Kobayashi was no stranger to strays.
Not the four-legged kind—though plenty of alley cats wandered around the back of his shop, picking at discarded scraps.
No, the kind he always seemed to attract were the lost ones. The ones with tired eyes, empty hands, and nowhere else to go.
Elias had been one of them, once. A kid who lost everything overnight and refused to let anyone carry even a sliver of his grief.
And now… Hikari.
Another stray. Another lost thing pretending she wasn't.
Kobayashi sighed, wiping down the counter of his ramen shop as the evening rush started to slow.
Through the window, he could still see the warm glow of Moonlight Crumbs across the street.
That bakery had changed.
A year ago, it had been half a ghost, lingering in the past, suffocating in silence.
Now, it was full.
Full of noise. Full of movement. Full of people who refused to let Elias wall himself off anymore.
He didn't say it out loud, but he was glad.
But then, he see Hikari.
Kobayashi noticed her the second she stopped in front of his shop.
Hikari stood frozen outside, her school bag slung over one shoulder, her breath unsteady.
Her eyes were locked on the bakery across the street.
Kobayashi followed her gaze.
Outside Moonlight Crumbs, a woman stood—tense, sharp, spitting accusations like venom.
So this is her.
The girl's mother.
The reason Hikari had shown up out of nowhere, carrying nothing but exhaustion and a schoolbag that probably held more weight than it should.
Kobayashi exhaled.
He stepped outside, placed a hand on her shoulder, and said simply—
"Come inside."
Hikari startled, looking up at him.
She hesitated, eyes darting between him and the bakery.
Then, quickly, she nodded and slipped inside before she could be seen.
-
She didn't move after that.
She just sat there, curled up in the back corner of his shop, staring blankly at the cup of tea he had placed in front of her.
Not drinking. Not speaking.
Just waiting.
Kobayashi glanced outside again.
He could see Elias, arms crossed, standing between Hikari's mother and the bakery door—calm, but firm.
A wall.
His body language said everything.
She's not coming home.She's here because she chose to be.
Kobayashi had known Elias for years. He had seen him argue with suppliers, hold his ground against demanding customers, and even push back against Mira when she got too insistent about her marketing ideas.
But this?
This was different.
Elias wasn't just holding his ground. He was protecting something.
Kobayashi hummed.
Interesting.
His gaze flickered to the girl across from him.
Hikari was still frozen in place, her hands curled around the edge of her school skirt.
She had heard everything.
She had heard her mother yelling, accusing Elias of stealing her away.
She had heard Elias defending her.
And yet—she still looked guilty.
Kobayashi sighed, tossing the dish towel over his shoulder.
"Tea's getting cold, kid."
he muttered, finally breaking the silence.
Hikari flinched slightly, as if forgetting where she was.
Then, slowly, she wrapped her fingers around the cup.
"...Sorry."
"Don't apologize," he grunted, leaning against the counter. "Ain't my problem if you drink it or not."
Hikari hesitated, then took a small sip—probably just to make him stop talking.
Kobayashi watched her for a moment.
The girl looked worn out.
He had seen enough kids like her over the years to recognize the signs.
The careful way she held herself. The way her shoulders were always tense. The way she flinched at raised voices, even when they weren't directed at her.
She had spent too long living like that.
And now, she was trying to figure out what came next.
Kobayashi exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck. "You're planning to stay with Mira permanently?"
Hikari blinked, startled by the question.
"Um… I don't know," she admitted. "For now, I guess."
Kobayashi snorted. "That's a pretty half-assed answer."
Hikari frowned slightly. "I just… I don't want to be a burden."
Kobayashi hated that word.
Burden.
It was the same word Elias had clung to, once.
The same word every kid who had been abandoned in some way carried around in their chest, like a scar they didn't know how to stop picking at.
"You think Mira's the type to take in someone if she didn't want to?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
Hikari looked down. "...No."
"Then quit talking like she's doing you a favor. You're paying rent?"
Hikari hesitated, then shook her head. "Not yet. But I'm doing all the house chores."
Kobayashi smirked. "Good. That girl's a disaster."
Hikari let out a tiny laugh, and for the first time since stepping into his shop, she looked a little lighter.
Kobayashi scratched at his beard. "So. What's next?"
Hikari hesitated.
"...What do you mean?"
"You planning to just keep working at the bakery forever?"
The question made her freeze.
She hadn't thought about that.
Not because she didn't want to.
But because thinking about the future was something she never had the luxury of doing before.
The future had always been a hazy thing she couldn't afford to dream about.
Now… she had to start.
She wanted to start.
Hikari looked down at her hands, fingers tightening around the cup. "...I like working at the bakery."
Kobayashi hummed. "That's not an answer."
Hikari frowned.
She wasn't sure what the answer was.
She liked the bakery. She liked the rhythm of it, the warmth of it.
But… could she stay there forever?
Could she really build a future just selling cookies and sweeping flour off the floor?
"...I don't know yet," she admitted.
Kobayashi nodded, satisfied.
"Then figure it out," he said simply.
Hikari blinked. "...That's it?"
