I once witnessed your brilliance.
Your gaze was sharp, and you would never have sacrificed your country's interests.
That was why I sympathized with your old age and illness.
The facts proved that I was terribly mistaken.
You truly have gone mad…
Inside the Port Mafia Boss's bedroom, the Boss and his most trusted subordinate had their first fierce argument. Beneath the Boss's cold and severe voice lurked unmistakable madness.
"Akiya, you're the only person in this organization who would never stop me from seeking treatment, and now, just for Kouyou's sake, you actually dare defy my orders?!"
"Boss, we can pay the doctor with money. Money is a consumable resource, but people aren't!"
"I've already sent someone to bring her here!"
"Boss! Please don't do this. The Port Mafia is the only home Kouyou-kun has. Even if you send her away, what will you really gain? There's no guarantee that doctor can even cure your illness!"
"I believe in that doctor's ability! He can do it! He possesses the power to heal disease!"
"Boss... your greatest illness is old age."
"What nonsense are you talking about?! I'm not growing old! As long as I have that ability doctor, I can regain my health! Are you becoming attached to the authority you hold now? You've changed! You used to obey every one of my orders. You were my dog! And now you're mocking me over Ozaki Kouyou!"
"I am not. I'll personally invite that doctor here for you."
Asou Akiya refuted him forcefully. From the standpoint of his own principles, he would never willingly betray anyone.
"Heh..."
Though weakened by illness, the Boss sneered and finally revealed the truth.
"Did you think I hadn't noticed how close Ozaki Kouyou has become with a certain man? She is no longer my blade. Once a woman gives her heart elsewhere, she'll betray me! Only by making her abandon that hope completely can she remain loyal to me!"
"She can fear me! Dread me! Let her cry in terror if she must! I am Kouyou's master!"
"How could I possibly tolerate someone else defiling my weapon?!"
"Rather than that, I'd rather send her there myself. Once the doctor cures me, I'll bring her back. She'll obediently do as she's told—because she'll never dare defy me again!"
"Asou Akiya, do you intend to find out what happens when you defy me as well?!"
"Stay out of Kouyou's affairs!"
The Port Mafia's white-haired Boss, the man who had single-handedly built this empire of darkness, sought to intimidate Asou Akiya. Roaring himself hoarse, he shouted,
"Get out! Leave my sight this instant!"
Asou Akiya felt despair.
It was the despair that came from witnessing the changes in a person's heart.
"You would never have done something like this in the past."
Meanwhile, inside Sub-Executive Asou Akiya's office, Ozaki Kouyou heard a knock at the door. It was one of the Port Mafia Boss's direct subordinates.
"Ozaki Kouyou, the Boss orders you to return and report to him."
Ozaki Kouyou immediately recalled Asou Akiya's instructions. He had told her to remain inside the office.
Clenching her teeth, she hurried over and locked the door from the inside.
The people outside were startled by the sound. Their expressions soon turned cold, though they were clearly wary. Even they did not dare forcibly break down the door of a Sub-Executive's office.
The man leading them could only continue knocking.
Knock. Knock.
Beneath those seemingly courteous knocks, however, the patience of the Boss's subordinates was rapidly wearing out.
"I'll count to ten. Please come out on your own and don't make this difficult for us. Otherwise, we'll be forced to break the door down."
Before the count of ten was finished, Ozaki Kouyou had already made her way to the window, intending to escape with the help of Golden Demon.
Suddenly, faint sounds came from outside.
The knocking ceased.
As though she had just been saved, Ozaki Kouyou turned around at once.
"Akiya-san? Have you come back?"
The person standing outside the office was not Asou Akiya.
Instead, it was Nishida Shibashi, who had rushed over after receiving word of the situation. The Executive strode forward in a black suit and matching overcoat, his presence imposing and aggressive. The first words out of his mouth were,
"Where's Asou Akiya? Why are all of you gathered here? Are you his men?"
The Boss's direct subordinates immediately took several steps back and hastily explained,
"We're the Boss's men."
Everyone in the Port Mafia knew that Nishida Shibashi frequently came looking for trouble with Asou Akiya.
The two of them were as incompatible as fire and water.
Yet, ironically, it had been Nishida Shibashi who had personally given Asou Akiya his black suit and overcoat when he became a Sub-Executive. Because of that, many people speculated that the relationship between superior and subordinate was not nearly as hostile as it appeared. They merely stood on different sides. Nishida Shibashi had repeatedly tried to bring Asou Akiya under his wing, only to be turned down time and time again.
