Before Shibusawa Tatsuhiko arrived, Asou Akiya's schedule became packed with daytime work and increasingly frequent field assignments. With Nishida Shibashi covering for him, he managed to carve out enough time to complete the training arranged by Natsume-sensei.
The people training him came from every walk of life.
At the top were retired government officials who owed Natsume Souseki favors, teaching him the fundamentals of politics and governance.
At the bottom were rogue hoodlums drowning in debt, forced to sell their labor to repay what they owed. They grudgingly passed on the theft techniques they had honed while clawing their way through life's filth. The pained, reluctant expressions on their faces made it seem as though Asou Akiya was learning some closely guarded family secret rather than a set of pickpocketing skills.
Only then did Akiya truly realize the extent of his teacher's network.
Most of these people had no idea who Natsume Souseki really was. They simply appeared because they owed the middle-aged man a favor.
Having spent his entire life moving effortlessly through both Japan's political circles and the world of ability users, Natsume Souseki's charisma and discerning eye were beyond question. Only those he personally acknowledged as exceptional talents were worthy of being called "diamonds."
Had the immature Asou Akiya of years past rushed headlong to become his disciple, he would probably have been criticized from head to toe before being sent away.
In fact, after becoming a student and shedding the halo of being the Port Mafia's "Analyst," Natsume Souseki found even more reasons to criticize him directly.
During the two-hour session of traditional martial arts training, Akiya was sternly ordered by the instructor to swear a binding oath. However, because his thoughts inevitably drifted toward Randou, he instinctively tried to leave himself a little loophole in the wording.
After all, these martial techniques, refined and passed down over generations, would also be immensely beneficial to Randou.
At some point, Natsume Souseki silently appeared beside them and closed the loophole.
"Repeat the oath."
Asou Akiya: "..."
Age truly brought wisdom.
Grinding his teeth, Akiya had no choice but to repeat the version his teacher dictated, word for word.
Natsume Souseki drifted away as lightly as he had appeared.
"If the training won't kill you, then train until it almost does."
It was said that this famous saying had originated among students from China across the sea. Natsume Souseki had grown rather fond of it, and only after taking on a disciple did he truly understand its profound meaning.
Use sweat to buy back the time you had wasted.
Make up for the weaknesses of your past.
When the first lesson ended, Natsume Souseki sent him a text message with a succinct evaluation:
[Terrible!]
Asou Akiya was so exhausted that he nearly collapsed. He had to support himself against the wall just to make it back to the Port Mafia headquarters. His legs refused to climb the stairs, forcing him to shuffle sideways like a crab to make his way up each step. The pitiful sight perfectly matched the excuse of "getting screwed over during a field assignment."
And the person everyone naturally assumed had screwed him over—
Was, of course, Nishida Shibashi, who always looked like he couldn't stand the sight of him.
Nishida Shibashi was forced to shoulder yet another black pot. By this point, he wanted nothing more than to smash Akiya over the head.
Inside the Sub-Executive's office, every muscle and joint in Akiya's body ached as though he had been beaten half to death. His sore muscles desperately needed a massage, but with no one else around, Nishida Shibashi was the only one available to do it.
He had absolutely no intention of agreeing.
Unfortunately, Asou Akiya had someone backing him.
Randou had specifically instructed him to take good care of his lover.
Grumbling curses under his breath, massage assistant Nishida Shibashi reluctantly got to work.
"...You useless piece of trash. Garbage. A guy who gets stronger by pleasing men with his lower body."
As a combat-oriented Executive, Nishida took one look at Akiya's condition and immediately understood everything. He held nothing but utter contempt for Akiya's pitiful hand-to-hand combat skills, and his words were as vicious as ever.
Akiya stared at the evaluation his teacher had sent to his phone. Then he listened to Nishida's nonstop stream of insults.
His expression twisted in agony.
And this was only the beginning.
There were still countless training days ahead of him.
Seizing the opportunity, Akiya tried to kick Nishida.
The attempt was noticed instantly.
Nishida caught him by the ankle and responded with an especially "gentle" massage.
The office immediately echoed with Akiya's miserable screams.
"Lighter! Not there! Damn it—I-I'm cramping! Help! Somebody help me!"
Fortunately, the Sub-Executive's office was exceptionally well soundproofed, unlike his old office.
Otherwise, tomorrow's rumor throughout headquarters would undoubtedly read:
["Executive Forces Himself on Sub-Executive Inside Office."]
