Pre-Conquest Holiday (5)

10 advanced chapters on my Patreon: Fiction Haven

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Upon arriving at Ikumi's house, Ichigo watched Ikumi move to her room hastily. She came out of the room with a different set of clothes. She looked like a hard-boiled biker without accessories but beautiful nonetheless. Ichigo refrained from asking Kaoru. He would wait until Ikumi was out of the house.

"You can find everything in the fridge. I don't have time to prepare for dinner, so you can cook anything you want," said Ikumi as she put on her shoes. "I have left Kaoru with some money, so you can order junk food if you want to. I have to remind you to do it moderately, though." She turned around and faced Ichigo solemnly. "Take care of Kaoru."

"Take care," Ichigo nodded.

Click!

The door shut closed and Ikumi was gone. Ichigo turned to Kaoru who was staring at the vacant silently and grabbed his attention.

"Missing your mom already?"

"Well, no. But I would like to know where she is going."

"Has she never told you?"

Bang!

The door opened before Kaoru could answer. Ikumi entered and rushed past them. They heard her open the drawers and the cupboards. She shot them a wry smile when she got back.

"Forgot my key."

"Take care, Ikumi."

"Bye, Mom!"

Ikumi waved and left the house. Ichigo turned to Kaoru once again, just in time to see him sighing helplessly.

"She is always agitated whenever she wants to go meet that person."

"Oh? Who is this person?"

Kaoru frowned. "I…don't know. She only told me once that some bad guy wanted to meet me and she had to meet him to prevent him from getting to me."

Ichigo immediately understood what happened. Ikumi was meeting Kaoru's father. He didn't want to be privy to someone's family matter, but the Unagiya's separation was not an amicable one. Heck, has that ever been an amicable separation? Ichigo kept his thoughts to himself and smiled at the kid.

"Your mother has given you permission to eat junk food, so that is what we are going to do."

"Are we going to order something?" Kaoru asked excitedly.

"No. Let's make some. Let's not help the already rich corporate, shall we?" Ichigo chuckled as Kaoru tilted his head asking what corporate was.

Ichigo opened the fridge and looked at the ingredients. It had everything he needed. He took out the cheese, potatoes, and ground beef. He then told Kaoru to get him the seasonings and herbs stored in labeled jars. Kaoru watched curiously as Ichigo prepared the food. He held back from asking but his curiosity got the better of him.

"What are we making?"

"Classic cheeseburgers, fried potatoes, and mac n' cheese."

"I don't like cheese," Kaoru scrunched his nose up.

"You will when you taste the food," Ichigo chuckled.

Kaoru huffed and stopped bothering Ichigo. He watched Ichigo work and offered his help once in a while. They finished cooking roughly half an hour later. Like most kids, Kaoru wasn't too fond of vegetables. The food smelled good, but Kaoru didn't think he would want to eat the burger. Ichigo chuckled at his reaction when he took a bite of the burger.

"Woah, vegetables can taste good?" Kaoru marveled.

"It depends on how you serve it," Ichigo smiled. "Have a taste of the fried potatoes too. They pair well with the burger."

Kaoru did as suggested and ate with relish. He told Ichigo it was his first time eating a cheeseburger and swore to ask his mother to order it every time. Ichigo chuckled awkwardly. He didn't know if Ikumi would forgive him for instilling a bad habit in the boy. He didn't know the junk food that Ikumi meant was Ramen or any type of noodles, instead of burgers and the like.

'We even drink soda. Is an eight-year-old allowed to drink soda?' Ichigo wondered to himself as they gamed after dinner.

Ichigo glanced at the clock after some time. Kaoru was dozing off. The heavy meal played a great role in his sleepiness. Ichigo shut down the game and carried the boy into his room. He didn't protest. Kids are not hard to deal with when you know the time to let them rest. Everyone has different circadian rhythms, so you can't forcefully adjust them. Understanding that the time will come will produce a better result.

"I sound like a parent, but really, I just want to be a doctor," Ichigo muttered to himself.

Ichigo went back to the living room after putting Kaoru in bed. He washed the dishes and settled himself on the couch once he finished. He fiddled with his phone and found a message from Yuzu asking when he would return. He would return once Ikumi returned, so he replied to her with 'soon.'

