A sense of sadness ate away at Ame as she prepared for lunch; salted salmon and rice. Her eyes were red and swollen from hours of sobbing, but she did her job as told. With all thoughts considered she had hoped that the day would get a little better for her, but it didn't. She came in late and despite her reason, Tamao chastised her. One more time, she swore; one more tardy and Ame would be fired.

Once she was done, Ame put the serving trays on the cart and pushed it across the inn towards the room that ordered it; Matilda, a waitress with orange hair tied in a bun shaped like a jack o lantern assisted her. As they walked down the hall, Matilda noticed the despondent look on her face and sighed.

"Why do you look like someone kicked your dog?" She asked.

Was it obvious?

"I'm on the verge of losing my job," Ame explained with a frown. "And my ass of a landlord raised the rent again."

She needed her job. It was hard enough to make rent where she lived, and the inn was such a good job; the people were friendly, and Ame worked close to Faust, her mentor. She knew that there were other opportunities for work in the city, but she didn't want to give her position up so easily.

Matilda rolled her eyes. "So don't be late again."

"I honestly try not to, but gangs run crazy in the city. Just this morning, the police shut down the Sunshine 66 building because someone murdered another person. It's a nightmare," Ame rambled on.

Matilda snorted. She honestly didn't know that Ameyuri lived in the city; it wasn't the safest place for her to be at the moment.

"It's probably for the best that you ignore it," she mentioned.

Ame nodded in agreement. She and Matilda took the cart to the room, knocking before they entered.

Muscle Punch looked up from his magazine and got up to help Ame move the cart into the room. As several members of Ryu's gang stood up to help distribute the food, the orange-haired waitress tossed Ame a wave and disappeared behind the door.

"I hope you guys enjoy it," she said with a smile. "Ryu made it special for you guys."

Junk Food hummed. "The Boss always takes care of us."

"And we have Yoh and Mrs. Anna to thank for showing us our Best Place," Muscle Punch mentioned as he ate.

Ame smiled. They are a blessing.

"You guys won't have a place to stay if mom catches you on your butts and not working," a voice declared.

Her eyes grew wide. Was that Hana?

Ame walked around the side of the bed and saw said teen on the floor. He appeared to be playing a card game with Apache. Odd, she thought. He usually followed Ryu around like a shadow.

"I didn't notice you there, Hana. Is there something from the kitchen I can get you?" She asked with a smile.

He shook his head. "I ate before I came up."

Apache laid down a card and grinned. "Hana is hanging with us until his parents finish their meeting."

"My uncle is here," he mentioned.

Yoh or Ana had a brother? Ame had never heard them mention a sibling before.

"Does he come by often?" She asked as she puckered a brow.

Hana shook his head again. "He's a lonely person. Dad says he only comes by when he has a reason to."

What did that mean? Perhaps he was a hermit. And what reason would he need to visit? Hana didn't seem too interested in seeing him either. Or maybe his parents didn't want him to.

Ame hummed. Whatever the reason was, it wasn't her business.

"I should return to the kitchen," she mentioned. "Ring for me if you need anything, and I will come by later to get the cart."

The gang said their goodbyes, and Ame walked down the hall back to the kitchen. When she got there, she found Tamao in the pantry.

"Would you like some help?" Ame asked.

Tamao looked over her shoulder and hummed. "No. Ryu and I are taking inventory. We have more guests than usual today."

Odd. Ame hadn't seen a single guest all afternoon.

"But if you're not busy, you can take some clean towels down to the changing area. Our guest should be finishing up soon," Tamao ordered.

Ame shook her head and walked to the laundry room for some clean towels. Once she had them, she hurried to the hot spring attached to the inn and knocked before entering the changing room. No one was around, but some clothes in a plastic storage bin indicated someone was using the hot spring.

She laid the towels next to the bin and hummed in interest as she noticed a star-shaped pattern sewn into the breast area of the zip-up that laid inside.

The star brought up memories of her mother. Warm tears stung her eyes as Ame traced it with a finger. Her mother loved the stars; she was obsessed.

Lost in her thoughts, Ame didn't hear the door that separated the changing room from the springs until a voice called out to her.

"Do you like it?"

Ame jerked in fear and looked towards the source of the voice. The person in question was a man with long brown hair pulled up into a ponytail. He grinned at her as she averted her eyes, noticing that he was just in a small towel.

"Are you going to answer me?" He asked.

Her face warmed up in embarrassment. "I wasn't going to take it."

"I can see that," the man laughed. He moved closer to her until he was next to her. "But do you like it?"

Ame shook her head. "Stars bring back fond memories. And I apologize. I shouldn't have touched your property."

She hoped that he wouldn't report her to Yoh or Anna.

"You did not harm it," he mentioned. Pulling the plastic bin over, he began to dress.

Once he finished, he tossed Ame the towel and watched as she gripped it in her hands.

"You can look at me now," he said with a grin.

Ame turned her head and looked him over. He reminded her of Yoh a bit.

"You wouldn't happen to be related to Asakura Yoh, would you?"

The man laughed. "He's my twin brother. My name is Hao."

"I'm Ameyuri. It's a pleasure to meet you," she said with a smile.

This was an awkward way to meet a person.

"Umm, I should go. I have work to do," Ame uttered.

Hao grinned. "Run along then, little Ame. I'm sure we'll meet again soon."

Her face heated up again. Saying goodbye, she rushed from the room in a hurry.

Hao laughed and reached into the bin for his phone. He hated using them, but it was the only way to contact Luchist with his gang members spreading out across the wards.

"I need a shirt brought to me," he said as Luchist answered.

The man agreed, and Hao ended the call. A grin spread across his face. His next meeting with Ame was predetermined. He knew how to bring her to him.