Sugawara's Bright Future! The Restaurant Robbed?

Sugawara stares with a determined look as Ichiro stares back. There is silence for a moment before Ichiro looks down a bit. He lifts his hand and stares at it softly before speaking.

Ichiro "Our lives… aren't all cracked up like they seem to be."

He says softly as Sugawara's determined look softens a little bit with surprise. Ichiro lowers his hand and looks back at Sugawara before stepping towards him. Before he can get too close however, the group all steps in front of Sugawara, ready to defend him. Suddenly, a hand grabs ahold of Sugawara's gently. He looks up to see Haru standing in front of him, holding Sugawara behind himself, still holding onto his hand. Sugawara smiles softly as his eyes shine. Ichiro is surprised by this action as the group confidently defends Sugawara. Ichiro stops and stares at them for a moment.

Ichiro "Are they really that important to you?"

He asks Sugawara without looking at him. Sugawara gently lays his head on Haru's back before answering confidently.

Sugawara "Yes."

He says sternly. Ichiro cracks a slight smirk before turning back around.

Ichiro "Then it seems you have more backbone than the rest of our family."

He looks over his shoulder.

Ichiro "More than me."

He says softly. Sugawara slowly comes out from behind Haru with a softly surprised look. Ichiro looks away from them again.

Ichiro "You know, they're not going to be happy when I return without you."

Sugawara gets a softly angry look.

Sugawara "Good!"

He says back as Ichiro chuckles to himself a bit before walking away. The group all relaxes a bit as Haru sighs in relief.

Haru "Is all your family that intense? Because I don't know if I can take it."

He asks playfully as Sugawara stares with a serious look.

Sugawara "Yes but don't worry. You won't ever need to meet them."

He says with a smile to Haru. 

Haru "Right!"

He says with a soft laugh before getting a slightly worried look and looking back at Ichiro.

Haru "Hey, is everything gonna be okay? He sounded really serious.."

Sugawara "It will be. We don't need them. Besides, what's the worst they could do? They're just a normal tech company after all."

He says with a smile to Haru who smiles back.

Somewhere else, far away. Ichiro stands in a large hall before two large doors that lead into a big office. He hesitates as he stands before them with his head lowered and a bit of sweat on his cheek. He exhales before opening the doors and stepping into the office. There he sees a big desk at the far end of the dark office and an old man sitting at it. On the desk, different sheets of papers and folders sprawl about, some having a closed deal with a fellow tech company and another having a supply order sent from 'Precipice Manor'. A set of large windows being the only source of light in the big office. Ichiro stops a bit away from the front of the desk and looks at the old man.

Ichiro "Grandfather, I've returned from my retrieval of Sugawara."

The old man looks at Ichiro with his hands folded in front of his face.

Mr. Ito "How is Sugawara doing? Will he be taking his seat amongst the Board soon?"

The old man asks with a neutral tone. Ichiro sweats and lowers his head a bit.

Ichiro "About that… It seems that he won't be taking his seat… In fact, he's never returning to Ito Industries as a whole."

He says as Mr. Ito stares at him in silence for a moment. 

Mr. Ito "Buahahahah!"

He laughs loudly as tears even form in the corner of his eyes from the laughing.

Mr. Ito "That brat! He was always the brightest in our bloodline!"

He says while laughing before eventually calming his laughter a bit.

Mr. Ito "If that's what he wants then that's what he'll get! Cut him out of the Ito Fund and his access to our supply banks and servers. You will have to carry his seat as extra on the Board, am I clear?"

He asks intently. Ichiro bows a bit.

Ichiro "Understood."

He turns to leave as Mr. Ito turns in his chair to look out the window with a soft look.

Mr. Ito "I'm sorry I did just a bad job raising your parents that they ended up neglecting the both of you."

Ichiro stops and looks back at Mr. Ito with a surprised look before smiling warmly a bit. Mr. Ito then turns to look at Ichiro.

Mr. Ito "You're doing a great job. One day, you may even replace me."

He says softly to his grandson whose eyes shine.

Ichiro "Thank you, grandfather." 

