Chapter Sixteen

With the coming of fall, the weather turned cooler, and the city's face became more colorful. A month had passed since he left his house in Shinjuku and moved to a student dormitory in Taito City. From here, it was only 15 minutes by foot to the university. Thanks to his savings, he was able to pay the initial expenses and the first month's rent.

He was now sharing a 20-square-meter room with another student. The toilet, bathroom, and kitchen were shared by all dormitory inhabitants. It took him a while to adjust to the new surroundings, but he eventually got used to it.

His roommate was a boy named Ji-Tae, a pure mathematics student from South Korea. Fortunately, like David, he was a quiet boy and was mostly busy with his studies. That's why David got used to his presence very soon.

However, with the start of the new semester, he had a new problem at the university. The news soon spread among the students and members of the laboratory. Whenever he passed by or entered a place, everyone moved away from him and started whispering. It was only Professor Okada, Yonas, and Tina who treated him like before and talked to him without judgment.

As he was calmly sitting behind the microscope without paying attention to the whispers, the professor came to him and said, “How is it going, my son? Are the cultural results satisfactory?” David stood up, and as he pointed the microscope lens at his professor, he said, “So far, so satisfactory, Professor. No foreign contamination has entered the cultures.”

The old man said as he looked into the microscope, “Well done, David. You're perfect as always.” He put his head back and said with a smile, “I'm really happy with your work, son.” David bowed with a smile and said, “Thank you, Professor. You always do me a favor.”

The old man gave a fatherly smile, moved a little closer to David, and said, “How are you yourself, my friend? Do you need any help?” David nodded gratefully and said, “No, you've helped me a lot so far.”

- Don't worry, son; all this will be experienced in your life. I talked with some of my friends in the government scholarship organization; probably the benefits will be paid again next semester.

The foreign boy bowed and said, “Thank you, Professor! I really don't know how to repay your kindness.” The old man said with a smile, “There's no need to repay anything; you're a good young man, David. I hope you'll be successful and stay out of trouble day by day.” Then he moved away from him a little and continued, “You're done for today; you can go.”

David thanked him, tidied his desk, changed his clothes, and left the lab after saying goodbye to the professor. On campus, someone tapped him on the shoulder and said, “Hey, hey, where are you going in such a hurry?” He turned his head, saw Yonas, smiled, and said, “I'm done for today; I have to go...”

But his words remained half-finished, and another voice said, “Hey, you two big boys, what are you talking about there?” Tina approached them and said, “If you're going to go out, I'll come too.” The black youth laughed and said, “Are you sure, Tina? Where we want to go is going to be rough for you,” the golden-haired girl said with a proud smile, “Don't worry about me; I have black belt in taekwondo.”

David smiled at this simple and friendly conversation and said, “I'm sorry, I have to decline your offer.” They both turned to him at the same time and said, “Why?!” But he just laughed softly and replied, “You two are getting along a lot, you know?” Tina frowned and said, “Never!” and Yonas added, “At least I agree with her on this matter, but you didn't say why you don't come?”

David laughed and said, “I have to go to work, guys; my shift is from 17 to 21 today.” Tina asked curiously, “The same cafe near Rekisen Park?” The foreign boy nodded and said, “Tomorrow is my day off. If you two have time, we can go tomorrow.”

Tina shrugged and said, “I'm free tomorrow.” Yonas thought a little and said, “I'm busy tomorrow until almost 5 p.m., but I'm free for the night.” David smiled and said, “So that's the deal, we'll see each other tomorrow at 6 p.m. and we will have dinner together; please just email me the meeting place later.” Then he said goodbye to them and walked towards his workplace.

***

Ginger Bell Cafe belonged to one of Professor Okada's acquaintances. When the old man found out that his student was looking for work, he sent him to his friend. The owner of the cafe was a middle-aged man named Ando Yoshii, a kind and respectful person who always treated David well. Ando always arranged David's shifts in such a way that his studies and university would not be harmed, and the monthly salary was enough to cover his dormitory rent and living expenses.

He walked into the cafe with a smile and said, “Hello, Ando-san.” The man behind the counter smiled at him and said, “Oh, hello, dear David, you're on time.” The boy raised his eyebrows as he approached the counter and said, “Something happened?” The man laughed and replied, “No, my friend, it's just that Chojiro had a problem and wanted to leave early.” The foreign boy nodded in understanding and walked towards the staff locker room.