That evening, when Akiya returned home, he barely managed to swallow a few mouthfuls of dinner before collapsing into bed and falling fast asleep.
Randou tilted his head and spared him exactly one second of sympathy.
The next day, Akiya reported to another of Natsume-sensei's instructors—a retired Ministry of Finance official.
Seated formally on a tatami cushion, he listened as the elderly man lectured in an unhurried, measured tone. At the same time, the old official exerted an invisible yet overwhelming pressure that settled over the room like a gentle rain. Without ever raising his voice, he forced Akiya to sit with perfect posture, his back ramrod straight, for a full two hours without making any significant movement.
The former Ministry of Finance official spoke calmly.
"When one holds an office, one fulfills the duties of that office. I am retired now, so I have no need to concern myself with your identity. If you wish to pass my lessons, then even if you have to fake it, you will present yourself as a proper government official. The only kind of person I am willing to converse with is someone who carries themselves like one."
Port Mafia office worker Asou Akiya nearly suffocated.
So, now I'm even learning the finer points of being a bureaucrat?
Natsume-sensei, you're still trying to poach me over to the lawful side, aren't you?
I must have not killed enough people!
With thoughts veering wildly off course as he amused himself internally, Asou Akiya obediently continued his civil servant training, beginning with the terminology used for political factions and parties.
Little by little, the traces left on him by years spent in a violent criminal organization began to fade.
To become a qualified Japanese government official required polished diplomacy, a sharp mind, and impeccable judgment.
One could not hold one's head too high in political circles, nor bow it too low. One had to know when to stand tall and when to bow a perfect ninety degrees. Every courtesy had to be executed so flawlessly that no one could find the slightest fault.
The retired official leisurely blew across the surface of his tea. After spending a pleasant two hours teaching, he watched Asou Akiya limp awkwardly out of the room, his legs still unaccustomed to prolonged seiza sitting.
Turning toward the middle-aged man who emerged from behind the folding screen to join him for tea, the retired official smiled.
"Natsume-san, using one of the favors I owed you for something like this... don't you think you're making too much of a fuss?"
The middle-aged man replied, "It's not easy to cultivate someone who is gentle and accommodating on the outside while remaining unyielding within."
The retired official concealed the pride in his own accomplishments and answered calmly,
"Indeed."
The middle-aged man continued,
"And chatting with an old fellow like you can count as part of my disciple's education. Help me observe him a little more. I want you to shape his character."
The retired official was nearly sixty years old, and even his granddaughter was already attending university.
He looked at Natsume in surprise.
"Are you grooming him to become your successor?"
The middle-aged man answered with reserved confidence,
"Why not?"
Unfortunately, his disciple was hopelessly lovestruck.
For the sake of his wife, he refused to leave the underworld for the lawful one.
That evening, back at home, Asou Akiya buried himself in political science textbooks in the study, studying until he practically lost all sense of time. Using his computer, he remotely connected with Natsume Souseki from time to time, asking occasional questions about the subtleties and rhetoric of officialdom.
Having nothing better to do, Randou casually picked up one of the books Akiya had been reading.
Within moments, his head began to spin.
The Way of Conduct...
The Way of the Official...
Bushido... the spirit of Fūrinkazan...
He had been blissfully ignorant before.
Now that he had opened the books, he was thoroughly horrified.
As a Frenchman, Randou instinctively retreated several steps.
Too terrifying.
Even China's The Analects and The Art of War had made an appearance.
"Akiya, I'm going to bed."
"Mm. Good night."
On the third day, he was taught by a bomb disposal specialist how to defuse explosives, while also learning how to identify duds and becoming more familiar with conventional firearms.
On the fourth day, a master of pharmacology dragged him into a research institute and began lecturing him in front of what looked like an arsenal of chemical weapons. It was during that lesson that Asou Akiya came to truly understand the terrifying existence of toxic warfare agents.
For example, XX—a poison for which hospitals had no cure. A dose of around 0.2 milligrams was enough to kill a physically frail adult. Inject one milligram, and it could even kill a physically gifted ability user capable of leaping several meters into the air with ease.
The pharmacology master—or rather, the poison expert—asked him with an amiable smile, "Would you like a small injection to experience it yourself? Firsthand experience tends to leave a deeper impression."
Akiya's face darkened. "A better way to ascend straight to heaven, you mean."
The expert merely shrugged, having no interest in trading quips. He placed several prepared drugs in front of Akiya—sleeping agents, nerve anesthetics, and the like.