Amid this tug-of-war, thick with the smell of gunpowder, Asou Akiya had remained alive and well to this very day. Everyone couldn't help but admire his intelligence and political skill.
He was an extremely rare sight among the upper ranks of Japan's underworld—
A man with no supernatural ability whatsoever.
The mere fact that he was still alive was proof of his strength.
The Analyst's reputation was no longer confined to Yokohama. While earning money to hire doctors for the Boss, his name had spread far and wide. Loyal, dependable, possessing impeccable character and genuine ability; he is exactly the kind of person every organization dreamed of poaching, yet knew it could never succeed in doing so.
"Who here isn't one of the Boss's men?" Nishida Shibashi replied in a mocking tone. "Are you implying that I've betrayed the Port Mafia?"
Cold sweat instantly broke out across the faces of the men opposite him. They felt as though they had walked straight into the line of fire, inwardly cursing their luck.
Instead of picking on Asou Akiya, why are you bullying those of us who are just carrying out orders?
"Nishida-san, we're only following orders. Please don't make things difficult for us..."
"Shut up. I don't want to see any of you."
"But these are the Boss's orders..."
"How many more times are you going to repeat yourselves? Without the Silver Oracle, do you think you have the authority to order me around?"
"..."
The Silver Oracle was the highest symbol of authority within the Port Mafia.
Whoever possessed that slip of paper could command everyone beneath the Boss—including the executives—and act in the Boss's stead.
Aside from that, anyone wishing to give orders to an executive had to possess the Boss's direct verbal authorization.
The Boss's direct subordinates were miserable.
They had no verbal authorization at all.
Which meant they would have no choice but to go back and get scolded again.
After driving them away, Nishida Shibashi looked at the tightly shut office door and let out a cold laugh.
Then he took out a key.
That's right.
He had a key.
With a simple twist of the lock, Nishida Shibashi opened the door and walked inside, where he was greeted by an Ozaki Kouyou who looked as startled as a frightened rabbit.
"Why is it you?!" Ozaki Kouyou's heart immediately sank.
The Golden Demon materialized behind her, the kimono-clad female apparition standing protectively at her back. The humanoid ability radiated killing intent as it fixed its gaze on Nishida Shibashi, the blade in its hand poised to strike at any moment.
"And why shouldn't it be me?" Nishida Shibashi casually swung the door shut behind him. "Kouyou-kun, that's rather rude of you. You could say I've watched you grow up. Can't I show a little kindness for once?"
"You think I'd believe that? We don't have that kind of relationship." Ozaki Kouyou cautiously edged toward a safer position.
Despair welled up inside her once more.
Akiya-san hadn't returned. Instead, the person who had come was someone who had never gotten along with him. She absolutely could not let Nishida Shibashi get close enough to touch her. Only by keeping her distance could she avoid the Disastrous Overflowing Bubbles.
"Hmph."
Nishida Shibashi watched her for a long moment before letting out a mocking snort.
The executive in the black overcoat walked straight to the sofa and sat down, no longer interested in teasing her.
"Relax. Asou Akiya asked me to come protect you. As long as I'm here, no one's taking you away unless another executive shows up." He casually dug a finger into his ear. "Though I doubt things have escalated that far."
Having personally witnessed Nishida Shibashi bully others before, Ozaki Kouyou regarded him with unconcealed suspicion.
"Who are you trying to fool?"
"Believe me or don't, I don't care. But if you jump out that window and run away, both you and Asou Akiya are going to end up in trouble."
Nishida Shibashi almost sounded as though he were hoping she would smash through the window and flee. However, constrained by his orders, he took out his personal phone and showed her the text message on the screen.
[Nishida-kun, while I'm away from the office, I'd like to ask you to protect Ozaki Kouyou for me.]
Ozaki Kouyou blinked.
Her eyesight was perfectly fine, and she read the message clearly—
...Right.
He was lying again.
Nishida Shibashi casually pulled a magazine from the rack beside the sofa and began flipping through it, paying no attention to her attitude. In any case, it wasn't as though he had come to help of his own free will.
Ozaki Kouyou grew increasingly anxious, unable to decide what she should do.
Should she leave?
Or should she stay?
Standing beside the floor-to-ceiling window, she chose to wait as the standoff continued.
