Tsushima Shuuji obediently spent three days lying in the hospital, enjoying the best medical care available.
The stitches Shibusawa Tatsuhiko had sewn into his wrist were removed as soon as he arrived. A professional doctor replaced them with absorbable sutures.
After taking off his hospital gown and shooing all the adults out of the room, he painstakingly changed into the clothes prepared for his discharge.
It was a set of French-style children's clothing.
Calling it children's clothing wasn't entirely accurate. The style itself wasn't limited by age—it had simply been tailored to fit the frame of an eleven-year-old boy.
Gone was the kimono of the Tsushima family. Under Randou's exacting eye for fashion, he was dressed instead in a white blouse with loose bell sleeves and a pair of black knee-length shorts. The flared cuffs wouldn't rub against the wounds on his wrists, while the soft, loose fabric concealed the bandages beneath.
The contrast of black and white was simple, elegant, and exactly the kind of outfit he didn't mind wearing.
It was clothing that looked equally natural on the poor and the wealthy.
"Still missing something."
Standing on tiptoe in the bathroom, Tsushima Shuuji peered into the mirror hanging on the wall.
A pale, childish face stared back at him. The aftereffects of blood loss had yet to fade.
He reached up and touched his own face before grabbing a spare roll of bandages from the hospital room.
He wrapped them carelessly around himself.
In an instant, he looked like a sickly child. His hair was disheveled, and there was nothing left of the polished appearance of a wealthy family's son.
That way, no one outside would recognize him.
Even if his father distributed his photograph, the innocent, almost laughably naïve boy in a kimono shown in those pictures would bear little resemblance to who he was now. By the time he grew a few more years older and his features changed further, the chances of anyone identifying him would become even smaller.
"'Everything passes', that's what he told me."
Facing the empty reflection in the mirror, the brown-haired boy quietly said to himself.
That was why he had chosen to cut across his wrist instead of lengthwise.
He had made a bet with himself.
If he died... then he would sleep forever.
If he lived... then he would leave it to chance.
And if all he found was disappointment, he could always try to kill himself again.
To find out whether Asou Akiya had been telling the truth, he would live until the day he saw Santa Claus.
Christmas would come at the end of the year.
About six months from now.
Little by little, Tsushima Shuuji began thinking about severing himself from his past.
Outside the hospital room, Asou Akiya fussed anxiously like a parent.
"Randou, are the clothes you bought difficult to put on? Can he manage to dress himself?"
"No, I absolutely refuse to compromise with your sense of fashion. He's not the same kind of child as Chuuya-kun, who grew up in poverty." Randou stood firmly by his own judgment. Refusing the sportswear and overalls Akiya had suggested, as they were too ugly. A boy with good looks like Tsushima Shuji was suited to Western-style attire.
The moment he heard that, Asou Akiya was unhappy.
Chuuya is your own son!
"Are you saying Chuuya doesn't have good taste or presence?"
"I'm simply stating the truth."
"Chuuya has a heroic air about him! Once he grows up, he won't lose to Shuuji!"
"Then let's wait until he grows up." Randou replied matter-of-factly. "Right now, he's still a child. His features haven't even matured yet, and he spends every day running around in Suribachi City with juvenile delinquents. How is he supposed to develop any refinement like that?"
"We're part of the mafia, technically we're delinquents too..."
"Nonsense. Many mafia members have good taste, like Monsieur Hirotsu, for example."
"Randou, you're biased toward Ranpo!"
"Akiya, you're biased toward Chuuya. Do you think I wouldn't notice?"
Click—
The hospital room door opened.
The two people who had been arguing outside over the child-related matters immediately stopped, put on smiles, and looked over in unison.
Mature adults always knew how to pretend. They would never reveal such things in front of a child.
Randou let out a short, surprised sound. "Ah."
Asou Akiya took in the outfit and sucked in a breath. "You..."
