Target: Family Store

"Get up, my child," said a strange, angelic voice in his ear.

There was a divine tranquility in the fabric of reality.

"It is not your time," it whispered in his ear.

AND

WILL

NEVER

BE

************

In the midst of a bad dream, Sato woke up sweating and with his heart racing. As he looked to his side, he saw Yuu still sleeping in her bed.

The day was clearly the opposite of the previous day. Sato could tell by the sunlight peeking through the window that it was a pleasant day, so he decided to wake up.

Lost in his thoughts, he headed to the bathroom to brush his teeth. He had a lot on his mind, and one thought that crossed his mind was about the family store.

"I should talk to the girls and find out what time they'll be home," he thought.

"Maybe I should go there and ask again."

His only concern was the danger and warning he had received the previous day, so he decided to tread carefully during the first few days in the city.

"Well, I could also call them. There might be a phone at the shop."

"Good morning, Satooo," Suei greeted him as soon as he stepped out of the bathroom after his morning routine.

"Oh, good morning. Didn't think I would see you up this early," Sato replied, teasing her.

"Hm? What are you talking about? Do you even know what time it is now?" she asked.

"Nope. Around 10 a.m. or something?" Sato guessed.

"HAHAHA! Well, well, it's already 1 p.m., boy. I was coming to call you two for lunch," Suei laughed at his poor sense of time.

"Wait, really? Yuu must be exhausted; she never takes this long to wake up," Sato remarked, amazed by the passage of time.

Although the place had a peculiar vibe, it was also a comfortable and peaceful environment. Yuu and Sato had never experienced such relaxation, even though their own home was not hectic.

"You know, Minako is so different from this place... Here, it feels like peace reigns," he shared with Suei as they made their way to the bedroom where he and Yuu had been sleeping.

They opened the door to find Yuu sitting on the bed, lost in her thoughts while looking at the mirror. She seemed to be contemplating something after waking up.

"Good morning, Yuu," they both greeted her.

"Oh, good morning, you two. What time is it now?" Yuu asked.

"Well, it looks like it's 1 p.m.," Sato calmly informed her.

"WHAT? I never wake up this late back home!" Yuu exclaimed, surprised by the passing of time.

"You guys go ahead, I'm going to freshen up and change. I'll join you in a moment," Yuu said, heading to the bathroom.

Suei and Sato left the bedroom and made their way to the kitchen on the first floor.

Although the house seemed empty, there were four people inside. It was almost double the number of people they were used to in Minako, and it made Sato ponder.

Approaching the kitchen, he could smell the aroma of home-cooked food. It seemed Mio was the one preparing the dishes.

From inside the house, they could hear the chirping of birds nearby and the gentle rustling of the wind against the wooden structure.

"Meow..."

A cat approached Sato, rubbing against his leg, seeking affection. He didn't remember them having a cat, so it must have been a new addition to the family.

"Is this a new addition?" he asked.

"Yes, Mio found him last year when she was coming back from school with Otto," Suei explained as they reached the kitchen.

"Hm, so my wannabe sister is cooking for us, huh?" Sato playfully remarked, pretending not to recognize Mio, who was looking at them upon their arrival.

"Y-Yes, I wanted to make something for you two since it's been a while..." Mio replied with her soft voice.

Sato waited for Suei to start serving herself and began preparing his own food. The aroma of the dishes impressed him, and their presentation was equally appealing.

The three of them were eating when Yuu entered the kitchen.

"Good afternoon, Mio..." Yuu greeted her, getting ready to prepare her own meal.

"Heh, you two took your time," Mio teased Yuu for arriving late.

Yuu blushed slightly but didn't respond. She prepared her dish and joined the others at the table.

"So, let's get started..." Suei said to both of them.

"Otto asked me to pass on some information to you both since he didn't have much time to talk to you yesterday."

They paused their conversation to eat.

Yuu and Sato were eating, but their attention was focused on Suei's impending information. Sato speculated that it might be related to what he had discussed with his uncle the previous day.