The next people to arrive were no longer insignificant subordinates who lost their nerve the moment they saw Executive Nishida. Instead, they were members of the Black Lizard directly under the Port Mafia Boss's command—led by Hirotsu Ryurou, who had recently been promoted to Squad Leader.
"Kouyou-san, please open the door."
"..."
Instinctively, Ozaki Kouyou turned to look at Nishida Shibashi.
Nishida Shibashi frowned slightly. The moment he heard the voice outside, he understood just how determined the Boss was.
"So it's that guy... Tsk, can't kill him, either..."
That was also Nishida Shibashi's greatest limitation. Once he used his ability, the outcome was almost always death or crippling injury. He had no way of restraining its destructive power.
Having received the Boss's urgent orders, Hirotsu Ryurou had only brought a single subordinate with him to take Ozaki Kouyou away.
Nishida Shibashi remained silent.
Outside, Hirotsu Ryurou placed a hand against the office door and activated his ability, Falling Camellia.
The door was blasted open instantly.
The effect of his ability was repulsion, allowing him to hurl away anything his fingertips touched with an overwhelming repulsive force.
At the very moment Hirotsu Ryurou shattered the door, the subordinate standing behind him watched in silence with an icy gaze.
The long-haired young man adjusted the scarf around his neck.
Then he followed his superior into the office.
Nishida Shibashi watched as both Hirotsu Ryurou and the man behind him visibly relaxed.
Leaning back against the sofa with one leg crossed over the other, he didn't move an inch.
"Yo, Hirotsu. Fancy seeing you."
Hirotsu Ryurou respectfully replied, "Nishida-san, the Boss has given me a verbal order to bring Kouyou-san back."
Nishida Shibashi asked, "Where's Asou Akiya?"
Hirotsu Ryurou answered, "This subordinate doesn't know. He should still be with the Boss."
Nishida Shibashi rolled his neck, tilted his head back to glance at the ceiling, then shifted his gaze to the two newcomers before saying something rather peculiar.
"I don't know what kind of madness has taken hold of the Boss, but Asou Akiya is determined to protect Kouyou-kun. So, are you making a move, or am I? I can't hold back once I start."
Hirotsu Ryurou was taken aback.
Behind him, the long-haired young man, whose presence had remained almost imperceptible until now, quietly extended a hand. His gloved fingers lightly brushed against Hirotsu Ryurou's clothing.
A golden subspace unfolded, instantly locking Hirotsu Ryurou in place.
Unfazed, Hirotsu Ryurou said, "Monsieur Randou, we are in the Port Mafia headquarters. Please don't do something so unwise. Akiya wouldn't want to see you act like this."
Randou replied indifferently, "I don't want to do this either. But Akiya wants to protect her."
Hirotsu Ryurou looked at Nishida Shibashi lounging on the sofa with one leg crossed over the other, then at the wary Ozaki Kouyou.
It felt as though he had begun to understand something.
Yet at the same time, even more questions clouded his mind.
"Akiya is with the Boss right now. What you're doing will only put him at a disadvantage. The Boss was furious just moments ago..."
"Well, I suppose I'll have to make a trip over there then." Nishida Shibashi rose to his feet. "Looks like there's no avoiding a scolding from the Boss."
Without waiting for Randou to say anything, he took the initiative himself, sparing the latter the trouble of asking.
Only three people remained in the Sub-Executive's office.
With a flick of his wrist, Randou conjured a golden cube in the palm of his hand. The office door, which had been blasted away by Falling Camellia, was pulled back through the air and fitted neatly into its frame before being forcibly secured in place.
Ozaki Kouyou met Randou's eyes and finally summoned the courage to ask, "What should we do?"
Randou's green eyes first swept over her orange hair before he answered the girl's question.
"We wait."
Ah...
It's another orange-haired one...
"Monsieur Randou, release me. I'm your superior, and I have no intention of harming Kouyou-san. I only intend to bring her to see the Boss."
Hirotsu Ryurou activated Falling Camellia in an attempt to break free, but using his repulsive force against the subspace was no different from chasing an impossible dream.
Ozaki Kouyou declared without hesitation, "I'm not going to see that old man!"
Hearing the resentment in her voice, Hirotsu Ryurou was alarmed.
She had already begun to entertain thoughts of rebellion.
Randou walked farther into the office, his gaze sweeping across the room. There was a trace of melancholy in his expression, as though he were somehow detached from everything happening around him.