Eguchi Chojiro was a 21-year-old Japanese student who worked with him at Ginger Bell Cafe. Of course, they weren't the only employees there, except for Ando, who owned the cafe and was in charge of the cash register, an Italian man named Bernardo Parisi was in the kitchen; and two Japanese girls named Kazama Emi and Fujitani Sumi were working there.

On each shift, one boy and one girl were present as waiters in the cafe. David entered the dressing room, saw Chojiro, and said, “Hello, my friend, is something wrong?” The boy who was changing his clothes smiled happily and said, “Oh, thank God you came early today, David-san! I'm sorry, but today is my girlfriend's birthday. I promised her that I would take her out and have dinner together.”

David laughed and said, “No problem; if you had told me in advance, I would have tried to come earlier.” The boy closed the door of his closet and said as he fixed his hair, “You know, David-san, I was afraid of your big body at first, but now that I know you, I know that you are an angel.”

David laughed as he changed his clothes and said, “You don't need to flatter now; hurry up before it's too late.” The boy laughed, said goodbye to him, and left the room. After putting on his work clothes, David walked back into the cafe, walked next to Sumi, and said, “Hello, Fujitani-san, why haven't you left yet? Isn't your shift over?”

The girl sighed tiredly and said, “Not everyone is as lucky as Eguchi to have a replacement like you. Emi hasn't come yet; she called and said she might come a little later.” The foreign boy smiled and said, “If you're tired, go take a rest. The cafe is quiet now; I'll take care of things myself.” The girl looked at him and said hesitantly, “Are you sure?”

- Yes, don't worry; I will inform you if it gets busy.

- OK. Thanks, so I'm going to take a break in the staff room.

***

Ginger Bell Cafe's busiest hours were usually from 6 to 9 p.m. During rush hour, three men with rough faces entered the cafe and sat at a table. Emi came up to the foreign boy and said, “Excuse me, Powell-san, can you take the order for that table? I-I don't want to go to them,” and nodded to the table where the three newcomers were sitting.

David smiled and said, “Of course, Kazama-san, no problem; you go clean the table by the window; I'll take their order.” The girl smiled gratefully and walked away from him. David walked over to the men's table and said with a smile, “Good evening, gentlemen. What would you like?”

One of the men with the black-grey hair said without looking at him, “Three glasses of cold beer with something sweet.” David wrote it in his notebook and walked towards the counter. As he gave the orders to Ando, he felt that he had seen the man who made the order somewhere before.

After a few minutes, David placed their order on the table and respectfully asked, “Do you need anything else?” The ordering man raised his right hand and waved it at the foreign boy to understand that they did not want anything. David stared at his hand for a moment, as his little finger was missing a knuckle. Then he immediately composed himself, bowed half, and left the table.

As he walked away, he heard one of the men say, “Why was that bastard staring at Aniki's hand like that?” The black-gray-haired man took a sip of his beer and said, “Calm down; don't cause trouble here.”

David didn't know why, but he didn't have a good feeling about them. Although he was not a nosy person by nature, he went near them under the pretext of cleaning the side table to listen to their words. As he was pretending to wipe the table, he heard one of the men say, “Finally, today it will be over, Aniki.” The man looked at his right hand and said, “I suffered a lot of humiliation because of that puppy, but today I finally see it being torn to pieces.”

- That's correct, Aniki; your plan is excellent. Both the damn yellow-headed boy and Yonkiku's bastard's building will be destroyed.

Then he laughed devilishly. David, who was surprised when he heard ‘yellow-headed boy’ and ‘Yonkiku,’ walked to the table behind them to find out more under the guise of cleaning. The knuckleless man took a sip and said, “Last time, if that damn Higuma and the cops hadn't come, it would have been over! What time is the timer set?” One of the men answered, “On 9 p.m., Aniki.”

David didn't need to hear anymore; this man was the same man who had kidnapped Akira and beaten them up about two months ago. It does not take much intelligence to understand that they are talking about a bombing. He quickly moved away from them, picked up his phone, and called the Japanese boy, but no matter how long he waited, there was no answer.

He checked his phone clock, which read 19:30—not much time left! He had heard the address of the building from Akira once before; there was no point in wasting time! He quickly went to the counter and said, “Ando-san, I have to go; something important has come up!” And before hearing the man's answer, he hurriedly left the cafe in his work clothes.

One of the three men who saw David leave said, “Aniki, that foreign waiter boy, didn't he look like Higuma?” Yabuki cursed under his breath and said, “All these bastard foreigners are the same! I hate them all! That bastard, Higuma, is now a member of Yonkiku. If I catch him one day, I'll put my knife up to the handle in his stomach and watch him die!” And then he sipped his beer.

