Chapter 4 (Because strangers aren't dangerous at all)
It had been three days since the odd encounter with the beaten girl, and Hayato had already put her out of his mind. He had other things to tend to. After being fired from his last job, Hayato knew he had to make ends meet in his household, just until his father comes home with his paycheck. And so he spent the next day walking about town in a shabby suit, looking for a new job. With his luck, he either got the "we'll-be-in-touch" or "we'll-keep-your-resume-in-file" bullshit from every single establishment he'd been too. The young man was already running out of patience, but he knew he couldn't go berserk just yet. He needed to calm down and think. It was already around lunchtime when he decided to call it a day and go over to Kuma's restaurant. From behind the counter, the chubby entrepreneur greeted him with a smile. "Ah, Yabuki! How's it going?"
Hayato would've loved to return the smile, but his facial muscles seemed fatigued as well. "Shitty as always," was his reply. He sank down in char next to the window and propped his head up with his hand. "I've been everywhere and no one wants to take me. I'm young, strong, easy on the eyes and no one wants to hand me a damn job." He was well aware that he was on full-on bitch mode, but what could a jobless guy do? Hayato leaned back and stretched, his spine cracking like that of an old man's. He needed to do something to loosen himself up; otherwise, he might end up with a walker at the age of 40.
Kuma smiled wryly and ladled up a bowl of ramen for Hayato, thinking he could use a pick-me-up. Walking over to his table, he placed the bowl in front of him, much to the young man's joy. "Wait, Kuma, I'm broke. I can't pay for this," he said just as he broke his chopsticks apart. But the Shirokin graduate just smiled and waved it away, presenting a kind gesture that would warm the heart of a certain strange homeroom teacher. "Don't worry, it's on the house."
That was all the cue he needed to dig happily into his free meal. "The rest of the world should be like you, Kuma. Then everyone would be happy." And fat, too, but hey, as long as there was kindness underneath all that meat, who cares?
Still the taste of ramen couldn't drown out the fact that he was utterly broke. He didn't want to make Taku work because that might interfere with his studies. And he was such a smart kid too. Hayato was afraid that he'd end up like his deadbeat brother. Please, God above, not him. He can do better. As he slurped on his noodles, he felt a strong, reassuring hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Kuma smiling down at him like an enlightened Buddha. "It'll work out at some point. You just gotta be patient and wait for it."
Hayato sighed deeply, but mostly just to inhale the delectable smell of his food. Chubbs was right, though. The only problem was that patience was one of the things he lacked in his lifetime. Oh well, he thought. He'd never had a set plan in life since day one, so why start now? However, the thought at the back of his mind pushed itself forward and made itself now. "I just want them to get better now. I swear, I'll do anything for that to happen."
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In the far end of the restaurant, a well-built elderly man with graying hair sat silently, flipping through his newspaper as he sipped his tea. He should've been out of there half an hour ago, but he was curious as to what his old friend was offering him. Apparently, the great Kuroda Ryuusei had already found the answer to his dilemma. He could go on his trip to Hawaii to see his family worry-free, seeing as he'd already found a temporary replacement. However, a man as meticulous as him just couldn't be satisfied with verbal recommendations, even if it came from both the Kumicho and his granddaughter. No, he had to dig deep and do his research like any good bodyguard would do. Since his young mistress was bedridden due to a broken rib, he had time to visit the young man's old school and ask about him. Much to his disappointment, he didn't find a reliable student who graduated at the top of his class and was involved in all the school activities. That was his standard at least, and he knew that his old friend must have known that about him. Nevertheless, the Kumicho insisted that he take the number of his ex-delinquent from a troublesome class, the infamous 3-D. Had Ryuusei finally lost his mind? How was he supposed to entrust to this violent bum the life of his precious charge? He was going to be away from three months, damn it, and his flight was in two days!
"You haven't a lot of options, so don't close off this one. He's a bit rough around the edges, but his heart is in the right place."
The old bodyguard sighed deeply, his mind completely drifting away from the article he was supposedly reading. This wasn't a matter of the heart, but rather, the strength of it. Sure, he was looking for someone capable of doing damage when needed, but he also needed someone who'd be willing to take care of his young mistress while he was away. She was, for all intents and purposes, insane but not clinically diagnosed as such. With that in mind, he'd seen the strongest men falter in contact with her. Some of them wanted to quit, both their job and possibly their lives; others wanted to quit the job and maybe kill her too, just so they could cleanse the world of her craziness. For the life of him, he couldn't understand why she did the things she did, but he stood faithfully by her side ever since she was little. Maybe that was why he was one of the very few people close to her heart, and that was a position that he cherished and took care not to lose.
He stared at the young man eating his ramen with much gusto. The old man sighed for what seemed like the umpteenth time and finally rolled up his newspaper and tucked it underneath his arm. I don't have time to be indecisive. I still have to go home and pack for Hawaii. He walked towards the young man's table and sat in the chair in front of him. In an instant, he took the chopsticks out of his mouth and set his bowl down in front of him, warily watching the senior citizen in front of him. The old bodyguard's mouth formed into a tight smile as he fished out his calling card from his jacket pocket. "Yabuki Hayato, isn't it? My name is Shinichi Shotaro and I'm here to offer you a job."