"Where are we going?"
"To one of our secret hideaways, before Ranpo gets back."
Asou Akiya sat slumped in a wheelchair as Randou pushed him out of the hospital. He was dressed in a patient's gown, his voice weak and drained of strength.
A thick red scarf was wrapped high around his face to keep colleagues from recognizing him. Even so, it could not conceal the pallor left by excessive blood loss. He breathed in the faint scent lingering on Randou, lifted his gaze to the gray sky, and felt the chill that had settled in with the weather of early November. The hospital was crowded with people seeking treatment, an ominous sign that seemed to foretell an unusually harsh winter this year.
Randou carried a bag of medical supplies in one hand. When they reached the parking lot, he placed it into the trunk, then turned to look at Akiya, who still needed support to rise from the wheelchair. His hands twitched restlessly, clearly itching to scoop the other up in a princess carry.
Asou Akiya felt helpless and murmured softly, "For now, we can't let people discover our relationship."
Randou gave in.
For the sake of avenging Akiya, Randou was willing to endure a few days of restraint, even if it meant hiding the couple's ring on his finger. He reached out to support Akiya into the passenger seat. With him there, no matter how powerful the weapon, this car could never be blown apart.
"Randou," Asou Akiya asked, "do you actually know how to drive?"
After the engine started, he finally snapped back to his senses from the pain caused by shifting positions.
He stared at Randou in shock.
Randou, seated in the driver's seat, kept his eyes on the road ahead as he operated the vehicle with visible unfamiliarity. "I've read a few books."
Before pressing the accelerator, Randou turned and offered Akiya a reassuring smile.
"Don't worry. Illuminations is with us."
"..."
You, a top-tier account that's been scrubbed down to a blank slate—saying something like that only makes it even more unsettling, all right?!
Who knows whether you've actually mastered the driving skill at all!
An hour later, after a nightmarish journey filled with circling detours, dodging surveillance, abruptly plunging into "Illuminations" and just as abruptly exiting it again through a series of incomprehensible maneuvers, Asou Akiya's car—meticulously maintained for years—had gained a collection of heroic new "medals" in the form of fresh dents and scratches.
"N-no… you really didn't have to do it like this…" Asou Akiya lay limp in the passenger seat, his breath faint and uneven.
"It was for safety," Randou replied, unbuckling his seatbelt for him. "The new residence can't be discovered." With no strangers anywhere nearby, he lifted Akiya and carried him toward the safe house.
Asou Akiya was in no condition to resist. In his frail, injured state, he could only submit to his spouse's care, at most directing him on where to retrieve the keys. "What I mean is… this place… the address here… it's already been exposed."
"???" Randou stared at him blankly, utterly confused.
Asou Akiya let out a sigh. "The people coming after me definitely won't let my driver go. He knows most of my movements. I already hinted to Tanaka in advance that staying alive matters more than anything, that he shouldn't remain at his original post anymore." At the same time, he had also hinted for the man to forget everything about him—though he did not truly believe that was possible.
He removed the scarf from around his own neck and lifted it to place it back around Randou's.
Randou said, "Oh? So this is your plan, Akiya—lure the enemies here to come looking for us?"
Asou Akiya lowered his gaze. "I actually have a rather fatal weakness. Until now, Senior Hirotsu has been helping me conceal it."
Randou set him down on the small sofa and drew open the curtains of the safe house. "What is it?"
To ask so casually about another person's weakness—only Randou, who shared everything with Akiya and trusted him without reservation, could do that.
Asou Akiya deliberately left him hanging. "You'll find out very soon."
Randou replied softly, "Mm."
Watching Randou begin to tidy the room, diligently and earnestly taking care of the household chores, Asou Akiya was so moved he was on the verge of tears.
This was the great beauty he had carefully nurtured for more than two years.
At this moment, Randou's mental state and physical condition were far better than that of the gloomy, book-burning-for-pleasure sub-executive Randou depicted in the anime. Having not joined the Port Mafia so early meant that he had been given ample time to rest and recover.
"Randou, how do you like our new home?" Asou Akiya asked, waggling his eyebrows playfully.
"So small it's pitiful," Randou replied, surveying the sparrow-sized nest that nonetheless had everything it needed, and giving exactly the honest assessment one would expect from him.
The bedroom was connected directly to the living room, there was a single bathroom, and one tiny balcony.
The total floor area was smaller than a business hotel room with a king-sized bed.
Randou felt compelled to say that he doubted he would ever live anywhere smaller than this for the rest of his life.