"So this is Akiya's Sub-Executive office. I've only been here once or twice."
Ozaki Kouyou knew that he was Akiya-san's male lover, but this was the first time she had ever spoken to him face to face.
"Randou-san, thank you for coming to save me."
"It was merely a coincidence."
Randou's reply was calm and indifferent.
Meanwhile, inside the Port Mafia Boss's bedroom, the old man's fury reached an even greater height. He had issued two separate orders, yet neither had been carried out successfully. Keeping Asou Akiya detained before him, veins bulging across his forehead, he demanded,
"What exactly are you trying to do?!"
Asou Akiya had no intention of arguing with a man whose judgment had already become clouded. His heart heavy with disappointment, he quietly replied,
"I haven't done anything. I'm standing here alone before you. I don't even possess the strength to harm another person. There's no need for you to be so wary of me. Your hidden gunmen already have their weapons trained on me. At any moment, I could collapse dead right here in front of you."
For the sake of the money Asou Akiya could continue bringing in, the old man naturally had no intention of killing him. Nevertheless, his temper had become so volatile that he was on the verge of tearing away all pretense between them.
"Do you really think I wouldn't kill you?!"
A shadow passed over Asou Akiya's face.
The old man paid it no mind and stubbornly continued, "I trusted you because you were loyal to me! Without that loyalty, did you really think you could have climbed to your current position?!"
Asou Akiya answered softly, "For that, I truly am grateful to you."
The old man panted heavily. Seeing that his commands had failed to produce results, he rasped, "Bring... bring the ability doctor here... Bring him to me... and I'll forgive you. Once he cures me, I'll make you an executive..."
Seeing him struggling to breathe, Asou Akiya acted out of long-standing habit. He stepped forward to support the old man, helped him drink some water, and gave him his medicine until the painful episode gradually subsided.
Only then did the old man murmur with inexplicable satisfaction, "You're my dog. You only need to obey me."
Asou Akiya replied, "But I'm a human being."
The old man replied sternly, "Countless people dream of becoming my dog, yet never get the chance!"
Asou Akiya: "..."
There was no reasoning with him anymore.
Was he disappointed?
Of all the paths before him, the one he had invested the most effort into was the Port Mafia.
And yet, fate had still returned to its original course.
"Boss, everyone grows old. Why force yourself to become like this?"
"Power... power..." Under the effects of the painkillers, the old man spoke in a daze. "Someone like you could never understand. Once you've obtained it, you can never let it go! Just like the money you've earned—would you willingly give it up? You wouldn't... and neither would I..."
"I would."
I even gave away the Sunset Manor.
Asou Akiya quietly gave his answer.
But the old man had already fallen asleep.
He never heard a single word.
Their conflict had come to a reluctant end.
Yet a nail had been driven between them, leaving a permanent crack that could never return to the trust they once shared.
Outside, Nishida Shibashi saw Asou Akiya emerge from the room. After confirming that he was unharmed, he remarked with mock disappointment,
"Seeing that you're still in one piece and not missing an arm or a leg, is truly 'wonderful' news."
Asou Akiya shot him a glance.
"The Boss has gone to sleep. Don't disturb him."
The two of them entered the elevator together and descended in silence. The atmosphere inside was oppressively heavy. Once they reached their floor and stepped into the corridor, Nishida Shibashi suddenly asked,
"So, what's the Boss planning to do with Kouyou-kun?"
Asou Akiya replied,
"He's putting that matter aside for now. Instead, he's sending me to invite that rather eccentric ability doctor."
Nishida Shibashi couldn't hide the schadenfreude on his face after hearing that Asou Akiya had been saddled with such an unpleasant assignment.
Turning his head, Asou Akiya said,
"Mm. I'll be relying on you as well, Nishida-kun."
Nishida Shibashi blinked.
"...Huh?"
Asou Akiya continued walking toward his office. The surrounding corridors were deserted; no one wanted to become caught up in the conflict.
His voice remained as calm and unremarkable as ever as it echoed through the hallway.
"Take a leave of absence for a while."
With Nishida Shibashi temporarily taken out of the picture, it was time for Tool Number One, who had been resting for a while, to go back on duty. Sending the Port Mafia's own "traitor" to sabotage the negotiations and drive the doctor away would never arouse suspicion toward Asou Akiya. After all, everyone knew that Asou Akiya, as an ordinary man without an ability, was no match for an ability user.
