Private Finished Holding onto the past

"What?! Already?!" Shinme was surprised to hear they were arriving at the station, and Kabano laughed a little at his boy's reaction. And once they left the station, the fresher air greeted them. None would need inhuman senses to tell this air felt lighter than the one from the depths of Tokyo, and perhaps they should savor it with a walk.

"A taxi sounds like a good idea, but the walk is a better idea. This breeze is nice...", Kabano's tone was clearly different from his usual, it didn't have as much energy but yet sounded so satisfied with the feeling that was overcoming him, "Let's be going then?", and once all agreed he would be the one in the lead. Along the way, he let Izumi in on his memories of what was like to live around here, sweet memories metaphorically and literally surfacing.

"Don't think that of yourself, Izumi-san. You look like you are in the spring of your youth day by day. I'd not be surprised if the ol' man thinks we are a lovely couple.", Kabano then realized he started to blush a little and tried to get back on the topic of his youth, "A-A-Anyways, it's mostly because after I started studying abroad I had no time to be the playful boy I used to be, had to spend hours with my face inside foreign books, you know, those are kind of hard to understand, ahah."

Shinme gave a small glance at Rin, bewildered at her reaction more than at Kabano's or Izumi. "You know, energetic, always wanting to play, I even had a puppy love towards a girl who wore glasses. Eventually Rin-chan and Shinme will reach that phase, everyone does.", Kabano managed to hide most of his nervousness, but he couldn't still look her way for long.

"Ah, there's Ol' Kiroku's residence.", he pointed out as soon as it has come into sight: the house was just on a corner of an intersection, two stores high, a shutter lowered on the front door with a sign pasted to it: "Please ring the bell around the back. Candy Store under maintenance to open in 2 weeks." As they approached and Kabano noticed, he had to bring it up: "So he IS planning on getting on gramps' business, eh..."

"Ah, yes.", Kabano was quick to lead them around, gesturing Shinme to follow, who was trying to sniff any sweet to no avail. Well, at least he couldn't sniff it at all, the others on the other hand could smell faintly cardboard and plastic, with sweets being somewhat more overwhelming. "I hope too...", Shinme agreed with Rin.

Around the back the store looked much different, like a common residence with a wall and fence, a staircase leading to the door on the top floor and a door on the ground floor. After ringing the doorbell, a voice came within the ground floor: "Just a minute, I'm just-", and then the sound of collapsing cardboard boxes, "I'm okay, I'm okay. Just stumbled on some empty boxes."

"Sorry to keep you waiting- Ah, Kabano! You should have told me it was you! Ah, lemme guess, wife and children?", the old man has finally come out the door, he had a couple of band-aids on his face and a duster at his waist. If it weren't for the wrinkles on his face and graying hair, one would say he's early 50s, but that face really screams late 60s. Neon puffed his cheek with a smug, eyeing Izumi, as if saying "What did I tell you?". "But please, come in, come in. And don't mind the mess, setting up a store alone is quite messy.", Kiroku led them into the lower half of the residence. It was quite cramped, a small kitchen, bathroom, and dining room that also acted as the living room and bedroom, all because half of the lower floor had partially filled shelves and boxes of candy for the store itself.

"Really? Not wife and children?", Kiroku repeated, much to Kabano's amusement. "Sorry, but no. Shinme is my son, although adopted. Long story. But as we talked once via Videocon, these are Yashima Izumi and her daughter Rin. I help her with the bills and chores, we share up a place, 50/50 split, no one is overburdened.", although Kabano and Izumi already informed him that they aren't even dating, Kiroku had very mild disappointment.

"Oh, no, no, not all that sudden. See, he sent me a message earlier today via the phone, and told me he would take between half an hour or an hour, plus it is just like how my brother used to give sudden notices of his arrival. So, got used to cleaning up the guest room in record time. Almost anyways.", Kiroku laughed to himself a little, and then noticed Shinme peeking into a box of chocolate-flavored rice cakes, "Ah, Shinme-kun, please wait until we clean up the table. I will get us some sweets then.".

Unsurprisingly for Izumi and Kabano, Shinme quickly focused on Kiroku and said "Yes, Uncle-san!", causing him to let a small exclamation of surprise: "He is very well mannered!". Kabano smirks with a proud "His parents taught him well, and I helped preserve his manners as is to my best. Even it has been less than one year since."

"I don't know... You are my guests... It would be best if I did my all for your comfort.", Kiroku pensively responded to Izumi's inquiry. "Please, Uncle Kiroku-san! You can see us as your family for a week. Besides, we wanted to make sure you were okay, didn't we?", wait, did Kabano slip that? From the look in his face, he did not, he was still confident in knowing how Neon's uncle would react. "Hmm... You got me there, after all you did say in your message that you would help to your best.", Kiroku nodded pensively, "Alright then, we'll work this out as a family so we can have a snack before sunset. I... I can't thank you enough.", he seemed to be in verge of tears of joy.