"Relax. We'll buy a villa next year," Asou Akiya said, patting the sofa seat—a two-seater he had chosen with care, not some oversized couch where ten people could sit in a row. "The renovation and layout here aren't bad at all, much better than a hotel. Don't give me that look like you're wondering how I know what you're thinking—I just wanted to experience what it feels like to live in a small home with you. In a place this small, no matter what we're doing, we'll always be able to see each other… that sounds like happiness to me."
Asou Akiya's gaze softened. "I've taken a month of medical leave because of my injuries. I want to spend more time with you."
Before Randou stepped into the darkness, he wanted to cherish this stretch of pure, untainted time.
"Only one month?" Randou walked over and kissed his lover, the faint bitterness of medicine lingering between their lips.
Akiya had truly suffered.
In the hidden underbelly of this world, those without special abilities were at such a profound disadvantage.
"Yeah. Who told me to be a desk-bound office worker for most of the time?" Asou Akiya gazed at him with lingering affection, the words he spoke laced with the grumbling self-awareness of a three-dimensional transmigrator. "The doctor said it's one month of leave, three months of abstinence, and just be careful not to overwork myself. As long as I can return to work normally, it's fine—but if I can't, then I'm basically useless."
In this unscientific world of supernatural abilities, the average combat power of mafia members had been raised to absurd heights, and their physical capabilities far surpassed those of ordinary people from the real world. One need only look at those trained in hand-to-hand combat, who could casually leap two meters into the air; even something as intangible as killing intent had become a presence that true experts could sense. As for the so-called "ancient martial arts" rumored to be controlled by government departments, they were even more mysterious and unfathomable.
Even though this was already the second time he had heard the doctor's instructions, Randou still felt as if the sky were collapsing.
The leave was short; the recovery, long.
The gloom on his face was enough to make Asou Akiya's heart melt.
"Three months…?" Randou murmured.
"Yeah," Asou Akiya replied.
He pressed a hand over his injured lower abdomen, his gaunt, haggard expression looking disarmingly innocent.
…
The driver, Tanaka, sat rigidly on the chair, his entire body taut with anxiety.
Opposite him sat a figure rarely seen within the Port Mafia's inner ranks, looking down at him as one might look at an ant.
This sub-executive who competed with Asou Akiya was a textbook ability user. His name was Watanabe Yukisada, and he had been with the Port Mafia for over five years. The number of lives on his hands was no less than that of the Black Lizard's Ten Captains. Originally, he had not regarded Asou Akiya as worth his attention at all, focusing single-mindedly on vying for the vacant executive seat within the Port Mafia—only for two people to suddenly emerge and disrupt everything.
One was Ozaki Kouyou, the "Golden Demon" personally cultivated by the Boss since childhood. Her ability was formidable, and ordinary people could scarcely get close to her. She had all but secured one of the Port Mafia's quasi-executive positions and, in the future, would take charge of the intelligence division.
The other was Asou Akiya.
The Boss's handpicked moneybag.
An analyst?
Someone with a brain should have been making money honestly instead of coveting power and status. If he insisted on climbing higher, then he deserved to become nothing more than a stepping stone for Watanabe Yukisada's promotion to executive.
Malice flickered in Watanabe Yukisada's eyes. He snorted coldly and said, "Talk. Tell me everything you know about Asou Akiya. I want to hear about the things no one else knows. You were his driver—you must be aware of some of the inside details."
As he spoke, he idly played with the dart in his hand. The sharp, gleaming edge was proof enough that it was not merely a toy, but a weapon fully capable of killing.
Tanaka wanted to gasp for air in great gulps, yet his fear of ability users forced him to suppress his breathing.
He was on the verge of frightening himself into unconsciousness.
"I… I don't know anything…"
Mafia common sense had been carved into Tanaka's instincts; the denial slipped out reflexively.
The dart in Watanabe Yukisada's hand suddenly flew, embedding itself in Tanaka's leg. The young driver let out a shriek more terrified than the pain of being pierced. Shaking like a sieve, Tanaka sobbed uncontrollably and blurted out in a rush, "I don't really know much about Mr. Asou's affairs! I only heard… I really did hear this from Mr. Asou himself—his parents are both dead, and his enemy is inside the organization!"
Without meaning to, the image of Asou Akiya being shot flashed through Tanaka's mind, blood spilling endlessly from his body…
Why?
Why did an ordinary person have to provoke an ability user?!
Mr. Asou—are you really going to die senselessly, just like your parents did?
Watanabe Yukisada had expected to extract information about movements and whereabouts, but instead he received an unexpected bonus. He frowned, deeply skeptical of the driver's words. "Asou Akiya would tell you something like that?"
