𝐀𝐅𝐅𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍; 𝐈𝐭𝐨𝐬𝐡𝐢 𝐒𝐚𝐞

15. CAUTION

At long last, Sae returned from Spain to Japan. Reflecting back on his trip, he hated every second of it, but it became all worth it when he opened the door to his house and found you and Shoko waiting for him. Shoko had greeted her father with open arms, literally, when she jumped on him and almost knocked the man to the ground.

Shoko didn't let go of him for nearly twenty minutes, and only left his side when you told her to go and clean her room. Once Shoko was out of sight, Sae was able to properly thank you.

"Y/n, you've been a wonderful help." Sae sighed, running a hand through his hair. He was leaning by the kitchen counter, adjacent to where you were drying dishes from Shoko's latest meal. "I don't think I could have left if not for you. Thank you."

You gave him a smile, shaking your head. "Trust me, it was no bother at all. I had fun watching Sho. She's such a funny girl-- its as if the weekend flew by."

"I'm glad. Oh-- here." Sae fished into his pocket, reeling out a slip of paper. You quickly realized it was a cheque. "For your time."

"Oh, Sae, you don't have to do that." You flustered, raising your hands to grab his hand and gently decline the offer. "Really, I mean it. I wouldn't ask you to pay me to take care of Shoko inside your own home."

"I insist." He spoke, pushing his hand out again. "I don't leave debt unpaid, Y/n."

"Then..." You think out loud. "You can pay me in a different way."

His eyebrows rose briefly. "Oh?"

"From now on, I'm your go-to babysitter." You propose. "I enjoy spending time with Shoko. She's a wonderful young girl, and I'd love to be in her life. So, I ask that if you need any sort of help at all, you call me over."

"You're sure?" He confirmed, and you nodded with a smile.

"Plus, her dad isn't so bad, either." You smiled. "I'd never charge a friend for a favor."

Shidou gave Sae a look, one that Sae did not reciprocate. A look that screamed "You're whipped, man".

Sae had just told Shidou of his encounter with you after arriving home from Spain, and the man was less than convinced that you and him were simply "friends with a transactional undertone", as Sae describes it.

Now, they sat on a bench in a park, watching Shoko fool around on the swings with her ice cream in one hand and her doll in the other. It was Shoko's idea to go out for ice cream with her father, and Sae decided to invite Shidou to keep them company. Sae was glad his daughter was too preoccupied with her playing to hear what Shidou said next.

"Man, Sae, you gotta fuck her."

"Dude." Sae hissed, nervously glancing from Shidou's shit-eating smirk to his innocent child off in the distance. All the while ignoring the churning feeling in his stomach at those words.

Shidou laughed, throwing his head back. "Sae, bro, c'mon."

"What?"

"C'mon."

"I'm leaving." Sae sat up, but Shidou dragged him back into his seat. Why did Sae try and confide in him again?

"Okay, think for a second. You're a thirty-something single father with a daughter. Then, this cute young thing with daddy issues-- daddy issues-- starting taking care of your daughter and is basically flirting with you. And she has a fat ass?! I'd lose my mind." Shidou exclaimed.

"You're so vulgar." Sae rolled his eyes.

"Daddy issues, Sae!" Shidou scoffed. "Do you understand what that entails?!"

"She doesn't have "daddy issues", you cockroach. How the hell could you deduct that from what I told you?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Please." Shidou laughed, "A Polaroid photo titled Me and Dad? If you don't believe me, just ask about her father at some point. Watch how she reacts."

"Whatever." Sae shrugged, positioning himself to face away from his friend. "I don't care about that stuff. And it's not like that, either. We don't flirt."

"Then you wouldn't mind introducing me?" He grinned. "I want a lady friend."

"No."

"See? You care. Admit it, you want a piece of Y/n's--"

"Miss Y/n's what?" Shoko suddenly appeared, casuing both Sae and Shidou to flinch. Shidou sputtered into laughter while Sae dragged a hand over his face, hiding the embarrassment written all over his expression.

"Nothing, Sho, uncle Shidou is just being dumb." Sae assured, picking his daughter up to sit her on his knee. Shoko accepted that answer, shrugging while happily playing with her doll again. Then, Shidou got a bright idea.

"Hey, Sho-sho." He called.

"Yeah??" Shoko giggled.

"How much do you know about Miss Y/n? I'm curious about your new friend." He smiled, sending Sae a cocky glance before leaning forward to get eye-level with Shoko. "Tell me anything. You two have been spending a lot of time together recently."

"Ah! Well, Miss Y/n is the nicest person on earth." She giggled. "She tickles me and tells me I'm pretty, and she makes me little gifts all the time! Over the weekend, she made me a bracelet!"

"Cute." Shidou commented.

Shoko grinned. "She also tells me about what she does every day. She takes her kitty, John, to a park in the morning, then goes on a bike ride through the city, then gets a car-sont from a bakery!"

"It's a croissant, honey." Sae corrected.

Shoko's face contorted. "Croi- crescent... croi.."

"Don't worry about it."

"Anyway!" Shoko blushed. "Miss Y/n is super cool!"

"So, does Miss Y/n have a boyfriend?" Shidou asked, catching Sae off guard. He wanted to smack Shidou so badly in that moment, but also wanted to know the answer.

Shoko shook her head. "No. Miss Y/n said she was single! I don't believe it, since she is super pretty!! She told me that her dad never let her have a boyfriend when she was a kid, so she's used to being on her own."

Shidou gave Sae another look, one that said "I told you so", and Sae rolled his eyes again. But then, Sae fully registered what Shoko said. One, that you were indeed single, and two—

"Sho, how do you know that?" He questioned. That was information he wouldn't expect someone to simply tell a child.

"I asked her!" She exclaimed. "Over and over. I wanted to know about love, and she told me!"

Shidou chuckled. "What, you have a crush or something? Why do you wanna know about love, squirt?"

"I was just... thinking of daddy." Shoko mumbled. "And mommy. And... what happened."

He knew Shoko had a brain. Even though a five year-old brain, still a brain nonetheless. It didn't take much to put two and two together and understand why her father was going on an impromptu visit to Valencia. Sae was sure Shoko had asked questions, too.

Sae sighed, bringing his daughter in for a hug. He rested his chin on the top of her head and rubbed alongside the length of her back. Shidou stared at the girl worriedly.

"I'm sorry, Shoko." Sae sighed, planting a kiss onto his daughter's head. "I can answer questions you have, too."

"I know." She mumbled into his chest. But, Shoko didn't ask anything further, and Sae didn't offer any information to her. Not too far after Shoko settled in her father's arms, she drifted off to sleep.

Meanwhile, on the ride back to his home, Sae couldn't get Shidou's words out of his head. The notion that you were flirting with him, mainly. It sounded absurd and out of possibility... but somewhere inside of him, he hoped that you were.

Your voice rang through his mind. "Plus, her dad isn't so bad, either."