Our own everyday paradise hell (Watashitachi jishin no nichijō no rakuen jigoku)

[AominecchiAdministrator]

[started-still accepting]

[MischievousFoxxAdministrator]

Kioshi smiled as he walked into work with his daughter. He knelt down in front of her and placed his hands on her shoulders. "I know you don't like hanging out here all day, but just bare with it sweetheart. If you need anything, just ask one of the waiters to come get me, alright?" She nodded to him and he stood back up, leading her over to a table and had her sit down. "Are you hungry?" When she nodded again, he smiled. "I'll bring you some breakfast then." He turned and headed back to the kitchen. 'I wish she would talk. Ever since her mother left, she hasn't spoken a word.' He sighed as he took off his jacket and hung it up. He grabbed his chef's jacket and put it on, looking over at his sou-chef. "Get me a order of the special ready to cook and put it on my tab," he said as he put on his hat. He grabbed a few pans and turned on the stove as his sou-chef walked over with the stuff for the breakfast special. "Thanks." He smiled and poured the batter into the pan once it was hot enough. As he finished up the pancakes, he put it on a plate and put a few extra strawberries since it was his daughter's favorite. He walked back out and smiled as he set it down in front of her. "Is there anything else you want?" He asked, but was a little disappointed when she just shook her head and sighed. "Alright Kari. You've got stuff in your backpack to keep you busy. As I said, if you need me, I'll be in the kitchen." He smiled and turned, heading back into the kitchen to start his day.

Kari watched as her father walked back into the kitchen. She looked down at the pancakes and smiled when she saw there were extra strawberries. She grabbed a fork and took a big bite. She set down her fork and grabbed her backpack, pulling out a coloring book and some crayons and began coloring, occassionally taking a bite of her pancakes as she sat there by herself.

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Ryota rubbed his head as he walked out of the security office for his morning shift. 'Taking a double shift wasn't the best idea. I'm beat after working all night.' He covered his mouth as he yawned. He looked around for a moment, then sighed. 'Nothing bad ever happens except for the occassional shoplifter.' He adjusted his glasses with his middle finger and walked over to his patrol area. He reached down and turned on his radio, turning it up so he could hear it over the chatter of people walking around. 'Only eight hours to go before I get to go home and get some sleep,' he thought as he covered his mouth to yawn again.

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Aya ran through the mall on her way to work. 'Oh no, oh no, oh no! I'm so late! My boss is gonna kill me!' She turned the corner and stumbled a little as she slid on the freshly waxed floors. 'Oops! Almost fell,' she thought with a nervous giggle as she continued running. She slowed down as she approached the childrens store and fixed her hair real quick. She walked into the store and smiled nervously at her boss. "H-hi sir. Sorry I'm late." Her smile faded when he glared at her and looked down. She walked over behind the counter and got ready to start the day.

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Mizuki stood behind the receptionist desk in the salon, looking a little bored as she flipped through a magazine. 'This place is never busy on a monday.' She propped her head up on her fist as she continued reading through the articles, more skimming than actual reading. 'This place could stand to get a few new magazines. I've read almost all of them already.' She sighed as she closed it and stood up straight. She looked around at the few customers they did have getting their hair done and sighed again.

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Kai unlocked the door to the bookstore with a smile. "A few minutes before opening. I've got just enough time to get everything ready for the day." She walked in and switched the sign to open. She walked over to the counter and turned on the computer and register. She began counting the money in the register to make sure none of it had been stolen over night like she did everyday, humming to herself and not really paying too much attention. She lifted her head when she heard the door ring when it opened and smiled as someone walked in. "Hello. Need any help finding anything?"

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Kazuha walked around the mall, looking down at his notes and not really paying too much attention to where he was going. 'I'll have to give some of them some kind of extra credit assignment if they want to pass my class.' He sighed as he closed his eyes and rubbed his head with his free hand. He turned the corner and bumped into someone and was a little surprised. "Sorry about that. Are you alright miss?" He asked as he looked down at the girl with a smile. He closed his notebook and slid it into his bag. 'Guess I need to quit reading and walking at the same time. I could've knocked her down or something.'

[AominecchiAdministrator]

"Oiii, Kyoya!!!" Sayuri shouted as she was knocking loudly Kyoya's door. They lived in the same building, being neighbors as their apartments where next to each other, and often helping each other. "Oi Kyoya! Wake up!! The boss is going to fire us if we are late" she kept shouting as suddenly the door opened."I heard you damn it, stop being so loud, you make my head spin" Kyoya said as he yawned and stepped out of his apartment smiling "Don't dare skip school Amuyu, I will be watching you" he said as he gave her a light kiss on the cheek and closed the door. Amuyu giggled and then responded "Yeeeeeees, besides today we will go to a field trip! I can't miss that. I will find my LOVE there" she said.

