Summer holiday proved to be unexpectedly peaceful.

For three whole days.

It was even a record for the Kurogane family.

But, as always, it broke right after breakfast.

Daichi was reading the newspaper.

Shizuka was cooking.

Akari somehow slept despite it being almost ten o’clock in the morning.

Kuro was having his morning tea.

And Aoi dropped the bomb.

"I got a part-time job."

Silence followed.

Everybody turned to look at her.

Akari blinked in surprise.

"Are you serious?"

"I got a part-time job."

Daichi lowered his paper.

Shizuka smiled proudly.

Kuro looked taken aback.

Aoi rarely announced anything without doing it.

So he knew for certain that she already had done it.

"So, where?" Kuro asked.

"At the cake shop."

Akari immediately sat straight.

"A cake shop?"

"Yes."

"Can I get some free cake?"

"No."

"See, you’re already becoming a corporate slave."

Ignoring her was one of Aoi’s skills she perfected years ago.

The cake shop wasn’t too far from the main shopping district.

It wasn’t a large company.

Rather, it was a family-owned store run by an elderly woman named Sachiko.

She lived in the neighborhood for decades and everybody knew her.

She was kind.

Very energetic.

And extremely nosy.

This would come to bite everyone in the ass.

Fortunately for Aoi, the first week of her working there proved to be surprisingly pleasant.

People liked her.

Her polite attitude made customer service very easy.

And although working in a cake shop was harder than it looked.

Aoi managed to handle everything efficiently.

Moreover, she was elegantly carrying all kinds of dishes.

To be honest, even Sachiko was impressed.

"You’re great!"

"Thank you."

"You’re perfect."

"You shouldn’t leave."

"I’m still here."

"Please, inherit the shop."

"I’ve worked here for six days."

"My offer is still open."

Aoi wasn’t sure whether Sachiko was joking.

Or not really.

About a week later.

The afternoon rush ended.

There were only a few remaining customers and it was rather peaceful.

Aoi was organizing boxes behind the counter.

The scent of fresh bread filled the shop.

Then the door opened.

The bell rang.

Aoi lifted her head.

And saw a familiar figure.

Kuro was wearing casual clothes and had his bag full of groceries.

"Hello."

"Hello."

It could be any normal conversation.

If only nobody else was listening.

Sachiko immediately appeared out of nowhere.

And was standing just behind Aoi.

She looked like a scary ninja.

Or at least like someone who wanted answers.

"Ah."

The woman looked at Kuro.

Then at Aoi.

Then back at Kuro.

She smiled at both of them.

Dreadful woman.

Aoi knew she was in trouble.

"Daijoobu."

"Hmm?"

"Are you dating my lovely?"

Silence fell.

Absolute silence.

Kuro felt how his throat tightened.

Aoi quietly processed the information.

Then said.

"Thank you."

Silence fell again.

Kuro was speechless.

Aoi continued working.

Without any emotions written on her face.

Sachiko looked pleased with the reply.

Kuro looked terrified.

"Aoi."

"Yes?"

"Why did you thank her?"

Confused look appeared.

"Sachiko-san just complimented me."

"That’s not the point."

"What can I say?"

The woman immediately burst into laughter.

"Oh, young love."

"No love here."

Instantly replied Kuro.

And as always, no one paid attention.

Then everything went downhill.

Any interaction with Kuro only confirmed Sachiko’s delusion.

Aoi made him a coffee.

She chatted easily.

She knew all his preferences and so on.

Every action was an evidence.

Until finally Kuro moved a box for her.

And it became ultimate proof.

Some days went by.

The misunderstanding only intensified.

Sachiko asked embarrassing questions every day and Aoi answered.

Kuro was suffering.

And life moved on.

Then problems appeared.

Namely.

A group of four arrogant college students.

Loud and obnoxious.

Those people believed that the whole universe revolved around them.

Aoi immediately understood it as soon as they entered.

Years spent with Akari gave her good instincts.

One of them spotted Aoi.

And Aoi wished they hadn’t.

Next, over the course of next several days the boys kept coming and eventually became regulars at the shop.

Not because they loved cake.

But because they loved bothering her.

Ask unnecessary questions.

Make annoying remarks.

Attempt to engage in unnecessary conversations.

Aoi behaved professionally.

Polite and patient.

But patience does have its limits and Aoi was reaching them fast.

Until one day.

Aoi regretted coming to work even more.

Because ten minutes later.

Kuro came as well.

The moment he appeared in the shop, Aoi calmed down slightly.

Just a bit.

However, college boys immediately noticed that.

And misunderstood.

"So, this is your boyfriend?"

One of the guys grinned.

Silence followed.

The guys chuckled and Kuro sensed immediate danger.

Exactly like a soldier senses landmines.

Approaching counter was an obvious thing to do.

But intercepting Kuro was not a good decision.

"Do you know her?"

"Yes."

"Well, I can see that you’re very close."

At last, he understood what’s going on.

And immediately disliked it.

But it wasn’t the end yet.

Insults.

Jokes.

Prodding questions.

The atmosphere deteriorated.

Quickly.

Kuro felt his patience waning.

