Kissaten Sakura

Ren headed back towards the cafe and on his way, he noticed a crowd gathering in front of a building. There were loud noises and tussling and Ren pushed his way through the crowd that had gathered.

Ren found a young lady in a brown apron being surrounded by a couple of rough-looking guys. They wore black leather jackets and had their bikes parked on the sidewalk.

"I told you, get outta my way!, " she said, her voice firm but full with frustration.

"Come on, don't say that, cutie, " one of the men replied with a leering grin. "Anywhere nice ya wanna go! Anything nice ya wanna do!. "

The young woman narrowed her eyes at them. "Your faces—I'd like to smash cakes in your face, but my hands are full and that'd be a waste of perfectly good cakes, so I won't. "

The man smirked, clearly enjoying the challenge she posed. "I like strong-willed girls ya know, but if ya act too tough, ya gonna see some real pain. " he warned.

She ignored him and tried to walk away, but the man grabbed her hand tightly and twisted it backwards. "Hey, that hurts!, " she cried out, her voice cracking with pain.

Ren felt a surge of anger. He had seen enough violence and bullying in his life, and he wasn't about to stand by and let it happen again. He pushed through the crowd and stepped in front of the man, his eyes cold and determined to put a stop to it.

"Let go her go!, " Ren demanded, his voice steady and commanding.

The man looked Ren up and down, sizing him up. "And who the hell are you?. " he sneered, not recognizing him.

"Just someone who doesn't like bullies," Ren replied.

The man twisted the woman's arm harder, making her yelp. "Mind your own business, kid. You don't know who you are messing with. "

Without hesitation, Ren reached out and grabbed the man's wrist, applying pressure to the nerves.

The man cried out in surprise and pain, releasing the woman's hand. She stumbled back, rubbing her sore wrist.

Ren stood his ground, his eyes locked on the man. "I said, let her go. "

The man's two friends moved in to back him up, but the crowd had gotten their voice back and were turning against them.

"Hey, leave them alone!, " one voice shouted.

"Yeah, get lost!, " another voice echoed.

"You biker guys like causing a big ruckus here everyday, " Someone shouted.

"Hey boss, " One of the men whispered something into the leader's ear which seemed important.

Realizing they were vastly outnumbered and losing the crowd's support, the three men backed off, glaring at Ren.

"This isn't over, you have no idea who you've messed with. " the leader spat, before turning and shoving his way through the onlookers, his two bumbling friends trailing behind in a hurry.

They quickly jumped onto their bikes and rode off.

Ren watched them go, his body tense and ready for any of their sudden movements. Once they were gone and out of sight, he made his way too.

"Thank you. " The lady still rubbing her wrist said. "They've been hanging around here for a while lately, causing no good. "

She raised her head to see that Ren was long gone. She called out to him. Ren turned around, acting surprised. "Huh? Me?. "

"Who else is around?, " She asked perplexed, at his reaction.

"It's not like I saved you or anything! I just can't stand bullies, " Ren replied, acting flustered. Despite his tough demeanor, Ren was a big softie within.

Ren's stomach grumbled loudly, interrupting him. He hadn't eaten anything since he left for Yugen City almost 9 hours ago.

"Are you hungry?, " Fubuki asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Huh? No way!, " Ren denied, but his stomach grumbled again, much louder than last time, betraying him.

"Your stomach seems to disagree with you, " she chuckled softly. "Let me get my things and I'll dish you up something as a thank you from me,"

"You don't have to, " Ren rejected, again.

"Its nothing really and you could see it as my thanks to you, "

Ren hesitated for a moment, then nodded to say yes amidst his stomach's grumbling. "Thanks. I'll appreciate that, "

The Young lady smiled and headed back to grab her things. "A little help here. "

"Oh sorry, " Ren helped her with two brown bags full of groceries.

"Aoi Fubuki by the way, " she said leading the way.

"Ryūhara Ren, "

"Ryūhara? Doesn't that make him?, " Fubuki reasoned, "and that white jacket too, there's no doubt about it. He's the one… "

"That's a nice jacket you've got there where did you get it?, "

"Oh this, I got this from my brother. " Ren smiled.

Fubuki's eyes widened but she spoke no more till they arrived at their destination. She led Ren back to the cafe and silently Ren watched her unlock it and go inside the café.

Ren realized why she was taking so much time to return. "So she's the owner I've been waiting for, " he thanked his luck before he followed her in, feeling a mix of relief and curiosity.

The interior of the café was cozy and welcoming, with wooden tables and chairs, soft lighting, and the faint aroma of freshly brewed coffee lingering in the air.

As Fubuki gathered her things behind the counter, she beckoned Ren to take a seat at one of the tables near the counter, which he did. He glanced around, taking in the charm of the place.

Fubuki was gone for a few minutes before she returned with a plate of Omelette Rice and set it down in front of Ren. "Here you go. It's just a simple meal I cooked up as fast as I could, but it should fill you up. "

Ren's eyes widened as he looked at the food.

"This lady why is she so chummy with me now?, "

"Huh you are not going to eat it?, " Fubuki noticed Ren's hesitation. "You don't like omelette Rice?. "

"I was gonna dig in right now!, " He took a small bite. "Yum! This is amazing!. " he began to dig in more.

"Thank you… "

"I've never seen you before, " Fubuki lied, pulling up a nearby chair and sat down across from him. "So, what brings you to Yugen?, "

Ren hesitated for a moment before pulling out the worn business card. "I found this among my brother's things. I was hoping you could tell me more about it, "

Fubuki took the card from him and examined it closely. "Oh wow. " She sounded surprised, even though she already knew where this was leading to already. "This is our old business card from around 3 years ago, "

"It brings back lots of memories but where did you get it?, we stopped giving this a long time ago, "

"From my brother... Ryūhara Kaito, "

Fubuki suddenly looked up at him in a hurry, she had her doubts since she saw the jacket but this finally put everything to bed.

"Kaito huh... I remember him well. He used to come here very often. We were.. really good friends, " her eyes filled with a hint of sadness.

Ren's heart skipped a beat at her revelation, "You knew my brother?, "