He bows to Mr. Ito before leaving the office. Mr. Ito stares at the closing door for a moment before sighing and leaning back in his chair. He turns his head and looks at a picture on his wall of him, his daughter and her husband and a younger Ichiro and Sugawara. He stares at Sugawara specifically a bit.

Mr. Ito "That boy's future is going to be much bigger than he realizes."

He squints a bit and pauses for a moment.

Mr. Ito "Sugawara…"

He says quietly as he sits at the top office of a large industry building with 'Ito Industries' largely labeled on the side of the bustling building.

Late one evening on a new day…

Shiori sits at the kitchen counter with her notebook in front of her and a frustrated look on her face. She taps her pencil on the side of her head as if thinking intently about something. Asami comes down the stairs and into the kitchen looking for lunch. Shiori notices her and decides to ask a question.

Shiori "What do you do if you can't come up with a good enough idea for something?"

Asami turns to look at her a bit surprised before smirking a bit.

Asami "Finally asking me for help, are you?"

Shiori sweats a bit and looks away, embarrassed.

Shiori "Maybe…"

Asami walks over to her and leans on the counter next to her.

Asami "Well I'd probably ask my son for help."

She says while taking a bite of a strawberry from the fridge. Shiori rolls her eyes.

Shiori "I don't need to talk to that dummy."

Asami smiles and steps away from her.

Asami "Worth a shot. Although, I'm not lying."

Shiori looks up at her with a surprised look. Asami looks over her shoulder at her.

Asami "I mean, have you seen some of the things he's come up with? That boy has a mind filled with ideas. You'd be surprised how many of my ideas were inspired by him."

She smiles at Shiori who looks surprised. She doesn't say anything for a moment before Asami speaks up.

Asami "Don't worry sweetie, we can handle this on our own. Let me see."

She comes back to Shiori's side to read over her work so far. Shiori looks at her from the corner of her eye as Asami reads.

Shiori 'One of my idols reading my book…'

She thinks before smiling warmly and waiting for Asami's response.

In the city, under the cover of night, Kenji locks up the front door of his restaurant.

Kenji "Goodnight guys, see you tomorrow."

He says with a wave as a couple of kitchen staff wave back and walk away in a different direction. Behind some bushes a bit away, a couple of men watch before turning to each other and smiling evilly. Suddenly, the glass of the front door is shattered as one man opens the door. They step inside and one immediately goes for the register as the other makes his way through to the back. The one at the register pries it open and pulls out the cash from the drawer. 

Robber 2 "Jackpot."

He says with a smirk before hearing his partner call for him.

Robber 1 "Hey, get over here!"

He shouts softly as the robber rushes back to the office his partner is in.

Robber 2 "What is it?"

Robber 1 "Check this out."

They both stare at the safe on the floor by Kenji's desk.

Robber 1 "How much you think he's got stocked in here?"

Robber 2 "Too much. Let's lighten his load."

Robber 1 smirks before putting a cracking cup to the door and starts spinning the combination. After a moment, robber 2 starts to sweat nervously.

Robber 2 "C'mon man, hurry it up. Who knows if Fullsky or Watchdog is watching us…"

He says nervously while looking over his back.

Robber 1 "Relax man. Neither one of them have been seen since Fawn Tower. Besides, these older safes are just too easy. It's as simple as one, two three…"

He says before a final click is heard.

Robber 1 "Bingo."

He cracks it open and looks in with excitement. The robber digs around before both their faces quickly drop to disappointment.

Robber 1 "What?? He's got nothing in here, not a single Isos! Just a bunch of useless papers! What about you?"

Robber 2 "I got 300 from the register. Nothing else is worth the weight."

Robber 1 looks upset before standing up.

Robber 1 "Whatever. Let's just get outta here."

He says as they exit through the front door while knocking over a couple tables in the process. As they step out front, the first robber stops.

Robber 1 "I feels like I'm forgetting something… Oh yeah."

He says with a smirk before picking up a rock from the ground and smashing it through the large front window, shattering it.

Robber 1 "That's for not having anything in that stupid safe of yours."

They both laugh before running off, having been satisfied with robbing and vandalizing Kenji's ramen shop.

The group stands with their mouths open and shock spread across their faces. Lucy specifically has a distraught look as she watches her dad sweep up shattered glass.