The next morning, Dante just walked around the streets with his hands in his pockets. He was just aimlessly strolling around without any real destination in mind. The cool morning air felt nice against his skin, the city was waking up with the sound of distant honking cars on their way to work, chatter and the occasional siren. Dante wasn't looking for trouble—not today at least. After everything that has been going on recently, he thought he'd just go on a walk to clear his mind.
Eventually, his feet led him to a very familiar place. He was standing outside the convenience store run by the old man who's daughter owned the cat he had found. Dante looked around for a second before he stepped inside, the familiar chime of the doorbell rang through the quiet store. He'd been here a few times before but today, instead of quickly grabbing supplies and leaving, he thought he'd do something a little out of his nature.
He walked up to the counter, grabbed a stool that was usually tucked to the side and sat down.
The old man, who had been reading the newspaper, glanced up with mild surprise. "You're not going to buy anything, kid?"
Dante smiled. "Nah. I just thought I'd keep you company for a bit."
The man's wrinkled face softened with a small smile for the first time Dante had seen, and he folded the newspaper, setting it aside. "Hmph, that's a first. Most kids these days just come in, but their junk and rush out without a word!"
Dante shrugged, "Not much of a rush today. Plus, talking to an old man like you might be entertaining."
The old man let out a low chuckle. "Watch it, brat."
Dante leaned forwards slightly, resting his chin on his palm. "Is it you that runs this whole place? By yourself?"
The man sighed, his eyes flickering to the stocked shelves before looking back at Dante. "Yeah. My daughter used to give me some help when she was about your age, but then she grew up and got herself a nicer job. It's just me now."
Dante frowned. "That's rough."
"Eh, I manage," the old man said, but Dante could tell there was some exhaustion behind his words.
The two continued chatting for a while, their conversation flowing effortlessly. The old man shared some stories about his younger years, the kind of people he'd met through the shop over the years, and even some sharp insights about the city's underbelly. Dante found himself genuinely enjoying the conversation, and though he didn't show it, he could tell the old man did too.
Then, seemingly out of nowher, the old man leaned forward slightly. "You know, kid… there's a couch in the back room."
Dante raised an eyebrow. "Okay… and?"
"You're obviously not sleeping anywhere good, I can tell by your posture." The old man said bluntly. "You come in here at random hours, buying food for yourself and you walk around outside as if you're deciding where to go."
Dante didn't reply.
The old man continued. "You can stay here if you want. The couch isn't fancy, but I'm certain that it's better than whatever rooftop or alley you've been using."
Dante studied the man's face, trying to see if there was some hidden reason behind the offer. But the old man just seemed… genuine.
"What's the catch though?" Dante asked.
The old man smiled. "You work here. Five days a week, you can have weekends off if you want, 9 to 5. Stocking shelves, cleaning up, handling deliveries. Basic stuff since the shop don't make enough money to pay for any employees."
Dante thought about it. A safe place to sleep. A consistent roof over his head. It wasn't something he had expected, but maybe it wasn't a bad idea… He could work here in the day, then Kaijin's gym opens at 6 so he could spend an hour getting ready to go there after work, then come home for 9 or 10, spend 30 minutes writing in his notebook and go to sleep.
He leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. "…Fine. But I want a free meal every now and then."
The old man let out a laugh. "Brat, you eat like a damn elephant. No promises."
And just like that, Dante officially had a place to stay.
However, the chime of the store's door rang, and Dante looked up from where he was leaning against the counter.
A group of guys strolled in, their heavy footsteps and loud chatter making the old man stiffen slightly. Dante could tell, he was used to these type of people coming in.
The typical thugs of this area.
They would probably come in, make a mess, act like they own the place then leave without buying anything. And sometimes, maybe they'd even steal. The old man had probably dealt with punks like these more times than he can count.
Dante, on the other hand, recognised one of them almost immediately.
'What the hell is Kazuya doing here?'
Dante exhaled through his nose, shaking his head disapprovingly as Kazuya and his group of muscle headed friends made their way inside, their eyes scanning the shelves with an apparent air of arrogance.
The old man muttered under his breath, "Tch. Here we go again… these damn delinquents."
But just as he looked like he was about to brace himself for the usual nonsense, the whole atmosphere completely shifted the moment Kazuya spotted Dante.
"Yo! No way!" Kazuya grinned, striding towards the counter. "Dante, what the hell are you doing here? Small world!"
Dante didn't even look surprised. "Working. What's it look like?"
Kazuya blinked. Then he turned to his guys, who were equally confused. "Yo, you're telling me this is your job? Here?"
Dante shrugged. "Yeah. Got a problem?"
One of Kazuya's friends let out a laugh. "Wow, didn't think a guy that beat Kazuya, a kid at that, would be working somewhere this… normal! Thought you'd be a super high level spy or an assassin or something."
The old man, still behind the counter, just looked between Dante and Kazuya. It was clear he had expected some trouble, but now? Things were playing out way differently.
Kazuya folded his arms, nodding slowly. "Huh… didn't peg you for the working class type, but hey, respect. Didn't think a kid like you would have a job though, didn't even think you needed one."
Dante smirked. "Well I don't really need one. But I get somewhere to sleep thanks to it, and I like free stuff."
Kazuya let out a loud laughed slapping the counter. "Man, you really are somethin' else!" Then his eyes flickered to the old man, who was watching warily. And Kazuya caught on quick.
He turned to the group of guys behind him and clapped. "Alright, listen up guys." His usual playful tone dropped into something more serious. "This store? It's Dante's turf now and Dante has my protection. That means nobody messes with it. Nobody steals, nobody causes problems, got it?"
The thugs looked at eacho ther before nodding. They knew better than to argue with Kazuya.
The old man raised an eyebrow. "You serious?"
Kazuya smirked. "Well of course. If Dante's working here, then that means this place is under my protection. Anybody tried to mess with it, they deal with me."
Dante just rolled his eyes. "You're acting like this is some Yakuza movie, it's embarrassing…"
Kazuya just grinned awkwardly. "Nah, just looking out. Can't have my new sparring partner and my greatest investment getting stressed over dumb stuff."
The old man stared at the two of them, before shaking his head with a sigh. "Hmph. You're an odd one, Dante."
Dante just smirked, "Greatest investment?"
With that, Kazuya and his group grabbed a few things from the shelves—this time, actually paying for them before heading out.
The old man just looked at Dante with discerning eyes, 'Is this kid some kind of lucky charm or something?'
The store had just gained some unexpected protection, and Dante?
Well Dante just guessed there were probably worse things than having Kazuya as a self proclaimed guardian.
The old man coughed then looked back at Dante, "You can sleep here tonight, you might want to move all of your stuff here now. But tomorrow morning, I want to see you working."
Dante gave him a thumbs up, "Okay, Boss!"
———
I also drew Kazuya -