Chapter Nine

Shortly after leaving Nagoya, Akira, who had not slept well last night, fell asleep. David, who had charged his phone, was reviewing today's photos. It was very enjoyable for him to see Nagoya Castle. It had been a long time since he had such fun. As he scrolled through the photos, he stopped at one. The only photo he took with the Japanese boy. Although he disliked taking pictures of himself, he found this one appealing.

He felt a soft tap on his shoulder as he glanced at the picture. He moved his head worriedly because he feared the Japanese boy had woken up and wanted to mock him by seeing him staring at the image, but Akira was still asleep, and his head rested on David's shoulder simply in his sleep.

The foreign boy sighed in relief, smiled at the boy's sleepy and innocent face, and slowly adjusted his head on his shoulder to make it more comfortable. He looked at the pictures a little more, but since he had woken up early in the morning, his eyes gradually became heavy, and he also fell asleep.

***

Akira opened his eyes sleepily, raised his head, and looked around. He slowly remembered where he was, turned his head, and saw that David was also sleeping. He moved his head and shoulders a little and looked out of the window. They would probably reach Yokohama in ten or fifteen minutes. He looked at the sleeping face of the foreign boy, smiled, and gently touched his shoulder.

After a little delay, David slowly opened his sleepy eyes, blinked briefly to focus, and then asked, “Are we there?” Akira said with a smile, “We're close, which is why I woke you up.” The foreign boy stated while stretching his body, “You did a good job.”

A little later, they disembarked in Yokohama and took a train to Shinagawa. At the Shinagawa station, Akira said to the foreign boy, “Can you please give me my things from inside your backpack?” David raised his eyebrows and said, “But we haven't reached our destination yet.”

- Yes, but I will go home later; we have to say goodbye here.

David paused sadly, took his backpack off his shoulders, and said as he handed the souvenirs to the Japanese boy, “May I ask why you're staying here?” Akira picked up the shopping bag and said casually, “Because the boss's house is here, Mikitani-san is usually with the boss. I don't feel like coming here again tomorrow; I'll go now and give them this.”

David nodded sadly and said “I see” before turning his back on him and walking towards the Shinjuku train, He added “so bye” to the Japanese boy, who didn't pay much attention to his behavior and just replied “see you later,” and then started calling up to Mikitani; he didn't even notice the foreign boy getting on the train and leaving.

***

- Ha ha ha, Shinka, from which side did the sun rise today when you handed me a souvenir?

The boss said this with a laugh while looking at the package. Akira, who was sitting respectfully on his knees, said, “It's nothing expensive, boss; I'm sorry if it doesn't suit your taste.” The old man laughed happily and said, “Can you see, Seiji, he's too polite; maybe he's been hit on the head?” Mikitani respectfully smiled and said, “Please don't mock him, boss.”

The old man laughed again and said, “Okay, okay, don't frown like that, Shinka,” and then smiled, “Thanks for the souvenirs, but I'm curious to know what made you think of buying souvenirs?” Akira moved a little. At first, he thought it would be better to lie and make an excuse, but then he decided to be honest and said, “Actually, it was my friend's idea; he said that it is customary to take souvenirs for colleagues and employers on such trips.”

The old man raised an eyebrow and asked, “Your friend? Who is this friend of yours who adheres to customs so much?” Slowly sweating, Akira cursed himself for opening the foreign boy's foot to communicate. But he couldn't back down now, so he answered confusedly, “I just met him, about a month or two ago; he's a good boy.”

The old man's face became serious, and he stared at him for a few moments. Then he said in a warning tone, “I have nothing to do with my men's relationships in their personal lives, Shinka, but be careful not to talk too much; you can never tell who is a Rat.” (Rat in criminal groups refers to police spies.) Akira said as he fisted his hands on his knees, “Certainly, boss, if there is nothing else, I will be dismissed from your presence.” The old man nodded and dismissed him with a wave of his hand.

As he was putting on his shoes by the door, Mikitani came to him and said, “Don't be upset by the boss's words; he might be a bit harsh, but it's just because he's worried about his men. He knows you like his own son; that's why he doesn't want you to get hurt because of your lack of experience.”