Ichigo decided to entertain himself with Jinzen instead of watching TV. He was about to close his eyes when he heard a knock. A frown marred his handsome face. He got up and opened the door. A man dressed like a rich Yakuza stood in front of him. The man looked up at him and took a step back, intimidated by his height.

"I am here for the brat."

"And you are?" Ichigo quirked an eyebrow.

"Doesn't matter. Just give me the brat," the man snarled.

"Please, leave."

"Tsk. You are making this hard for yourself."

The man flicked something out of his pocket, revealing a folding knife. He was about to threaten Ichigo when he received a solid kick to his chest. The man flew ten meters away. Three men came out of the black sedan parked not far away from the house and rushed at Ichigo. Ichigo scoffed upon seeing them taking out knives and a wakizashi.

Thud! Thud!

Ordinary goons weren't enough to tickle him. Even if he had let them stab his eyes, their knives would break. Naturally, they were left sprawled unconscious on the ground in three seconds. Ichigo kicked the car door out of spite, denting it as if it had just hit a pole. One phone call later, the police were arresting the group. It was around this time Ikumi returned on her bike and the neighbors became nosy.

"Ichigo, are you all right?" Ikumi asked worriedly.

"Bastards ruined my night, but I am fine," Ichigo shrugged. "Talk to you later. The police need my statement."

Peace returned to the neighborhood when the situation settled down. Ikumi led Ichigo into the house and asked him to sit in the living room. She made some tea and got him some snacks. They sat silently for a few minutes before Ikumi sighed and broke the silence.

"I have heard from the police, but I want to hear it directly. Can you tell me?" Ikumi asked softly.

"Sure," Ichigo shrugged and recounted the event, hiding his superhuman endeavor.

"I feel like you are hiding something from me," Ikumi said sharply. "Well, whatever. Thank you for protecting Kaoru. I don't know how to repay you. Thank you, really."

"You can repay me by telling me what happened," Ichigo waved his hand dismissively.

Ikumi looked at Ichigo in surprise. She bit her lip silently, mulling over her decision. Ichigo let her be. He wouldn't force her but wouldn't stop her either. He had a right to know after getting roped into the mess, after all.

"I was a delinquent back in school. My parents were disappointed in me, telling me not even rich lonely men want to marry because of how I behave," Ikumi began wryly. "Despite my reputation, it was my sister who dated a delinquent."

That took a turn Ichigo didn't expect.

"She was madly in love with him despite our parents' protests. They married as soon as they finished high school, forgoing college. My parents cut my sister off, but I remained in contact. Her husband was problematic, as expected, but she was happy. I was happy for them too. At least, that was until five years ago."

Ikumi became solemn.

"My sister's husband's organization had a conflict with another organization. There was a big fight that forced them to go hiding. Their enemy got them on their way to hiding. My sister died in the accident, but her husband survived albeit injured seriously. He abandoned Kaoru in front of my apartment. That was before I bought a house here."

A snarl contorted Ikumi's face.

"That asshole didn't care about Kaoru until a year ago. He suddenly wanted to take care of him after all these years. Can you believe the audacity? After abandoning Kaoru and not even apologizing to our family for killing my sister? I can't let him have Kaoru." Ikumi sighed. "He keeps asking to have dinner with Kaoru so he can explain himself. I always come alone, much to his frustration."

Ichigo looked at Ikumi in understanding. He didn't need to see her tears to tell how frustrated she was.

"Sorry about the emotional dumping. My parents died in a car crash. Kaoru is the only family I have. It frustrates me that someone is trying to take him away from me."

"It is fine. I can sympathize."

Ichigo had lost his family once. His sister had been stuck to the bed unconscious. It angered him how unfair the world was treating him. Ichigo sat beside Ikumi and gave her a comforting side hug. The Japanese are strict with skin-ship, but he used to be a Russian, so he sometimes forgot how the Japanese behaved.

Ikumi reciprocated the hug, wrapping her arms around his neck and burying her face in his chest in her moment of vulnerability. Ichigo rubbed her back comfortingly, whispering everything would be all right. Ikumi didn't even register he said he would take care of it. She fell asleep, soothed by the brimming warmth his body provided.