In the morning, Riccardo walked into the kitchen, where his mother was finishing up breakfast.
"Morning!"
"Morning Riccardo, I booked the aquarium for Sunday. We're all going together."
"But I wanted to buy the tickets… it was supposed to be my treat."
"I know, but you're busy with school and the club. The best gift you can give me is doing your best in both."
She kissed his forehead as she handed him his plate.
"Alright… I'll work even harder."
"Good."
Riccardo's phone buzzed with a message notification.
His mother glanced over, curious.
"Who's texting you this early?"
"It's Luca…"
"In Italy it should be midnight… what's he doing awake?"
Riccardo chuckled. "I'm sorry to say it, but in this house you're the only one who goes to bed before ten."
"Haha… very funny."
"He messages me pretty often. He's one of the few who didn't get mad about our sudden move…"
"I see…"
"Looks like they went to the stadium to watch Napoli. They even brought Simone."
"Simone Esposito… the boy in rehab for drug use?" she asked carefully.
"Yeah. He's still in the program, but… he's getting better."
"I hope so…" She sighed. "I know you might not love what I'm about to say… but I'm really glad we moved here. You can live more peacefully."
"Mamma, even if we'd stayed there, I wouldn't have gotten into that kind of stuff."
"I know. You're not someone who falls for those temptations."
"But… I can't deny I miss my friends—both the fun times and the rougher ones. Still… I can't deny that I like the life I'm building here."
"That makes me happy," she answered, almost emotional.
When he finished eating, Riccardo stood up. "Thanks for breakfast. I should get ready or I'll be late."
"Alright. See you later."
As he headed to his room, he ran into his father stepping out of his.
"Morning, Dad."
"Morning."
Riccardo went to his room while his father entered the kitchen to greet his wife.
"Did you talk about something heavy again?" he asked.
"Yes, but in a good way…"
He sat down. "I can't wait for Sunday. It's been a while since we've done something together… we could all use a little break."
"I agree."
[On the way to school]
Sato and Yuzuki were walking side by side.
"So yesterday you wanted to ask Aliberti out, but you couldn't do it…" Yuzuki said.
Sato kept her head down. "Yeah… the words just wouldn't come out."
Yuzuki wrapped an arm around her warmly. "Hey, I'm proud you even tried. Next time, you'll manage for sure."
Her encouragement lifted Sato's spirits. "Yeah…"
As they continued walking, they spotted Riccardo—surrounded by three girls.
Both froze.
"Isn't that him?" Yuzuki asked.
They watched as he chatted with the girls casually. Then Yuzuki noticed Sato's expression darken.
Objectively speaking, even if Aliberti had a low reputation, he had a strong presence—both in looks and personality. It was normal for girls to crowd around him…
"Shiori—"
Before she could finish, Riccardo apologized to the three girls with a small gesture and walked away from them, heading instead toward Shimizu and Andou.
The two girls were stunned.
Yuzuki sighed in relief and smiled. At least he wasn't someone who got carried away by that kind of attention.
"See? He'll give you time. He's not an easy guy to win over."
Sato smiled, touched. "Thanks, Tokiyo… even though we've only known each other since the start of the year, you already feel like a real friend."
Yuzuki puffed up proudly. "Say it louder!"
They both laughed.
"And honestly? I think you're much cuter than those girls. Besides, they can't brag about being his friend."
Sato blushed slightly. "I agree about the friendship part… but about the looks—"
Yuzuki jumped on her. "My opinion cannot be challenged!"
Sato stared at her, deadpan. "This is what dictatorship looks like…"