Akira sighed as he stood, then said, “I know Mikitani-san; that old man is kinder than he shows.” The man smiled and said, “Good, my friend, good. Anyway, be careful who you meet.” The Japanese boy nodded in agreement and said, “Good night, Mikitani-san.” As he walked to the door, the man waved at him and said, “Take care, Shinka. Thanks for the souvenir too.”

***

He threw himself on the bed since the towel was around his neck. He was exhausted; he arrived home at 6 p.m., and by the time he finished relocating things and washing dishes and clothes, it was 8 p.m., and he went to the bathroom tiredly. He was so fatigued and exhausted that he lingered in the tub for about an hour before finally getting out, with the water growing cold.

As he lay on the bed, he thought to himself, “Where is the Japanese boy now? Has he returned to his home?” He sighed and said to himself, “What does that have to do with me?” Today was weird and eventful, but he had a wonderful time in the end. Although he was disappointed when the Japanese boy left him at Shinagawa Station, He felt awful all the way home and had no idea how he got there. He's not even hungry for dinner now, and he's confused as to why he was thinking about that boy so much.

He sighed and stood up to turn off the light and go to sleep, but the doorbell rang as soon as his hand was on the switch. He frowned and stepped behind the door, removing the latch and opening it. The Japanese boy said at the door's threshold, with a tired face and a smile, “Hello, big boy, I'm glad you haven't slept yet; don't you want a guest?”

David raised his eyebrows and asked, “What are you doing here? Didn't you want to go home after meeting with your boss?” Akira laughed and said, “I fell asleep on the train, and when I woke up, I saw that I was at the station near your house. Won't you let me in?” The foreign boy paused, then stepped aside with a smile so he could enter.

As soon as he was about to enter the main room, David said, “Wait, you've been sweating since morning; take a shower first, please.” Akira sighed and said, “I don't have clean clothes.”

- The clothes I gave you last time are still here and washed; I will give them to you to wear, so don't make excuses and go to the bathroom.

-Poof, okay, okay, Mommy.

He opened the bathroom door and entered the bathroom. Before he was completely naked, there was a knock on the door, and David said from behind the door, “Should I put your clothes behind the door?” As with the underwear, he opened the bathroom door and said, “No, give it to me.” David, who was shocked by his appearance, blushed a little, gave him the clothes, and quickly closed the door himself. Akira was standing at the door in surprise with the clothes in his hand when a voice asked from behind the door, "D-Did you eat dinner?"

- No, I didn't eat anything.

- Okay, so while you take a shower, I will make something.

Akira sighed, placed the clean clothes in the basket, removed his underwear, and went under the shower. First he splashed water on his head and body, then he rubbed soap on his body and rinsed it off. As he applied the shampoo to his head, he remembered the way back.

He had indeed fallen asleep on the way back from Shinagawa, but it was not true that he had awoken at the station near the foreign boy's house. He awoke one station earlier, somewhere between his house and himself. He had no idea why he disliked returning to the seclusion and silence of his own home. So he finally decided to come meet his new friend.

He smiled, turned on the faucet, and rinsed his hair. Then he took the towel, dried his body, put on clean clothes, and left the bathroom. As he was drying her hair, he walked into the main room and turned to David, who was sitting on the floor at the table, saying, “I'm so tired; I want to fall on the floor and sleep. What did you cook?”

- Nothing special, just a ramen dish with boiled egg.

He nodded and sat across from him at the table, looking around and asking, “Why only one dish? Have you eaten?” David shook his head and replied, “I'm not hungry.” Then he noticed the Japanese boy's wet hair; he got up, pulled the towel from his neck, put it on his head, and said, “Are you an idiot? The air conditioner is on, and then you came and sat in front of it with wet hair? Do you want to catch a cold?”

As his head shook from the foreign boy's movements, Akira said, “I wasn't paying attention; take it easy! You're cutting my hair!” He raised his hand to stop him, but David pushed his hand away, then replied, “Eat your food, Mr. Thunder; I'll dry it myself.”

“You always make fun of me, too,” Akira grumbled, picking up his chopsticks. David laughed and said, “I'm sorry; I didn't mean to make fun. Don't take it to heart” and continue to dry his hair more calmly.

After finishing the meal, without wasting time, they put the table aside and quickly spread the beds. None of them mentioned the existence of a bed and agreed to sleep on the floor next to each other like an unwritten law.

