Rock bottom was supposed to break him.
But somehow… Urime Atsumi was still standing.
The community center wasn't glamorous.
Peeling paint. Broken chairs. Faded posters.
But for the first time in months, he had a reason to wake up.
And it all started with her.
Hinata.
She didn't care about his past.
Didn't flinch when the others whispered.
Didn't look at him like a failure… or a cautionary tale.
She just… believed.
---
Day by day, Urime worked.
Scrubbing floors. Fixing shelves. Handing out meals.
The same hands that once signed million-dollar contracts…
Now mopped floors and hauled supplies.
But it wasn't shameful.
It was humbling.
It was… real.
And every day, Hinata was there.
Her laugh?
Like sunlight cracking through storm clouds.
Her words?
Soft. Honest. Exactly what he didn't know he needed.
---
One night, as they cleaned up together, Hinata turned to him.
> "You ever think about starting over?"
Urime wiped sweat from his brow, pausing.
> "Starting over… or building better?"
Hinata smiled.
> "Same thing, if you do it right."
Urime didn't say anything.
But deep down… for the first time in a long time…
He believed it might be possible.
---
To Be Continued…