One last chance

A day at Hasu

The door opened with the bell ringing, indicating that a costumer entered inside. Rotoko was currently serving to the ones they were already here, but nevertheless he raised his head only to see two familiar figures he met just yesterday. He gave a smile to the two of them and walked towards, waving at the man in front of him.

"Kirishima-san, what a pleasure to see you here! How can I help you?"

"We would like to sit here. I want to treat Hiyori today with your delicious food"

"Of course! Follow me!", the old man said and walked away from the entry, with the two Kirishimas following him from behind. He stopped in a table for two on the right side near the bar, a quiet but comfy spot with the light deeming purely above them. "Here you are! If you want something else, please call me!"

"Of course. Thank you very much", Kirishima said and looked with his daughter the menu that Rotoko gave them the moment they sat down on their table. The menu wasn't big enough due to the fact that it is a Cafe and not a restaurant, but the choices were truly amazing: there was ramen with beef, pork and cheese, Hokkaido deer curry with rice and sauce made of tomato, carrot, sweet potato and slightly garlic and sushi. For dessert, there was Bavarian green tea cake and the famous strawberry cake.

The duo decided to order curry, a beer for Kirishima and an orange juice for Hiyori and for dessert two Bavarian green tea cakes. The doting father called Rotoko to give their order, who wrote it down on his blog and then left to go to the service hatch and give the paper to the chef.

Once he did, he went to the bar to take the drinks and then walked to the table Kirishimas were sitting, putting the beer in front of the editor and the orange juice in front of Hiyori, along with their two glasses. They poured inside the beverages and drank them slowly while Rotoko gave them a closed smile with closed eyes. He was ready to leave when he heard a deep manly voice coming from his back.

"Shichiro-san, why don't you hang up with us?"

"I would love to, but unfortunately I have to take the orders from the other costumers. Once I'm done, I will come"

"Of course. Don't worry yourselves", the editor said and Rotoko left with a nod, going towards the service hatch to take the plates for the other tables, after he heard the bell. Some minutes passed and the bell rang again, indicating that the orders he took from the Kirishimas were done. He went to the chef, took the plates and then walked towards the duo, putting the dishes on the table with care and calling 'enjoy your meals'. He sat for a minute above them, just to see their reaction about the food they tasted with their spoons after they said their prayers.

"So, what do you think about the food?"

"It's delicious!", Hiyori said excitedly while the two men were laughing at the display

"It's amazing. Congrats to the chef"

"Well, I'm glad you like it! My older brother would love to hear it"

"Your brother is the chef? "

"Yes! He cooks for my family sometimes when they come to visit us"

"You live with your brother Rotoko-san?"

"Yes, I live with Hiragi for almost 10 years. When my children left to live their lives with their new families, Hiragi came from Hokkaido just to keep me company"

"What about your wife Shichiro-san?"

"As you can see, you are not the only widower here", he said and gave a melancholic smile, something that made Kirishima sympathize for him. The older man saw it and waved his hand in a dismissive way as if what happened, it happened a long time ago. The editor saw it and nod, continuing to eat his food with joy. It was indeed one of the best curries he's ever tasted... well, second if he counts his daughter's.

"So Kirishima-san, have you settled down yet?"

"We did. Work began today and it was calmer than I would thought. Probably because it's the beginning", he said and winked at Rotoko, who gave a wholeheartedly laugh at the comment. "As for Hiyo, we went to the school you recommended us and we did the sign up. It's very good school and the principal is very kind to us"

"It reminds me of the school in Tokyo!"

"Haha, well I'm glad to hear it from you Hiyori-chan", he said and gave her a smile. Kirishima was ready to speak but then the doorbell rang, something that made Rotoko and the editor to turn and see who came. Almond eyes wide when they watched the man from yesterday entering inside with confidence in his steps, with his usual clothes and of course his characteristic helmet.

That made the editor disappointed a bit. He really wanted to see the man's face. He sighed and then turned his head to see Rotoko standing there with another expression on his face: the expression Kirishima would give to his daughter every time he was watching her, the expression only a father would give to his child. Rotoko moved away from the table and walked towards the man, who was now standing on the bar counter with his one cubit on it and the other fisted on his hip while his legs were crossed the one above the other.

"Yokozawa-kun, you bring me joy just to see you here"

"You know how I think about this place Shichiro-san. It's my home"

"I am well aware of it", he said and then hugged the man, who did the same without hesitation. It was a beautiful sight to see. 'I wonder if he is that opened to others' , the editor couldn't help but think about it. It seems he was looking for a while because he saw a head turning to him and it wasn't Rotoko's. It was Yokozawa's. He grinned to him and gave a wave while the other gave him a simple nod with his head.

"I believe you've already met Kirishima-san, right?"

"I've met him yesterday near Hasu. A brat stole his wallet and he chased him to take it back"

"Did you help him?"

"Not exactly. You see, when I arrived on time, I saw him kneeling slightly cause of the move he made to the kid"

"Move?"

"He pinned the kid's arm back. One more move and the arm would be twisted, causing to the brat pain and spending some money to the hospital", he said and sighed, shaking his head slightly left and right while Rotoko was laughing.

"I believe you have formed an opinion for him"

"Not yet and I won't. He has nothing to do with me anyway"

"Come on. Don't be so mean!"

"I am not. It's a fact. The only people I can interact with are you, Hiragi-san and Henmi from work"

"The one who gives you the coordinates of an incident that happens at that moment?", he asked but then he heard a beep coming from a phone. Yokozawa took his phone from his pocket and sighed when he saw a message. Aaah, it appears he had to go for work." You have work to do, right? "

" Yeah... "

"Don't worry about me. I can take care of the Cafe just fine. Go", he said and touched Yokozawa's shoulder, giving a slight squeeze on it. The young man nodded and gave a wave, leaving fastly from the store and missing the fact that almond orbs were following him. Seeing him, Kirishima sighed and continued eating while chatting with Hiyori.