Later on the bus to get to work, Sayuri started laughing suddenly like an idiot. Kyoya titled his head and then asked in curiousity "What the hell is wrong with you now?" Sayuri couldn't get but laugh more "I just remembered what your sister said about finding love. She is so young and full of life" she said sighing. Kyoya gently smiled and then hugged her as he knew what was going on in her mind. About her pregnacy... her parents... "Don't worry, don't think about it. We have to make a new start" he told her as he was trying to comfort her. Kyoya was like a big brother and a father to Sayuri, he always helped her through. Sayuri then gasped as she moved away from Kyoya's arms "Oh we have to get off here! Bye bye see ya" she said quickly as he run off the bus for work "What in the world..." Kyoya said to himself as he couldn't even say a word.

Having arrived to the restaurant where Kioshi also works, he noticed Kari sitting on a table alone. He approached her with a smile and then leaned closer to her "Good morning Kari-Sama. How is our princess doing today?" he asked even though he knew she wouldn't respond as usual.
Sayuri at the same time who was hurrying to the information desk got knocked over by a man who was reading a book as it appeared to her. "Ouch, you need to be care..." she said as she was about to get up, but the man asked if she was okay."...full..." she said softly after glancing him a few times. A true beauty! She quickly got up and then fixed her skirt as she smiled at him "No no I'm okay Sir, I should be careful. Can I help you with anything?"
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In the meantime, Haruto and Daichi were already in the mall, as their offices where also established there. Both of them would inspect in the morning all the shops and everyone was feared of them, especially Haruto. Sakura who was the public affairs officer, also followed them from a distance as she was their errand girl. Haruto decided to visit first the cafeteria, and as he was walking slowly with his hands inside his pockets, the staff was slightly bowing to him on his way through. He didn't talk unlike Daichi who was very talkative. Suddenly though, a woman with her kid stood up from her table and grabbed a glass of water as she was ready to throw it on him. Seeing the scene, Sakura quickly hurried in front of Haruto and instead of him, she became wet. "What was that for?" she asked the lady. The woman then glared at her "You have no child seats for kids, nor a place in the bathroom to change my baby's diapers. This is a no friendly place to children!" the woman said angrily. Sakura sighed as she was all wet from head to toe, and before she could answer, Haruto butted in. "Miss if you have a problem with our service, you can always fill a report and post a feedback so that we can always improve ourselves. You didn't need to take this action though" he said full in charm as he faked a gently smile to the woman. The woman could'nt do anything but agree with him as she then nodded and stared the ground "I'm sorry Miss for the water" she said and then left. Sakura sighed and then glanced at Haruto. He glared back at her and then said "Won't you go change? You are a bad image for the company" he said and then turned around to leave. Daichi was speechless, he couldn't go against his cousin but he silently said "I'm sorry" as they left, behind Haruto's back. 'AHHH really!! This guy drives me nuts. He is nice to the costumers but always mean to his staff, what am I supposed to do now! I have no money for new clothes' Sakura thought to herself as she was whining. "I hate him hate him hate him!!" she growled out.
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[MischievousFoxxAdministrator]

Kari looked up at Kioshi as he approached her. She sat there quietly, but gave a slight nod to show some acknowledgement to his good morning comment. She turned and went back to eating, though she seemed to be playing with her food more than actually eating it.


Kioshi breathed a sigh as he got his jacket and apron on. He seemed a bit lost in thought as he began prepping the food for todays meals. He was in his own little world.


"No, thank you. I just got a bit focused in my work was all. I really should quit walking around while I'm reading notes." Kazuha slid his right hand into his pocket. "Anyways, if you're really alright, then I'll be on my way. I've got a meeting to get to." He gave her a small wave with his left hand and began moving around her. It was just a meeting with one of his students. They weren't able to meet him this week, so he decided to surprise them himself.


"Hate who?" Ryota asked with a slight smirk, standing behind Sakura. He crossed his arms, trying not to laugh at her fustration. He had seen most of the scene, but figured he'd go over and tease her a bit. "You know, you'll never get a boyfriend if you keep that whiney attitude. He's our boss so might as well pretend to put up with it instead of getting butthurt over every little comment." He reached out and ruffled her wet hair, messing it up a little.


Kai helped the custumer with their purchase and watched them leave. She sighed slightly from disappointment. the place never got that busy. There was several other bookstores in the mall and hers was one of the smallest. Though she did have some unique, hard to find books there, it still didn't seem like it was enough to draw anyone's attention. She wandered around the store, putting things where they were supposed to go to pass the time. The kids often reorganized books, so it gave her something to do.