"According to the training requirements, I need to build up a certain level of poison resistance in your body. Please drink these voluntarily. I've already prepared the appropriate antidotes. By gradually increasing your tolerance, if someone ever drugs you in the future, you'll have more time than an ordinary person to fight for your life."
In a world where ability users existed, even the deadliest poisons still left the slightest possibility of survival.
Time itself was life.
Akiya climbed into the monitoring chamber and lay down, allowing the life-support instruments to keep constant watch over his vital signs and sound an alarm if anything went wrong. He drank the specially prepared medicine, thinking that at least he would finally be able to catch up on some sleep.
Unfortunately, he had been far too optimistic.
By the end of the week, the training had left him with lingering side effects—persistent dizziness, nausea, and insomnia.
Randou was helpless in the face of his condition and could only hand him the universal remedy for everything: a cup of hot water. Akiya forced himself to swallow it before saying weakly, "Randou... would you read your poems to me?"
Randou nodded, switched on the light, and went to the study to fetch one of his poetry collections.
Beneath the warm amber glow of the lamp, Randou softly recited the poems he had written over the years.
Poetry was something the soul itself could sing.
Its cadence drifted gently through the room, as though someone were strolling among the clouds, drawing the listener in with the voice of a French prodigy.
The pounding in Akiya's head gradually eased. Wrapping his arms around Randou's waist, he softly hummed together a melody pieced together from fragments scattered across his memories. The memories of two lifetimes intertwined until the boundary between the two-dimensional world and reality became impossible to distinguish. All he knew was that he was living in the present, cherishing every single day he had.
"Randou, the more I learn about this world, the more I realize just how dangerous it truly is."
"Are you afraid, Akiya?"
"I am."
Afraid enough that every hair on his body stood on end. His instinct to survive had flared stronger than ever, and he no longer dared look down on those ordinary people who bore no famous literary names yet remained remarkable in their own right.
"Randou, study alongside me," Akiya said with a sigh. "I want you to know more. The more we understand... the fewer opportunities our enemies will have to outmaneuver us."
Ever since awakening his ability, Randou had gradually developed the quiet pride that naturally came with possessing such power.
But for Asou Akiya's sake, he was willing to rein it in.
"All right."
If you're afraid, then as long as I'm here, perhaps you'll be able to rest easy.
Randou reached out and gently cupped Akiya's dazed face. The man before him was being shaped, steadily growing stronger right before his eyes. His greatest flaw was that he possessed no ability.
In this world, ordinary people died far too easily...
...Hm? Why would I think something like that?
Randou dispersed the strange thought before it could take root. Then, with an almost pitiful expression, he looked at Akiya. After abstaining for an entire week, he felt unbearably lonely, longing to be filled with the warmth of the man who loved him.
"Akiya, when will your training become a little easier?"
"..."
Meeting Randou's hopeful gaze, Akiya was rendered speechless, tears nearly welling up before he could even answer.
Natsume-sensei, you succeeded!
As long as he trained Akiya hard enough, Akiya simply wouldn't have the strength left to spend intimate time doting on his lover.
By late March, Akiya had been worked to the brink of death. His weight had noticeably dropped, and the soft flesh he'd accumulated from years of living comfortably, eating well, and being thoroughly pampered had gradually disappeared.
He also informed Nakahara Chuuya that the new school term would begin on April 8. Every member of the Sheep who had been living together in the Suribachi City settlement would be enrolled in school as a group. Those with no educational foundation would begin from elementary school, while those who already possessed basic knowledge would first take placement exams before being assigned to the appropriate grade.
Thanks to his "donation," the school agreed to open a dedicated class exclusively for the several dozen children from the Suribachi City settlement. No outside students would be admitted, so none of them had to worry about being mocked for being older than their classmates.
Chuuya was deeply moved by how thoroughly Akiya had thought everything through.
"Dad, you're amazing!"
He hurried back to Suribachi City to share the news with everyone. In response, a chorus of miserable groans erupted. Some insisted they didn't want to go to school, while others argued they didn't want Akiya-san wasting his money on them.
This time, however, Chuuya refused to let anyone avoid the issue.
"You all have to go to school!"
"Even I understand that you need an education if you want to survive in the outside world."
"Akiya-san promised to support all of us until we graduate from high school. And if anyone gets into university, he'll even give them an extra scholarship. Are you really going to throw away a chance to change your lives?"
"We'll still be together! We'll still play together, study together, and sit in the same classroom together!"