As he lay down tiredly, he said, “Today was really good, big boy. Thanks again for coming with me.” David replied with a smile as he lay straight and closed his eyes, “I didn't do anything special. I have to thank you for taking me on this trip and sharing your past with me.”

Akira turned to his side and asked, “Why did you never want to know more about me during the time we met? Because you don't care?” David opened his eyes, staring at the ceiling, and replied, “It's not a matter of importance; it's a matter of excessive curiosity. Japanese people are usually very sensitive to their privacy; I try to respect this sensitivity.”

- So you never wanted to know more about my job or myself?

- Maybe about yourself, but not about your job.

- Why?

David turned his head to him, looked into the boy's skeptical eyes, and answered, “I'm not stupid, Akira. Whatever your job title is, yakuza, is yakuza. Curious about the details is nothing but trouble.”

Akira raised an eyebrow and smirked, “What trouble? You can sell that information to the police.” David sighed and replied, “Exactly, it is trouble. I don't know how big, powerful, or active your gang is in criminal activities, but you could be being observed by police right now. Naturally, if you are under surveillance, they will discover that you have a relationship with me; therefore, they may contact me and try to obtain information from me by threatening me because I am a foreigner. So it makes more sense that I don't know anything, since if I don't know, I can't reveal anything.”

Akira looked at him seriously and said, “So you thought of all this?” David sighed, stared at the ceiling again, and replied, “Of course I did; I'm not a native of this country; the police or government agencies can easily threaten me with deportation. There are also rival groups. If your foes come to me and threaten and torture me for information, it's better for me not to know anything, so I could not reveal anything.”

Akira sat down and said with a frown, “They don't dare touch you! If someone hurts you because of me, I won't let them live!” David smiled and said, Relax, Mr. Thunder; you don't need to be angry. Anyway, I don't know anything about your job, and I don't want to know. Now open your frown and lie down; I can't keep my eyes open anymore.” He turned, turned his back on him, and added with a pause, “Good night.”

Akira looked at him in the same position for a few seconds, then laid down with a sigh and said, “Good night, big boy.” He turned his back to him, but he couldn't sleep; his words were echoing in his mind. He had brought up this discussion because of the boss's warning, but he did not have in mind the second point, the rival groups, which the foreign boy had mentioned.

Now that he thought about it, the foreign boy was right. Other groups, particularly those Nakayama bastards, may go after his new friend more than the cops. He got nervous from such a thought, clenched his teeth, and said in his heart, “If they touch him, I won't let them live!” Meanwhile, David pressed his back against him and softly said, “Can't you sleep?” Akira was shocked at first but then tried to compose himself and said as he leaned into him, “H-how did you know I was awake?”

- Usually when you sleep, your breathing becomes heavy, but now I feel that you are breathing badly; that's why I asked. Are you fine?

Does he pay attention to him so much? Akira felt all his anger and nervousness subside. He smiled and replied, “I'm fine, big boy. Don't worry, now that I'm leaning on your back, I'm going to sleep.”

David also smiled in the dark and said, “I'm glad. Sleep well, Akira. Good night.” The Japanese boy replied as he closed his eyes, “You too.”

***

He checked his phone's clock, which read 19:25. He slipped the phone into his pocket and walked away from the station, towards his friend's house. Five days had passed since their trip to Gifu, and he had not had time to pay him a visit. He was busy with new contracts; perhaps in the eyes of the public, the yakuza were just a bunch of thugs and criminals, but his group had a commercial cover and carried out cargo transportation, particularly by sea to China and the Philippines.

He despised business and intellectual work, particularly work parties when he had to wear official clothes like a cane and spend time with a number of greedy old men. He sighed and shook his head, trying to push these thoughts away. The thought of spending time with his new friend made his frown disappear. With a silly smile, he reached the front of the building, but just as he was about to climb the stairs, he noticed someone leaving the foreign boy's house.

Involuntarily, he hid himself behind the wall and peeked to find out who it was. A beautiful girl, who was probably of high school age, was standing outside the door, and David was standing at the door with a silly smile. The girl bowed and came towards the stairs. Akira completely hid himself and watched the girl walk away from the building.

He didn't know why, but he felt nervous. Does that mean Big Boy has found a girlfriend? The girl had no shortage of beauty: long hair, an elongated and proportionate body, and beautiful eyes and eyebrows. Akira did not understand why he was getting angrier by the minute. He cursed under his breath, came out from behind the wall, and decided to go back to his house, but suddenly a voice from the top of the stairs said, “Akira? What are you doing here?”

