너는 최고야 ! [ You Are The Best ! ]

21. at the end of the day, nothing beats good food

After the match against the supposed ninja team, Kazemaru had been in such a good mood. He work up feeling energized and ready for school. The teal haired boy left his bed and got cleaned up before dressing in his uniform and leaving the house. On his way to school, he always passed by Park's house. Standing on the sidewalk and wondering if he should wake her up or not was like a morning ritual for him.

Kazemaru stood in the silence, debating in his head. The little angel in his mind encouraged him to go knock on the door. Walking to school with her would be the perfect way to start the morning. He'd have someone to talk to, and listen to. Although the little devil was telling him that Park wanted to sleep in, and should be left alone. It wasn't like Kazemaru to think negative, but he was afraid of rejection. So, the boy was just about to leave and walk to school on his own.

Before Kazemaru could take another step the front door opened. He was fully expecting to see Park rush down the front steps with a slice of toast in her mouth - but it wasn't her. Instead it was Kim

The lovely Kim.

"Oh, Kazemaru! What a surprise to see you!" The woman chirped happily. "Are you waiting for Mio?"

"Y-yeah. I was waiting for her." Kazemaru stammered.

"I was just about to water the plants, but that can wait. Come inside! I'll wake up Mio." Kim wasted no time in stepping down the front stairs and gently taking Kazemaru's wrist in her hands. She didn't give him any time to protest, but it's like not he wanted to protest anyway. He was a little awkward in front of Kim, but it'd be nice to chat with her some more. He wanted to learn more about Park.

"Are you sure it's okay?" Kazemaru still wanted to be kind and make sure he wasn't intruding. Since he knew it was a rule, he took off his shoes before fully entering the house.

"Yes, of course it's alright." Kim shut the door behind him. "Take a seat in the living room, Cho, keep him company!" At that, the woman went ahead and scampered up the stairs to wake her granddaughter. 

Kazemaru did as told and sat down in the living room beside Cho. He placed his bag down on the white carpet and started petting the dog. Happy to receive attention, Cho crawled onto Kazemaru's lap and licked his chin.

"You're so sweet," the boy chuckled, scratching behind Cho's ears.

"Okay, she'll be up and ready soon!" Kim said as she made her way back down to the main floor. She walked over to the living room and took a seat on the couch, smiling at how well Kazemaru got along with Cho. "He seems to really like you, I'm glad."

"You think so?" Kazemaru was secretly happy to hear that. "Thank you for letting me come in." He showed the woman a sweet smile, one that was contagious enough to make Kim smile as well.

"You're always welcome here," Kim neatly placed her hands in her lap.

"You're Park's grandmother right? Do you take care of her?" The young boy hoped it was alright to ask. Kim paused for a moment, wondering what the best way to respond was.

"Yes, my husband and I take care of Park. She. . . She has no parents. I'm not sure if she told you this or not." Kim dropped the bomb so easily, but Kazemaru didn't understand.

"No parents? What do you mean?" His first thought was that they died in an accident.

"Park's mother was drunk driving and caused an accident with Park in the car. So, she lost her memory, and her mother gave up on her. My husband and I adopted her, so now she lives with us." Kim put it as simple as possible. "Mio came from a very bad family, so please be nice to her, okay? I'm so glad she's made so many wonderful friends. She means the world to me, and I'm so happy to see her happy."