"If anyone looks down on us, I'll stand in front of all of you!"
"So please..."
"Our future isn't in Suribachi City!"
The young boy, who would turn eleven that April, stood in the doorway of the building with his arms spread wide, blocking anyone who tried to leave. The words he spoke were truths that even many adults struggled to realize.
Standing against the light, Chuuya's face was cast in shadow. His outstretched arms formed an unyielding barrier before the others.
He was as stubborn as a ram.
The strongest ram in the flock, someone born with an innate sense of responsibility. He wanted to protect his Sheep, to repay the kindness that had once saved him.
To break through the walls they had built against normal society, Chuuya slowly removed the longevity lock from around his neck.
"I'm no different from any of you."
Without a special background, without extraordinary power, at this moment he was simply an ordinary boy.
The boys and girls who knew how precious that longevity lock was to Chuuya stood frozen in shock.
To Chuuya, the lock symbolized his yearning for a family and for parents. At the same time, it had always been the reason they believed he must have come from a wealthy household.
Compared to children like them, who had no one to rely on, Chuuya had always seemed like the lost child of a prosperous family.
Without the longevity lock, Chuuya was no different from the rest of them. Even the care Asou Akiya had shown him stemmed from Chuuya's own appearance and personality—nothing else.
The last trace of distance between them quietly dissolved.
Chuuya said, "The world is so much bigger than Suribachi City. Let's go out and see it together."
He reached into his pocket and took out dozens of blue rubber wristbands. His expression carried a hint of shyness and embarrassment. In the end, he had followed Akiya's advice and bought something to give to his companions.
"Put these on, and we'll be companions for life."
Never abandoning one another, always supporting one another—just like the frightened little "Sheep" they had once been.
"Anyone who hurts you… becomes my enemy."
Within his azure eyes lay the vast and boundless sea of Yokohama, its brilliance impossible to conceal even beneath the backlight.
It was as though, through him, one could reach out and touch the distant world beyond.
How dazzling.
It was the irresistible allure of the future.
A stir swept through the underage members of the Sheep.
The Arahabaki had been fortunate to be found by children his own age. He had never been swallowed by society's darkness or reduced to a tool in the hands of adults. But perhaps the Sheep were the truly fortunate ones. They had been gifted the innocent, budding love of a young "god."
The first person finally spoke, his voice slightly hoarse.
"All right, Chuuya. Don't make yourself sound like the king of the kids. I'll admit you're amazing, but when it comes to fighting, leave that to those of us who are older."
He stepped forward, accepted the wristband, and grinned happily.
"It looks pretty nice."
One of the boys who had benefited from Asou Akiya's donations and education had taken the first step. Turning back toward the others, he called out, "Haven't you all been shouting about wanting a better life? Someone's offering us money for free and giving us the chance to go to school, and you're actually going to throw that opportunity away?"
One after another, more people stepped forward to accept the wristbands Chuuya handed out.
Some ruffled Chuuya's orange hair. Others bumped shoulders with him in camaraderie. A few even threw themselves onto him, laughing as they helped distribute the remaining wristbands.
Every one of them trusted Chuuya without reservation.
"We trust you, Chuuya. That's why we trust what you're telling us."
"The outside world is so unfamiliar... I'm scared too. It's not like I genuinely don't want to go to school."
"We're counting on you, Chuuya."
"Who would've thought Chuuya could be this tough? Hahaha!"
"Hey, wait a second—where are we going to live after we start school? Are there fancy hotels for us?"
"Whoa... are we dreaming?"
Amid the chorus of excited chatter, Chuuya's mouth twitched helplessly.
"Stop dreaming already!" he shouted. "We're still going to live in Suribachi City!"
The crowd instantly quieted.
"But," he continued loudly, "Akiya-san, who's sponsoring us, will provide the building materials so we can renovate our homes ourselves!"
The Sheep's territory should be built and transformed by the Sheep themselves, even if they ended up making a complete mess of it.
Rather than simply giving someone a fish, teach them how to fish.
That was Asou Akiya's principle, as well as an educational philosophy passed down from another ancient civilization.
At first glance, Chuuya didn't seem to have inherited Akiya's talents. He wasn't as brilliant as Edogawa Ranpo, nor did he possess Akiya's remarkable insight.
Yet, little by little, every one of his actions had begun to change.
When he stepped out into the world, he would not do so alone.
He would bring all of his companions with him.
From this day forward, Suribachi City would no longer be a cage that bound him.