Normally.

He wouldn’t mind.

Normally.

He simply would’ve ignored them.

But this time he had a reason.

They were bothering Aoi.

Kuro’s patience was diminishing very fast.

And they understood it.

They kept pushing.

Exactly as they supposed to.

Then, Kuro realized something important.

The shop.

His beloved girl’s job.

The owner.

All the customers.

If there was a fight in the place...

Aoi would be dragged in.

The shop would suffer too.

It would cause too many problems for everybody.

For Aoi.

Certainly not for him.

It would affect her much more.

Therefore, the decision was made.

Sighing deeply.

He took a step back.

Laughter immediately followed.

Of course, it was an obvious victory to those boys.

They must believe that he was scared.

However, he was far from afraid.

In fact, Aoi saw all those things in his behavior.

Except one.

Her gaze was still calm.

However, beneath that was an icy stare that Akari recognized immediately.

Cold.

Very cold.

This kind of anger.

The kind that usually came before somebody regrets what they did.

Eventually, the guys left the shop.

Still laughing and feeling victorious.

But they couldn’t feel how much danger they had put themselves into.

Silence followed them.

Sachiko sighed.

"What idiots."

"Mm-hm."

"A little?"

"A little?"

"Maybe even more than a little."

Kuro burst into laugher.

And all the tension dissipated.

Just like that.

Neither of them realized the expression in Aoi’s eyes.

The one that appeared whenever something or somebody threatened what belonged to her.

Recently.

She started considering Kuro as such.

Important enough for her to hate him being mocked.

Memorized faces of the guys.

Voices.

Names.

After this incident, Aoi returned to work.

She was still polite.

Everything still seemed fine.

Except inside her.

Inside, Aoi was thinking of only one thing.

Four obnoxious guys and their mistake.

Unlike Kuro.

She wasn’t interested in being bigger.

Especially when it came to those guys and their mockery of her friends.

While sunlight was streaming through the shop windows, Sachiko looked at her.

And realized something.

Though she misinterpreted too much, she wasn’t wrong all the time.

And for the first time ever, she understood that.

The sweet Aoi was actually angry.

Which made the old lady relieved that she wasn’t among the guys.

Because whatever happens after that.

They were going to learn a valuable lesson.

Never underestimating quite individuals.

.

.

.

.

Why was Aoi working in the cake store?

Actually, it wasn’t the case that Aoi got a part-time job in order to earn extra spending cash.

This was her official version of the story.

Easy.

Understandable.

Convincing.

However, that wasn’t the entire truth.

As she packed the cake boxes neatly at the shop’s counter, her mind was far away.

A hazardous thing to do.

Especially when she was thinking about Kuro.

Aoi looked through the glass door to the street outside.

Passers-by walked past.

Families.

Couple.

Students.

Ordinary citizens doing ordinary things.

For some reason, she imagined a possible future.

One she had never talked about.

One she had kept secret all these years.

This time, she saw herself not living in the family house anymore.

No, now she lived in a simple apartment in the city with Kuro.

Nothing extravagant.

Nothing fancy.

Just cozy and comfy.

An apartment that belonged to both of them.

As Aoi imagined herself coming back home after an exhausting day, a picture came to her mind.

Fatigue from studies and work.

The sound of her apartment door opening.

Dinner smell.

Finally, a familiar voice calling her.

"Welcome home!"

Kuro.

He stood in the kitchen wearing an apron.

Prepping dinner.

For some reason, she always pictured it this way.

As Aoi took off her shoes, walked to the apartment door, a vision came to her mind.

She imagined that the moment he realized she was exhausted from a hard day, he would say...

"Long day?"

"A little."

"Sit down."

Then he’d put dinner on the table.

Warm and tasty.

Like a good old-fashioned home dinner.

Then after dinner they would relax in the living room.

Chat casually.

Argue over which movie to watch.

Tell each other about the day.

Nothing too serious.

Nothing extraordinary.

Just everyday happiness.

The kind of happiness that she had started craving for.

Without even realizing.

Her gaze shifted to her hands.

And this was why she worked.

She didn’t want money.

She wasn’t bored.

This was to prove that she could make her own money.

Prove to herself and others that she was independent.

That she had matured into an adult.

Into somebody Kuro could be proud of.

Someone capable of standing beside him without any help from anyone else.

Someone that deserved the future she was dreaming about.

Yes, it was still far away.

Very far away.

Perhaps, it will never come true.

Perhaps, Kuro will never see her that way.

Will never think of her as his girlfriend, but still as his little sister.

The idea hurt a bit.

However, she was not the kind of girl that gave up so easily.

Each paycheque.

Each shift.

Each hour she spent working.

All these made her move closer to her goal.

Step by step.

And then, as if to remind her of the dreams she kept in her mind,

the shop door bell rang.

Another customer came in.

Aoi immediately returned back to reality.

Her usual calm expression.

Professional.

Confident.

Perfect.

However, when addressing the client, Aoi couldn’t hide a little smile playing around her lips.

Because in the future she dreamed of, there was an apartment, a dinner,

and her beloved saying:

"Welcome home, Aoi."