"First, let's talk about the situation in Hidora. I think you both have a basic understanding, but I'll explain it further."

"You must know that the city is facing a difficult situation. The mayor, in order to maintain his position, has formed an alliance with the local mafia to handle his affairs and exert pressure on other candidates and voters."

"Since it's a small town, he faces fewer challenges in controlling this situation. Last year, he was reelected with 83% of the votes. Most people in town are aware that he is an awful person, but many rely on jobs provided by the iron factory nearby, and he has a grip on them. It makes the situation very complicated."

Yuu and Sato were aware of the situation to some extent, but they didn't realize the extent of control the mayor had over the city.

"And well... Otto is one of the few people who oppose him, and the local police support him. However, it also makes him vulnerable to their actions..." Suei looked at Mio with a somber expression before continuing.

"Last month, our store was attacked by local criminals... We didn't want to inform your parents because we thought they would forbid you from visiting us... but we really wanted you to come, so we kept it a secret... I'm sorry..." Suei's voice trembled with sadness. She was usually a cheerful girl, so her distress weighed heavily on her.

Sato wanted to say something to lighten the atmosphere, but Suei had more to share, rendering him unable to speak.

"And there's more... after that incident, Mom became extremely anxious and has been having a really tough time lately... I know it's selfish, but they won't let us... They won't let us go there to help them and allow Mom some respite here at home. We don't know what to do..."

"I know it's a lot to ask, Sato... but please, help my family... help my mom. I don't want to see her suffer like this..." Sato noticed tears welling up in Suei's eyes as she relayed the situation. It was evident that it was difficult for her to make this request.

Without hesitation, Sato responded with a firm and confident voice, "I will help. I'll leave in 20 minutes. You can ask her to come back after I go." His quick acceptance surprised Yuu, deepening her admiration for her brother. She hadn't expected him to shoulder this burden alongside them.

Upon hearing Sato's response, Suei covered her face with her hands and burst into tears. Yuu and Mio got up from the table to comfort her.

"It was really hard for her to talk about this... We discussed it extensively before asking for your help this morning..." Mio said, attempting to sound composed despite her shyness. Sato could sense her protective stance towards her sister.

"Both of you, don't worry about it. You know, you three are my cousins, but I spent my childhood here, and when I look at you, I see a brother and two sisters..."

"I can't let you face this alone. Even if you had told me over the phone, I would still be willing to help," Sato reassured them.

Mio's eyes welled up with tears, but she understood that she had to take care of her sister.

And that was the day I went to the store.

Afterward, I got ready and started walking there. Since there was no car available, I had to walk. It took about 12 minutes to reach the city and an additional 5 minutes to get to the store.

Yuu stayed at the house with our cousins.

As I made my way to the store, I contemplated the situation, lost in my thoughts. Walking alone often provided me with an opportunity to reflect when things weren't going well.

"So, they're targeting us..." I pondered.

"Otto and Aunt Tomoko wouldn't have discussed this with him on their own. It's a difficult topic... Maybe I can gather more information from Takachi."

"They recently attacked the store, and yesterday Otto got involved in another problem. I need to be cautious now."

Around 3 minutes away from the store, already on the streets of Hidora, I noticed a familiar face at the end of the road.

"Is that...?"

As I got closer, I could see that it was Aunt Tomoko, her face stained with tears. Mio and Suei must have called them and explained the situation.

"Sato... I'm sorry for not waiting for you yesterday... Thank you so much for your help..." Aunt Tomoko expressed her gratitude after we stopped and chatted for a while.

"You've grown into such a handsome young man... Just don't flirt too much with our customers, haha," she playfully teased me before heading back home.

After that, I arrived at the family store. From the outside, it looked more like a bar, and the interior resembled a café, but it served as a general store. People would come here to buy basic necessities since the only supermarket was located in the neighboring city.

The "closed" sign hung on the door, but I could see people inside through the window.

"They must have taken a break for lunch," I thought.

Upon entering the store, I understood why it was closed.

There were two police officers engaged in a conversation with Otto and Takachi.