The shocked Japanese boy said confusedly, “N-Nothing, I was just passing by; see you later.” Just as he was about to leave, David rushed down the stairs, grabbed his hand, and said, “Where are you going? Are you okay? Is something wrong?” He pulled his hand angrily and said, “Let me go! I said I was just passing by!” David pulled his hand back sadly and said, “I'm sorry, you don't need to yell.”

Akira, who had lost control, said, “What does that have to do with you?! I want to yell!” Then he added uncontrollably, “You go after your girlfriend!” Surprised by this word, David said confusedly, “My girlfriend? But I don't have a girlfriend.”

- Huh? Do you want to deny it? Fuck your ass! I saw that she came out of your house just now!

David frowned and said “You mean Haruka-chan? But she's not my girlfriend.” Akira said with a teasing grin, “Oh good, so her name is Haruka, so she's probably just here to warm your bed! Well done, you've made progress!”

The foreign boy who was trying to control himself said, “I don't understand what's wrong with you, Akira, but please don't talk disrespectfully. She isn't a whore.” Akira raised his voice and said, “I don't care!” He was about to leave when David stood in front of him and said, “You said whatever you wanted, and now you're running away?! Shouldn't you at least listen to me?”

- So what? make an excuse? I said that I don't care, go away!

- Maybe, but I want you to hear.

- So speak quickly, I want to go!

David sighed and said, “Haruka is my landlord's granddaughter; she is in her last year of school and wants to take the university entrance exam. My landlord asked me to teach her English during the summer vacation.” Then he looked sadly into the Japanese boy's eyes and said, “I don't know why you are angry. But if I did something wrong, I'm sorry.”

Akira could see the sincerity in his eyes. He closed his eyes for a moment and cursed himself in his heart. Why should he be angry to see this boy with a girl? This boy's personal life was his own; they were just friends!

But he still had an envy sensation in his heart, and he despised that he couldn't explain why he had such a silly feeling and why he became upset like a fool. He opened his eyes and inadvertently kicked the foreign boy's leg. David's face was curled in pain; he shouted, gripped his knee, and said, “What's wrong with you?! Why are you hitting me?!”

With a self-satisfied face, he looked at him from above and said, “Because I wanted to. It's your own fault that you are so fat; I hate it when I have to raise up my head and talk to you during a conversation.” David stated as he rubbed his leg. “You're behaving like a child." Akira drew his leg back to tap and stated, "Looks like you want another one.”

The foreign boy got up worriedly and took a few steps away from him. Akira laughed and said, “I was just kidding; you don't have to be afraid.” He put his foot down, adding bitterly, “Weren't you going to go after her? Go before it's too late,” David said confusedly. “Following who?” But seeing Akira's frown, he understood his meaning, sighed, and said, “No, why should I go after the people's daughter?”

- What? So where were you going?

- Where am I going at this time? I was going to the store to do some shopping. Where were you going when you were passing by here? You still haven't said why you got angry.

Akira, who felt that her ears were turning red from embarrassment, paused a bit and then lied, “I-I had work around here; I wanted to go to the station this way.” David raised his eyebrows and said, “You mean you wanted to walk past my house and not meet me?” Then he lowered his head, smiled bitterly, and said, “Oh, I'm just now understanding. I must have bored you, and you didn't want to come to see me. That's why you got angry when I saw you.”

When Akira heard these comments, he felt bad and added, “Don't say doze off; it's simply... I was simply preoccupied, which is why I was unaware that I was in front of your home.” David smiled sadly and said, “You don't need to lie because of me.” The Japanese boy, who was angry again, approached him, kicked his other leg, and said, “So listen! I came all the way to see you, Idiot big bear! But when I saw that you were with someone else, I decided to leave and not disturb you!”

As soon as he had finished speaking, his rage had faded and been replaced with humiliation. How could he have said these words so easily? David got up from the ground with the pain from Akira's kick to his leg, looked at him with confusion, and said, “Are you serious? You came to see me, but you didn't come up because you were jealous?”

