"Ok… who's going to babysit Miss Ayame?" Atsumu asked.
"Huh," I wondered, "what do you mean by 'babysit?'".
"Let's have Takkun babysit her since they don't get along well," Riki said.
"Perfect idea!" Hiro said.
"No, she should be able to pick who gets to babysit her," Kenshi argued.
"Fine," Hiro sighed.
"I really don't care who 'babysits' me," I sighed.
"Ok, then… this is the order: Takuto, me, Kenshi, Boss, and last, Hiro."
"Why do I have to be last?!" he shouted.
"What? No! One of you! Not all!" I shouted.
"Aww… But…" Hiro whined.
"No buts," I said plainly.
"On that note, let's celebrate for Ayame joining us!" Atsumu called out. He got everything ready, drinks and all. "Cheers!" I was forced a glass in my hand and we clinked glasses together.
"So... I've been wondering..." I started. "...How do I start this..."
"Start what?" Hiro looked confused.
"Well, I don't remember much about my granddad," I said. Actually, I don't remember like anything from when I was a kid since the accident…
"And, I know that he left me a note – which I haven't opened – and a few other… valuables, but I still want you guys to tell me more about him," I ended.
"You really don't know anything about him, do you?" Takuto smirked.
"Takkun, she was ten only ten when he died," Atsumu reminded. "He left behind many great things for science and the fine arts. Just like da Vinci."
"Back then, science wasn't advanced like today, and the fine arts weren't understood well," Riki added, "and all the equipment then was very crude."
"Despite all that, it's said that there's still no one who can rival his accomplishments," Hiro complimented.
"That's why everyone is after his creations." Takuto said. "You don't know any of this stuff, huh? Haven't you seen any of his stuff?"
"Actually, I have but it was when I was in… high school… college maybe," I remembered.
"Oh, that's a shame. Maybe you would've gotten inspired and taken over him, Ayame," Atsumu said.
"Who knows, with her brains," Takuto retorted. I watched him silently. "You've got something to say?"
"Not really…" I yawned.
"Then stop staring at me!" he yelled. Then, his tone went down a little after I took out something from my pocket and started to play with it, drink in one hand. "You work at a museum but you can't recognize your grandpa's works?"
"Oh, that's right," Hiro chimed in, "so you like art, then?"
"Whenever Granddad's works were, I was always assigned on another part of the museum, so I only got glimpses of them," I answered sadly. "And, yeah… I love art. I feel at ease when I look at it. It's like you can sense how the artist felt when they made it. It feels nice."
"See? You DO have his blood in you," Kenshi added.
"You could've have become his successor with that kind of attitude!" Atsumu encouraged.
"He wouldn't have wanted that," I told them.
"What do you mean?" Atsumu looked at me confused.
"When I was little, he would always tell me to be me, to do what I felt was… right for me, and especially not to be someone's shadow," I replied. "I miss him a lot." It's almost been fifteen years since Gramps died.
"And because of your granddad, we're one step closer to finding what everyone's been after," Hiro smiled, "and we also got to me Ayame!"
"Anyway… Boss can you make some more pork noodles because of SOMEBODY I didn't get any to eat before," Takuto glared at me.
Hiro came to my defense. "Liar! She gave you hers after… something happened!"
"Oh, both your glasses are empty. Do you two want anything to drink?"
"I'll have oolong tea highball," Takuto and I said at the same time. He starts to glare at.
"Stop copying me!" His glare deepens.
"Why would I want to copy you?!" I snapped.
"You guys do have something in common… we're running low on snacks. Does anyone want anything?" Atsumu asked.
"Can I have some shirako with ponzu sauce?" Once more Takuto and I said the same thing. I could feel his glare. "Maybe pork noodles…" We said this together as well. This time, I turned and glared him down.
"Stop copying me!" he shouted.
"And why the hell would I want to do that?!" We stared at each other like this for a while.
"I can see the electricity volts," Hiro whispered to the others. "It's a little scary…"
I turned to Atsumu and asked him where the coffee is and nothing else before Takuto could say another word. He told me to follow him, and I did.
"I could've made it, you know?" he mentions.
"I know, but I like my coffee a certain way," I tell him, "I'm sort of addicted to this one brand of coffee."
"Which brand?"
"Starbucks coffee," I smiled. "It's sooooo good, but I don't get to drink it often."
"What kind do you drink instead of that?"
"I'll show you." And so I did.
"Wow, that's fast and it looks really good. Can I have a sip?"
"Yes, but don't tell the others on how good it is."
"Haha, ok," he laughed. I sat back in my seat, coffee in hand. I savored every sip. I examined everyone's looks and figure. The one with the brown hair is… Kenshi. The orange is Hiro, then there's Atsumu with the longest hair of them all. I'm guessing Riki is the one with the darkest hair. The blonde is Takkun… wait… that's his nickname.
"Um… I sort of forgot your name." I didn't meet eyes with him. He started to cough. "Are you okay?!"
"Eat slower!" Riki scolded. He pats him on the back. Takuto stops coughing.
"How the hell *cough* do you forget someone's name?!" he questions angrily.
"I wouldn't have forgotten if you properly introduced yourself…" I said in my defense.
"…Takuto... Hirukawa…" he finally introduces. A little while later, he finishes his pork noodles. "I'm done. Let's go," Takuto started to drag me to the basement.
"But I'm not!"
"Don't care. Come on while they're still drinking." He gripped my wrist tighter and took me down to the basement. It was dark down there, and I tripped. I fell on my bottom.
"What's down here?" I asked. He offers me his hand. I accepted his offer, and he helped me up. He may not be that bad… but I can't be for sure.
"I can ask Boss to put up some lights here if you want to?" he offered.
"Um, no, thanks. I'll be able manage," I rejected.
"Ok," he said, "give me your phone."
"What?" I glanced over at him after looking at the monitor screen.
"Do you even know what a phone is?!" he sighed.
"Of course I know what a phone is!"
"Then give it to me or are that poor that you don't have one?"
"I think you'll be surprised by what model I have!" I remarked.
"Then give it to me!"
"Why?"
"Just listen to me!"
"No!" He digs through my pockets and takes out my phone. "Hey!"
"This is one of the newest models for Samsung..." He's left speechless.
He reprograms my phone, but in order to not seen suspicious, I ask him, "What'd you do to my phone?"
"I reprogrammed it," he answered bluntly.
"What you mean by 'reprogrammed' it?" I ask with a suspicious tone.
"I dunno..." He started to grin mischievously.
After that, we went home.
Before I went to bed, I get a call from Takuto.
"Don't try to get a new phone," he told me.
"Ok," I replied, "I don't need another one."
"Good night."
"Good night."
I got into bed, and thought about what happened today. First a break in at the museum, then a break up, and now being recruited into a group of thieves who call themselves the "Black Foxes." Though… their faces do seem familiar. Maybe, it's just my imagination.
Eventually, I fell asleep.