How to deal with a runaway girl

Chapter 2

It was around seven in the morning when Aki rolled out of bed and waddled to the bathroom. After the morning toilet, she changed into fresh clothes and went to the kitchen. She dug out a few things from the fridge and used them to make breakfast. After she ate and washed the dishes, she went to her father's office and knocked. After a while, the man left the room and looked at his daughter with a mixture of surprise and impatience. He worked from dawn or didn't sleep at all, one of two.

"I'd like to look around the area" Aki said to the piece of door next to her father's head.

In response, the man glanced at his watch. His eyebrows rose in surprise.

(So ​​he didn't sleep at all...)

"I can take a break..."  He muttered dissatisfied. "Let's go, I'll show you around the neighborhood"

Aki rolled her eyes. It was before eight, there's no way any interesting places would be open. Well... She was right. A few minutes later she was walking behind her father, her face full of self-loathing for even thinking the man would even put in the slightest bit of effort. In half an hour they went through grocery stores, cheap clothing stores and, horror of all, vending machines with literally everything.

Hail Japan! Even if Aki tried to look at this God-pityed tour as a morning stroll, the pace set by the scowling man right in front of her could only be described as a run... An obstacle course, specifically. One such obstacle was shopping in the supermarket. The girl had never seen anyone grab products so quickly. Did he even watch what he was taking? They crossed the threshold of their home like sprinters who gave their all. But that was not the end, in equally record time the man took off his shoes and disappeared into his office. Without a word. Again.

The girl sighed. This is some kind of parody. She MUST get out of here, this man is unstable... How else can you explain such behavior...? Aki was still standing in the doorway, out of breath, her hair sticking to her sweaty forehead, she had to lean against the wall to avoid falling.

When she finally managed to catch her breath, she changed her clothes and went to the kitchen. Anyway, he can make dinner. After all, in America she was alone at mealtime anyway, so she inevitably learned to cook. A few hours later, hot food was on the table. The smell must have lured her father out of the office, because the man unceremoniously sat down and started eating. For a moment, Aki wanted to say it wasn't for him, but she restrained herself. After he ate, the man got up and returned to the office. Never mind saying anything, he didn't even look her way. Of course she had to clean up. Fortunately, she actually prepared a portion for two people...

After the meal, the girl cleared the table and washed the dishes. After finishing her work, she went to her room, took out one of the books she had brought with her, and immersed herself in reading. It was already evening when she decided to eat pudding, her trophy, the only product she managed to grab during her maddening shopping spree. She went down to the kitchen, took out a dessert from the fridge and sat down on a chair to enjoy it. She noticed that the door to her father's office was open. She carefully looked inside, but there was no one there. So she returned to the kitchen, patiently waiting for her father to return. About half an hour later, the man entered the house with more packages.

Looks like I don't have to prepare dinner... she thought as she saw a few boxes. So he didn't forget about her. There is progress. After the meal, before the man could hide in his studio, the girl decided to ask him something. Continuing to spend her days like this seemed... Impossible...

"Can I go out and do some sightseeing tomorrow? You know, take a walk in the park and stuff like that..." She began.

"Um... " The man hummed with dissatisfaction. "We can go after dinner" He muttered as he walked to his office.

"Can't I go out alone?" She was irritated.

"NO!" Came the sharp and immediate answer. "It's too dangerous here!"

(So ​​what? Are you supposed to be worried about me?) She thought, frowning with dissatisfaction.

The door closed behind the man. Aki sat at the table for a moment, tapping her fingers nervously on it, and then went to her room.

"Why you don't like it so much... If I disappeared, you would have peace of mind... It's dangerous... Really!" The girl grumbled to herself. She lay down on the bed, hugged her pillow and slowly began to fall asleep, making plans for the bitter future. How to survive in this place? After a while, her thoughts changed direction and the girl fell asleep, dreaming about what she would do when she got away from her father's care.

She was in no rush to get up in the morning. She had nothing better to do anyway than wait for her afternoon outing. A few minutes after nine she entered the kitchen to make something to eat. She then went to take a long bubble bath while listening to loud music. After a bit of relaxation in the bathtub, she started preparing dinner. She decided to make pasta with spaghetti sauce and meat balls using products found in the kitchen. When the food was ready, she knocked on her father's room. Hearing movement, she returned to the kitchen, sat down at the table and started eating. A moment later, her father came into the kitchen and, as usual, silently ate his portion.

"Be ready in fifteen minutes" He said, putting the plate in the sink.

Aki couldn't help her heart which was beating faster for some reason. She took a few deep breaths to calm down.

"I have to pull myself together!" She scolded herself in a whisper. "Aki, you know better. There is no chance that anything interesting will happen, it's not a movie! You know this guy! It will be the same as yesterday. He will show me the park and we will run back to his beloved job!"

No matter what she tried to tell herself, she ran to her room like a child looking forward to a school trip.

A few minutes later she came downstairs to find her father waiting. They left the house together and went along a small street, which after a short while led them to one of the main streets. Her father showed her some interesting places closest to their apartment. Aki looked around the newly discovered city with curiosity. She couldn't help but be surprised. Her father actually spent some time with her. The poor thing was barely able to get over the shock. At the end of the trip, the man went with her to the park, where they could take a break from the noise of the Tokyo streets. It was slowly getting dark so the father decided to return home with his daughter. The girl seemed to be dreaming. It was a really nice afternoon!

"Come on, it's getting late. It's not safe here at night" He said, noticing two guys in tracksuits following three well-dressed men.

Aki, still trying to decide if it was a dream or reality, didn't even hear him.

"Afternoon with my father..." She muttered, looking confused in all directions. "With MY father... This dream is definitely a dream!" She nodded to herself eagerly. "Soon these people will start shooting at each other and I will wake up..."

And exactly at that moment, two men pulled out guns and started shooting at three well-dressed people. One of the attacked men was shot in the arm and fell to the ground. The other two grabbed his arms and carried him, hiding behind the trees.

Aki's father grabbed his daughter's hand and hid with her behind the nearest vending machine, looking from a distance at the Japanese shooting at each other.