A Toll, A Tithe, The Passage of Time (Pt. 3)
Kaji Ren x Reader Masterlist
(Future)CW: Reader was in abusive relationship and was sent to live with her grandmother in Boufurin.
Kotoha’s cafe was nice. It was quaint and quiet, and she made a rather good latte. You did question her business methods a bit, as she refused your payment when you had offered it up. Still, you sipped your drink as you watched her buzz about. She was rattling on about some new recipe she was trying out, something that had turned out more failures than successes.
“Do you run this place by yourself?” There was a lull in the conversation where you were able to slide your question in, and she paused her scrubbing before nodding at your question.
“Yeah. It’s not too bad, I pick my own hours. And it’s not like I get restaurant-level busy, well,” Her face dropped into a scowl, “Not often I get that busy.”
You glanced around the cafe— it was small, you couldn’t imagine it getting too busy. Still, you glanced back her way as she moved to the stove top. If her food was really popular, you could imagine it.
“So what brings you to Makochi?” Oh, how you hated that question, “We don’t get many new people— we had one right before you, but you stole his title of newest townsperson.”
You didn’t answer right away, staring down at the mug resting on the counter, eyes unfocused. “No reason, really. My dad decided it’d be better for me to live with my grandma for a bit, so,” You trailed off, brushing your thumb against the mug handle.
Luckily for you, Kotoha didn’t push, only humming as she set things up, “Well, I for one am grateful that someone my age has moved here.” You looked up, seeing her grinning your way. You felt your cheeks warm, and you sent her a small, no doubt awkward, smile back.
It had been a long while since you had had a girl friend your age. All your friends from before were—
“Most of my customers are older folks and teenage boys,” She sighed dramatically, and you were grateful for the momentary distraction from your thoughts, “I love them, but I don’t get much girl time, you know?”
You didn’t, but you nodded along anyway. She seemed to brighten at that, and you watched her assemble a plate with ease.
“If you wait around here long enough, you’ll see a lot of the Furin boys stop by. Sometimes they grab a drink or snack before patrol.”
The topic of the Furin kids had your spine straightening, and you could feel the heat drain from your face, leaving your body feeling colder. Kotoha seemed to take note, and her movements slowed for a moment before her pace continued.
“You good?” You blinked at her question, forcing yourself to focus and noting she had slid a plate in front of you— a sandwich and some apple slices. You couldn't hold your focus on the food for long, however.
“The Furin kids come here?”
She nodded slowly, “Pothos is like a staple place for them.”
You could feel the expression on your face morph into a scowl, and you did your best to drop your gaze, trying to focus on the food she had pushed your way. You could see her drying her hands on her apron out of the corner of your eyes, staring at you curiously.
“I take it you had heard about Furin before moving here?”
You let out a hollow laugh, wanting to shrink in on yourself, “Who hasn’t? A town that’s run by a bunch of violent delinquents? Makes no sense why my grandma said this place would be safer for me than home.”
Kotoha didn't answer immediately, not that you had anticipated her to do so. You were mentally kicking yourself for making the atmosphere so awkward— why had you opened your mouth? The silence stretched a few more seconds, and you could feel the tension in your body building bit by bit.
"Yeah, that does tend to be how others see the town," She sounded calm as she spoke. She didn't seem offended or annoyed, and you glanced up, seeing the light expression on her face.
"What? Is it… not true?"
She paused, head tilted as she thought about her words, "Well, it's not not true. But it's also not the entire truth."
That— that didn't do much to ease the anxiety bubbling in your chest. You felt your hands clench into fists, nails biting into your palms. "I mean… they get into fights and stuff. Everyone knows that."
Kotoha smiled easily, a soft look on her face, "They do." You looked down at the counter, the sting of your nails digging into your palms helping keep you grounded. She continued, "But it's not in the way you're thinking, not anymore."
You huffed, "Violence is violence."
"In some cases, the intent matters."
Your jaw clenched, eyes narrowing at nothing, "That doesn't change anything."
You could feel Kotoha's eyes on you, but you refused to look up. Your throat felt dry, and you wished to turn back time to avoid this conversation entirely. Reaching for the sandwich, you tried to ignore how tense you felt, how strained your muscles felt. The familiar bite of fight or flight was making its way through you.
"You know, you kinda remind me of someone."
Mouthful of sandwich, you paused your chewing, glancing up at her. She was leaning forward, palms flat against the counter. Her smile was soft, her expression open. It made your spine tingle.
"Hm?"
"The previous new guy, Sakura Haruka." You swallowed the sandwich, blinking at her as she continued, "He thought similarly to how you seem to. He came here 'cause he believed that this town was filled with chaos and violence; he wanted to fight his way to the top."
Why would someone come here for the violence? "…And?"
"He was wrong." She snickered at the frown on your face, "This town used to be like that, and yes, the Furin boys here still fight, but they fight to protect the town. They have a saying that they follow: anyone past this point who causes pain, who brings destruction, who holds evil in their heart, will be purged by Bofurin without exception. Sakura learned that on his own, but I feel like you need more of a push."
"A push?"
She nodded, "I know it sounds scary, and a bit messed up, when you first hear about it. But the boys over at Furin are good; they care deeply for this town and the people here. They don't use violence senselessly, and most of the time it's a last resort. Just like this town has been good for Sakura, I think it'll be good for you too."