The sixth son of the Tsushima family, the brown-haired boy who had indirectly brought about the downfall of that family, first poked his head out, then fully opened the door, revealing his freshly created sickly appearance to the outside world.
The brown-haired boy with bandages wrapped around his face jumped out and gestured at his height with his hand.
He was much shorter than Asou Akiya and Randou.
Those two men were simply too tall.
"I don't want to go to your house right away. Take me outside. I want to know how normal people live. Once I understand those things, I'll go with you."
"...I see."
Asou Akiya understood his way of thinking.
He was a clever child. He absolutely did not want to go to a new home while ignorant and confused.
Smiling, he bent down slightly and fixed the messy bandages wrapped around the boy's face. The bandage that had been wrapped over one of his left eye was moved, without room for argument, to the right side instead.
Tsushima Shuuji: "?"
Asou Akiya said, "The left side is unlucky. The right side is better."
A bandage worn on the right eye belonged to Dark Era Dazai, while a bandage worn on the left eye belonged to the BEAST timeline's Boss Dazai. This was absolutely something that could not be allowed to go wrong. The former could evolve into Armed Detective Agency Dazai and White-Clad Dazai, while the latter could only evolve into Corpse Dazai!
Looking at the freshly made "Dazai Osamu," Asou Akiya leaned over and kissed his forehead.
Tsushima Shuuji, caught off guard by the attack, covered his forehead and hurriedly jumped back.
"Don't kiss me!"
That's too much, Dazai used to let him do it before. This was all the Tsushima family's fault!
Asou Akiya felt regret for exactly one second before he sensed Randou twisting his arm slightly. He immediately straightened his expression and acted serious again.
Fine. His own jealous lover was actually getting jealous of a child.
Speaking of which, exactly what age range did Randou's defensive instincts cover???
"How about this? You travel with us first. Whenever you want to go out on your own, let Tatsuhiko accompany you. Because of you, his mission to become your disciple still hasn't been completed."
"Okay."
The moment Tsushima Shuuji heard the word "travel," he agreed.
Don't think he could be fooled so easily. He wanted to see this world for himself and confirm whether it was real or fake before making any decisions...
Coincidentally, Asou Akiya and Randou had also grown tired of staying in Aomori Prefecture. They checked out of the hotel without hesitation and went to book their next accommodation. Shibusawa Tatsuhiko openly hitched a ride in their car, sitting in the back seat while holding a novel, while Tsushima Shuuji temporarily ignored him.
Randou asked, "Akiya, where are we going next?"
Aomori Prefecture was the northernmost prefecture on Japan's main island of Honshu. A single prefecture was roughly equivalent to a province in China, though the population and land area were not comparable at all. Asou Akiya checked the navigation system.
"We're going to the neighboring Akita Prefecture. I want to see Japan's most famous Akita dog!"
Randou picked up his phone and looked up Akita Prefecture's specialties. "Are Akita dogs really that famous?"
Asou Akiya replied with absolute certainty, "They're super adorable."
Randou agreed.
In the back seat, Tsushima Shuuji, who had been looking at the scenery outside, seemed to overhear their conversation and curled his lips in disdain.
Akita dogs?
What was so interesting about that kind of thing?
When he turned around, Tsushima Shuuji noticed Shibusawa Tatsuhiko reading a novel. He leaned closer and saw the title: Tears of the Muse. Shibusawa had never shown him this book before.
Tsushima Shuuji asked softly, "Is it good?"
Shibusawa Tatsuhiko tightened his grip on the novel and quietly shifted it away without making it obvious.
Seeing that he clearly liked the book, Tsushima Shuuji uttered the devilish words,
"Let me see—"
Halfway through the drive, Asou Akiya's vision was suddenly obscured by the thick fog filling the car. He immediately stepped on the brakes.
"Tatsuhiko! Don't release fog! There's no one here you need to deal with!"
"..."
The fog only lasted for a brief moment before everything returned to normal.
