Bad Omen

"What happened here...?" Sato asked himself as he entered the store. The store appeared to be in normal shape, but there were no customers. Takachi was sweeping the floor, and Otto was engaged in a conversation with the police officers.

As Sato approached his uncle, he could feel the tension in the air. A sense of unease washed over him, but he needed to understand what was happening.

"I'm here, uncle," Sato said, interrupting their conversation and causing them to turn around.

"Did something happen?" he asked with concern.

"No, not yet," Otto replied, his tone filled with worry.

Sato understood what his uncle was trying to convey. The police officers must have noticed something suspicious and stopped by to inform him. Perhaps the events from yesterday hadn't been forgotten by the local criminals.

"There were five guys, as we noticed when we analyzed the store two hours ago," one of the cops explained. Sato recognized him as the same officer from the previous night. He might be a close friend or an admirer of Otto, as he was one of the few people against the local government.

"Wait! What about Aunt Tomoko? She just left a few minutes ago!" Sato exclaimed, concerned for her safety.

"You don't need to worry. We've dispatched some officers to accompany her on her way back home. There's only one road to your place, so as long as nobody follows her, she should be safe," the other police officer reassured him.

It made logical sense, but Sato couldn't shake off a nagging feeling. "What if they decide to take a different route through the forest and confront her there?" he thought to himself. However, he couldn't dwell on that possibility at the moment.

Sato also harbored suspicions about the town's police force. If the mayor had aligned himself with the mafia and had some illicit dealings, it wouldn't be surprising if he had bought off the local cops as well.

One of the officers noticed Sato's skeptical gaze and regarded him with caution. Sato quickly realized the situation and decided to play dumb.

"Thank goodness you guys are taking care of her then," he said, adopting a respectful tone.

"But what do you think they're planning by studying our place?" he inquired.

"We can't say for sure, but they seem determined to seek revenge against Otto... we just don't know how yet," the suspicious officer replied.

"By the way, my name is Hitori, and this is Officer Mashida, my superior," he introduced himself, looking at Sato.

"Oh, we've met before, right Sato?" Officer Mashida said.

"Y-Yes! You were talking to my uncle last night, right?" Sato recalled, relieved that Hitori helped him remember Mashida's name.

"What do you two suggest we do?" he asked, his tone growing more serious.

"Well, for starters, both of you should be cautious when alone," Hitori advised.

"We intend to increase patrols in the neighborhood, but we can't guarantee it will be enough," Mashida added, adjusting his clothes to signify his readiness to leave.

Mashida and Hitori headed towards the door, but before they exited, Hitori turned back to say one last thing.

"If anything happens, contact us," he instructed before leaving. Sato and the others watched from the window as they got into their car parked across the street, a detail Sato had missed upon his arrival.

"Contact us, huh?" Sato pondered, now alone in the store.

*****************

Despite the recent incident, the store continued to have a decent flow of customers. It wasn't as busy as a large supermarket, but enough to keep things running smoothly.

After the police officers left, Otto apologized to Sato for involving him in the situation. He hadn't mentioned anything to Sato's parents, expecting them to prevent him from visiting. Otto assured Sato that he didn't need his help, but he appreciated Sato's presence as it made the girls happy to have him around.

"Hm, apart from this recent problem, I think now that Yuu and I are here, they will have a good time," Sato thought optimistically.

Sato and Yuu had planned to stay until the end of the summer, giving them plenty of time to help out. They would return to their parents' house for the rest of the year and spend Christmas together. Sato entertained the idea of inviting them to his house when winter arrived, but he knew they couldn't simply neglect their responsibilities. If it were to happen, only Mio and Suei would be able to join them since the others had to take care of the store.

"Too bad we can't have an end-of-the-year party," Sato mused once again.

As he lost himself in his thoughts, Sato helped Takachi organize the shelves and restock supplies. The store's good flow meant there was a lot of work to be done.

The store closed around 9 p.m. and reopened at 6 a.m. After chatting with Otto for a while, Sato decided to help them full-time. However, he also wanted to spend time with the girls, so he arranged to swap shifts with Tomoko on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and he wouldn't work on weekends. This way, he would be working three days a week, which was sufficient to assist them and give his aunt some free time.

Sato didn't bring up any financial matters, but Otto mentioned that he would give him some money at the start of the weekend so he could have fun with the girls. Sato also expressed his desire to have lunch at their house, as he wanted to spend more time with the three girls on workdays.

"I don't see a problem with that, just don't forget about the situation we're in," Otto said, granting Sato his choices.

The day was finally coming to an end, with only a few customers left and no one in the cafeteria.

While Sato was absentmindedly cleaning a table, the store's door opened, and a woman entered. Sato only noticed her as she passed by, leaving a trail of strong, sweet perfume in the air, captivating his senses.

"Good evening, Otto," the girl greeted his uncle with a smile.

"Have you made it already?" she asked him.

"Oh, Sara, of course," Otto replied, retrieving an order that was ready on the balcony.

"Is that your nephew, Otto?" the woman inquired, causing Sato to feel a little embarrassed upon hearing his uncle's response.

"Yes, yes... he's been helping me and Takachi," Otto explained to her.

She took her order and, as she approached Sato, she paused to introduce herself.

"Good evening, Sato. My name is Sara. It's nice to meet you. Your uncle has told me a lot about you coming to town," she said, making Sato sweat a little. She was charming and appeared to be around the same age as him.

"O-Oh, hello. Nice to meet you too," Sato replied, scratching his head nervously. He hadn't interacted with a girl outside his family in a while.

When she mentioned that the town was small and lacking new people to talk to, Sato couldn't help but feel a flutter of excitement. She suggested they meet up sometime and explore the area, mentioning that he probably had many stories to share from where he came from.

"Think about it and let me know. I'll be here tomorrow evening again, so you can tell me later," she said, extending the invitation before leaving.

Sato was filled with anticipation. She had approached him and even invited him to hang out. At that moment, he completely forgot about the troubles outside and focused solely on this unexpected opportunity.

Takachi found the situation hilarious and approached Sato to chat.

"She's very cute, isn't she?" Takachi teased, clearly amused by what had transpired.

"Hey, don't tease me... b-but yeah, she is," Sato replied, his embarrassment evident.

From the balcony, Otto was already laughing, calling Takachi to close the shop. It was already 9 p.m., and they were ready to go home.

As the trio walked toward the car, Sato noticed two unfamiliar men on the other side of the road. It appeared that one of them had taken a photo of them. Just then, a police car drove by, providing a small sense of security.

"Are you coming, Sato?" Takachi called out, holding the car door open.

"Y-Yes... sorry," Sato responded, his mind preoccupied with whether he was being paranoid or if those individuals had indeed taken their picture in the middle of the night.