Ashley Grissham

Ashley slipped his face between his arms, facedown on the table he had just cleaned. And it's sitting right next to the head. His shoulders were seen going up and down regularly, making anyone looking at him think he was asleep. The sound of raindrops and cool air is the perfect combination to enter the dreamland.

One notch off the rag, smashing it through the back of Ashley's head, made him stop laughing and look back. It would be hard to swallow up all the curses he would spit out after finding out who the target was.

"It's not time to rest. Just finish your work," hissed a browse woman with a beaver face.

"What do I clean up again? I've wiped it all, or do you want me to wipe your face?"

"How dare you say that to your Sister? What do you want me to tell Mom and Dad, huh?"

"Want me to tell mom and dad, huh?" Ashley mimicked his Sister's speech with a face he deliberately maligned to upset the girl.

"You—"

Ashley hurried to the counter at high speed before being cut off by a rag high up by the girl with the apron. "Keep threatening," Ashley blurted his lips like a child in the middle of a sulk. "Inconsiderate.."

"Look, Mom and Dad must have spoilt you until you became what you are now." The girl with the waist. "How about a bet? You'll only last one semester here. Besides, a big city doesn't seem right for a yokel like you. You would have been immediately bullying because of your black skin."

"Bloody Hell!" Ashley gave her a murderous look which, of course, wouldn't work on his older Sister —Helena Grissham, but Ashley preferred to call her 'Hell' because it fit perfectly into Helena's half—demon personality.

"Call me that once, I'll tell Dad to cut off your allowance!"

"You tattletale! Hell of a snitch!"

Helena quickly tossed the rag in her hand, but it was easily avoided by Ashley. Perhaps this is what some call a human instinct or a part of Ashley's experience, which is often the object of surprise attacks by a beloved older sister like this. Helena's default when upset is to toss anything near her or that she's holding. Anything to hit her opponent. Her most frequent target was Ashley, not only because the man always made her blood boil but sometimes even for tripping over a ball of boredom. Helena liked to beat her brother for no reason. Then a fight broke out between brother and Sister, just like a cat and a mouse. Nothing would make both of them make amends and then apologize, except for their father's rebukes, mom's threats about pocket money, or an overnight acceleration. In a flash, two humans who had fought the great war made peace instantly and smiled at one another.

The violent debate between brothers and sisters of different colours immediately stops when customers come to this cafe. Helena quickly changed the look from fierce to friendly like an angel, even though she would quietly pinch or slap Ashley's ass when the tall boy made a mistake.

Sometimes Ashley thinks his Sister is better off in acting than business. Because, for God's sake, who can smile on the outside but secretly torture him. Back home in Helena would easily provoke their parents, accusing them of breaking a flowerpot to see Ashley's hands dirty. Helena herself had been rubbing the flowerpot for fun, dancing around in the dark, while Ashley had just returned home from his dead shower of gold in the backyard. Unfortunately, Helena's words could easily be believed by her parents, resulting in pocket change. Helena has often framed Ashley for every mistake she's ever made.

Isn't the world very unfair?

Ashley knows he's a little tanned, but that doesn't mean he always deserves the blame.

Injustice continues today. As Ashley chose to go out of town for further education and college, his mother suggested that he attend the same university as Helena. Of course, Ashley was vehemently opposed at first because once his father answered irrefutably, 'That's college or nothing. Then that's when Ashley gave up.

Fortunately, they didn't force him to stay in the same apartment as the half-demon girl —who was now smiling kindly at the visitor —that at least Ashley could have gotten away with a seemingly endless, sometimes irrational nagging from his Sister.

But living alone in a big city like this costs a lot. Especially since Ashley had neither the skills to cook nor the laundry, asking Helena for help was impossible. His only way to use a service. That's why he has to work so hard now.

Well, he's not precisely moonlighting at his Sister's. Only Ashley doesn't have a choice. Of course, again, with his father's absolute command.

'Think of it as a way to get closer to each other, away, the only person who will help anyone else but you.'

So was his father's reply when Ashley protested emphatically and ultimately lost.

Despite his enormous and black build, Ashley was, in a sense, a devoted child, always heeding everything that his father and mother said. It's different with Helena. Ever since she was a little girl, she has been so naughty that her mother has been summoned to school. It's not an interpretation of a pretty, cute little girl.

"Hoy! Didn't you hear? Quick, two espressos!" Helena said, stomping on the feet of the tall busy boy wiping out the coffeemaker.

Ashley hissed and wiped his poor leg. Even though he was upset, he couldn't resist because this was his job. Ashley was only able to do Helena right and good so as not to be punished for the occasional pining and beating.

"Please don't be too bitter..."

"Uh, senior?" Ashley was quite surprised by the presence of a long-hair man in front of him, The same guy who had called him a while ago.

"Why are you even surprised?" Jacob —the long hair man— chuckled softly as he found his junior's face taut. "Shouldn't I be surprised? You say you're not feeling well, but you're here."

Ashley gulped his saliva raw. The casual talk was so much scarier than the anger directly, as the long hair man was sheltering a bomb that would explode at any moment.