Asou Akiya walked ahead, a trace of coldness and darkness appearing on his face.
Being a non-ability user was his greatest disguise.
When he arrived at his office, he was surprised to find Randou waiting inside. The gloom weighing on his heart melted away like snow beneath the sun, and an apologetic expression appeared on his face. He had never expected Randou to become entangled in this incident.
"You don't need to explain." Randou pointed toward Hirotsu Ryurou, who was still restrained. "What should we do with him?"
"Oh? Hirotsu-san?" Asou Akiya finally noticed him a beat later.
Hirotsu Ryurou looked at him with a dark expression.
Something is definitely off about the two of you.
Today, Asou Akiya had no desire to keep up appearances anymore. Since things had already come this far, he simply gave up pretending. Walking over to Randou, he sat beside him and wrapped his arms around the man who gave him endless strength.
"Randou, let him go. The Boss isn't going to pursue this matter for the time being. I'm exhausted... I don't want to explain anything anymore."
Setting aside the tension between them at home, Randou gave Akiya his complete support.
"All right."
Freed at last, Hirotsu Ryurou rubbed his wrist.
"You two..."
Randou answered instantly,
"We're lovers."
Asou Akiya wrapped an arm around Randou's waist and said in a muffled voice,
"I'm your husband."
Randou's gaze immediately darted away. A hint of embarrassment and irritation flashed across his face. Admitting something like that in front of an outsider was simply too embarrassing.
"We're not married yet!" Randou finally found something to use as a counterattack.
Asou Akiya's HP instantly dropped to zero.
He collapsed.
Seeing that, Randou hurriedly corrected himself in a fluster.
"We'll get married eventually."
Asou Akiya instantly perked up again.
"Darling is the best!"
Randou leaned over and kissed the smiling face that Akiya had managed to force into a grin.
"Mm."
Watching the two of them interact, Ozaki Kouyou suddenly felt her entire image of Asou Akiya shatter.
And more importantly—
You've completely forgotten about me! Am I not supposed to be the important person here?
As though hearing the complaint in her heart, Asou Akiya found a moment to glance at the sulking girl.
"Kouyou-kun, a sensible girl should know to leave adults some private time together."
Ozaki Kouyou looked at him with a mixture of resentment and envy before asking in a small voice,
"May I leave now?"
Asou Akiya smiled.
"Go ahead. You still owe me a novel."
Overjoyed, Ozaki Kouyou immediately replied,
"Okay!"
Hirotsu Ryurou looked at the two of them and let out a sigh.
"If the Boss has no objections, then neither do I."
Soon, everyone else left the room.
Nishida Shibashi, in particular, was tactful enough not to come in and subject himself to their public display of affection.
Randou embraced his mentally exhausted lover, thinking to himself, With how drained you already are, you're still planning to teach students? Aren't you going to work yourself to death?
He asked gently,
"Did today's events upset you?"
Asou Akiya's expression became troubled again.
"If something like this ever happened to us..."
Randou answered without the slightest hesitation,
"Everyone else would be dead."
What a domineering answer.
It instantly erased every other possibility.
If there was a problem, he would simply crush it head-on.
By now, he had come to realize that the ability users of Yokohama were astonishingly weak.
"Akiya, broaden your horizons a little. In Yokohama, you're invincible."
"...Ah, Randou, It feels like you're glowing."
Was he an angel?
Ah, no.
It was the radiance of Illuminations enveloping them.
Separated from reality itself, they sat together within the safest sanctuary, quietly nurturing a happy romance.
Within the dazzling subspace, countless tiny golden cubes floated through the air.
The cube containing the corpses had been placed the farthest away.
Asou Akiya played with one of the golden cubes that drifted onto his fingertips, marveling at the wonder of supernatural abilities.
Embarrassing as it was to admit, Asou Akiya had always loved the extraordinary world.
Yet he himself possessed no power whatsoever, and because of that, he had never found the courage to tell Randou about the longing hidden deep within his heart.
But Randou had seen through him long ago.
Cupping both hands together, he gathered a pile of golden cubes into his palms.
"Do you want to play with them?"
The beautiful Frenchman, whose heart remained pure enough to be protected by others, untouched by the corruption of the Mafia, spoke with unmistakable tenderness.
"I'll teach you."
You taught me everything you knew, so in return, I give myself to you.
I'll lead you into the world of abilities...