"Let's take a break!"

From a short distance, a shout could be heard reverberating from across the street. Kuroko has certainly made a habit of sitting down on a bench at Cerulean Street observing the construction that has been ongoing while working at the same time whenever his work is remote.

Like a broken record, Gin had always told him that he had a lot of time in his hands to be hanging around in front of a boring construction site instead of doing work at the comfort of his office at home. Nevertheless, Kuroko remained very vague as to why, although Gin had already sussed out a guess that seemed likely.

"You look dazed."

Walking up to him is the principal of Blue Ink High School.

"I know that classes aren't up yet, but shouldn't you be at work, Tenth?"

"Oh, well. Things are light for the most part so cut me some slack. I just stepped out for a bit to see what's going on here, but I guess I also came to have a chat with Amano. I swear, Gin got his trait of being forgetful from his idiot dad and got my son caught on it. But at least I'm glad Akira has found someone for him.

How about you, then? Shouldn't you be at work?"

"I'm working. I just find it nice to do some work here."

Tenth's eyes narrowed as he joined Kuroko on the bench.

"You put your hair on a bun?"

"Only when it's hot. Even the slight touch of my hair on my neck can get annoying sometimes."

"You're one strange man if you can work in the middle of the sounds hammering and grinding, and you're even risking your laptop with all the dust that reaches here.

What a resilient man you are."

"…"

Tenth's eyes that reflect both amusement and sarcasm then rolled towards Kuroko unabashedly taking out a can of compressed air from his bag and gave his computer a few sprays until it's cleaned up for the most part.

"Sometimes you can be quite obvious with your motives."

"No, I think you're just really sharp, Tenth."

Noticing the sudden loud noise of discharged air in the distance, Gin stood by the end of the upper floor's slab and waved at the two across the road.

From below, Tenth and Kuroko could see Gin gesturing to call her cousin that also waved wider.

"Right, thanks for always accompanying Yukihime home at weekends. I kept hearing about it from Ane Rion since she doesn't come back underground on weekdays."

"It's nothing, really. Just doing what I can."

"Sure, sure. That's answer's not going to slide with me, anyway."

Kuroko's scarlet eyes then momentarily glanced at the man beside him only to silently return to his laptop and began typing again.

Curious, Tenth from his periphery caught a look on the screen and tried to contain his laughter from coming out.

"What…?"

"What do you mean what?"

His eyes slightly furrowed, Kuroko returned his gaze to his screen only to slam his computer shut.

The laughter still lingering, Tenth playfully asked, "How were you able to work like this whenever you're here?"

"It's your fault, Tenth."

"How? I only looked at what you were typing."

"I've been working just okay until you showed up."

"Now that's not nice. But you sure are something to be this dedicated."

"…"

"How's Yukihime these days, anyway? Enjoying herself?"

"You should probably ask Ringo about that. She's the one with her the most, and I think they go out from time to time. But if you're asking me if she's enjoying herself, then I think she does."

"Hahh… When she first said that she wanted to step out of the base, I was really worried. After all, she's the daughter of a good friend—a mentor. But I suppose you already know that well."

"Not as well as the guy up there on the half-built house."

"I watched that girl grow up when she was raised by her mother… well, until I turned into a deadbeat and left the base. I just couldn't help but be anxious for her. I was just worried how she would react when she sees a much bigger world that the one she has been used to.

Still, it's not someone's choice if she wishes to spread her wings."

"Don't worry. I think she'll just be fine."

The moment Tenth turned, he was met with an unwavering gaze from those crimson eyes that met his.

"Yeah… she's in Ringo's care, after all."

Somehow, knowing full well what the gaze towards him meant, Tenth couldn't be honest with himself at that moment.

"You know, sometimes I wish Akira had a sister."

"Is it too late for that now?"

"Look here, we never know how many years we still have in us. I grew up with no parents… so I don't know how it would feel like for a child to lose their parent when they're young."

