When we returned home, Ahmet and Cengiz were already there and chatting.

We opened the door, took off our shoes, and as we were entering, Ahmet spoke up.

"Welcome, gentlemen."

Kerem responded, "Thank you."

I just nodded and smiled.

We also went inside and sat down.

Ahmet and Cengiz looked like they were about to ask me questions but were probably hesitant because they thought I wouldn’t answer.

They must have been curious about how my first day went.

This time, I wanted to start the conversation first.

"Are you curious about how my first day went?"

Ahmet and Cengiz smiled and nodded affirmatively.

I then recounted everything that happened during the day.

When I finished, there was a look of fear on Cengiz's face and a worried expression on Ahmet's face.

Ahmet spoke first.

"I think you should stay away from this guy Özkan, Taşkın. Kerem never told me Özkan was like this."

He turned to Kerem.

"Are you taking fight training from a guy like this, Kerem? Judging by what he did to Taşkın, he doesn't seem mentally stable. I don't think he should even be working at the gym."

Ahmet's attitude and actions seemed to blame Kerem, although Kerem was not at fault.

I decided to speak up.

"I think Kerem is doing the right thing, Ahmet."

Both of them turned to me. Cengiz was a bit further away, listening to the conversation without joining in.

"It's clear that this guy Özkan is dangerous. But it's also clear that he has a lot of knowledge."

"Kerem is right to take lessons from him. I'm sure he's learned a lot so far. In fact, I also want to take lessons from Özkan. I will ask him when we go to the gym tomorrow."

All three of them were surprised.

Ahmet spoke again.

"Taşkın, the guy almost tried to kill you. Why do you want to take lessons from him?"

"Is there someone bothering or harassing you?"

"If there is, tell us, and we'll handle it together."

"No, there's no one bothering me. I just want to learn to defend myself."

After a long silence, Cengiz spoke.

"I think we shouldn't interfere with Taşkın. He can do whatever he wants. It's none of our business."

"Besides, Kerem will be there to watch over him anyway. They're always together."

Ahmet turned to Cengiz impulsively.

"Don't be ridiculous, Cengiz. How can Kerem protect Taşkın?"

"We've both seen this guy Özkan before. What can Kerem do against him?"

Cengiz fell silent after these words.

I was getting tired of this topic. I decided to put an end to it.

"Look, guys, there's no point in talking about this any longer. As Cengiz said, I'm free to do what I want."

When I said this, Ahmet didn't insist any further.

To change the subject and out of curiosity, I asked Ahmet what he did for a living.

"Ahmet, where do you work?"

"I work at a nearby grocery store."

I turned to Cengiz.

"And you, Cengiz?"

"I work at a barber shop."

One thing led to another, and we talked for a long time. It was already around two in the morning.

We decided to go to bed because we had to get up early in the morning.

We prepared the beds as we had the night before, and I laid my head on the pillow. I closed my eyes.

I was finally going to get some rest. The tasks at the gym weren't hard, but constantly being on the move and taking training from Özkan, even for a short time, had exhausted me.

Taşkın, when are you going to thank me?

I saved your life today, remember?

...

Taşkın, don't even try to sleep, I won't let you, you know that.

You're really not going to let me sleep, are you?

h̵̜̰̯̲̮̳͕̎̍̎a͇̪̣͒̄̃͂̕h̵̪̘̜̫ͦ̽à̶̖͓͕ͥͩ̊.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

Thank you.

Is that good enough, Milaz?

Taşkın, you haven't been talking to me much lately.

You're always talking to those annoying kids.

I'm jealous, h̵̜̰̯̲̮̳͕̎̍̎a͇̪̣͒̄̃͂̕h̵̪̘̜̫ͦ̽à̶̖͓ͥͩ̊

Don't be ridiculous, Milaz.

By the way, you could have really died today. That guy is a maniac.

I'm well aware.

Be cautious while taking lessons from him. Don't let your guard down.

Okay.

This training will elevate your potential.

In the future, when you grow up, you'll learn almost all martial arts.

What you'll learn from Özkan is nothing compared to what you'll learn later on.

...

Taşkın, are you listening to me?

I'm telling you important things here.

Y-yes, I'm listening.

Got it, I'll tell you these things another time.

Alright, go to sleep.

Good night, Milaz.

Shut up.

...

I woke up by myself in the morning.

I looked around.

Ahmet and Kerem were already up and in the kitchen. They were preparing breakfast.

Cengiz was still sleeping.

I washed my face and went to the kitchen. This time, I wanted to help too. They were being very kind to me, and I wanted to return the favor.

"Good morning."

Kerem spoke first.

"Well, it's not that good of a morning, Taşkın. We just got up a few minutes ago. We're still trying to wake up."

Then Ahmet, rubbing his eyes, joined in.

"Yeah, exactly. Even though I've washed my face, I'm still sleepy."

Kerem, with sleepy eyes, said, "Taşkın, since you're up, help Ahmet set the table so I can quickly run to the bakery to get some bread."

"Alright, no problem."

"Thanks a lot, buddy."

Ahmet responded with a laugh.

"Buddy, huh? How did you two get so close in one day?"

Kerem chuckled slightly and a smile formed on his face.

I also let out a small laugh.

Kerem was grinning as he spoke.

"Come on, don't keep me talking. The table isn't even set yet. We'll be late for work."

Ahmet was still rubbing his eyes.

"Okay, okay. Go quickly and get the bread; we'll have the table ready by the time you get back."

Kerem quickly left the house.

We set the table.

Ahmet sat down in a chair and leaned back.

"Taşkın, could you go wake Cengiz up?"

I said okay and went to Cengiz's side.