Shibusawa Tatsuhiko no longer got angry over Tsushima Shuuji's actions. His vermilion eyes were filled with numbness and emptiness as he looked toward the French beauty sitting in the front passenger seat.
The languid and cold-sensitive Randou was warming himself by the car's heater vent. A faint golden light surrounded his body, enveloping both himself and Asou Akiya.
"Is there something you need?" Randou asked indifferently through the rearview mirror.
"..." Shibusawa Tatsuhiko's eyes reddened.
The white-haired boy's eyes shimmered with a trace of moisture. Leaning against the leather seat, his androgynous beauty made it difficult to tell whether he was male or female, making him look like a snow country fairy. Yet his tears refused to fall, as if they possessed the same properties as a mermaid's tears, capable of freezing into ice upon touching water or crystallizing into pearls.
Tsushima Shuuji said in amazement, "He's crying! He's about to cry!"
Asou Akiya is restarting the car. The sudden hard braking earlier had caused the engine to stall.
But hearing Shuuji, Asou Akiya turned around in surprise to glance at Shibusawa Tatsuhiko.
Then—
This life mentor of his spoke some truly "honest" words.
"Crying would probably make you feel better."
"Stop thinking about trying to deal with Randou."
"After all, you really are at the bottom of the hierarchy in my household. It's better if you don't go looking for trouble."
As soon as he finished speaking—
A single tear rolled down from the corner of Shibusawa Tatsuhiko's eye.
The White Kirin let out a silent scream. He covered his face with both hands, looking as if his body and soul had been mercilessly trampled over again and again, pushed to the brink of collapse. Even Randou couldn't help but glance at him.
Randou thought to himself, Even when I was suppressed by Shuuji-kun's ability, I wasn't this miserable. Is this person's pride even stronger than mine?
What kind of family could possibly raise an ability user whose pride was completely mismatched with their actual strength?
Well, no wonder he needed Akiya's guidance.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Tsushima Shuuji snatched the White Kirin's book and casually flipped through a few pages.
The protagonist's name was...
Shikawa Ryuji?
Perfect. From now on, he would just call him Ryuji.
...
Akita Prefecture.
A prosperous land rich in forests and hot spring resources. They booked a hot spring hotel, soaked in the baths, admired the scenery of lakes and forests, and finally went to a place specifically dedicated to petting Akita dogs.
Compared to the warm and harmonious interaction between Asou Akiya and the dogs, with Randou taking pictures nearby, Tsushima Shuuji had somehow managed to provoke several dogs and was now being chased around by them.
Shibusawa Tatsuhiko walked behind them, coldly holding his book. He had absolutely no intention of helping Tsushima Shuuji.
Neither cats nor dogs liked the White Kirin, and he didn't like them either.
"Help me!"
"I don't want to be bitten by dogs! Dying like this would be too embarrassing!"
"I can't run anymore—this is bad!"
Tsushima Shuuji was knocked down by two excited dogs. They immediately began licking his face, covering him in drool. They had no intention of biting him at all; they were simply attracted to the dog treats he had brought with him.
Tsushima Shuuji refused to give them any.
He heartlessly teased them without feeding them any, no wonder the dogs were chasing him.
Randou's phone changed hands, and Asou Akiya used it to quickly snap a picture of Tsushima Shuuji with the two Akita dogs.
Click.
He saved the photo to his collection.
"Akiya, I only want to use my phone to take pictures of you."
"Randou, you should also see more of the world."
Asou Akiya returned the phone to him, then grabbed the Akita dog's two front paws. The dog obediently sat on the ground, panting happily with its tongue hanging out, and waved its paw toward Randou.
"See? I don't just like cats, I also like cute dogs!"
"..."
"Randou? Why do you look so nervous?"
Asou Akiya was completely confused. He felt like he hadn't said anything strange.
Randou said weakly, "...You should just stick to liking cats."
He really couldn't afford to raise that many.
Sob.
I don't want a huge villa anymore. Let's go back to living in a two-bedroom apartment.
There are too many cats already, we're going to run out of space!