He took hold of the collar of the foreign boy's shirt and remarked, blushing slightly, “Y-You must really enjoy getting knocked down today, right?” David smiled gently and said, “I'm sorry, I made a bad sentence; please calm down.” As he slowly removed the Japanese boy's hand from his collar, he continued, “The important thing is that you are here now, so please stay with me for the night. Now, if it's not a problem, let's go shopping and come back. Of course, if you're tired, you can wait for me at home.” Akira sighed, stealing a glance from him, and slowly said, “Damn you, big boy.”

- Did you say something?

- N-No! If you want to do shopping, then let's go, I'm hungry!

He put his hands in his pockets and started moving ahead of him. David nodded his head with a smile and limped off behind him.

***

- And now, here's the food.

David put the plate of pasta and sausage in front of him with a smile, and he sat down with his plate on the other side of the table and said, “I promised you I would make it in a warm version for you; I hope you like it.” Akira raised an eyebrow, put a spot in his mouth with a chopstick, and immediately said with gusto, “Oh boy, this is great! Your cooking is really amazing,” she said, and she started eating with pleasure. David smiled and said, “I'm glad you like it,” and started eating his food.

Akira leaned up against the wall and observed David doing the dishes after the meal. The food was excellent, and most importantly, he was very at ease in his company. He genuinely enjoyed being around him. He leaned his head against the wall, smiled to himself, and said in his heart, “What happened to you, Shinka Akira? You're at another boy's house; he's a foreigner, and you feel calm?”

David approached him in the meantime and asked, “Are you alright? You must be tired, right?” Akira blinked, calmed himself, and said confusedly, “I-I'm fine.” David sat facing him, sighed, and said “But you're obviously exhausted, because you were pale when I saw you at the bottom of the stairs. There's a dimple under your eyes since the last time I saw you; did something happen? Can I help you?”

Akira was amazed by his close attention to his condition. He sighed and said, “It's nothing; I've just been very busy these past few days; I couldn't sleep well.” He was telling the truth; he had gone to the nearby towns with Tajima and conducted intensive interviews under the boss's orders. Everything was well advanced, but there was not enough time to rest, and he had to stay alert until the contracts were signed.

Then he added with a sigh, “If everything goes according to plan, the work will be finished the day after tomorrow, and I can have a proper rest.” Then he continued with disgust, “But I hate parties!” David raised his eyebrows and said, “You mean a work party? Why?”

- Because it's official, I have to wear a shirt and a tie!

- Well? I still don't understand, what's the problem?

- The problem is that I hate it!

- why? I think it suits you.

He turned his face shyly and said slowly, “I don't know how to wear a shirt and tie properly.” The foreign boy asked in surprise, “Are you kidding me?” Akira answered without looking at him, “N-No,” and then added with pain in his voice, “I always hate shirts and ties because I always fasten the buttons badly. When I was in school, my mother always helped me. But after… after she died, I stopped wearing them. Every time I tried, my style became ridiculous.”

David worriedly said, “I'm sorry, I didn't want to remind you of the past.” Then, in a soothing tone, he added, “I can help you if you want.” Akira looked at him and said, “Help me? How?”

- I can help you get dressed. When is this party?

- The night after tomorrow, why?

- Right here in Shinjuku?

He frowned hesitantly and nodded. David nodded with satisfaction and said, “Okay, so you can come here the day after tomorrow evening with your clothes; I'll help you get dressed and ready, and then you can go to the party from here. What do you think?” Akira said with a little pause, “Why are you doing this to me?” David raised his eyebrows. “What do you mean, why? You're my friend. Well, it's decided then.” David got up and went to the closet to get the mattresses out.

Akira was still confused but finally smiled and said, “Thanks.” David replied as he walked back to the middle of the room with the mats, “I haven't done anything yet,” and dropped them on the floor. Seeing the two beds, the Japanese boy said, “I won't bother you anymore; I'm going to my own house to sleep,” and got up.

David frowned and said, “You know I don't like you going home at this time of night, so stop playing pranks and change your clothes; I left you a comfortable dress on the bed.” Akira looked at the clock and said, “It's only 10:00 p.m.; don't worry, nothing will happen to me.”

But David said seriously, “No, Akira, please stay.” The Japanese boy looked into his serious eyes for a bit, then sighed, raised his hands, and said, “Okay, okay. I give up,” he added with a mischievous smile, “I'll endure you tonight too, Big Boy,” and stuck out his tongue at the foreign boy. David nodded as he laughed and started making the beds.