Kindred

In the northern area of Grimoir City, also known as the port, amidst the old apartment buildings, there was a small shop with a sign on the window that read "Cafeteria Warteg". More precisely, it was a restaurant located in the midst of the hustle and bustle of the harbour. 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?

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. Such a situation was nothing out of the ordinary and had become their daily routine.

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

His words caught the attention of the three others there.

"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. He looked young despite being almost 40 and unmarried. He was tall and always dressed in office attire, even in public places. And what made him eccentric was that his office suits never matched. For example, at the moment he was wearing a brown top with pink tie and bright blue trousers.

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 'Cafeteria' 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. Even though he was used to it, it was still boring to do nothing.

As Julius had explained earlier, he chose this place because it was cheap and safe. We don't know what made it safe, but in the 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.

"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 doesn't want to be given too much work. Although if he worked harder, he could earn more money every month," the boss responded.

Pedro and Aldi chuckled at the boss's explanation. They couldn't say much since Zeyn was a talented but lazy worker, and also the boss's adopted son.

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.

"Zen! 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.

"No, 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.

"What about your classes today?" Julius asked, his tone suddenly slowing down as his expression became flat. "Don't tell me... you used your powers again."

"Well... what can I do? I can't see without using them," Zeyn replied nonchalantly.

His answer made the store owner angry. Julius clenched his fists with anger as he approached Zeyn. He grabbed Zeyn's shirt collar and cornered him against the wall, causing a commotion and knocking over items nearby.

"Did you use your powers again today? Do you remember our agreement about not using your abilities in public? How many times do I have to remind you?" Julius yelled.

"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. On the other hand, he also felt guilty for not keeping his promise. Besides, he only used it a few times and it shouldn't have been a big deal.

"I'm not a child anymore. I don't always have to listen to you," Zeyn said.

"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.

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

"We're not playing heroes here, Zeyn! People like you can't roam freely in this world. Don't you remember my message? If you want to do something stupid, think three or four times!" 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. What's the point of training your body if you still rely on your magic?!" Julius said.

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, Zeyn wanted to leave the room immediately.

"Don't use your powers recklessly again! You have a habit of forgetting things. You know you have to wear glasses when your eyes hurt! And don't take off your aura bracelet!" Julius warned.

He knew that Zeyn had suffered from a visual impairment, and he was the first to provide glasses for him. However, retinal detachment was not a minor illness. Zeyn's vision had deteriorated since childhood, and fortunately, the only symptom was blurred vision, similar to myopia. Sadly, his eyes could turn as red as rubies, as they were now.

"Be careful on the road,"

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

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

"Kids these days... such behaviour," he muttered.

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. Strangely, only in this matter. For other matters, he believed that Zeyn could take a wiser approach, even walk according to his own values.

"Never mind, let's get back to work."

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