Mr. Bito stood in the open courtyard while Haruki gently led Kurayami away to admire the scenery along another path. Seto and I flanked our boss, hands resting near our pockets, alert and ready.
"Makoto… what brings you here?" Mr. Bito called out the old man's name.
Takeo Makoto—former leader of Oniwabanshu II.
The gray-bearded man smiled faintly. "It's been a long time since I last came here." He had arrived alone, without a single bodyguard.
"So these are your new goons?" the old man chuckled as he looked us over. "Good faces. Youthful, too, and yet, wasteful."
"You still haven't answered my question," Mr. Bito pressed.
"Death is merely the shedding of one's body, returning to nature, isn't it?" Makoto said calmly. "I know my time in this world is nearly over, so I thought I'd come make some merit. And you? Why are you here?"
"That's none of your business," Mr. Bito snapped. "You don't need to stick your nose into it."
"Even at the end of one's life, the one thing we must do is seek happiness." Makoto laughed softly." Oh, by the way—my son has already taken over my position. He's been complaining that things keep going missing from the warehouse. Says it's some petty thieves… two of them, I hear. Heh. But never mind. He's got a head for business, much like you. These days, yakuza are nothing more than small groups. No need to hire excessive manpower—same as running a company. I wonder what kind of future he'll bring to this world. As for me… I'm getting tired of playing games."
"Once you step into a hole," Mr. Bito replied coldly, "it's hard to find your way back out."
"True… very true." Makoto nodded. "You're a clever man. Such a shame you chose the wrong world to belong to."
The tension made our hands tremble. Seto suddenly noticed a shadowy figure watching us from the corner of the shrine grounds. He tugged at my sleeve in warning.
"He didn't come alone," he whispered.
Dum~!~Before we could react, the shrine bell rang out, echoing through the air.
"Looks like time's up," Makoto muttered with a grin. "Until we meet again." The old man walked away quietly. When we turned back toward the corner of the shrine, the mysterious watcher had vanished without a trace.
"The former head of the Second Oniwaban… why would he be here?" I asked.
"No worry," Mr. Bito replied. "That man isn't a threat anymore, Retired."
Only then did we lower our guard. Mr. Bito raised his hand, signaling the siblings to rejoin us.
"Dad," Kurayami said cheerfully, "can we go watch a late movie tonight? Let's invite Seto-kun and Seoki-chan too!"
"Not tonight, Kurayami," he answered gently. "Dad's busy. Maybe~ after your birthday, okay?"
"Then was that man just now your fri—"
"Oh! By the way," I quickly cut in, "we're recording tomorrow, right? How many glasses of water did you drink today?"
"Eight" Kurayami beamed. "I'm ready for anything! I'm even thinking of a stage name already!"
Seto leaned down toward her. "I've got experience with naming, you know. Choose a name that reflects who you are; it helps you stay true to your goals in life."
"Rare moment," Haruki teased. "You actually said something meaningful."
"Well, with a face this handsome, I've got to have a handsome side too," Seto shot back with a wide grin. "Can't just be shallow forever~"
"Hahaha!"
We all laughed as we walked back toward the shrine gate.
A cerulean butterfly fluttered up into the night sky, then slipped down into a dark drainage tunnel.The insect returned to Dango's underground facility, where Seoki and Seto were inspecting three refrigerator-sized computer servers connected together, dozens of cables feeding directly into the system.
"So this is the antivirus everyone's talking about?" I asked Dango.
"Looks more like a supercomputer," Seto muttered.
"Yep," Dango nodded proudly. "A local server completely disconnected from the internet. The problem is, this simulated world only covers a radius of three hundred meters—basically limited to the Shibuya district. That means no outside interference."
He connected a cable to a pair of goggles designed to prevent system interference, put them on, and ran a quick test.
"If this thing really can simulate reality," Seto said to Seoki, "it'll be the biggest premiere in Japanese history."
"Heh. Let's celebrate after it actually goes viral," the white-haired boy replied, opening a box with a prepared birthday cake.
"Ooooh—so it can even summon dinosaurs? That's insanely realistic—hey, hey! Don't come this way!"Dango yanked the goggles off just as he noticed the elevator descending.
Mr. Bito and Haruki each covered one of Kurayami's eyes.
Seoki rushed to turn off the lights while Seto fumbled around for the cake."Where is it…? Ah—got it!"
He lit the candles just as the elevator doors opened. Mr. Bito guided Kurayami forward and uncovered her eyes, revealing the warm glow of candlelight.
♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫
Ureshii na kyou wa~
Tanoshii na kyou wa~
Tanjoubi omedetou
Ota o utaimashou~
(Happy birthday, happy birthday, happy birthday to you~)
♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