Before you could respond, the bell above the door jingled, and you found yourself feeling somewhat grateful for the cut off. You both looked over, and much to your chagrin, you recognised the two figures that had wandered in. Hiragi and Kaji, two of the three you had met at the pharmacy. Hiragi looked almost surprised when he saw you seated at the counter, and your gaze shifted, making quick eye contact with Kaji.
"Oh, the Yuki granddaughter," They came in fully, stepping a bit closer. After a second, Hiragi sighed, head inclined forward in a short bow, "I apologise about the other day. I promise that Umemiya means well, but he's really bad at understanding not everyone's as open and energetic as he is."
You gaped at him, not sure how to respond to his apology. A quick glance at Kaji didn't help; his headphones were still present on his head, and he was staring at Hiragi's back, one eyebrow raised. You heard Kotoha suck a quick breath in, and you glanced in time to see her smack her forehead with her palm, muttering under her breath.
"Uh," You licked your lips nervously, "It's- it's fine."
He stood up fully, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly, offering you a quick smile. You studied him for a moment; tall, and even under his jacket, you could tell he was packing some muscle, but he didn't seem that intimidating. He didn't use his height to make you cower into yourself, and he didn't stand close enough to make you flinch.
It was weird.
"How's Makochi been treating you?" He moved to take a seat at the counter, accepting the mug from Kotoha. You noted he kept a seat open between the two of you, Kaji taking a seat on his left.
"It's been… fine." Truth be told, you'd spent most of your limited time here locked in your room, cursing your dad for sending you here and wishing your life were normal.
The time when you were out and about was limited, but the town itself wasn't bad. For the most part, it was quiet. Your grandma's neighbours were nice and open to conversations with you, which was as friendly as it was hard to escape. Some of the shopkeepers around the town handed you random freebies to take home to her, and refused your refusal. The only aspect you hadn't been a fan of was the notion of the Furin boys, and you were learning more and more that they were just out and about almost everywhere.
"I imagine it can be a bit hard to get used to," Hiragi spoke kindly, a thoughtful look on his face, "I can't even imagine trying to understand our town from someone else's perspective."
"They'd probably think we're all insane," Kotoha piped up, though she looked amused as she spoke, "To be fair, I don't suppose we're far off."
Hiragi chuckled at that, and then silence fell over you all in the cafe. You felt awkward, an uncomfortable tension in your shoulders as you sat there, picking at the remainder of your food. The little bit of hunger you had felt faded fast, and you shifted, pulling your coin purse out of your pockets, fiddling with the money.
"How much do I owe you?"
Kotoha waved her hand, "It's on the house."
You looked up from your coins, levelling her with an almost incredulous look. That wasn't the best way to do business, but what do you know? Maybe everyone's first meal is free, but they get so addicted that they come back time and time again. So you pocketed your purse and stood to leave.
"I, uh, have to head home," All their attention had turned to you, and you swallowed hard, trying to send them a friendly smile, "It was good to meet you, Kotoha, and see you again."
"Why don't you let one of us walk you home—"
"No!" You internally winced at the volume of your voice, and you cleared your throat, noting the slightly wide-eyed look on Hiragi's face, "No, it's fine. I want to kind of wander. Alone." You paused, before tacking on a, "Thank you, though."
He nodded, though he didn't look entirely convinced, "Alright. It was nice to see you again. Tell your grandmother we said hi." Kaji hadn't seemed to pay any mind to you, busy reading through the texts that had been dinging on his phone, headphones still in place over his ears.
Were they close to your grandma? Why?
"Will do."
You hated how awkward you felt trailing out of the cafe, fighting the urge to just sprint. That would look weird, and probably somewhat suspicious. You didn't want to piss anyone off in this town; you didn't know how they'd respond, especially since you were an outsider.
You hadn't entirely been lying when you said you had wanted to wander— it was peaceful to walk around by yourself. The funk that felt like it had clouded in your head dissipated with every step. There weren't as many people out and about as there usually were, but you found yourself enjoying it. On the outside, you could see why your grandma called this place home.
The walk was leisurely, and you found yourself crunching leaves or kicking pebbles as you trailed about. Your movements paused as you heard something, and you weren't entirely sure of what it was. After a moment, you heard it again, and your attention shifted to the alleyway between two cafes. It sounded like a cat meowing. Curiosity got the best of you, and you trailed down into the shadows, eyes searching for the source of the noise. After a minute of your eyes adjusting to the darker area, you saw it.
A fluffy white cat, licking its paws clean, with a pretty, pink ribbon tied around its neck.
You stepped closer, trying to keep your steps light and quiet, coo'ing out to the cat quietly. Her attention moved to you, but it didn't run. You were close enough to crouch in front of her, extending your hand for it to sniff. After a moment, she stepped closer, bumping her head against your hand, a purr rumbling from her chest. A small laugh escaped your lips as she stepped closer, insistent on being pet.
"Well, aren't you precious?" You whispered to her, enamoured with the fluffy creature. "Where's your home, hm?" A cat this well-groomed, and with a cute ribbon, wasn't a stray cat. Well, actually, given how weird this town was, she could be a well-taken-care-of stray.
"Funny, I was gonna ask you the same thing," The unfamiliar voice startled you, and you shot up, startling the white cat. You turned, swallowing hard as the sunlight streaming into the alley was blocked by three unfamiliar men stepping closer to where you stood. You felt the white cat pushed herself closer to your ankle, hissing lightly at the strange men. "What're you doing all by yourself, hm?"
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