Mizuki glanced around the salon. It was full. There were even a few people waiting for their appointments to start. They seemed pretty backed up today, which wasn't unusual for them. People like the salon's atmosphere, but most of all, they liked the pretty girls. Guys were coming in all the time just to flirt with the staff. Though, she didn't really care either way. Business was business, right?


Aya walked around the childrens store and began cleaning up for the day. She swept, organized the toys and dusted. Usually she had help, but today she was going to be the only one there until noon. She waved to her boss as he left for his out of town trip for the weekend and got back to work.

[AominecchiAdministrator]

Sakura gasped as she heard a voice behind her and quickly turned around surprised, but seeing Ryota she growled even more "Oh it's you..." she then pretended to laugh "HA HA HA HA How funny you are... Hey what are you doing, stop" she said as he kept ruffling her wet hair and tried to move his hands away "Hey stop it, I don't have gel with me to fix them. Why you think I cut my hair? I have no time for those things..." she said and sighed, glancing at her wet clothes and then glared back to Ryota, pointing at him "YOU, you are security. YOU have to protect people, why didn't YOU stop her and kindly send her off?" she told him, raising her voice at the you word as she was whinning."Anyways what am I asking? I can't find reason with you, I have to get new clothes now... Adieu" she said as she sighed once again, turning her back to Ryota and ready to leave.



As Sayuri was speechless by his looks, she stood there a few moments in silence and then awkwardly answered in a few giggles "No...No... I'm fine thank you for your concern. I should be the one to look out since I wasn't busy..." she said and then saw him leaving "Have a nice day Sir" she said and as soon as he turned his back at her to leave she smiled. 'Is that what they call love at first sight?... Well it's a stupid thing to believe. It's not like I will ever see him again' she thought with a giggle and continued heading towards the Hair Salon.

Once she arrived, she smiled at Mizuki and showed her card "Good morning, today I will assist you as it's planned on the schedule." she said and then put her card back to her pocket. Her job wasn't something in particular. She was the girl for every job and needs. "What shall I do?" she said with a gently smile at Mizuki and tied her hair back.

Meanwhile, Haruto and Daichi, after they have done inspecting the caffe it was the restaurant's turn. First, it was Daichi to enter and then the President. As Kyoya saw the President, he hurried over them and bowed as he showed them the way "Mr President, this way" he said and walked them at the restaurant's kitchen. The President didn't give much of an attention to him, as he sillently followed him. He then noticed a little girl sitting at the table alone and asked Kyoya "Whose this girl? Why is she alone?" Kyoya lost his mind, he should have hidden her as it wasn't allowed for the staff to bring their kids at work... Moreover Haruto hated kids. Slight sweat was dripping down his face as he was avoiding eye contact "Her father is at the restroom right now... They are custumers!" He said trying to convience them.

[MischievousFoxxAdministrator]

Kari's attention went from her coloring book to the conversation nearby. She could hear bits and pieces of their conversation and figured they were talking about her. She actually didn't know that she wasn't supposed to be there while her father was working, so she didn't think too much of it. She heard Kyoya make a comment about her father being in the restroom, which only confused her. She looked over towards the kitchen, then back at Kyoya and the two strangers with him.

Kiyoshi hadn't been paying attention to the time, so he hadn't realized that Haruto and Daichi were coming by just yet. He normally had Kari go to the toy store or something til they left. He went and put an order in the window and continued working. Fortunately, his daughter looked more like her mother than him, so no one really put two-and-two together just by appearance. If he was asked about her though, he was a horrible lier.

Ryota crossed his arms. "I could have, but you were the one who jumped in front of her. It's your own fault for being so reckless." He liked hearing her whine and complain, which was a little weird. He didn't really know why he liked to tease her so much. He watched as she began to walk away, but decided to say one more thing. "You know, you could stand to take a day off for yourself. Don't let him walk all over you like a doormat." He turned and headed in the opposite direction to get back to work himself. He was blunt, making him seem rude at times, and normally didn't stay long for a conversation. No one really knew much about him because of it.

Aya walked around the store, trying to figure out what to do while she waited for customers. The store was rarely busy, so she was running out of things to do after a few weeks of it. She walked back behind the counter and decided to read a book she had been meaning to finish for a while.

Kazuha glanced over his shoulder as the girl wished him to have a nice day, making him smile a little. Working with college students on a daily basis, it was rare for him to find someone so polite. Not to mention that she was kind of cute. He did flirt with his students at times, but he was usually a good 10 years older or so than most of them, so he never went farther than that. He walked into the food court and found a table by himself to sit for a while, while he waited.

