Corruptions Are Best Exposed In The Autumn!

Chapter 21 - Almost The Next Autumn

[9 Months Later]

"Meeoow!"

Sesame wagged his tail as he stared at me from the ground. It was already closing time for the café, and Lily walked out to let the remaining customers know.

Ah, his plate is empty.

I picked it up to scoop up some catnip. I also poured some water into the container of Sesame's water fountain. He purred in response and rubbed his cheeks against my ankle as thanks.

"No worries fella," I responded.

I glanced at the calendar, which hung off the wall in the storage room. It was soon almost September, and thus almost a year since my new life had begun; a life with a small thirty million don debt sitting on my shoulders.

"Hey Kai, are you coming today to volunteer again?" Lily asked while returning behind the counter to help me clean. "I think Charles' shift is tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah."

Because Lora and Julian returned to their home country to run a new shop, I had to hire someone new to cover some of the shifts whenever Lily wasn't here. His name was Charles, and he was also a student at Febai College. Today, however, it was just Lily and I running the café.

"D-Don't you want to visit your father sometime? Have you visited him at all ever since he got jailed?"

"Yeah, you're right..." I replied while placing the dishes on the drying rack. "I'll stop by the police station tomorrow."

"Hey!" Lily glared at me with her hands against her waist. "You're saying the same thing as yesterday! Why do you keep pushing it off? I'm assuming you haven't visited him a single time this entire past year?"

"Well, I've been too busy, you know? Since I've been put in as a manager for this café now," I explained while wiping down the espresso machine. "I've also been helping your dad rebuild his soccer academy."

"Yeah, Yeah, I know. But what are you going to do with that thirty million debt? Don't you have only two years left to pay it off somehow?"

"Yeah, I still have to figure that out, huh," I grinned, causing Lily to sigh. Whenever Lily brought the issue up, I always dodged or laughed it off.

I picked Sesame up, looking at his confused face while sighing. "Meow!"

Even you're telling me to just go, huh... I thought. Perhaps it was finally time. I placed Sesame gently on the counter, took a deep breath, and glanced at my phone, noticing the time.

"Well, the police station closes in an hour, so I guess I should hurry."

Lily dropped the mop she was holding, letting it slam on the wooden floor.

"Wait, you're going?!"

If she was holding a drink, she probably would've dropped it from shock as well.

"Yeah. Mind finishing up with the store? I'll be back here to close things up later."

"O-Okay..."

Ring ring!

Lily's coat pocket vibrated, and she reached in to grab her phone: "Hey Gio, what's up? Why the sudden call?"

Before I could even finish zipping my bag up -

"Whaaaat?!"

Lily screamed so loud that Sesame leaped into the air like a dolphin, and the windows to the shop almost shattered in response.

"J-Jeez, why are you so loud-"

"It's that bad?! W-Why didn't you tell any of us?!" Lily continued without quieting down.