Birthday.

Ryoichi was left even more surprised after hearing what the manager said, those were very specific pancakes. Finally when he could find the words he replied:

“I see, you want me to go find someone who can eat them then, no worries I’ll find-” Said trying to get up the seat, but before he could fully get up or finish the sentence a pair of tiny hands grabbed his shoulders and pushed him back in the seat.

“Don’t try to play oblivious with us honey.” Said Haru, the manager’s wife still grabbing his shoulders. “We know it’s your birthday and we want to give you at least a little something for all you have done for us.”

“You are very considerate but I can’t just come here to eat free food, especially now that I’m on duty.”

“Then more reason for you to eat them now, so you can go back as soon as possible to do your job.” Answer Masao. “But don’t eat them without enjoying them son, or I’ll make you come back for lunch as well.”

Knowing he had no other option but to do as they told him he eat the pancakes, his face gave away the fact that they were truly delicious, he was eating them one by one, starting from the top, picking them to make sure that when he poured the syrup some of it would penetrate the pancake wetting its inside and making it even softer that they already were, he put a little slice of butter over it and waited for it to melt a little over the pancake, so there would be just liquid on top of the portion of the pancake he put in his mouth.

After he was done with them he stood up, offer to wash the dish but the Sakai couple didn’t allow him to do it, so he just thanked them and then he walked off the restaurant.

But if you thought that was weird it’s because you don’t know yet what happened at the end of the day. Once the nightguards came and Ryoichi handed them the keys he went out of the mall and into the parking lot to get his car and go home, but as he stepped outside he notices another car was parked exactly next to where his car was, and being late at night he couldn’t identify who was inside of it, he just saw two shadows on the car.

The other car turned on the engine when he got close, which made him stay alert, but also, neither the car nor the people inside moved at all, it was as if they were waiting, but for what could they wait for?

Ryoichi got inside his car and as soon as he went in he locked the doors so nobody could open them, then the car next to him moved out of the space it was and parked behind Ryoichi’s car so it couldn’t move at all. Then the passenger seat in that car opened and one of the shadows came out of it, ran towards Ryoichi’s car and put a box on top of his trunk.

Ryoichi was watching every move the car behind him did and he saw the figure putting the box on top of his car; scared and with a rush of adrenaline to the head he jumped out of the car thinking there was an explosive in the box the shadow figure put on his car, and to makes matters worse, once it put the box on his car it ran back to the car it came from and the car speed up.

Then the driver’s seat window opened up and a familiar voice yelled:

“Happy birthday Ryoichi, from your friends and favorite shop employees!”

It was Takashi the one who yelled, but Ryoichi couldn’t say anything back because he went out of the parking lot before he could react.

Once he recovered from the scare of thinking it was a bomb he laughed and then went to pick up the box from his trunk.