The Flower and Its Thorn

“Come on, if this goes on like this, you will have no solid limb,” one of the men said. While he was saying that, he was pressing on man’s left broken arm with his food. Man screamed with pain. Eita was watching them on upper patio of an abandoned factory. He stopped his men’s torture and asked how many hours they had been torturing him.

He moved down and came closer to torturing area. At the same time one of the men run and brought a chair for Eita. Eita hold the chair back and sat. One of men hold man’s hair and raised his head to made him to look at Eita. Eita saw man’s messy face and sighed.

“I wonder why you are resisting,” he said. The man forced himself and answered “I’m not going to betray my friends.” When Eita heard it, he smiled slowly.

“Let me give you an information,” he said. He leaned on his elbow on chair and added “We were chasing after all of you and listen what we found out. Others had gone away before you.” Man smiled with his bloody face and answered “So, they could run from you. That's good.”

Eita got up calmly. He suddenly kicked man’s face strongly. Even though the man was hold by two men, he fell down back because of that strong kick. After Eita was sure man didn’t lose his consciousness, he continued to talk with a calm voice.

“This was an honorable behavior for a gang who sells drugs,” he said. He sighed one more time and added “This information was not their being able to run away.” then he added more sarcastic tone to his voice and, “This information means that they left you behind and betrayed you. They knew we chased after them. You are so intelligent to understand this that you can sell drugs in my regions without my knowledge,” he said.

One of Eita’s men was about to bend to clean Eita’s shoes, Eita stopped him by holding his shoulder. He waited for man’s talking for a while. Since he didn’t get an answer, he turned his back to leave there. While he was walking,  “If he doesn’t talk, finish him,” he said. He guessed man would talk.

Eita got out of the factory and lit his cigarette. When he saw Yamato was waiting for him outside, he asked “You have not any work to do, haven’t you?”. Yamato sighed and answered “Yuu-sama gave me only one job and that job is you.”. Both of them walked to the car.

Eita sat his seat and leaned his head his behind. “I still don’t know how he learnt those things,” he muttered. After Yamato sat his driver seat, “Who are you talking about?” he asked. Eita puffed and looked at the outside. He answered “I’m talking about Young Sakurai.” with a lower voice.

After Yamato run the car, “Why don’t you ask him in person?” he asked. Suggesting that was easy than doing. Sakurai Family was small but introvert yakuza group in their regions so that meeting was hard for Eita who doesn’t want to know his hostiles.

Yamato knew his young master very well since they had been grown up together. He knew what was disturbing Eita, too. He watched him in rear view mirror for a while and began to talk.

“Three years ago, Master of Sakurai Family had a heart attack. Then I guess he wanted to find someone to manage the family so he adopted a child. I couldn’t learn his past so that shows he was coming from somewhere to Tokyo,” he said. Eita was listening to him carefully. As soon as he realized that he showed his interest to Yamato, “It’s none of our business,” he answered.

Yamato ignored Eita’s ignoring and continued to talk. “To be honest I'm interested in him a little,” he said. Eita asked why. Yamato smiled that Eita didn’t hide his interest this time. “Because I thought the weirdest mafia in the world was you but I learnt there are weirder ones than you. Well... You can ask him as a campus friend instead of a mafia boss. He is in the same university with you. But you have to walk a little to go to his faculty,” he answered.

“Are you on that issue again?” asked Eita. “Yakuzas can be educated, too,” he added.

“But he doesn’t do absenteeism and he goes to a school that he has to work harder than you,” Yamato answered.

“It’s none of our business,” said Eita because he didn’t like to be compared. He was about to light one more cigarette but as soon as he heard Yamato’s last words, he dropped his lighter by surprised. Young Sakurai was going to medical school.

…

The last lesson of the day finished. After Professor left the amp, everybody prepared to go home. Ando tried to wake Sunichi who had been sleeping on the desk behind him. Ando always surprised how deep his best friend's sleep was.

“Since you will sleep, you better go to your home and sleep more comfortably,” said Ando. Sunichi began to tidy his bag while yawning. “My best friend doesn’t sign my name instead of me so I can’t go home,” then Sunichi answered. They left the amp together.

Sunichi asked what Ando would do after school. He wished to do something funny with his busy best friend after busy exam period. They stopped when one of their classmates called them. When she came closer to them, “I finally caught you. Do you have any plans? We’re going to eat something. Join with us,” she asked. Ando and Sunichi first looked at each other. Then they accepted that invite.

She got surprised and clapped her hands because she was happy to hear that Ando who was always busy with something, would join them. “You go with the others. I will catch you after I see the famous Liberal Arts Prince who has seen in front of our faculty,” then she said cheerfully. She headed to the door without waiting an answer.

Ando looked at Sunichi as if he wanted to ask who he was. Sunichi looked back at Ando as if he wanted to say he didn’t know. “One of senior grades in Liberal Arts... He is so famous with his looking. It’s surprising that he has seen far from his faculty,” a voice behind them explained. They turned to the owner of the voice. She was their classmate who always couldn’t be seen because of her short height. Ando sensed that she was offended since they couldn’t see her. Therefore, he bowed his head and saluted her. Suddenly one of their male classmates touched Ando’s shoulder and, “We have Ando as a handsome guy!” he said. That made Ando embarrassed but everybody laughed.

