Chapter Text
"(Y/n)-san.... (Y/n)-san."
"(Y/n)-san?"
You were in the middle of dozing off when you heard her calling out your name. The thought of ignoring the CPS lady sounded awfully tempting. You hardly slept the past few nights, and because of this drive, you were able to at least feel like you were about to get some shut-eye.
You were going to go ahead and ignore her, but knowing your grandpa would be upset with you if he saw how rude you were being, you decided to force yourself to wake up.
"Hm?" You hummed, too tired to even say one word.
"Oh, sorry, I didn't know you were sleeping." The CPS worker, whose name is Rin, sheepishly chuckled and proceeded to lower the volume of the radio. "I just wanted to tell you that we're almost there."
Almost? You looked out the window. The houses passing by you seemed really nice, so that is something. Still, it was too soon to say if you'll be living comfortably. Who knows what kind of people you'll be forced to live with? You've never met them. But, you did know they were friends with your mother.
You grimaced at the thought of your mother. Has she received the news that grandpa passed away? You weren't sure how things worked in prison, but you hoped she at least gots the news. Only because you want her to feel a bit guilty for the way she treated your grandfather. She deserves to live with that guilt.
"Oh, and the Akabanes have a son your age," Rin says.
You weren't sure if that was comforting or not. She probably thought you'd feel less lonely in your new home if you had someone who was your age. Who cares how old he was, just so long as he isn't an asshole.
"The school you attend is... what's it called again... Oh, right Kunugigaoka. It's only one train ride away."
Okay, that news was actually good to hear. You would hate it if you had to take a long train ride just to continue going to Kunugigaoka. Switching schools is an option if that did end up happening, but your grandfather wants to give you the best education and going to an elite school such as Kunugigaoka would help you create a good future for yourself.
When another five minutes passed by, Rin parked her car in front of a house. You gently pressed the tip of your nose against the window to take a good look at your new home. Just like the other houses you passed by, this house certainly did tell you that your new guardians made a lot of money.
"Wait here." She tells you as she steps out of the car.
You say nothing but did comply and just sat here.
The CPS worker walked up to the door and rang the bell once before waiting for a reply. When she rang it for a third time, Rin figured no one was home and thought about calling the Akabanes, but, before she even got her phone out, someone finally opened the door.
The person who opened it wasn't an adult, but a teenager with red hair.
"Hello." Rin greeted with a smile and a bow. "You must be Karma-kun. I'm a case worker with CPS. Rin Suzuki."
The redhead, Karma, was confused as to why a CPS worker was at his front door. For a second, he thought one of his neighbours realized that Karma was practically living alone without any adult supervision and decided to call CPS on him.
'They better not.' Karma thought, perfectly concealing his annoyance.
He would rather live with parents who let him have the house to himself and let him do whatever he wants, rather than live in a foster care system or live with some relatives he's never met. Does he have relatives? Meh, not like he can know. His parents never mention them.
To put it simply, he enjoys living alone.
"Do you need something?" Karma asks calmly and casually.
"I'm just here to drop off with (y/n)-san." Karma looked behind her to see a young girl sitting at the back of a car. "I called your parents this morning and they said they can take (y/n)-san in."
'This morning?' Karma thought.
His parents were here this morning, yes, and he did hear his dad talk on the phone with someone while he was getting ready for school. Before they left for India. And those two love the country so they won't be coming back anytime soon. But he can't say that. Otherwise, he'll find himself sitting next to you in that car. His parents must have told this woman they'll be home soon to avoid being charged with child negligence.
Karma almost twitched his brows in annoyance. The least they could have done was tell him a cps worker would be coming here to drop off some girl ahead of time.
They probably figured Karma would have it covered, so they didn't bother telling him any of the details, knowing that Karma would play along.
Still, why did his parents agree to take you in then? Who even are you?
"Are your parents home right now?" Rin asks.
"No, they're at work," Karma lies like it's nothing.
"Oh," Rin sighs.
"But, yeah, they did tell me about... (y/n)," Karma caught on your name quickly. The quicker she leaves, the better. As for you... well, he'll deal with you later. "I'll call them and let them know you dropped her off," Karma arranged his usual polite smile whenever he wanted to appear like a good boy in front of others.
