Wolf

Chapter 17 - Sour Then Sweet

As more time passes by, I could eventually move around without the aid of crutches but if I walked too long, my leg will start to ache and I had to sit down to rest. This time was no different as I handed the crutch to one of the men who was tasked to follow me to town.

His name was Goda Itsuki. He has been with the family since he was a high schooler. Kirishima found him in the back alley one night – nursing a bleeding and broken jaw. He had nowhere to go so Kirishima brought him in. He was loyal to the core and only lives for Kirishima.

All of the men here are loyal to Kirishima.

"Where do you want to go, Amelia-san?" he asked as he stored the crutch at the boot of the car.

"I'm going to the bookstore in town," I replied. "I want to get a birthday present for my little sister. She's turning twenty-one this year."

We got in the car with two more men – Arata Denji and Eguchi Hisato.

"What kind of book are you getting her?" he asked.

"A fiction book. I heard that one of her favourite authors has released a new book last week," I explained. "It's a very popular author and I've managed to secure the book before it sold out."

"Oh, is that why you were up all night in front of the computer?"

I laughed in embarrassment. "It's like securing a concert ticket."

He nodded in understanding.

A trip to the bookstore was never on my to-do list as I was always busy with missions and had no time. Therefore, most of the books that I had with me were bought by my sister. This was the first time in a long while that I had ever stepped in a bookstore and the smell of books were what greeted me first.

I took a deep breath – feeling myself getting calmer as I headed towards a staff by the cashier till.

Enquiring about the reservation that I had done via their website, and watching idly as she side-eyed the bulky tux-wearing man standing next to me. Her hazel eyes went wide with awe as her thoughts raced and she entered my details into the website to bring up the reservation invoice.

Telling her to wrap it up with one of their numerous birthday wrapping papers, I took a look at their collection with Itsuki-san following me diligently which definitely attracted many stares from the customers.

It ranged from curiosity to suspicion. Some eyes lingered for too long and getting a glare from Itsuki-san made them scurry away. I didn't linger in the store for too long – choosing some books whose author were familiar to me and went straight to the cashier to pay.

With the bags in hand, we headed back to the car but not when I spotted a familiar restaurant not far to where we were. I stopped walking suddenly – realising that I wanted to eat their food and turned to look at Itsuki-san who was frowning at me.

"Can we please eat there?" I asked as I put my hands together and made a pleading face including a pout.

"We're supposed to head back –"

He tried not to give in when he saw my attempts but he gave up in the end. He knew how long I was cooped up inside and he didn't want to be unnecessarily cruel to me.

Can you imagine the four of us eating in a family restaurant? Three bulky men clad in tuxedos accompanying a limping brace-wearing girl in a family restaurant.

It was a laugh.

You can't imagine the range of looks on the diner's faces.

An hour and a half later, the sun has set which cast everything in darkness – only lit up by the fluorescent lights every one metre. The night was cooling and felt refreshing against my face. We left the building with our stomachs full and a lighter mood – heading back to the car.