As soon as they get out the faculty door, they saw their female friends while they were looking at somewhere. One of their friends called the girls. The girl with short height signed somewhere and, “Here he is,” she said. Ando turned his face there and got surprised. He held his bag tighter on his shoulder. The person who was called prince seemed like he was looking for someone. Then he found out what he was looking for and stood up from the garden fence which he leaned on.

“You guys go on without me. I will catch up you later,” said Ando without keeping his eyes from the prince. He left his group without letting Sunichi ask questions.

When Eita saw Ando between the group at the faculty door, he stood up and came close to him. He relaxed that Ando knew him and came closer, too. Even though curious faces were still disturbing him, he relaxed more since half of glances slid to Ando. After they came closer enough, they greated each other. Eita asked Ando if he had time for talking. Ando said that he had time. Then they started to walk slowly in the campus.

One of female classmates came to another group and asked what was happening. Sunichi said that Ando didn’t say anything. Sunichi knew Ando’s private life as a yakuza so he was uneasy about this prince issue. He remembered that one of Ando’s bodyguards gave his phone number in case of an emergency. He hesitated to call or not for now.

“Oh my God! This is a love confess meeting or not!” a female classmate said. That made the group laughed. One of males said “Give us a break Minami! You’re reading a lot of yaoi!”. With that, Sunichi relaxed a little and left there with his friends.

…

“It is an interesting section for a yakuza,” said Eita. Ando was not waiting such a conversation beginning. He thought on his answer for a while. “I’m explaining this to the people who ask why by saying ‘I’m going to be an organ mafia’,” answered Ando. Eita smiled to that answer.

“I never thought there was another mafia member who goes to university,” said Ando. Then he stopped to walk and, “Besides he is a famous student as a Liberal Arts Prince,” he added. While he was saying “Liberal Arts Prince”, he made a sound like an excited female. Eita laughed at that and he stopped to walk, too. In fact, he knew Ando was mocking him. That would make him angry but Eita felt that there was no underestimating in Ando’s sentences.

“A yakuza would like to learn how he should manage subsidiary business and control his family members from the competent,” Eita answered. Then he continued to walk. Ando stayed where he was for a while. Because he was surprised that perspective. He was not sure Eita was serious or not. If Eita’s words are sincere, Ando liked that. He walked faster and caught Eita. Then he slowed down his steps and kept up with Eita’s speed.

“So, what does Fumikaze-sama want to talk with me?” Ando asked.

“Eita is enough,” Eita answered. “I just thought that I couldn’t repay for the file you made for us and I came to you for asking you would want something or not, Sakurai-sama,” then he added.

“Ando is enough,” said Ando surprisingly. He thought his sentences and, “It’s so nice to ask in person as a young master,” he added. That answer could be misunderstood by Eita but Eita felt again no underestimating or arrogance. Ando’s next words proved that.

“I think as an unexperienced yakuza. I learnt something beneficial for you while I was searching. If something was going on my regions without my knowledge, I would be uncomfortable about it. So I don’t want a repayment from you,” Ando said. Eita was not waiting such a pure explaining.

“But...” Eita said. Ando looked at Eita with wonder. Eita threw his pride to a corner and, “I wonder how you could collect that information in just one night,” he said.

“I learnt those in person,” Ando answered. Eita waited for more detailed answer but Ando was looking at him as if he gave enough explaining. There was a mocking smile on Ando’s face. Eita couldn’t wait anymore and, “You look like a good family boy more than a yakuza. So, I just wonder how a successful student could do that,” he said. Eita’s smile was more mocking this time.

Ando realized that he forgot he was talking with a yakuza boss instead of a classmate for a while. Eita saw the changing of Ando’s face and he realized his retaliation was too much but it was too late. He thought it was better to choose his words more carefully while he was talking with Ando. After that, he realized that he was questioning himself about his behavior for the first time.

Ando’s face changed again. That changing took Eita from his thoughts. “Do you know when men talk about their biggest secrets most?” Ando asked with smiling. Eita didn’t understand the question. Ando changed his face one more time. He was smiling again but that smiling was different than before. Eita used to see that smiling on the women who went to bed with him. Ando came closer to Eita and, “They are so talkative especially with a beautiful gigolo that they yearn for going bed,” he added.

After a few seconds he moved away and smiled purely like before. “If you have not anything to ask, I ask permit to leave,” Ando said. He wished a good day and left.

Eita was so surprised at what happened. He waited his heartbeats to slow down. When Ando disappeared from his sight, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He both wanted and did not want to review what happened. He opened his eyes and checked around as if he was watched. He was afraid that someone would understand the situation. He turned back to his own school building.

While Ando was walking with speed steps, his phone began to ring. He picked up his phone with trembling hands. The call was from Sunichi. He was saying that they had come to the restaurant they wanted to go. Ando said that he would be there in a few minutes and hanged up the phone. He closed his face with his hand and, “Why did I do that?” he muttered to himself. He was sure that his cheeks were red. He thought it was better to wash his face and headed to the toilets.