After the storm came the calm, and Sayuri tried to balance her studies with her emotions. Yume, who also needed some time for herself, decided to take advantage of her upcoming birthday and traveled to Paris to buy a dress for her party. She would be gone for at least a week.
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday… the week seemed to fly by, and Sayuri kept following the same routine: college and home. Without Yume around, her afternoons felt painfully boring, so with nothing better to do, she decided to visit her neighbor and maybe earn some of the cookies she loved so much.
As she walked through the garden, she noticed the front door was slightly open.
"Excuse me, Mrs. Midori… may I come in?" she called softly as she stepped inside, guided by the delicious smell filling the air.
"I'm in the kitchen, sweetheart!" the older woman answered warmly.
Sayuri followed the voice, but the moment she reached the kitchen doorway, she froze.
"Wow…" slipped out before she could stop herself.
Wearing a simple t-shirt and a floral apron tied carelessly around his waist was Jun, holding a tray of freshly baked cookies.
For a second, she thought she was imagining things.
He stood there awkwardly, not knowing where to look or what to do, his cheeks slightly pink.
He looked… far too human.
It didn't match the cold, teasing boy she knew at all.
"What are you—" he started, only to stop halfway through.
"I…" Sayuri failed to finish her sentence too.
"Oh!" Mrs. Midori's voice interrupted the silence. "You already know my grandson?"
Sayuri blinked, still processing.
"Y-your grandson?"
The older woman smiled proudly.
"Yes! This is my little baker."
Jun looked away immediately, clearly embarrassed.
"We've met before, Grandma," he muttered while quickly removing the floral apron, trying to recover his usual composure.
But it was too late.
Sayuri had already seen the version of him no one else knew. The version that didn't belong to bars, red lights, and indifferent stares.
"He helps me around the house sometimes… and he makes wonderful cookies," Mrs. Midori said cheerfully.
"Grandma…" Jun mumbled under his breath.
Sayuri smiled, clearly amused.
"So… you bake cookies?"
Jun shot her a quick defensive look.
"None of your business."
Mrs. Midori laughed softly.
"He's always been like this. Difficult on the outside, but with a good heart."
"Grandma, enough."
"Come on, Sayuri, help me with the tea cups."
Sayuri carried the cups to the small table in the living room. A moment later, Mrs. Midori sat down while Jun appeared with a porcelain plate full of cookies, carefully avoiding eye contact before sitting as well.
"Here you go, Grandma."
"That's adorable," Sayuri whispered.
"You should leave," Jun muttered quietly so only she could hear.
"I came to visit Mrs. Midori…"
"You already visited," he interrupted.
Sayuri raised an eyebrow while grabbing a cookie.
"Don't worry… I won't tell anyone about your apron," she teased before taking a bite. "Wow… these are amazing. The little baker has talent."
"They really are wonderful, dear. Have some more," Mrs. Midori encouraged warmly.
"Grandma…"
"Boy, what's your problem? Stop grumbling and drink your tea!"
Then she turned to Sayuri again.
"You know, if his tea gets cold, he complains the entire day. He likes it piping hot."
"Grandma!" Jun interrupted, completely mortified.
Sayuri couldn't stop laughing.
She had never imagined seeing Jun like this, and honestly… she was enjoying it way too much.
After tea, Mrs. Midori invited Sayuri to look through some old photographs while Jun packed the remaining cookies into a glass jar.
"Look at this one," Mrs. Midori said with a nostalgic smile. "It was taken at the beach house my son-in-law owns. We used to spend so many vacations there."
"You don't go anymore?" Sayuri asked softly.
"The family drifted apart…" the older woman admitted. "Jun's mother divorced his father and left when he was still little, and his father eventually remarried."
"I see…"
Sayuri picked up another photograph.
"And this one? Where was this taken?"
"At a summer camp."
Sayuri brought the photo closer to her face curiously.
"And who's the little boy crying?"
"That's my Jun," Mrs. Midori answered proudly. "He was scared of a sheep."
Sayuri burst into laughter again.
"A tiny sheep?"
"Keep laughing," Jun interrupted as he walked closer. "That sheep was terrifying. Its eyes were completely insane."
"Poor thing…" she teased while still laughing at the picture.
Jun watched her for a moment, then unconsciously stepped closer.
"These pictures aren't even that good," he murmured.
"They're amazing," Sayuri replied gently. "They're full of happy memories."
"Grandma… it's time for your medicine," Jun suddenly said, changing the subject.
"Oh, right. I'll be back, dears," she replied before leaving the room.
Now they were alone.
And suddenly, the atmosphere shifted into something dangerous.
"So… have you lived with your grandmother for a long time?" Sayuri asked, trying to sound casual.
"For a while."
"Can I ask why you don't live with your father?"
Jun kept organizing the photographs without looking at her.
"It's complicated. We never really got along."
He paused briefly.
"Living here was better for everyone."
"He must miss you."
Jun let out a quiet, humorless laugh.
"I doubt it. It's probably a relief for him not having me around… one less disappointment."
Without thinking, Sayuri gently touched his arm, wanting to comfort him.
"You're not a disappointment," she said carefully. "As long as there are people who care about you… things can still get better."
Those words completely disarmed him.
Slowly, unconsciously, he moved closer.
He lifted a hand to her hair, carefully brushing a strand away from her face.
"It feels like I've known you my whole life," he admitted quietly.
Warmth wrapped around her.
"I can't…" he whispered.
"You can't… why?"
He took a step back.
"I can't do this to you. It's not right."
"You don't get to decide that alone," she whispered back.
"You don't understand," he replied more firmly now. "My life is complicated. I destroy everything I touch… and you seem like a special girl."
"You won't hurt me," she said while looking straight into his eyes. "I don't know if you've noticed already, but I like you. And I have for a long time."
That only made him retreat even more.
"You shouldn't. But that's my fault," he continued. "I never should've kissed you. That just made everything worse."
He ran a frustrated hand through his hair.
"But you're like… my kryptonite."
He laughed softly, without humor.
"You make me too weak to resist, and that's never happened to me before."
Sayuri took a small step toward him.
"Let me help you. Let me into your life."
"No. You can't." His voice turned colder. "Everyone in my life ends up getting hurt… and leaving me."
"I would never leave you."
His answer came instantly, cold and absolute.
"I won't let that happen. So it's better if you leave… and forget about that kiss. Forget about me."
He opened the door for her.
"Don't expect anything from me…"
It hurt.
But Sayuri wasn't angry.
Because she understood.
His fear was stronger than his feelings.
"Goodnight, Jun…"
He watched her walk across the street, and just before disappearing from view, she suddenly stopped and turned back toward him.
"Oh, and don't worry. I won't let the sheep get you in your dreams."
That finally made him smile as he closed the door.