Kobayashi scoffed. "What, you expecting some dramatic life-changing advice?"
She flustered. "N-No! I just thought—"
"Kid," he interrupted, leaning against the counter. "You're not supposed to have it all figured out yet. You're, what—seventeen?"
"Sixteen," she muttered.
"Same thing." He waved a hand. "Point is, you got time."
Hikari lowered her gaze, mulling that over.
Time.
She had never felt like she had time before.
Everything had always been urgent. Immediate.
But now…
She had a place to stay.She had a job.She had people who weren't going to vanish overnight.
Maybe she really did have time.
Kobayashi glanced toward the bakery again.
Elias had finally gotten himself people who wouldn't let him rot away inside that place.
And now?
Hikari had people, too.
He scratched the back of his head, then stepped away from the counter.
"Now, i need to help Elias, your mother seems making it hard for him."
"...Sorry."
"Don't apologize," as kobayashi left the ramen shop.
-
Hikari's mother—Souta Ayaka—was practically vibrating with frustration.
"You took her in," she snapped. "Filled her head with lies, made her think she could just—run away like some rebellious brat. Do you think that's normal? Do you think it's okay to take advantage of a child—"
Elias' patience snapped.
"I didn't take her in," he said, voice colder than usual. "She came here on her own."
Ayaka's lips curled. "Oh, sure. Because you didn't push her into this, right?"
Elias clenched his jaw. "She wasn't running from me."
She stepped closer. "You're a grown man paying her barely above minimum wage—"
Elias slammed his hand down onto the counter.
"I paid her what I could," he said, his voice dangerously low. "And then I raised it, because she deserved it."
Ayaka faltered.
Kobayashi exhaled sharply through his nose.
Enough.
He stepped forward.
"Enough," he said, his voice calm but carrying the weight of a man who had no patience for nonsense.
Ayaka stiffened, turning toward him.
Kobayashi gave her a flat look. "This is my neighborhood," he said, tone leaving no room for argument. "And I won't let you cause a scene here."
Her hands twitched, like she was barely holding herself back. "This is a private matter—"
"Your daughter isn't here because of Elias. She's here because of you," Kobayashi cut in, arms crossed.
Ayaka scowled.
But she didn't argue.
Kobayashi had been in this neighborhood for years. He had seen all kinds of people come and go. People who ran away from things and people who couldn't stand to be left behind.
This woman—Hikari's mother—was the second type.
She didn't want Hikari because she loved her.She wanted Hikari because she hated losing.
Kobayashi sighed.
"You're not here because you care about her," he said simply. "You're here because you lost control of her."
Ayaka flinched.
Her lips pressed together, tightly.
She turned back to Elias. "You—"
But her voice wavered.
She was losing her footing in the conversation.
Elias straightened, his expression still unreadable. "She doesn't want to go home."
Ayaka's jaw clenched.
For a long moment, she didn't say anything.
Then—without another word—she turned and walked away.
Kobayashi let out a slow breath.
"About time," he muttered.
-
"She's gone."
Hikari exhaled slowly, unclenching her fists.
Elias leaned against the doorframe, running a hand through his hair. His fingers were tense, like he was still holding back frustration. "She's convinced I stole you from her."
Hikari swallowed hard. "I—I'm sorry, Sensei."
Elias frowned. "For what?"
"For causing trouble," she murmured, lowering her gaze. "For making her come here. For—making you deal with that."
Elias sighed, shifting his weight. "It's not your fault."
Hikari shook her head. "She—she still thinks she cares about me. But if she really cared, why—" Her voice cracked, and she bit her lip, shutting herself up.
Kobayashi scoffed.
"Kid."
Hikari looked up.
"You think that was the first time Elias had to deal with a mess like that?" He arched an eyebrow. "You forget what kind of customers that bakery attracts?"
Hikari blinked.
Kobayashi sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Look. You didn't make her come here. She came because she can't stand the idea of you making choices without her permission."
Hikari's fingers tightened around the cup.
She didn't disagree.
Kobayashi leaned against the counter, voice quieter. "You're not a burden, kid. Stop talking like you are."
Hikari flinched.
Kobayashi had seen this before.
That flinch.
That deep-rooted belief that had been pounded into her—over and over, for years.
You're selfish.You're ungrateful.You owe me.
He had seen it in Elias.
And now, he was seeing it in Hikari.
It pissed him off.
He huffed. "You planning to sit here all night, or are you going to work?"
Hikari blinked. "I—I should go change."
Kobayashi nodded toward the door. "Then get going. You're already late."
Hikari stood up so fast she nearly knocked over the cup.
She bowed her head, mumbling another quiet "thank you," before rushing out of the shop.
Kobayashi watched her go, exhaling through his nose.
Then, finally, he let himself lean back against the counter.
"...Kids these days," he muttered.
He glanced out the window.
The bakery was alive again.
Hikari stepped inside, Mira greeting her with something obnoxiously cheerful as Elias handed her a cookie.
A month ago, this place had been quiet.
Now?
Now, it was full.
Not just with customers.
With people.
Kobayashi scoffed, shaking his head.
Elias, you really picked up some strays this time.