Under Akane's eyes Shizuo decided to start by tasting that hot chocolate, he had never seen such an impressive moutain of cream before and he couldn't avert his eyes from it. He took out his spoon reluctantly and tasted it. He closed his eyes to concentrate better on the delicate and faint savor, taking a sip of the chocolate underneath, finding it perfect. Sweetness and bitterness blending together in an ideal flavor.
When he opened his eyes Akane was widely smiling at him.
"So, you like it?"
He nodded
"Yeah, I do"
The little girl wanted to continue the conversation but somehow she had no idea about what she could say and settled to take advantage of her own beverage. Taking a gulp of her chocolate she found herself with a brown smile printed on her face. Shizuo smiled while drinking.
He reached for a napkin and extended his arm to wipe away the mark, startling her.
"You were dirty"
Behind the shop window the man was still there. Akane, facing the back of the shop couldn't see him, and Shizuo still didn't notice him. He would look suspicious to anyone else though but he was concentrating on controlling himself, and on the sweets, especially on the sweets.
The man was wearing a suit, nothing out of the ordinary, but he was also wielding a cane and a scar was marking his eye, like Shizuo, he was wearing sunglasses.
He stood there, wondering what to do as he was watching the singular couple, sharing cake and trying to strike a conversation.
When the debt collector reached his hand toward Akane, the grip on his cane tighten and he was ready to jump in the shop, willing to defend the little girl even if it must cost him his life.
He relaxed and smiled when he noticed he was only wiping away dirt from her face.
Heiwajima Shizuo sure is an interesting man thought Akabayashi.