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"Now you sounded like Gin just now."

"My bad for being a pessimist."

▪ ▪ ▪

"How's work treating you?"

"Should I interpret that as how you're treating me, boss?"

"Come on, don't make it sound like this is a bad workplace, Aomine."

"I never said that."

It is now the final days of July.

As per Sora's suggestion, Aomine decided to work part-time in her brother's, Haruka Hayasaka's, cafe that he established after breaking off from his father's corporation and even changing his name.

Haruka's connection with Aomine rooted from the latter's childhood after he left the name of Kagurazaka. He was partly the reason why Aomine affirmed his somewhat nihilistic principle about academic hierarchy, and why he supports the system of Blue Ink.

Because of their coinciding philosophies, they maintained a bond even before the incidents regarding Sora.

Aomine working in the cafe named Yona was just a small happening amidst many burnt bridges being slowly fixed.

To Haruka's surprise, he did not expect him to continue working after a month that they had initially agreed upon, even when his finally year in college is fast approaching.

"It's just a really comfy place to work at and I like smelling the scent of coffee everyday," is what Aomine had as his response when asked why he wanted to keep working.

"Well… that certainly helps us a lot since Sana can't work while taking care of our newborn daughter. You were so fast at helping out on our financial records and other admin stuff that I'm considering hiring you. Heck, you shouldn't even be touching them but there I was making you look at them anyway."

"My major has a lot of business courses, after all. But I suppose it's nice that I have a contingency plan now thanks to what you just said."

"Oh? So you're setting your eyes on a potential job?"

"I don't even have one yet."

"Sheesh. Some years before I would have never taken you for a free spirit.

I'm going upstairs for a bit so make sure you get the tables all shiny."

"Yeeees."

Minutes passed, and the bell chimes of the store door sounded.

"Welcome to Yona."

The woman who had her hair on her shoulders tied with a white ribbon that just entered timidly chose a single window seat and briskly took a menu and perused its contents.

"Excuse me."

As Aomine was pretty much tending the shop's front, he approached the table, "Are you ready to order, ma'am?"

"I'd have a French toast and for the drink… can I get a shop's recommendation?"

Immediately, his brain started working to deduce an order in times where a customer did not specify anything, which he has thankfully gotten over quickly in his first days at work.

"It's really hot around this time of the day, so would you be fine with a frappe float?"

"That would work for me. That's all I'll have. Thank you very much."

"One French toast and a frappe float. Your order will come soon."

It was an unusually quiet hour that day, and it left Aomine posted at the shop's front counter while waiting for customers as there was only a single one. Sometimes, he would get boring days like this, but somehow he ended up taking glances of the lady's profile thoroughly enjoying her order.

"They were really good, thank you ver-"

CRASH

As the woman was about to pay the bill, a loud crashing sound was heard at the back of the shop.

"Uh, I'm sorry, but please let me look at what happened first."

"I'll sit for the time being."

As the commotion was happening, the woman could faintly hear what was going on with Haruka coming down from the second floor.

"What happened?! Is anyone hurt?"

"W-We're all fine, boss. But the shelf suddenly came down on its own. Thankfully there were just pots and trays on it. None of the equipment got broken."

"Thank goodness you guys are safe. But are you sure all of you are okay? No hiding from me."

"We are, boss. We can just clean this up."

"Are you really sure?" sterner, the owner repeated.

"We are. We are… It's times like this that you worry too much, boss."

"Can't help it. I'm responsible for all my staff. Pretty much the reason why I'm here instead of some big office.

Anyway, can you help me out on moving this shelf out, Aomine? This takes too much space in the kitchen."

"On it… Wait, one sec, there's a customer waiting outside!"

"You should have said earlier. Go out there."

…

"I'm very sorry to keep you waiting."

"Umm… sorry for overhearing, but it sounded like a shelf fell off?"

"We're sorry for the noise it made."

