What It Means to Be Family
“Again?”
Thinking that to himself, Yuuki walked along the path to his part-time job at the café Harukaze.
For Yuuki, bullying was something that had never been far removed from his life.
Having been bullied in elementary school, Yuuki knew that even the smallest thing could trigger it.
That was why he thought, once more.
Yuuki, who had gone through bullying himself, understood it all too well.
In times like that, turning to teachers or parents never led to a good result.
His relatives hardly trusted him. The teachers had simply decided Yuuki was the one at fault and tried to make him apologize. There was no one nearby who would stand up for him.
However, to Yuuki now, bullying was no longer something that weighed heavily on him. He had been through it before, and he no longer saw himself as that powerless child he once was.
Still, that didn’t make it any less of a hassle.
Lost in thought about what to do, Yuuki arrived at his destination before realizing it and stepped inside.
“Hello, Master.”
“Hello, Yuuki-kun. It’s not busy today, so take your time getting ready. We’ll probably only get a few customers.”
“Thank you.”
He went straight to the changing room, changed into his uniform, and came out onto the floor.
There wasn’t much for Yuuki to do at this job.
Kyousuke handled most of the coffee and food, so Yuuki’s work mainly consisted of delivering orders to customers and cleaning up. It wasn’t much different from working at any other restaurant, and in fact, it might have been easier.
The café was still quiet, just like when he had arrived.
However, as usual, a few regulars would show up later. Until then, he cleaned while thinking about what to do next.
“Yuuki-kun, are you worrying about something again?”
Startled by Kyousuke’s words, Yuuki wondered if his feelings had shown on his face.
But Kyousuke had always been able to notice even the smallest changes in Yuuki, and once again Yuuki realized there was no hiding anything from him.
He hesitated over whether to tell the truth, but since Kyousuke would find out anyway, Yuuki decided to be honest.
“Actually…”
“I’m home, Dad. Yuuki-kun, good work.”
Right on cue, Yume returned.
Yuuki thought how this had happened before too, and considered stopping the conversation, but since Yume went straight to the changing room, he decided to continue.
“Actually, something kind of troublesome happened at school.”
“Something troublesome?”
“Yes.”
When Yuuki explained the situation, Kyousuke frowned. Looking uncharacteristically irritated, he stepped closer to Yuuki.
Just like before, he placed his hand on Yuuki’s shoulder and looked him straight in the eye.
“Yuuki-kun, no matter what happens, I’m on your side.”
“Thank you.”
To Yuuki, Kyousuke’s words were more reassuring than anything else.
The girls in his class, the teachers, even his own family had all doubted and betrayed him, but Kyousuke had always believed in him without fail.
That was why Yuuki could trust only Kyousuke’s words.
Bullying itself wasn’t something that hurt him anymore. But hearing Kyousuke speak those words and knowing he had someone on his side, it felt like his last bit of hope.
“If the bullying gets worse, I’ll make sure to do something about it, so please promise you’ll tell me. I’ll also contact the school about today’s incident. Don’t try to handle it alone.”
Moved by Kyousuke’s seriousness, Yuuki felt his heart stir.
For a moment, Kyousuke overlapped in his mind with his late father, and the words slipped out before he could stop them.
“Dad.”
Realizing what he’d said, Yuuki tried to correct himself, but then noticed Kyousuke smiling warmly.
“Ah, Yuuki-kun, you’re my precious son.”
Kyousuke looked as though he might cry, but turned his face away to hide it.
It was his pride as a father who wanted to look cool that showed through.
Seeing that, Yuuki felt a gentle warmth spreading in his chest.
Listening quietly from the changing room, Yume muttered to herself.
“I’m on your side too. For now, that’s enough. But someday, I’ll definitely…”
Though her voice carried frustration, her vow was unwavering.