Chapter 8: Marshmallow and Hearts

While batting, Momoyo challenged Gakuto to throw a fast one.

"Geh, not the face Momo-senpai." Gakuto gulped as he wore a helmet. Because the ball can come at him when Momo hits it.

"Don't be a pussy Gakuto! Kawakami swing!" Momoyo swung her bat at Gakuto's fast ball and when the bat hit the ball. A thunderclap resounded.

"Hah, I'll get it." Ronin rolled his eyes as he ran and caught the ball that would clearly be a home run if it was hit in a stadium.

He jumped high in the air and caught the ball. Ronin then rolled and he nailed a perfect landing on the ground like an olympic gymnast.

"So cool, anigimi." Ageha clapped, entertained by the game.

"Hmm?" Ronin found himself face to face with a white haired girl with pink eyes.

"Ahh..." She glanced at his eyes and she looked down on the ground in nervousness.

"M-marshmallow?" The girl reached out with her hand and she offered a marshamallow.

Ronin thought that she was like Kazuko with strangers, but he accepted nonetheless.

Though he noticed something. She was a bit injured due to how she moved.

'Are child protection services in Kawakami that bad?' Ronin squinted his eyes.

"Ah... I'm Koyuki... Sakakibara, Koyuki. Did you like the marshmallow?" She asked with anxiety.

"Hmm, it's sweet." Ronin just nodded to humor her.

He then did a psycho analysis on her and he concluded that she must be a victim of domestic violence and child abuse.

And a bit of a worse case than Miyako that saw her parents fight all the time due to her mother cheating 24/7.

"Do you want to play with us?" Ronin offered and she blinked in surprise.

Then, her eyes sparkled and she nodded with vigor.

"Un!" Koyuki beamed at him and he thought that her smile was a bit blinding.

Ronin then returned with her and introduced Koyuki. "She will be a temporary member of the Kuki famiglia." He announced and they nodded.

Though the twins were dissecting her with their deep, blue eyes. Unsettling Koyuki greatly.

"Shhh, don't stare at her like that." Ronin chided them and they reluctantly nodded.

After that, Koyuki slowly got out of her shell like Miyako. And the two even got together well. Because they were really similar.

__Kawakami, night__

At a post in the middle of the city, Ronin was currently crouching down on the top of it. His figure being illuminated by the moonlight.

"Aka and Miyo are going to continue with the company. I guess I can leave it to them. But let's clean up the trash, shall we?" Ronin squinted his eyes as he disappeared like a ninja.

In the morning, there were breaking news of crime syndicates being annihilated and arrested by the police.

And the more minor news is there were a couple of parents that lost the custody of their child due to either abuse or inappropriate environments.

Miyako was currently staring at Ronin and she had a feeling that he had a hand on the news.

Her father got custody of her and their divorce was heavily in his favor. Now, Miyako can't be influenced by her mother and her parents fighting all the time.

Meanwhile, Koyuki is still under the custody of CPS. Her parents were charged with child abuse and domestic violence.

Though some rich people wanted to adopt her due. Ronin already did a background check on them; owners of the Aoimon hospital.

But they were clean, otherwise. He would steal their assets and get a good paying hospital.

Koyuki stared at Ronin suspiciously as well. But they didn't have any evidence to implicate him.

And even if they knew he was the one who did it. It doesn't matter, they will just be more indebted to him.

"Come on let's play this! Jii-chan gave me some extra money huhun~" Momoyo took out a game boy.

Moro who was a nerd also had one, but the others didn't.

"Hmm, what is that?" Ageha who didn't know any video games tilted her head.

"It's a handheld device that will let you play games anywhere, Ageha." Aka explained patiently as they also haven't seen one in person.

"Heh, lookie here who doesn't have one." Momoyo had a smug look on her face.

"Umu, Hume can you get us one of these gameboys? The latest ones." Ageha requested of Hume and enough devices for the others appeared right in front of them from thin air.

Hume just dropped it off with his immense speed and left immediately.

"W-what? Is that the magic of the rich?" Momoyo was shocked.

"Yeah, and the poor can't use it." Ronin shot back at her and Momoyo was sent reeling.

After all, she could get peach juice and snacks just by saying she wanted them if she had that magic.

"Momo-senpai... He's lying you know?" Yamato made the others snap out of it. Though he didn't have a single clue on how the devices appeared too.

"I can't believe you bought that, I guess I expected too much from a gorilla." Aka shook her head wistfully.

"Why you!" Momoyo threw her gameboy at her and she dodged.

It then went plop in the river and Miyo smirked at him twistedly.

"Oh my, I thought that monkeys are bad at throwing. Unlike humans, their balance is too different. But I was wrong, that was a splendid throw." Miyo clapped in sarcasm.

Their tongues were filled with poison and the others sweated at their brutal comments.

"M-my money... The allowance that I saved..." Momoyo got depressed.

"That's what you get for being a hotheaded idiot." Ronin rolled his eyes and they kept on playing while Momoyo just watched them trade some pokemon.

They continued with their little meetings. Momoyo trained with Shakadou though, turning her into more of a meathead that loves to fight.

So her reignited passion led her to challenging the Kuki famiglia more often.

But after some talks due to Gyoubu Shakadou's mercilessness. He was banished from the temple.

"Why did jii-chan banish Shakadou-san?" Momoyo pouted as she ran away from home.

She respected Shakadou greatly, as he was a great fighter that taught her many things.

And due to it, she was able to fight the twins more evenly.

