Chapter 7

The little boy named Tao was gazing at the cute breads arranged on the lower shelves when a big shadow fell upon him. He was startled but quickly fixed his shock by wearing a poker face. Then he turned around just to see a young man he used to know from random meeting, instantly curved a smile and forgot the poker face he should be acting out.

"Onii-san!" he cried, unconsciously attracted a few glares at them, "Came to buy bread?"

How kind of this kid to already talk first, Junya thought. He was afraid that Tao would get frightened by his presence there, but it turned out that the little one did seem to recognize him. "How are you, kid? It has been a while since the last day we met."

Tori behind him waved at the younger, exciting Tao more because he was glad to meet those guys at his favorite bakery. "Want to buy cute bread?"

"Yes!" Tao replied cheerfully.

Deep inside, Junya was enthralled by Tao's cuteness. His age, his way of speaking, and his face really suited him well as a clever kid. He didn't get frightened by strangers at all, contradicting to his Mama who has already eyed them from afar. Tori nudged at Junya's back, and Junya got the signal but he chose to ignore the warning.

"Do you want me to buy them for you, Tao-chan?" Junya ruffled through Tao's smooth straight hair. He giggled when he saw Tao lit up. "Just pick everything. I'll pay for you."

At first, Tao cheered and fist pumped in the air, but then he cooled down. "Can you buy some for Mama and Nao-chan as well?"

Tori and Junya exchanged looks. This kid seemed really childish but at some point, he could really behave like an older kid compared to his age. Kids at his age would usually, selfishly, demand everything he liked. Tao was expected to react the same, but his request to buy some for his Mama shocked both Junya and Tori.

How could a little kid like Tao ever remember about other people?

"Yes, you can. In fact," Junya lowered himself to crouch by Tao, "You can call him over so I will let him choose whichever he likes."

Little Tao 'Yay!' once and hurried to where his Mama was. From the spot, Junya heard Tao excitedly invited his Mama to get to his favorite section and pick any bread he wanted. "The Mama won't have to pick the same cute designs though," Tori giggled.

Then, reluctantly the Mama came over, being pulled by Tao. He rolled his eyes when Junya and Tori came to his sight, but he could not resist Tao's excitement. So he followed the flow.

"Alright, Mama-san. You can choose whatever you want. I will pay for it," Junya initiated though he began to feel overwhelmed by the Mama's sharp stares.

Act normally, Junya!

"I eat everything in here. So I don't really mind," the Mama said, almost inaudible. "Have you picked yours, Tao?"

"I did! Mama?" Tao shoved a tray of several designed breads towards the Mama.

The interaction between Tao and the Mama seemed normal, but to Junya, something inside him slowly crumbled just by watching them. He knew his parents loved him so much, but he actually yearned for such connection.

There were times that he would face frustration, and he wanted to pour his heart out to his mother. There were times when he gained small success like answering difficult question correctly at class, and he wished to brag it around to his father. There were also times that he dreamed of having stuffs like video games or sports equipment like his classmates, and he hoped his parents would buy him at least a cheap racket.

Only then he realized. He was enduring suffocation - of being alone for a long time. Since his family discovered about his problem, they - even the butlers and drivers - would block him from getting well with people. They chose his school, and picked his friend - Tori. They made an official letter to the school to not let him getting involved in any after-school clubs. He didn't remember befriending anyone other than Tori, let alone hanging out at weekends.

Thus, the scene before his eyes were outstanding, realistic, and... made him jealous.

"Nii-san? Are you hurt?"

Tao's high-pitched voice startled Junya to the point of gasping for air. He didn't realize how long he has been daydreaming. His cheeks were wet - he actually, unconsciously, cried.

Little Tao hugged him on the knee and slammed his face into Junya's pants. "Please don't cry, nii-san? Do I pick too many breads? I will put some back then."

"No, no. It's fine," Junya quickly stopped Tao from putting back the breads, "I'm sorry, I must have worried you. I'm all right, Tao-chan."

Junya wiped away his tear trails and smiled widely. Those were genuine - the tears and the smile - for portraying his feeling very keenly. Tori at his side averted despite overwhelmed by curiosity.

But then, Tori understood really well. Junya has been feeling lonely, and he has just noticed the loneliness. He being strong all alone wasn't pretentious, but he just didn't want to get swayed by negative emotion.

That day, Junya finally became sensitive.

"Thank you for buying Tao buns."

The Mama bowed a little, followed by Tao at his side. Junya smiled a bit, but he found it hard to maintain it. Again, his tears escaped but he quickly wiped it with his sleeve.

"Thank you for giving me a chance."

Though he looked confused, the Mama excused themselves, and has just turned around to walk away when Junya said.

"Can I spend more time with you afterwards? I'm so comfortable being with Tao-chan." Which caused the Mama to ogle.