Cengiz was sleeping comfortably in the warmth of the bed, with a peaceful expression on his face.

"Cengiz," I said in a low voice. "Get up, the table is ready. Kerem went to get bread. He'll be back soon."

He was rolling around in bed and didn't want to get up.

"Taşkın, let me sleep for five more minutes. I'll get up as soon as Kerem gets back."

"Alright then. But if you're late for work, don't blame me."

Cengiz rolled his eyes, "Don't worry, I won't be late."

I went back to Ahmet.

"Cengiz isn't getting up. He said he'll get up as soon as Kerem gets back."

Ahmet still hadn't fully shaken off his sleepiness. His eyelids were slowly closing and opening.

He spoke while yawning, "Okay, okay. Kerem will be back soon anyway."

He started giggling after yawning, "Honestly, you're the youngest among us, Taşkın, but right now Cengiz is acting like the youngest."

I laughed too.

At that moment, the door opened. Kerem had returned with the bread. "The bread is very hot. Let's eat it before it cools down."

Cengiz suddenly appeared behind Kerem. "The bread really looks delicious."

Ahmet burst out laughing. "Weren't you just sleeping? How did you get up so quickly?"

I and Kerem were also laughing.

Kerem put the bag he was holding on the counter.

"Come on, Cengiz, go wash your face and come back. Let's have breakfast."

Cengiz rushed to the bathroom.

Ahmet and I had already set the table.

We all sat down and waited for Cengiz to come back.

It wasn't long before Cengiz returned and we started our breakfast.

It had only been a day since I arrived here, but I had already gotten used to it.

Elif... If I'm having breakfast here right now, it's because of you. I never gave up, just like you said. I miss you... so much.

Screw Elif!

You're alive because of me, you avenged Elif because of me!

Milaz, shut up!

Speak respectfully about Elif!

Ahmet, while biting a piece of bread, noticed Taşkın.

"Taşkın, are you upset about something?"

"Is there something bothering you? You look angry."

"N-no. I just zoned out. I'm not angry, in fact, I'm happy. Yesterday I had my first breakfast with you all. Today is my second breakfast."

"Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity."

After Taşkın's words, there was a deep silence at the breakfast table. Kerem's face fell, and he was visibly affected by what he heard. He had a blank expression. The fork in his hand was suspended in the air. He was struggling to chew the piece of cheese he had put in his mouth but couldn't swallow it.

Ahmet, sitting next to Kerem, was no different. He was saddened by what he heard.

Among them, Cengiz was the quickest to recover. He turned to Taşkın.

"Taşkın, are you okay?" he asked, his voice trembling and hoarse.

"I'm fine, I'm really fine. I'm even happy, like I just said."

Ahmet took a sip of water from the glass bottle while Kerem composed himself and interjected, "How strange."

Everyone, including Taşkın, had started listening to Kerem.

"How strange indeed. It's just breakfast. Normal families have breakfast together, laughing and having fun every day. But not everyone is that lucky,"

He was looking at a certain point while saying these things. Then he turned his eyes to Taşkın.

"Don't worry, Taşkın. We're a family now. We'll have beautiful breakfasts like this together every day. We're brothers now. I don't know what you've been through before, but I can promise you that from now on, good things will happen to you."

I smiled. "Thank you, Kerem. And also, Cengiz and Ahmet, thank you. You've never looked down on me or treated me poorly. You've always been kind."

All three of them smiled.

"But there's a slight problem. If we keep talking, we'll be late for work."

As I said this, Ahmet's eyes widened, and he quickly got up from the table, almost falling off his chair in his haste.

We all laughed.

Ahmet spoke, a mix of annoyance and humor in his tone, "Instead of laughing, get dressed, come on. Taşkın, Kerem might be fine, but are you going to be late for work on just your second day?"

Upon hearing this, I quickly got up from my chair. Unlike Ahmet, I couldn't keep my balance and fell off my chair. This time, they all burst into laughter.

Kerem was laughing while extending his hand to help me up. "Taşkın, are you alright? Haha. Come on, don't get so worked up. Don't mind Ahmet. Being a few minutes late won't hurt. The salon is usually empty in the morning anyway."

With Kerem's support, I got up. "It's okay, Kerem. Let's get dressed and leave. Even though it's just a few minutes, I don't want to be late on my second day."

"Plus, today I'm going to ask Özkan to train me."

Ahmet's expression changed again. "Taşkın, are you really sure about getting training from that guy?"

"Yes, I'm sure. Let's hurry, Ahmet, get dressed too."

He was probably going to try to talk me out of it again, but before he could say anything, I went to get dressed.

Ahmet must have realized he would be late because he quickly came to dress after me. Then Cengiz and Kerem followed him.

We were all hastily getting dressed.

Our socks got mixed up. I had two different socks on my feet—one too big and one too small. The others were in similar situations.

Ahmet chuckled and said, "This won't do. Let's just wear the socks regardless of their sizes. Some socks are missing anyway. Whoever doesn't have socks should grab a pair from that drawer and wear them."

The three of us got ready. We headed towards the door to leave. At that moment, Kerem looked towards the kitchen and called out. Ahmet and I turned back, curious about what was happening. Cengiz was trying to tidy up the table.

Kerem said to Cengiz, "Leave it, Cengiz, let it be. Whoever gets home earlier tonight can tidy up. If you linger, you'll really be late for work."

Ahmet supported Kerem. "Yeah, Cengiz. Come on, let's go, forget about it."

Cengiz nodded, "Alright then, I'm coming."

We all left the house and went down separate streets.

I felt a bit excited today.

I was going to ask Özkan to train me. Whether he would agree or not was uncertain.

With these thoughts in my head, we continued briskly towards the salon.