Kyle was sitting in the cafe, sipping on a cup of coffee and going through the month's financial statement, while Sakura was seated in front of him, munching on some pastries Akiko had made.
Even though Sakura had done a great job, there were still areas that could be fixed. As a business major before his death, Kyle could easily spot loopholes.
He raised his head slightly above the report to look at Akiko, his eyes locking on her.
She had been staring at them for the past ten minuites…
Akiko straightened and immediately looked away, pretending to be busy, but Kyle kept his eyes on her.
"Akiko, come."
Akiko slowly turned and pointed at herself. "Me?"
"Is there anyone else named Akiko here?"
She sighed and strode toward them, her pace draggy. When she arrived, Kyle silently called her to his side and pointed at something on the store menu.
"How come we only have these beverages? What about smoothies and milkshakes?"
While Sakura covered sales and marketing, it was Akiko who was in charge of the menu.
She leaned a little closer and frowned. "Oh, it's because we don't have the tools. I made a request six months ago, but it was never approved."
"Hmm, is that so?"
Akiko nodded.
"Does that mean you can make those drinks?"
Currently, his cafe mainly served coffee and a few choice drinks. Having something completely different might be what they needed to accelerate sales.
Since he was the one running the shop now, the least he could do was make it profitable.
Akiko nodded enthusiastically and placed both hands on her waist. "Of course I can. I've been working in cafes since I was little."
"Alright then." Kyle pushed his chair back and rose to his feet.
"You're going to get it now?"
"Of course, why wait?"
Akiko jogged up to the glass windows and stared up at the sky. "But it looks like it's going to rain soon."
"That shouldn't be a problem," Kyle replied, pulling out his keys, then he grabbed Sakura, who was busy devouring a doughnut, by the arm.
"You're coming with me."
They both left the cafe and walked into the parking lot where Kyle's car was parked.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" he asked with a smirk as he twirled the keys in his fingers. "Let's go."
Kyle unlocked the doors from a distance and began walking toward it, while Sakura did a one-eighty and walked toward the street.
Only when Kyle opened the door did he realize Sakura had gone in the opposite direction.
She was now standing by the side of the road, watching as cars drove by.
'What is that girl doing?'
Kyle drove out of the parking lot, stopping right in front of her, then he rolled down his window and glared at her from within the vehicle.
Sakura waved at him. "Don't worry, I'll catch up soon…"
Kyle gave her a deadpan look. "What are you doing?"
"Waiting for the bus."
Silence.
Kyle glanced at the front seat and looked back at her, but all she did was smile politely.
"Get in!"
Sakura blinked. She held his window and bent down to look through it. "Wait, really?"
'He has never let me in his car... He normally tells me to take the bus…' Sakura mused as she watched him.
Kyle sighed tiredly and pushed the door open. "Come in, let's go."
Sakura watched him for a while longer to be sure he wasn't joking, then when she realized he was serious, she smiled and hurried inside.
Kyle raised the windows, and they pulled into the street.
Inside the car, Sakura's eyes were moving from one thing to another, unsure of what to touch first. "Your car is very nice. I was always curious about how it looked inside."
He smiled and glanced at her before looking back at the street. "I know, it's a beauty, isn't it? Haha. Don't be shy, compliment it more."
She tapped the lights on the dashboard. "It's very pretty."
"Mmhm, keep it coming."
"It looks very expensive—ouch." Sakura was about to reach for a round knob when Kyle slapped her hand off it.
"Don't touch that… it's the gear shifter."
"Oh…"
•••
After a pleasant ten-minute drive, they arrived at the shop that Akiko had told them about. Kyle parked the car on the other side of the building, then they both walked into the shop.
"Do you have a list of everything we need?" He picked up a portable blender and dropped it back on the shelf as they continued walking.
Sakura was scrolling through her phone as he spoke, periodically looking up to check the shelves as they walked past them.
"Akiko sent me a list. It shouldn't take too long—"
Ding!
Kyle turned at the sound of the store bell, then frowned when he saw who had walked into the room.