Mizuki looked at Sayuri with a smile, thinking she was a customer at first. When she realized it wasn't, her smile faded and she shrugged. "Do whatever. We're pretty busy. Go, like, clean the floors or something," she said, shooing the girl off as she looked back down at the fashion magazine and flipped through the pages slowly. It didn't even seem like she was actually reading it, just skimming it to pass the time.

Kai let out a small whine. She wasn't sure if she'd be able to pay her rent for the store this month and if she was able to, she was barely breaking even. If she didn't start making money soon, she was either going to lose her business or her home. What would her parents say. She placed both hands on her head as she leaned back with a groan. Her parents paid for everything, like they always did. She didn't want to keep asking them for help. She wanted to show them she could make a living on her own, but it's been six years now and yet, it seemed hopeless. "Maybe I should just move back home with them..." She let out a loud sigh and closed her eyes, thinking of her options one by one.

[AominecchiAdministrator]

The President nodded as he seemed to believe Kyoya's story and then he said "In any case, a parent shouldn't leave his kid behind. Take her to the toy store and give the parent a discount." Daichi glanced at him a bit surprised as the President wasn't always this kind, but still tried his best to please the customers. Daichi then stepped in and awkwardly smiled at Kyoya. "We shall leave the kid in your hands then. We must go now since the President has a busy schedule as always." he said and nodded at Haruto to leave. After walking for a while he grinned "You seem in a good mood today. You got laid?" he said with a smirk, teasing Haruto. Haruto instead, glared at him and said in a serious response. "I'm just in high spirits that's all. We had an offer of letting some movie director have some of his scenes directed in this mall. It will draw publicity won't it? That means we will earn more money." he said and adjusted his necktie just before reaching his office. "Let me know if anything happens." he said to Daichi and then entered his office. Daichi slightly bowed his head and responded "Of course." and then kept walking around the mall.

As soon as the President and the CFO left, Kyoya let out a big sigh of relief before turning back to Kari. "That was a close call little Princess. We gotta be careful next time." He said and smiled at her as he held her up to carry her. "I hope you don't mind..." and then turned back at the Kitchen, glancing at Kiyoshi. "Oi Kiyoshi! I'm taking Kari to the toy store. If the President returns and see her here, he will be very mad." he said as he then glanced back at Kari and smiled. He loved kids since he had to take care of his own little sister ever since their parents death, and working all this time at the restaurant, he always took good care of Kari when Kiyoshi wasn't around. Though she never talks, he doesn't even know if she even likes him.

As Sakura made a few steps, she heard Ryota's last comment and suddenly stop. staring the ground she slightly closed her eyes and nodded. 'He is right... All I do is becoming a stepping doormat, letting everyone use my kindness. I should have my head high and act like a lady. Even the President made fun of me once for my looks, while I ended up this way because of overworking, because of him!' she thought in anger and then turned back, watching Ryota leaving. She then quickly run behind him, grabbing his shoulder as he had his back at her. "You are right. I will change. I'm tired of becoming his little dog anyways." she said and gently smiled, releasing her hand. It was rare for Sakura not to whine or complain, this time she was so gently, especially with Ryota who always made her blood boil. Is it because she finally realized she was wrong? At any rate, she had already decided to change her personality and appearance, starting of course from her hair first.


As Sakaki was walking around the mall to watch out for any trouble as the President commanded him, he ended up in front of a bookstore. Observing the outside and inside he giggled, walking right in front of the shop's window. 'I never knew we had such a bookstore in the mall.' he thought and then headed for the door, slowly opening it as he was observing the place inside, even the ceiling.

Kyoya finally arrived to the children's store with Kari on his back and then stepped inside, kind of tired as she was quite heavy. "Miss Aya? Are you here?" he said as he glanced around not seeing her, but then noticed someone at the counter reading a book and laughed "Oh there you are!" he said and put Kari down as he then glanced back at Aya. "President came by the restaurant and he saw Kari. Do you mind watch her until Kiyoshi finishes?" he said and then knelt down, smiling at Kari as he ruffled her hair. "Be a good girl and don't cause trouble to Miss Aya! Okay? Daddy will be back soon." he said and then got up, bowing at Aya "Thank you very much Miss, now I have to hurry to my work!" he said and left the store.

Upon arriving, he went to the kitchen where Kiyoshi was and put his apron on as he talked to him "Kari is with Miss Aya at the Children Store, next time be careful!... Oh a customer!" he said as he noticed Kazuha sitting on a chair, and so he grabbed an empty glass and a bottled water as he hurried over him. With a smile he took off his tray the glass and gently poured some water and then handed him the menu. "Hello Sir" he said with a slight bow of his head, placing the tray behind him as he left, letting the customer decide.

