One last chance

Thank you for saving me Oniichan!

When he finished the meeting with the new mangaka, Kirishima took his stuff and went again to Shirakawa publishing company to continue his work since he hasn't finished yet. He walked towards the company, entering inside and bowing at the reseptionists for one more time.

Meanwhile, in Hasu, Hiyori was keeping company to the Cafe's manager Rotoko Shichiro, who was once more looking after the store alone without the waitress that she called home because of her illness. Currently, the little girl was taking the orders from the service hatch and giving them to the respectively tables, ignoring the protests Rotoko was saying to her due to the fact she was under age.

"Hiyori-chan, you don't have to help me with the orders", he said while he was putting drinks on the disk and looking at the adorable girl who was now taking a dish from the service hatch

"But Hiyo wants to help Rotoko-san with work since he is alone!"

"I know Hiyori-chan wants it, but she has no obligation to help someone like me"

"But he takes care of me when papa is at work and I want to repay him"

"You don't have to do that! I am doing this out of pureness and joyfulness", he said and gave a closed eyed smile, making Hiyori giggle at this and doing the same as him. When they were done, they took the orders and put them on the tables, gaining happy faces from the costumers. Hiyori went once more to the service hatch to take another dish, but she didn't forsee a man stepping in front of her and push her with his momentum, making her drop the disk and squeak in fright.

Fortunately, the little girl didn't fall on the ground but surely she had a slight pain on her chest when the disk's edge hit her.

"Step aside brat! You are blocking my way", a deep scary voice said and pushed Hiyori to the side, making her squeak one more time. The man was tall, probably some inches taller than her papa, had big muscles that were covered with tattoos, a twisted mustache and no hair on his head while he was wearing sleeveless t-shirt with black jeans and a chain hanging from the pocket to the belt's sheath. His irises were black and he had a scar on his right eye that ended just above his black eyebrow.

"Rotoko, give me my money back!"

"What money?"

"You know what I'm talking about!", he said and took a pocket knife from his jeans, showing it to Rotoko who raised his hands in surrender. Seeing that, the costumers left quickly, with Hiyori standing some feet away from the man's left side and holding the disk on her chest that she picked up after the accident. The man turned his head to see the young girl and came towards her, waving his knife in front of her while he smirked at her reaction. "And you little fart, you are doing things more difficult than they seem. Get away from my sight!"

"What are you doing there Jakura? Waving a knife in front of a young girl?", the three remaining turned their heads to see the driver Hiyori saw some days ago when she came here with her father, who was looking at him every now and then.

This time, he was wearing a grey shirt, covering his collarbone, black trousers with black shoes and his usual black leathered jacket and black leathered driving gloves. The helmet was not on his head, revealing his steely grey eyes with dark blue furrowed eyebrows, jet spiky dark blue hair with his bangs covering slightly his upper right eyelid and the nose's bridge. Hiyori was watching him in admiration, forgetting the fact a scary man was threatening her with a pocket knife.

"Well, well, if it isn't Yokozawa...", Jakura laughed bitterly, gaining from the young man a deeper furrow on his brows.

"What do you want this time?"

"It's not your fucking business. It's mine and Rotoko's"

"Shichiro-san is like a father to me, so yeah, it's my damn business too"

"If it's your business too, then let me start with you first and then with the old man", he said and ran towards the handsome man, without considering that he would side step and take his arm, pinning it on his back and making the tall man fall on the table, with his cheek squeezing on it and his feet going numb. He couldn't expect a man such as Yokozawa would beat him in no time. For some seconds, he was trying to free himself, but then he felt something cold on his temple that made him freeze in his position. "W-Whot are you doing zere fuort?"

"The previous time I met you, I told you that if I ever saw you here, I would use it without hesitation"

"You mozerfu-", but stopped when a trigger was pulled and a dart found its way on the man's temple, making him fall down and snore loudly. The young man put the pistol on his hip that was previously and took his cellphone from his pocket, dialing a number and putting it on his ear.

"Henmi, it's Yokozawa. Tell the chief that I have a delivery to give him in Hasu. The package will wake up in 20 minutes, so hurry up", he said and then ended the call, putting his phone on his pocket and then sighing in frustration while he was giving a massage to his temples with his fingers. He stopped the action when he heard a sound coming from the little girl, making him raise his head and run towards her, kneeling on the floor to be in the same height with her and putting his hands on her shoulders. "Are you alright? Did that man hurt you?"

"H-He bumped me a-and the disk h-hit me on my ch-chest", she said and was ready to cry, but she stopped when she felt two squeezes coming from the man in front of her. She raised her head and saw the tiniest smile she'd ever seen to a person, a sight that made her cheeks slightly rosy and her eyes sparkle. "Th-Thank you for saving me, sir!", she said, gaining a small chuckle from the man, surprising Rotoko with that, who was watching from the bar counter the interaction between the two of them. "My name is Kirishima Hiyori, or Hiyo as papa calls me, and I'm 10 years old. You can call me Hiyo too!"

"Alright. If you want it, then I have no complaint. My name is Yokozawa Takafumi. It's nice to meet a polite and cute girl like you", he said and then he saw Hiyori beemed him a huge smile with her eyes closed and her cheeks back to her skin's color. The little girl opened her eyes and then she looked at Yokozawa, full height now who was watching her with confusion when she clasped her hands on her chest, making a huge fist as if she was begging him for something. "What is it Hiyo?"

"Can I call you Oniichan?"

"O-Oniichan?", he asked with wide eyes, which made Rotoko chuckle at this who continued watching both of them talk to each other. "Why do you want to call me like that?"

"Well, first of all, Oniichan seems young in age"

"Well, I am 28 years old, so if you think about it, I'm not THAT old"

"Hihi, so this is the first thing. The second is that Oniichan saved me without knowing me from that bad man, who was threatening me with a knife. So that made me think of him like a big brother who was trying to protect his little sister", she finished and then saw both men gaping in surprise with their eyes wide opened. She tugged Yokozawa's sleeve, waking him from the shock he felt and looking at her now with a calmer look

"So, can I call you Oniichan, please?", she asked and do the puppy eyes, a sight that no one could say no to her, including the rampaging bear of Sawara.

"Uuumm... S-Sure", he said and Hiyori gave him a big grin that made Rotoko laugh once more. The old man couldn't expect that a cute child like Hiyori would love Yokozawa Takafumi at first sight and make a grumpy man like him smile for the first time in what felt a millennia...