"No, if anything, is the shelf still in one piece?"

"Y-Yes…?"

"Then can I perhaps try fixing it?"

Haruka agreed to the offer to get their large shelf reinstalled into the kitchen, very reluctantly however as it came from a customer. Aomine then went to an errand in the hardware store while the owner came back from his house upstairs to a toolbox that the lady asked for.

"I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but you didn't strike me as a carpenter, honestly.

But are you from around here? I think this is the first time I've seen you in our cafe."

"That… I recently moved here from the countryside… but I do work for construction."

"I see… I'm sorry for making you do this."

"It's okay. I was the one that raised it, anyway."

"I'm back, boss," Aomine returned and handed over the bag.

Not even a minute after he returned, the lady immediately took a hammer and tossed it in the air, rotating a few times before returning to her hand cleanly while scanning the issue that compromised the shelf.

"Ah, force of habit… I'll get scolded again if they caught me playing with a hammer…"

On the last time the woman caught the hammer, it felt as though Aomine saw an entirely different person standing before him. He thought, it was not the same person he saw savoring the french toast at her table.

"Alright."

~ ~ ~

"I'm home."

"Wait, wasn't this a day off for you, Yuki?"

"Did you just come home too, Ringo?"

"Ah, yeah."

"Welcome home. Yuki said he wanted to explore the town a bit."

"I found a nice cafe, and I made friends with the owner. Maybe we can go together sometime, Ringo? I also got a free big coupon from them."

"Oh? Where is it?"

"Sector T1. Its name is Yona."

"I actually frequent that place with Potato! You got a good find! Let's go together when I don't have work."

"Sure. Do you want to go with us, Aunt Sumi?"

"They keep talking about it even before, so I might as well~"

"That's decided, then. Since it's getting colder at night, want to join me in the bath, Yuki? Hahh… I'm knackered," Rin teased.

"Let's do that… but can we even fit there?"

"W-Wait. Uhh, you sure? I-I was kind of just joking, you know? You don't mind…?"

"Why would I?"

Moved, Rin sprinted to her room with a shout gradually fading.

"Wooooohh…! I'm blessed with so many sisters…!!"

"Somehow, I found you very similar to Gin just now," Sumi suddenly asserted.

"I… I don't see how, Auntie?"

"You both warmed up to our family so much that it feels like you're part of us."

"Ahaha… I'm flattered."

▪ ▪ ▪

"Say… your classes have resumed, right?"

"Yes."

"I see. You better be balancing your work and studies. It's your final year after all."

"…? Sure. I'm doing what I can."

Amidst Aomine's entrance in his last year in college, Haruka had taken attention into his part-timer's sudden request to increase his shifts while his schedule changed to the evening shifts in days when he has classes, and for some reason, he seemed to be much more motivated for the past few days.

As someone who has watched Aomine grow, Haruka started feeling a bit concerned even if it may turn out that it was nothing to worry about. If there was something that he knew about him, it was that Aomine never gets completely motivated.

Perhaps it was just a wrong gut feeling, and that it was entirely a good thing that Aomine is finally seeing new light after many years of being restrained by his past, but for such a thing to happen, something very significant must have happened to him.

Nonetheless, Haruka let the days pass by, quietly observing, until it was Aomine that came to him.

"Actually, Yuka?"

"Hm?"

At a time of the day where the shop was its least busy, Aomine seized the time where it was only him and the owner in the shop's front."

"I think I need some advice."

"Knowing you, it's rare that you ask something from someone so this somehow sounds like a big deal. I'm all ears."

"Well, you see… There's something that's been on my mind recently."

"Uh-huh."

"It's probably the first time it happened so everything just felt very new to me."

"Uh-huh?"

"And I thought that you're the best person to ask about this."

"Okay…"

"The thing is, I've probably fell for someone."

"Huh. Now that's honestly something I didn't expect to hear from you."