Sayuri also smiled back at Mizuki, but as soon as she saw her smile fade, she lowered her head. "Right away!" she responded as she went at the back of the store, looking for the mop and then filling the bucket with water. She then returned to the front only to see Mizuki reading a magazine, while the shop was empty. She shrugged as she started mopping, glaring secretly at Mizuki 'Yeah yeah read your magazine because we are so busy.' she thought.

[MischievousFoxxAdministrator]

Kari looked up at Kyoya when he approached her. She tilted her head to the side when he said they had to be more careful next time. When he picked her up, she wrapped her arms around his neck. Kiyoshi glanced out the window and nodded, smiling at his daughter and waving goodbye as they left the restaurant. Kari waved back to her father. Once they arrived to the toy store, she looked up at him as he put her down. She listened to him speaking with Aya, then nodded when he gave her instructions. Aya looked up from her book and smiled at Kyoya. "Sure. I'll watch her. It's not busy anyways." She waved to him as he left, then walked over to Kari and knelt down. "I got some new books yesterday. Would you like to read them?" Kari nodded and ran over behind the counter and looked through the books. She grabbed one, then went and sat in the chair behind the counter. Aya giggled, then got up and got back to work as someone came into the store.

Ryota stopped when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to her and smiled. "I'll look forward to seeing the new you then." He winked at her, then went back to what he was doing. As he walked, he stopped and sighed when he saw a familiar face.

Kiyoshi looked at his associate and smiled. "Thanks. I will." He knew he needed to find some kind of babysitter, but he just couldn't afford it. Between the bills, food and anything else they needed, he didn't have much left. He usually spent it on his daughter whenever he did have extra.

Kazuha thanked Kyoya for the water, but didn't seem too interested in the menu. Ryota walked up to him and sighed again. "What're you doing here?" Kazuha looked up from his notebook and closed it. "Your grades are slipping and you've been skipping class a lot. So, I came to see you." Ryota rubbed his head and looked away nervously. "Uh, yeah, about that...I've taken on a few extra shifts lately. I've been behind on bills and tuition." Kazuha raised an eyebrow as he rested his chin on the back of his hands. "You never used to have money problems before. As I recall, you had a savings account with over two-hundred thousand in it. What happened to that?" Kyoya slid his hands into his pockets and looked down. "I don't exactly...have it anymore." Kazuha lifted his head as his expression hardened. "Where did it go?" "Look, I don't want to talk about it okay?" Ryota snapped, starting to get defensive. Kazuha's expression softened and soon, so did Ryota's. "Sorry..." Kazuha shook his head. "It's fine. I saw that you also requested to leave the school. I wanted to see if you really wanted to do that." Ryota nodded and looked back down at the floor. "Yeah. Just can't afford it anymore. If you'll excuse me, I need to get back to work." He bowed to Kazuha, then turned and left.

Kazuha sighed and stood up, leaving some change on the table. Even though he didn't order anything, he still gave tips. He was just that type of person. It was a bit strange to him. Ryota normally came to talk to him when he had troubles. Things just weren't adding up. He walked out of the restaurant and watched Ryota leave. He was worried, but he didn't want to pry into his student's personal affairs.

Mizuki leaned back against her chair reading an article that caught her attention. She soon glanced over at Sayuri, watching her from the corner of her eye. Mizuki was very picky about people, which caused her to clash with a lot of them. She didn't keep friends. No one really liked her. How she looked, her demeanor, her attitude, you name it. She didn't know the meaning of friend. At least, the ones she had never showed her what it was like. After a moment, she closed her magazine and stood up. "I'm going on break," was all she said and left towards the backroom.

Kai glanced up at the clock. It was noon. The day seemed to be dragging on and on. She was so bored. There were a few sales today, but no many. She was starting to wonder if she could really do this. Maybe her parents were right. She should have just went to law school like they wanted. She laid her head down on her desk as depression started to set in. She almost felt like crying because of it.

[AominecchiAdministrator]

Kyoya was observing those two from afar. 'Hey isn't that security guy the one teasing Sakurs?' he thought as he saw him. Although he had no business with both of them, he seemed curious on their situation so he carefully listened the their conversation. As soon as Kazuha left without ordering, Kyoya slight sighed as he approached the table, placing back the glass of water on his tray and taking the tips. "Man if you are coming to just leave then don't sit in a place like that. It's annoying to have to take back all the dishes and glasses..." he said to himself and then headed back for the kitchen, leaving the utensils nearby the washing machine. "What a waste of water..." he murmured again. Kyoya had always trouble with money ever since his parents death, trying to support his little sister and so he was always trying to save money. He just hated people who wasted money for nothing.


