hiroshi, "Let''s go to the caf¨¦ you work at! I want to order their cake!"


    "If you keep eating sweets, you''ll get fat." Izumi got stopped mid-sentence as his stomach was punched.


    "I dare you to finish that sentence, boy," Kiyomi said to Izumi menacingly with her fist raised, ready to punch again


    Izumi, decided to keep quiet, as the punch he got from her was powerful


    "Note to self¡­. Don''t insult a girl''s weight." Izumi thought to himself as he held his stomach in pain


    Kiyomi then continued to smile and walk as if nothing happened. As they walked, they started to talk about various things to keep themselves occupied while they walked. Hiroshi was mostly quiet, as he always was, after what happened. The 2 did their best to make him talk, but the best thing they got was a few lines here and there every now and then. But that didn''t stop them from trying again and again every time they got the chance to. After a while of walking, they finally reached Hiroshi''s workplace. The only weird thing was that the shop was crowded by what seemed like paparazzi. They all thought this was strange, especially Hiroshi, because this would mean either having to deal with a spoiled brat or a very choosy customer. With a wave of goodbye to his friend, he went behind the passageway for employees. As he entered the caf¨¦ staff room, he saw his boss and his co-workers all panicking. Well, it was mostly his co-workers, as he can see his boss was somewhat calm


    Hiroshi asked his approaching boss, "Sir, what is going on?"


    Upon hearing his voice, everyone stopped panicking and almost shouted from surprise. Since they were all busy panicking, they didn''t see Hiroshi enter, and upon seeing him, the boss and the co-workers of Hiroshi began to calm down


    Boss commanded, "Go and change quickly, then go to table 8."


    Hiroshi was questioning why his boss is suddenly acting like this but decided to just follow what his boss said to him. As soon as he got changed, he went out of the employee room and went straight to table 8. The table was crowded with paparazzi and what looked like an interview crew? Whatever was going on, it looks like it was important. He approached the table and when he finally got to the table, he saw someone


    Hiroshi shockingly said, "Miss Shizuko?"


    Shizuko, "Ah, it seems like you are here. Does your shift usually start at this time?"


    Hiroshi, "Yes, ma''am, my shift usually starts at this hour."


    Shizuko thought to herself, "It seems like I''ll have to take note of this."


    Hiroshi took out his notepad and asked, "What would you like to order, ma''am?"


    Sipping on her coffee, Shizuko replied, "No, I just came here to check on my new property."


    "What?" He asked Shizuko, who was not processing this information.


    Shizuko, "You see, I bought this place a while ago and was not able to visit it so since I had the time now, I wanted to visit it." She explained this to Hiroshi, who was still processing the moment.


    The rest of the crowd, upon hearing it, was shocked. This was going to be breaking news. The daughter of the most powerful and richest family in the world has bought a caf¨¦. A lot of the people in the crowd start talking with themselves. As Hiroshi finally processed the information, he realized something


    "Wait, are you the one I''m supposed to meet tomorrow?" Hiroshi asked Shizuko, which got the attention of the paparazzi.


    "You have quite the guts to say that in front of the paparazzi." Shizuko said to Hiroshi as her tails wags while she giggles


    Hiroshi, upon hearing what she said, knew he messed up since paparazzi was annoying to deal with.


    "Yes, I am. I want you at the location your boss told you. At the exact time, not a moment late." Shizuko said it with a strict tone.


    Hiroshi immediately replied, "Yes, ma''am."


    Shizuko motions for him to get closer and once Hiroshi was close, she grabbed Hiroshi''s shoulder, making him much closer. She was close enough that she was whispering in his ear


    Shizuko seductively whispered, "You are such a good boy."


    This made Hiroshi jump slightly and he was blushing like a red tomato. Shizuko giggled at his reaction while everyone was trying to figure out what she said to him. As she continued to lightly giggle, she saw that the mark in Hiroshi''s cheeks was glowing strongly white. Everyone was too focused on Shizuko to notice, however


    Shizuko said to herself, "It seems like I will need to do the final step tomorrow."


    She looked at her watch and saw the time. She got up from her table and got her bag


    "Well, it looks like I''ll have to go now. Paperwork to do." Shizuko said as she kissed Hiroshi on the cheeks quickly and proceeded to go to her car.


    Hiroshi and everyone stood there, shocked and surprised. Hiroshi touched the cheek that Shizuko kissed. Everyone in the caf¨¦ and the one looking from the window saw that the place Shizuko kissed had red lipstick on it, which covered his mark perfectly. As soon as Hiroshi got his composure back, he went back to the staff room. However, from the crowds, someone was not happy watching his interactions with Shizuko. If she wasn''t in public right now, she would be crying, or she would have fought Shizuko.


    When Hiroshi finally got back inside the staff room, everyone was shocked, but especially his boss. His boss was just there, knowing the full context. Hiroshi went to the bathroom and locked the door. His co-workers just looked at the directions he gave and started to chit-chat with each other, which annoyed the boss.


    The boss shouted, "All of you! Back to work! Now!"


    As soon as the employees heard their boss shout at them, they immediately started to work.


    Back with Hiroshi, he looked at himself in the bathroom mirror. He looked at the cheek that he was kissed on and he started to erase the kiss mark with water. Once he was done, he stared at the mirror


    "What was that feeling¡­?" Hiroshi asked himself as he felt something he hadn''t felt for a while.


    What Hiroshi didn''t know was that Shizuko''s kiss reawakened the old him deep within himself. It would be a while until Hiroshi realized or fully got back to his old personality. As soon as he had calmed himself down, he exited the bathroom with his usual emotionless face. His co-workers saw his cold face, but they just decided to ignore him because they were scared of Shizuko.


    Hiroshi continued to work normally for the rest of the day. When he was done with his shift, he was out of it. His boss saw it and decided to drive Hiroshi to his house. Once he bid his boss farewell, he entered his house. Nobody was inside, so Hiroshi decided to cook instant cup noodles for dinner as he tuned on the TV. He flipped through channels until there was a news article with the headline "Richest woman on earth kisses a guy on the cheeks!!" He was not sure how he would handle what would happen tomorrow.