Kindred

In the northern part of Grimoir City, tucked among old apartments, stood a small shop with a strange sign: "All You Can Eat." It was a tiny restaurant tucked away in the middle of the harbour's noisy streets. The name "Julius Photocopy" was clearly displayed on a signboard outside, identifying the place as a restaurant that also served as a photocopy shop.

Or maybe not? Nobody really knew what this place actually was.

Inside, a man in a full suit with a unique butterfly-patterned tie sat gazing at the shop's door, lost in thought. He had been waiting for a customer for a while, but it seemed that no one was coming. Thus, he leaned back and continued to yawn aimlessly while the ceiling fan above became his daydreaming material.

"Ugh... it's so quiet," the man said suddenly.

His words drew the attention of the other three inside.

"What can we do? This place is not strategic for a copy shop," one of them replied.

Although they knew the place was quiet, they did nothing to change the situation. Their boss, Julius Richard, was still lazing around. Despite pushing forty and still unmarried, Julius looked surprisingly young. He was tall and always dressed in his usual office suit—no matter the occasion.

His two employees, Aldi, who was rather chubby, and Pedro, a curly-haired young man, were busy playing games on their console. They looked older than their age because they were already in their final semesters at university. There is also a man, Hendri Mahoni, who has been typing silently since he came to work.

"Maybe the boss should open a shop near schools or universities," Pedro suggested.

"The rent is cheap here, and it's also safe."

"At least, why don't we remove the 'All You Can Eat' sign outside? Yesterday, we had people coming in just to order food," Aldi added.

"That sign is permanently attached to the glass. Besides, I don't want to buy a new one. It's too much trouble to remove it, and I've already put up a sign for the copy shop since the beginning," Julius replied with a sigh of boredom.

Although it was almost sunset and the shop had been open since noon, the number of customers who had come could be counted on two hands. Based on Pedro's explanation earlier, most of them were actually coming to order food.

As Julius had explained earlier, he chose this place because it was cheap... and safe. In port area, there were many tough and rough people who sometimes caused trouble. Just next to the shop was a place where people gathered to drink, and fights often broke out. But because he knew the owner of the shop next door, he felt a little safer.

"Boss, do you have any plans on expanding the business in a certain direction?" Pedro asked.

"Huh? Don't we already have one? Electronic goods services," replied the boss.

"Well, yes, but why isn't there any sign for the repair service out front?"

"Hmm... I did plan on putting one up, but unfortunately the repairman himself discouraged it," explained the boss.

"Why?"

"Zeyn hates extra work. But honestly, if he just put in a little effort, he could be raking in cash," the boss sighed.

Pedro and Aldi just chuckled. Zeyn was a lazy genius—and the boss's adopted son, after all.

*Kling...

Suddenly, the doorbell rang softly and the front door was opened by someone from outside. The sound of rusty hinges accompanied the appearance of a young man with red eyes. His face looked tired as he held the doorknob without any enthusiasm.

"I'm home"

"Hey, welcome home," greeted Aldi.

Upon seeing who had arrived, Julius's lazy face transformed into a cheerful one and he seemed to regain his energy. He got up and approached the person.

"You're finally home. How was your day at university?" he asked.

Zeyn didn't respond to Julius's greeting and instead walked casually towards a pile of documents near the paper cutter. It looked like he was searching for something.

Pedro and Aldi looked at each other, confused. After a while, without hesitation, he grabbed the object he was looking for and immediately put it on. It was a glasses.

"Nothing, I just forgot to bring my glasses. I have to leave again after this because I have another lecture at 2 pm," Zeyn said casually.

"But it's already 1:50 pm. Wait... don't tell me you're going to move there quickly?" Julius asked, his tone suddenly slowing down as his expression became flat. "Don't tell me... you will use your powers again."

"Well, what can I do? Holding back from using this power is useless anyway," Zeyn replied nonchalantly.

His answer made the store owner angry. Julius clenched his fists with anger as he approached Zeyn.

*Grab!

"Did you use your powers again today? How many times do I have to tell you—don't show them in public!" Julius snapped.

"I only used it for a short time," Zeyn tried to resist, but for some reason, he couldn't escape from this man's grasp. "Besides, it's not like I always show this ability to others!"

"You idiot! Do you even know what you're doing?! What if other people find out who you really are?" Julius replied, caught up in his emotions.

He tried to break free from Julius, but he only pushed him further against the wall. Pedro intended to intervene, but Mr. Hendri signaled him to stay out of it.

"How many times do I have to tell you, Zeyn? You can't afford to mess up—not in this world. Have you forgotten your goal to live a normal life?" Julius continued.

Zeyn remained silent, feeling regretful. It was difficult to argue with someone he considered a father, and he could never refute Julius.

"Yes, sir. I'm sorry..."

The tense atmosphere in the room dissipated, and Julius calmed down. He fixed Zeyn's messed up uniform and tried to compose himself.

"That's enough. I'm sorry, but it's for your own good. And I hope you understand." Julius added.

Zeyn chose to remain silent and didn't want to comment. He felt annoyed, and he no longer wanted to take advice from anyone. He was tired of being treated like a child.

Ignoring Julius, he wanted to leave the room immediately.

"Stop using your powers recklessly! And for God's sake, wear your glasses—and keep that bracelet on!" Julius warned.

He knew that Zeyn had suffered from a visual impairment, and he was the first to provide glasses for him.

"Be careful on the road, son."

"I know, just shut up already," Zeyn replied before slamming the door.

*Bamm!

Pedro and Aldi exchanged glances, wondering what to do next. Meanwhile, Julius let out a heavy sigh.

"Kids these days… always think they know better," Julius muttered under his breath.

Pedro and Aldi remained silent, unsure of what to say as this was a family matter.

"Boss?"

"Yes?"

"Are you okay?"

Julius took a deep breath, cleared his mind, and let go of what had happened. His anger subsided and was replaced by a tinge of guilt. After all, this was for the good of the boy. It was annoying how simple advice that he had been giving since long ago was always forgotten intentionally.

"Nevermind, let's get back to work."

* * * *