As Sayuri was mopping the floor, she turned to Mizuki and faked a big smile "Don't worry, I will take care of the store!" she said cheerfully only to glare behind her back a few moments later. 'Yeah, go have a break since you worked that hard...' she thought and hit the mop hard on the floor, splashing dirty water everywhere in anger. "Opps..." she uttered quietly before raising her head and noticing there was a costumer in front of her.

"Um... It's really okay. Don't worry!" Sakura said with a warm smile as she brushed off some water from her shirt. She then added "I'm here for a haircut." Sayuri glanced at her and then quickly took out of her pocket a tissue, handing it to Sakura and then got up, bowing to her "I'm really sorry! I will go call the owner now!" she said quite loud with her eyes firmed closed. Sakura slightly laughed as Sayuri went at the back of the room to find Mizuki. "How lively" referring to Sayuri's personality. Soon, Sayuri went to the back of the room and glared at Mizuki before changing her facial expression to a smile "Miss you have a costumer!" ... 'I hope you cut yourself' she thought with a grin. She wasn't bad in particular. She just hated mean people.


As Daichi entered the bookstore, he started observing it with his jaw dropped "W...Wow!" he uttered before realizing Kai was in front of him. She was so short compared to him that he almost bumped into her. "Oh Im so sorry! I didn't notice you!" he said without even looking at her, he had his eyes pierced at the bookstore's surroundings. "I have never seen a shop like this... Have you seen the owner?" he said not even knowing it was her.

[MischievousFoxxAdministrator]

"I wish that guy would just stay out of my business," Ryota sighed, rubbing his head as he wandered around the mall. He stopped for a moment when he realized that he hadn't turned the radio back on. He reached down and turned the volume back up, then continued his usual route around the place.

Kazuha sighed and walked around, looking at the stores. He debated if he should just go home at this point. There wasn't any other reason for him to stay anyways. He stopped near the fountain and sat on in a chair. Reaching into his bag, he grabbed a book and began to read to kill some time before he left.

Mizuki lifted her head up from the table with a drowsy expression. She looked like she had fallen asleep or was almost asleep at least. "Great..." She sighed. Occasionally she had been caught filling in for any stylists that were out for the day. She didn't complain too much however. She got paid a little extra. Besides, even though she didn't have proper training, she still knew what she was doing. She stood up and waved at Sakura. "Thanks." She headed out to the front and gave a polite smile to Sakura. "Hello miss. Right this way," she said as she walked over to an empty chair. "Anything in particular that you would like or just a trim?"

Kai lifted her head when she heard the door open. Her mood instantly turned to happiness and quickly got up. She walked over to him. "Welcome!" She took a step back when Daichi nearly ran into her. She felt really small compared to him. When he asked her who the owner was, she blushed a little. She didn't really fit the part of a store owner so she couldn't blame him. "I...I am sir. How may I help you?"

Kari looked up from her book at a few of the kids who were playing in the store. Aya noticed and smiled at the little girl. "Why don't you go play with them?" Kari shook her head and looked back down at her book. Aya's smile faded a little. 'Poor thing. She's not social at all.' She sighed and continued working, ringing up a customer.

Kiyoshi looked at Kyoya and laughed. "You really don't like to waste anything, do ya?" He asked as he placed an order in the window. Kyoya was one of the few that he had something in common with. "You seem stressed. I think we both could use a break from our lives for a day. Why don't you come by my place with your sister after work? The girls could have some play time while we drink a few beers."

[AominecchiAdministrator]

Sakura smiled as she saw the owner and then followed her, sitting at the empty chair. She glanced at Mizuki from the mirror and then said "I would like... to make me a complete new person! Color or cut my hair, anything to make me new!" she said and then thought 'I'm gonna show you Baka Haruto, Baka Ryota' with a grin. 'I won't let you step over me, you are not higher than me bakaharuto!'

Sayuri glanced at Mizuki as she went to help the costumer and then she kept mopping the floor 'At least I hope she is good at her job... Because her character is awful' she thought and kept glaring at her from time to time.

When Kai answered to him, Daichi glanced around to see where the voice was coming from, only to realize seconds later that he should look down. "Eh? ... Eh! Sorry... You are so small." he said as he almost kneeled to reach Kai's height. He then added with an embarrassing smile "I'm the CFO of this company but I never saw your shop around... Is it new? It looks so cool and cute, are you the only one who works here? What kind of books do you have? Could you suggest me some?" he kept asking without a single stop to his voice, bombarding Kai with questions. He was so excited.

