It was a calm Saturday for LeBlanc. Just the typical routine of serving the few amount of customers the place attracted and relaxing for the remainder of tue day.

However, that didn't mean there wasn't a new addition to the calm atmosphere. After Ren and his father spent the varying remainder of their free time with eachother, some physical changes were seen around the café.

The first change was the small shrub of red roses growing comfortably on their pot. The soon-to-be blossoming flowers were placed near the cash register for anyone to see.

"He heh, consider me impressed kid." Sojiro chuckled, expressing his surprise to the teen successfully growing the roses from scratch.

The older man felt quite curious whether or not his young employee was born to be good at everything he was handed.

"You can thank my dad for this." Ren dismissed the praise, the teen brewed the coffees for the old couple that have long been regulars to the establishment.

While the young man didn't mind the praise, it would be disrespectful of him if he didn't share the credit to his father. After all, it was obvious that a teenager like himself lacked the appropriate skills to grow any type of plant, let alone growing roses.

He would have to thank his childhood curiosity and energy later on, since those were the catalysts that gave him the urge to help his father grow the roses of their garden.

Even though they could no longer grow anymore of them due to the lack of available space, Ren could still feel the warm rays of the sun washing over his exposed skin as he helped his father trim the overgrown leaves that were present.

A pity that they couldn't grow any more by the time he reached his early teens. The leader of the Phantom Thieves wanted more soul warming memories for him to look back on.

Perhaps he could create some new ones with the alternative that has recently ran through his mind.

No thanks to the eccentric mind of his friend Yusuke, he has conjured some ideas that focused on changing the scenery of the backyard. The ideas would mainly revolve in changing the positioning of the flowers that would, hopefully, maintain their blossoming beauty his family has gotten used to seeing on every sunny day.

The bell ringing from the main door stripped Ren's focus away from his future planning and bring it to the man he has been waiting for today.

"Glad you could make it here dad."

The man laughed lightly, feeling a smidge offended to his son's relief that his father wouldn't visit him. "As if I would ever again miss a day to spend time with you."

The tone he expressed was positive and playful, but Ren could feel the thin layer of sadness and shame underneath that firm response.

He too has felt those feelings course through his mind before and after he arrived to Tokyo. Because he was away from his parents, he truly believed that they were ashamed that their only son was a monster; a beast that was unleashed from it's cage.

And those self-deprecating thoughts would both get mitigated and worsened at the same time whenever they called him on the daily. He knew that it wasn't healthy for his mind to form such negativity towards himself, but when you're a teenager that was accused of committing a heinous act, the mind could dig up some wild things that could cloud one's own judgment.

But when Ren saw his father expressing his relief and happiness whenever they spent time together, all the days when he was at his worst suddenly disappeared. Positivity only remained.

"I see that you have given my hobby try, Ren." His father commented to the small pot of roses resting atop of the counter.

"I just wanted to try something new for once." A light laugh of relief was released. "And I am glad that it went well for a first timer like me."

His father's chuckle filled Ren with warmth. "Since you learned it from me, it would make sense for you to carry on a family tradition."

Hearing that from his father was very pride swelling for the young thief.

The 'ahem' from Sojiro forced father and son to bring their attention to their surroundings. "Sorry for interrupting, but it seems that you two need a reminder that you have plans to take care of."

"He heh, I'm just feeling incredibly happy now, that's all."

"I know, but save it for your old man."

"Which one?"

The owner of the café amusedly rolled his eyes. "Very funny kid."

After the father and son left the establishment, Sojiro heard the old couple express their thoughts to the interaction they just witnessed.

"Well wasn't that one of the sweetest things you ever seen, honey? A father and son appreciating their company."

The husband chuckled softly. "It is. Those two reminded me how we appreciated the small moments with our own children." His eyes turned somber. "How I wished they all didn't have to grow up so fast."

The hand of his wife's gently caressed his. "It is simply a price and a reward that people like us have to pay. All that matters is how happy they turned out in the end."

("How happy they turned out...") Sojiro pondered the words of the elderly woman, his head turning to the door of his café.

("She's onto something... that's for sure.")