"How disgusting," he muttered under his breath.
Sakura looked up from her phone and turned to face him. "Sorry, did you say something—ohh, is that pro hero Kamui Woods and Mt. Lady?"
Kyle's eyes narrowed as he watched him. His entire body, right from his head down to possibly his dic— language…
The point was that he was entirely made of wood, which irritated Kyle.
Wood to him was like kryptonite to Superman, although not nearly as bad. Which meant Kamui was his natural enemy, even if he did not know that yet.
It was strange to think that the stick man might actually be more of a threat to him than most heroes would be.
Kamui Woods was chatting with Mt. Lady, who was checking some appliances on the other side of the room.
"Oh, he's coming in this direction," Sakura said, sounding excited as they approached.
"I told you I want a bigger one, Kamui!" Mt. Lady complained, hovering over him like a shadow.
Kamui's shoulders dropped; he began massaging his forehead as though he could feel anything through the thick wood.
'He is acting like a guy being nagged by his girlfriend.'
"But you never really—"
Kamui was cut short as Mt. Lady playfully shoved him forward, but she must have used a little too much force because he stumbled, falling right toward Sakura.
Crash!
In the space of a second, Kyle got in between him and Sakura and raised his hand to stop Kamui from crashing into them.
But just as the helmet made contact with his hands, the sharp edge brushed across his palm, tearing into his skin.
Sharp pain surged through his arm, as though he had been sprayed with acid, but Kyle kept it in, staring at his injured finger.
Mt. Lady immediately rushed up to him, her eyes wide open and her lips quivering from embarrassment.
"I'm really sorry! It's all my fault. Are you guys alright?"
"I apologize, it was my mistake." Kamui bowed in apology.
Kyle smiled, his eyes twitching. "I'm fine, it was a simple mistake, no problems."
'Why the hell is his head so freaking sharp?' Kyle cursed in his mind.
'I'm going to have to look out for that razor head if we ever cross paths.'
After apologizing a few more times, they both walked deeper into the shop, where Kyle could hear Kamui quietly scolding Mt. Lady.
Sakura, who was behind him, gasped when she noticed his hand, then she grabbed it. "You're bleeding…"
"Don't worry, it's nothing serious."
The injury would take less than a second to heal, but Kyle did not tell her that.
"There was a pharmacy on the other side of the street, should we go there?" Sakura was staring up at him, watching him like he was halfway dead already.
"It's okay, I'm really fine…"
She did not let go…
"Alright, I'll go. Just get what we need before I get back."
Only then did she let go of his hand, watching as he left the shop and crossed to the other side of the road.
•••
Kyle got a bandage and placed it over the already healed wound for show and was about to cross the road when lightning streaked through the sky.
And with the lightning came the rain—a heavy downpour that soaked the streets in less than ten seconds, bringing with it wild winds that blew past the road, carrying dust and particles in the air.
"You can't be serious…"
He raised his hand to cover his head and immediately hurried underneath a nearby shade, then stared at the shop from the distance, weighing his options.
He could run for it, but he could not use his super speed out in the open, so he would get thoroughly soaked when he arrived.
And then he would have to sit in his car with his wet—
"No, no…"
The rain intensified even more as though taunting him to enter, becoming so heavy that even his shade was no longer enough to keep him safe.
The wind was even carrying stray drops and splashing them on his face.
'I guess I better get inside.'
Just as Kyle was about to return to the pharmacy, an umbrella was suddenly raised above him, shielding him from the rain.
He glanced up at the umbrella and immediately turned to see who it was, then paused the moment he set his eyes on her.
Yellow hair like the morning sun, a smile that could light up a room, and a craziness resting in those deep amber eyes.
Himiko Toga.
Himiko smiled, one hand behind her back as she leaned close to his face.
"I was right, you are the guy from that night, aren't you?"
..
..
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A/N
Longer chapter because of the delay.
(3/3) todays chapters will be posted as usual. Also it would be great if I could get a feedback on this chpater, I think it is more relaxed that the older ones.