Kyoya sighed as Kiyoshi laughed at him for not wasting anything. He adjusted his bandana on his forehead and grabbed the tray as he placed the plate on it. "When you have no money, you can appreciate even the littlest things. In other countries people don't even have a bed to sleep..." he said and then left, leaving the plate at a customer's table. He then returned back to Kiyoshi and smiled "Sounds cool..." he said and then glanced at his watch, noticing the time. "It's already this late... This was the last order, I go pick up Kari, you finish what else you have and I will meet you at the mall's entrance." he said and took off his apron and his bandana as he placed them on the counter and waited for Kiyoshi to answer.

Haruto in the meantime had already arrived at his office, but he had no work. He sighed as he took out of his pocket a packet of cigarettes and light up one. 'Today we have almost no business, why...?' he wondered as he made a few circles around his office doing nothing in particular. He then opened the door and locked his office. 'I'll just go hang around and look for my stupid cousin. He might have an idea or two' he said to himself as he headed for the stores.

[MischievousFoxxAdministrator]

Mizuki was a little surprised that this girl was giving her such free reign over her look. She examined Sakura closely for a moment. She had short blonde hair, making her look a little boyish. They were supposed to close in a hour, but... "I think the blonde really brings out your eyes, so why don't we start with some extensions." She smiled at Sakura and went to grab everything. She came back after a few minutes and looked at Sakura. "So, who is he? You can't tell me you're not trying to get some boy's attention," she said as she began to get to work.

Kai blushed a little more from embarrassment when he called her small. She was fairly short compared to most girls, which usually made people mistake her age a lot. As she was being bombarded with questions, she started to become flustered. "U-um...yes it's new, but it's not very popular." She looked at Daichi now that he was eye level with her. "I'm the only one who works here at the moment." She figured it would be easier to answer one question at a time. "I carry a variety here. Children's books, manga and any genre you can think of. I even have a few rare novels signed by the writers, but they can be a bit pricey." She closed her eyes and smiled. "What're you interested in sir? If I don't have what you're looking for, I'll be happy to order it for you as well." She was very flexible with how she ran her store. All to keep the few customers she did have happy. It overjoyed her to see them leave with a smile on their face.

Kyoya was right. Kiyoshi knew what it was like not to have money for even the simplest of things sometimes. He could sympathize with his co-worker. He began cleaning up his station. They didn't stay open for dinner at the restaurant, but he didn't complain. It allowed him sometime in the evening to spend with his daughter. When Kyoya returned, he smiled. "Thanks. I'll be down as soon as I'm finished." He wondered why Kyoya was always helping him out. It's not that he was complaining, he just knew Kyoya had his own problems to deal with. When Kyoya left, he started getting everything ready to close up.

"Have a nice day ma'am." Aya waved goodbye to a mother and her two children as they left the toy store. She turned to Kari and smiled at the young girl. Kari was playing with a small stuffed bear. Well, sort of. She was moving the limbs around, lifting it up, almost like she was admiring it. Aya walked over to Kari and knelt down. "Why don't you keep that? My treat for spending time with me." Kari looked up at Aya with a confused expression, then back down at the bear. She hugged it against her as if accepting the gift. Aya giggled at the girl's reaction. She adored children, as if it wasn't obvious. "Go on sweetheart. Kyoya or your father will be here any minute to get you." Just as she finished saying that, she heard the door open and stood up to see Kyoya already there.

Ryota glanced around the mall. Some of the shops were getting ready to close, but the mall itself didn't close for another few hours. Most of the restaurants didn't bother to stay open for dinner service. Right now it was a lot of teenagers hanging out after school with little to no money. Typical. The mall was one of the favorite hang outs for students. He never understood that, but then again, he only had a few select friends back then who were more interested in playing video games than picking up chicks. He glanced down at his watch. His shift was about over. He turned and headed back to the security office to clock out and get ready to leave.

Kazuha pulled out his phone and looked at the time. "Guess I should get going." He closed his book, which he had already finished reading and stood up, putting everything into his bag. He headed off towards the exit of the mall, thinking about if he should convince Ryota not to quit school. Maybe he could talk to the superintendent of the school about extending the payment period? Whatever the case, he planned on visiting Ryota at his apartment later to see if he could come up with an alternative solution.

[AominecchiAdministrator]

Sakura glanced at Mizuki from the mirror and laughed in embrassament while shaking her head "Oh no, not at all. I just... want to prove something to myself." she answered. But was that really the truth? Would she really change her appearance for Ryota and Haruto to stop mocking her? Or would she change for herself, to become a whole new person. Such thoughts kept cyrcling through her head as Mizuki was working on her hair. She let out a slight sigh and then asked Mizuki "With all honesty, do you think men can like a manlike woman?" just like that, with no embarrassment. Maybe she was changing for someone after all... But seeking the truth from a stranger? Her thoughts were messed up. She was bored of her past life and decided on creating a new one.