Normally, she would have liked to speak to the parents first, but she was in a bit of a bind. At the welfare agencies, things are already a bit hectic due to how many employees have already quit recently. Not to mention, she already spent hours searching for someone to take you temporarily until she finds an actual family member to take you. Her last option would be to bring you to a foster care system, and she tries her best to avoid those when she's taking care of a child.
Rin pursed her lips. Well, she had already spoken to the parents. And the house did seem to be in good shape, not to mention their son does look pretty healthy...
"Alright, thank you." She smiles.
She went back to the car and opened the door for you.
"The parents aren't home at the moment, but you can still go in," she informs you as she steps back to let you out. You stepped out of the car and took your small luggage and school bag.
You glance at the front door, but didn't see the redhead. He did leave the front door open for you at least.
When you glance back at Rin, you suddenly feel a bit awkward as realization dawns on you. This is the part where the two of you go your separate ways. You've only known her for a day, but she has been working her butt off to find a place for someone to take you in. She's also been patient with you and kind, something you need after the loss of your grandfather.
However, this whole time you've been aloof and cold towards her. You didn't mean to, but you can tell that Rin took no hard feelings. She's probably used to dealing with troublesome kids. More troublesome than you.
"Um..." You scratched your cheek while avoiding eye contact. "Thank you... for... everything."
For a second there, her eyes arched in surprise, but it was replaced with a smile.
"Of course sweetie. Best of luck." She put a supporting hand on your shoulder. "You have my card, right? Be sure to call me in case something happens."
You nodded.
With one final smile, she and hops back into her car. You watched her drive off before deciding to go inside where you'll be living for a while. When you stepped into the home, you awkwardly looked around in search of the teenage boy, expecting him to at least introduce himself and properly welcome you into his home.
The only sound that greeted you however was the sound of a video game being played.
Okay, it's obvious this guy didn't care about polite greetings.
You weren't going to stand here like some idiot, so you took off your shoes and walked further into the home. You did end up finding the redhead. As expected, he was just sitting on his couch, playing a video game.
You opened your mouth, about to make your presence known, but Karma already knew you were here, so he spoke before you could say anything.
"There's a guest room at the end of the hall upstairs," was all he said to you. His tone was aloof and nonchalant. "It's all yours."
"Um... Thanks?"
You waited for him to say something else, but you guessed he cared too much about playing his video games to give you the time of day. Guess you couldn't blame him. You're not exactly thrilled to be living with a complete stranger. At least he told you where you'll be crashing, and that's good enough for you.
The stairs were close by, so you didn't have a hard time finding them.
'The room at the end of the hall, he says?'
You easily found the room you were looking for. When you stepped in, it felt as though you stepped into a hotel room. It was fresh and clean, but you were a guest.
You won't consider this place you're new home. Rin told you she would do her best to search for your other relatives to take you in. Rin did ask you about your father, but you never met him. Neither did your grandfather. Grandpa kicked your mother out of the house because of her spoiled and reckless nature, but years went by, and she came back with an infant you in her hands. According to your grandfather, he did ask her who the father was, but she just shrugged.
So yeah. Whoever your dad was, it wouldn't surprise you if he were walking around right now, unaware that he had a daughter.
Well, it didn't matter to you who ended up living with. No one would ever replace your grandfather. But, for him, you're willing to make things work. It would crush him if you ended up unhappy.
To make this room feel a bit more like your room, you decided to start unpacking. You're still upset that you couldn't pack everything from your old home, but you were able to at least fit in the important stuff. Such as clothes, toothbrushes, deodorant etc. You had some stuff you could live without, but you didn't have the heart to leave them behind. Such as a couple of stuffed animals your grandfather gave you and...
Tucked away in one of your shirts, there was a photograph of you and your grandfather in the mountains. This photo was taken last year. Just looking at how happy and healthy he was in this picture brought tears to your eyes. The tears began to build up to the point where they dripped onto the picture.
You cried and hugged the photo. It was the closest you'll ever get to hugging your grandfather after all.