"Master Tesshin's vision of martial arts does not merge well with Shakadou. They tried to make him change his ways, but it just wasn't his style." Ronin actually agreed with Shakadou.

Martial arts is a tool to dispatch your enemies. Why learn to fight if it was just for discipline? Just exercise and read philosophy or something if that's how you view martial arts.

It was made to kill your opponents, it just got watered down throughout the years.

"I guess, but Shakadou-san teaches me. And Lu-san doesn't. Damned jii-chan, telling everyone that it would be dangerous if I learned more." Momo grumbled and he rolled his eyes.

"See, that's why they don't want to teach you, idiot." Ronin snorted and Momoyo tried to hit him.

"I don't think they should banish Shakadou, but its the rules in Kawakami temple. That martial arts shan't be used like that. And look at you, always eager to get into fights." Ronin could see a problem developing.

Momoyo will definitely turn into a super powered freak of nature later.

What kind of child can shape thick branches into a baseball bat with their bare hands?

So he understood why they were reluctant to teach her.

"But just training my body is so boring~" Momoyo sulked and Ronin sighed.

He took out some lunch boxes from his bag and gave one to her.

It was supposed to be their lunch for later, but oh well.

"You are immature, Momo. When you grow up, you'll understand." Ronin imparted words of wisdom and Momoyo ignored him, inhaling the food he gave her.

"Whazzut?" Momoyo talked while her mouth was full and he sighed.

"I'll just keep showing you that you'll be second forever then." Ronin snorted and Momoyo kept on eating his delicious homemade meal without a care in the world.

__After some time__

Koyuki waved her friends goodbye as she had to move out for middle school.

Miyako also had tears in her eyes because her father had work in another area.

"Just write to us." Momoyo shook her head at their dramatics. But they will miss the gloomy duo.

Well, Miyako was the more gloomy one. But Koyuki was kind of messed up in the head.

"We'll see each other again anyway." Ronin shrugged and they beamed at him.

"Look at them smile when he talks." Moro sighed and the others rolled their eyes.

"Hmmm? Why? Aren't they just happy?" Capt was oblivious as hell. And he even thought it was weird for boys and girls to like each other.

"Don't change, capt. Maybe when I get back, you'll be having some action with Yamato or be dominating Moro?" Miyako blushed.

"Oi! Don't rope me in your sick fantasies!" Yamato quickly shouted, shivering at the thought.

"Ditto!" Moro almost went green when he imagined it.

"Have one last marshmallow~ too bad. I won't be able to attend our friday gatherings." Koyuki looked a bit sad, but she smiled again as she planned to enter Kawakami high school later.

"Yeah, it's so comfy there... I mean, Ronin is rich. But I never expected him to be able to buy a building with his allowance rich." Capt was still in awe at the power of a rich person.

Ronin shrugged, he found an abandoned building somewhere nearby. And it was owned by a person in Okinawa.

After the money started rolling in, they were able to save up some to build their home base and stop renting.

So he bought it immediately and they used the building in their friday gatherings where everyone met up.

Though he didn't tell them he was the owner of the now popular Gugel.

The revenue of their company was rising like mad. And they were even starting to branch out to other things.

They were eyeing a company named Pear. As Ronin and the twins thought that they would be quite something in the future.

Microfluffy was also a good company to absorb, but it was too big for them right now.

"Just don't forget to go to the friday meetings. It's not like you're going to another country. Japan is small." Yamato remindes them.

"Sure, and Ronin-senpai. Can I talk to you?" Miyako requested and he nodded.

"Reject her." The twins whispered to him like flies and he grunted.

"I didn't know that she would be this serious about it. I thought it would pass." Ronin sighed.

"Idiot of course she would love you. You're like his knight in dark armor. Shining armor are overrated." Miyo rolled her eyes.

"Be more careful in the future, Koyuki also likes you." Aka snorted.

"Yeah, yeah." Ronin thought that they will just be thankful to him or something.

He miscalculated. "Ronin-senpai... You know, when we met. I was in dark times." Miyako started talking and he didn't know how to reject her.

"Umu, you were like a doormat." Ronin said bluntly and Miyako nodded.

"I guess... But you swept in and helped me. Then, when those bullies were doubling down on me. You protected me again, even helping me make friends." Miyako gave a sweet smile.

It was a farcry to her normally stoic expression.

"I love you, senpai. More that you could ever imagine. Please, go out with me." Miyako poured out her feelings to the maximum.

"I... I'm sorry Miyako." Ronin felt awkward as he didn't felt the same way. He couldn't look at her like that.

Not to mention that he was pre-occupied with his goal. And combined with his past, he was just emotionally unavailable.

"I expected it. But I've prepared myself. It must be due to Aka and Miyo right?" Miyako asked and he nodded.

But it wasn't the way she thought. "I see... hey, senpai. Can I keep on loving you? I don't know if I can ever love another. No... I won't be able to." Miyako requested of him.

"Suit yourself Miyako." Ronin sighed. He could see it in her eyes. She won't ever stop it.

"Hmmm~ good enough. After all, even a stiff noodle gets soft when it gets wet long enough." Miyako chuckled and he deadpanned at her.

"You know that is the incorrect euphemism right?" He raised a brow.

"Mah, it works in this case. You'll have a lot of lovers, senpai. I am sure of it, all I want is a place in your heart." Miyako left and she was satisfied.

Even though she was rejected, she was able to be honest with her feelings.

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Thanks for reading everyone, ciao.