"Maybe he was chatting too freely with his former colleagues in the translation department," Tanaka replied quickly. "He got drunk once and said that once he became a sub-executive—an executive—he would kill that ability user!"
Watanabe Yukisada searched his memory of the organization's ability users. "Do you know who that person is?"
Tanaka shook his head in panic. "How could I know something like that? Even when Mr. Asou was relaxed, he wouldn't say it outright. He only seemed to mention once… that the person died in an explosion…"
Watanabe Yukisada's eyes lit up. "An explosion?"
With this clue in hand, it would be easy to investigate further. Within the Port Mafia, there was indeed an ability user whose powers were related to explosions—an extremely flamboyant member of the Black Lizard. If memory served, that person had joined and awakened his ability about a year later than Watanabe himself.
If it was Kimura Seimei…
Then perhaps there would be no need for him to hire an assassin a second time. The other party might take care of Asou Akiya for him.
"No, that doesn't add up. With an enemy like that, how could he be completely unaware?" Watanabe Yukisada pondered for a moment, then immediately found the explanation. "Was it Hirotsu Ryuro? That Ten Person Leader treats Asou Akiya extremely well, and he was the one who recommended him to the Boss. It wouldn't be strange if he had sealed off that part of the information."
"Go on. What's the deal with that Frenchman who sent Asou Akiya to the hospital? If you give me something more valuable, I'll transfer you away from Asou Akiya and make sure you don't have to be his driver anymore."
Now that Watanabe Yukisada had a solid grasp of the situation, a satisfied smile crept onto his face.
An analyst, my ass.
He was nothing more than a man plotting meticulously to avenge his parents.
Once the dam of secrecy had broken, Tanaka knew he had no way back. He might as well spill everything he knew in one breath. Tears streamed down his face as he apologized to Mr. Asou in his heart—you were the one who taught me to protect myself, to switch positions and survive.
"Mr. Asou has had a French girlfriend for a long time. Most of his colleagues know about it… That Frenchman, though, was someone I'd never seen before. Maybe he was a relative or friend of his girlfriend. Mr. Asou usually never lets me drive him right up to his doorstep. This time, when he was shot, it might have been because he was worried about being attacked on the road, so he asked me to drive him there—but instead, he nearly died after getting out of the car…"
"So it was just a coincidence, then?"
"Y-Yes…"
"He's no longer staying at his usual residence. Do you have any impression of the location of his private safe house?"
"I–I… I only know that he recently asked someone to help him purchase a property."
"Very good."
Watanabe Yukisada looked down on the man's weakness with open disdain. To have such a spineless driver—what a fatal flaw in Asou Akiya's arrangements.
There was barely any need for torture. Tanaka spilled everything he knew about Asou Akiya without much resistance.
Afterward, back at the Black Lizard unit, Kimura Seimei had just finished changing clothes and was preparing to clock out when he received an anonymous letter. The moment he read it, cold sweat drenched his back.
[You killed Asou Akiya's parents. That couple died in the explosion six years ago—surely you still remember it. Hirotsu Ryuro has been helping Asou Akiya conceal this truth. If you still remember, then you know what decision to make, don't you? I trust you also wouldn't want to see him become a prospective executive. I promise that once this is done, you can become my direct subordinate—no more being a dog in the Black Lizard unit, constantly used and calculated against…]
Attached to the back of the letter were the address of Asou Akiya's safe house, along with some rough intelligence on a French ability user.
Kimura Seimei folded the letter away, cautiously scanning his surroundings to make sure no one was watching.
After that—
He reread it several times, cursing under his breath in ugly, vicious words. "What rotten luck. People who died six years ago are still being pinned on me! No wonder Mr. Hirotsu never let me get close to Asou Akiya. He was afraid Asou Akiya's killing intent toward me would leak out. If that bastard really became a prospective executive, wouldn't I end up dying on some mission for no reason at all?!"
As he dug through his memories, the cracks in his past interactions with Asou Akiya became glaringly clear.
That hadn't been indifference.
That had been hatred.
"This can't go on. Asou Akiya won't let me off. While no one else knows about what lies between us, I'll disguise myself as an assassin and kill him. That way, I can wash away all suspicion."
Kimura Seimei committed the information on the back of the letter to memory, his suspicions already turning toward the other sub-executives.
Let him become a blade?
It seemed that even if Asou Akiya had miraculously survived being shot this time, sooner or later he would still die at the hands of an ability user within the organization.
Acting right now would be a losing move…
There was no helping it…
...
Shuo Yuan (Garden of Stories):
"The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware that the oriole waits behind."
— Liu Xiang, Han Dynasty.
In this world, the hunter is never the only one watching.