Daichi smiled as he kept hearing Kai talking and then glanced at her like a puppy as soon as she said the word manga. You have manga?! Manga... All genres of manga!? Oh show me, please." anyone could say he was so excited. To be honest, he actually has a whole collection of manga volumes. His favorite genre is action, and sometimes shoujo though it's so unexpected for someone like him, especially his age. He was too shy to admit it, only his cousin knows that. Anyways, Daichi glanced down to Kai and smiled "I love bookstores. It's so interesting, there are so many types of books and each one tells a different story, doesn't that excite you?" he asked her as he started randomly picking books up and reading their summaries.

At the same time Kyoya entered the bookstore and glanced at Aya and smiled "I came to pick up this little princess..." he said looking around for Kari and then approached her with a smile, taking out from his pocket a lolipop "This is a gift for Princess Kari. I have come to take you back to your palace" he said to her as he offered the lolipop. Kyoya picked up Kari on his shoulders and panted a bit "Alright, let's go! Goodbye Aya, thanks for everything!" he said befpre noticing a stuffed animal being also carried along with Kari. He slightly giggled as he touched one of its legs. "Oh? What is this? Your new prince?" he said jokingly and then glanced to Aya, as if asking if it was ok to have that. He then made a few steps and turned back to her "Good night, thanks again." and started walking towards the restaurant where Kiyoshi was waiting. Upon arriving he made a sound of relief and glanced at Kyoya. "So... shall we go your place?"

[MischievousFoxxAdministrator]

Mizuki gave the girl a kind smile. "I see." She continued focusing on what she was doing, but was soon caught a little off guard by the girl's question and stopped. She looked into Sakura's eyes from the mirror as she thought about the question. "I think...they can." Her eyes softened slightly as her smile grew before going back to work. "They say, when a guy picks on you, it means he likes you. But they usually don't know how they really feel towards that person. Changing for a guy is fine and dandy and may even make them realize their feelings for you. You'll know how he feels just by how his attitude will suddenly change when he sees that beautiful girl standing before him." She looked at Sakura. "There. I put some extentions in. Long hair fits your facial features better and really brings out those eyes. If you don't like it, we can try something different. On me, kay?" She closed her eyes and smiled as she waited to see what the girl thought.

Ryota walked into the security office and grabbed his jacket from his locker. He sighed a little. Maybe he should try to stay in school? But with the situation, he wasn't sure if he could spare the money. He checked his watch as he closed his locker. "Better get goin'. Seeya later!" He called to one of the other security guards who responded with a wave. Closing the door behind him, he headed through the mall to leave. He could hear his phone going off and answered it. "Hello?" He asked as he stopped. "You called me for that? No hello? No how was work?" He teased with a smirk. "Yeah...sure thing squirt. I'll be there in about twenty minutes okay so be paitient. Okay. Bye." He chuckled a little as he hung up the phone.

Kai blinked as she watched the man get so excited over manga. "Um...yes...I carry everything from romance, action, horror and whatever else you can think of." She smiled a bit. It seemed a bit strange that a man his age would be interested in such a thing, especially one so professional looking. "You seem so passionate. It's nice to find someone with such a great interest in books." When he asked her if the different stories excited her, she nodded. "Yup. I spend most of my free time reading. Sometimes I feel books are my only escape from reality. Whenever things go wrong, I just open a book and get lost in the story for hours." She took a moment to study the man as he skimmed through a few of the books. "So what genres are you interested? I may be able to recommend a few series for you. I've already read every book in this store at least once."

Aya waved to the two as they left the store. She walked behind the register and shut it all down and began with her usual clean and lock up of the toy store.

Kari looked up at Kyoya as he held out a lollipop to her and took it, staring at it. She was pretty different from most children when it came to candy. She looked down at Kyoya once she was on his shoulders and held on pretty tight so she wouldn't lose her balance. She gave a small wave to Aya as they left the store and held onto her stuffed animal as they headed towards the resturaunt to meet up with her father.

Kiyoshi glanced over and smiled at the two as they approached. "Hey there sweetie. Were you good for miss Aya?" He asked Kari who responded with a nod. He looked at Kyoya and nodded. "Yeah, let's get going before it gets too late. It's already getting cold out there. Want me to carry you Kari?" He asked his daughter. She shook her head no and he laughed a little. "Well, it's a good thing she likes you Kyoya. It's hard to tell with her sometimes when she likes somebody or not." He motioned for Kyoya to follow him towards the front. "So Kyoya, how have things been with you lately? We hardly ever get to talk about whatever anymore."

Kazuha walked out to the parking lot and got in his car. He started it and headed out to the apartments that weren't too far from the mall. He figure if he caught Ryota before he got home, he couldn't be avoided as easily.

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