Becoming A Father Figure

Chapter 37: A Shady Restaurant?

Yuta realized that Takanashi Touka wasn't as difficult to approach as she appeared. In fact, she was a kind and thoughtful person with her own strong opinions.

After sitting back down, Touka started asking Hina about her recent life, trying to understand how much the situation had affected them.

Hina, being a well-behaved child, took this opportunity to shower Yuta with praise, making him smile proudly the whole time.

"Uncle is the best!"

"Uncle tells me stories!"

"Uncle is so cool!"

"Uncle loves Hina and buys her lots of yummy things!"

...

Touka noticed that Hina was indeed a cheerful and lively child, not showing any signs of having been deeply affected by recent events. It seemed like her life had not been too harshly impacted, which gave Touka some peace of mind. However, the thought that this young man, who was even younger than her, could manage to take care of three children while she struggled with just one made her feel somewhat inadequate.

"Yuta," Touka called, turning to him.

"Yes, Sister Touka?" Yuta responded, looking at her.

With a complex tone, Touka asked, "How's university life treating you?"

"It's alright, pretty lively," Yuta replied, unsure of what Touka was getting at, so he kept his answer brief.

Touka gazed out the window, where the summer sun and passing cars were the only things in sight.

"I never went to college. I was the captain of the gymnastics team back in high school, but when problems arose at home, I gave up on further studies and turned to culinary school instead. I hope you can stay focused on your studies. Otherwise, none of us—my family or yours—will feel comfortable leaving the care of these three children to you."

Both sides of the family had the same expectations. They didn't want Yuta's future to be derailed because of the responsibility of taking care of the three kids.

Yuta immediately brightened up. "So, if I can keep up with my university work and show that it doesn't affect my studies, everyone will agree to let me take care of Hina and the others?"

Touka nodded. "I'll put in a good word for you."

Sora and Miu were thrilled and expressed their gratitude. "That's great! Thank you, Sister Touka!"

Hina didn't fully understand the situation, but sensing the happy mood, she also thanked Touka. "Thank you, Touka-neesan!"

Touka nodded at Hina, her expression still somewhat stern, but it was clear to everyone that she was a kind person.

As Yuta basked in the happiness of the moment, he couldn't help but think about Touka. She's really a good person, and considering she used to do gymnastics, she must be in great shape, right?

Just as they were enjoying this friendly moment, a sudden scream echoed through the restaurant.

Yuta quickly stood up to see what was happening and soon spotted two young men pulling on Popura Taneshima's hair.

"Haha, does this place have elementary school kids working here?"

"Hey little girl, what grade are you in? Hahaha~"

The two young men kept messing with Popura's long ponytail, teasing her relentlessly.

"Please stop that! I'm in high school!" Popura cried out, desperately trying to keep them from touching her head.

Popura's resistance only seemed to amuse the two young men more, and they laughed loudly, enjoying their bullying.

Seeing this unfold, Yuta turned to Touka and said, "Sister Touka, could you please take Hina and the others home? I'll handle this."

Just as Yuta was about to intervene, Touka caught his hand, stopping him. He looked at her in confusion.

With her usual calm demeanor, Touka said, "There's no need to step in. Those two will be dealt with soon."

Yuta hesitated, then realized the implications of her words. He had heard rumors that this restaurant didn't exactly have the best reputation.

Turning his attention back to the situation, he saw the woman who had been quietly eating earlier approach the scene.

To Yuta's surprise, instead of saying anything, the woman simply kicked one of the young men, sending him flying across the room.

"Hey! Are you alright?" The other young man, seeing his friend on the ground, hurried over to check on him.

The woman showed no signs of worry and, looking down at the two on the floor, said emotionlessly, "Using violence is unacceptable."

It was ironic since she was the one who had used violence!

The young man who had been kicked struggled to get up, still clutching his stomach, while the other shouted angrily, "What kind of staff kicks out customers? Call your manager!"

The woman raised her head, looking disdainfully at the two young men. "What do you want with me?"

So she was the manager...

"You can't have a manager who kicks out customers!" the uninjured young man yelled.

The injured one, fuming, shouted at the manager, "Old hag! We're never coming back!"

"Your kind of restaurant should go out of business!" he added.

The two young men helped each other up and, still cursing, left the restaurant.

The manager's expression grew even more menacing after being insulted.

"Ugh, they haven't paid yet," Popura realized, remembering that the two had not settled their bill.

The manager nonchalantly replied, "It's fine, Popura."

She then took out her phone and began dialing.

Yuta sighed in relief; although it wasn't ideal to call the police at this moment, the issue seemed to be resolved. However, Yuta's assumption was wrong. In the hushed restaurant, the manager spoke unabashedly.

"Hello, retrieve all the cash those two had on them and give them a lesson!"

After hanging up, the manager muttered angrily, "How dare they call me an old hag! Bastards!!"

Touka turned to Yuta and calmly said, "Don't worry. The manager has some very reliable subordinates. Even if those two report this to the police, it won't lead to anything."

Yuta didn't know what to say. So, this place really is a shady restaurant...

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