Akira said as he sat at his desk, “Can you say that again? And for God's sake, talk like a human.” Arata cleared his throat and said, “20 minutes ago, a courier brought this bag and said it should be delivered to the boss; he didn't mention who sent it, just said it's confidential.”

***

Akira sighed and looked at the silver bag on his desk, then said, “Okay, you can go.” Arata bowed and left the room. The Japanese boy took out his phone, but as he was about to call Mikitani, he remembered that he, along with Tajima and the boss, had gone to a meeting in Chiba. He shrugged and decided to take the bag to the boss's house tomorrow.

Suddenly his phone rang. He glanced at the unknown number, cursed under his breath, and dropped the phone on the table. Since an hour ago, this number has called him more than 10 times, but he has left all the calls unanswered. He did not feel like talking and arguing with strangers. He leaned on the back of his chair and looked at the dark and cloudy sky from the tall window of his office.

Almost a month had passed since the foreign boy had vacated his house. After that day, Akira went near the university several times to see him by chance. But because he did not know the hours of his classes and activities, he had not succeeded in meeting him.

Almost two months had passed since that damn incident, and after that, there were no more attacks on their men. Rumors said that the head of Nakayama's group was unaware of his men's actions, and after punishing Yabuki by cutting off one of his knuckles, he sent him out of Tokyo.

However, there wasn't a single day that he didn't regret how he treated his savior. Although a little part of him was relieved that the foreign boy was no longer with him and that he would no longer be in danger, the majority of him felt defeated and heartbroken. He was the first true friend he found after years, but he lost it due to his terrible manners.

He grinned and said, “This damn curse won't let me go; it's like I have to be alone for the rest of my life.” The rain had started little by little, and its small drops hit the window glass. He wishes he could turn back time. He wishes he could see him at least one more time and say he's sorry. He sighed and said, “I wish I could see you again, David. I wouldn't run away from my feelings this time.”

Suddenly the door of the room opened, and one of his men rushed into the room. Akira frowned and said, “Why do you come in like a cow?! You idiots don't know how to knock?!” The man composed himself, bowed, and said, “I'm sorry, Aniki, but it's an important matter.”

- Talk quickly. What happened again?

The man stopped and confusedly said, “A foreign waiter has come and insists on seeing you.” Akira blinked and said, “A waiter wants to see me? Why are you talking nonsense?” The man who was confused said, “I swear, I'm telling the truth, Aniki, a waiter...” but his speech was interrupted by a noise coming from outside the room.

Suddenly, a four-shouldered and tall boy, whom two people were trying to stop, entered the room by force. Akira quickly stood up and said in astonishment, “David?!” The foreign boy looked at him and stopped struggling for a moment. Meanwhile, Akira's men looked at each other in surprise, and finally one of them asked, “You know this boy, Aniki?”

Akira frowned and said, “Yeah, you idiots, he's Higuma!” The men let him go in fear and took a few steps away. The foreign boy stood up straight and started looking around the room, while Akira said, “The rest of you can go out.”

As soon as his men left the room and the door was closed, he glared at the foreign boy. He hadn't changed much—the same figure, the same hairstyle—only his clothes were unusual. He wore black pants and a vest with a white shirt, like a waiter in a cafe. Suddenly, he noticed that the boy was wet, and his eyes looked around the room. Akira frowned and said, “What the hell is wrong with you? Why are you looking all over the place like a wet dog?”

But the foreign boy's eyes continued to search without paying attention to him. Akira was getting angry and said, “Are you deaf?! After a month, you suddenly appear and look at my office without saying a word?!” David's eyes turned to him, and he said worriedly, “We don't have time; you have to evacuate the building.”

- What are you talking about? Are you crazy?

- Akira, please! I don't have time to explain it to you!

The Japanese boy sat down and said stubbornly, “I won't budge until you explain like a human! You left me like that! Now that you're back, do you expect me to listen to you without explaining?” He knew in his heart that he didn't want to talk like this; he was waiting for this opportunity to apologize to him, but when he saw the foreign boy's indifference, his anger spoke before his mind and heart again.

David took a deep breath, looked at the clock that showed 20:55, and said with stress, “Did the courier bring you a bag?” Akira raised his eyebrows and said, “How do you know?” David asked, confused, “Where is it?”

- It's none of your business. That is for the boss.

- Please, Akira, there is no time! Where is that damn bag?!

Confused, the Japanese boy picked up a silver bag from the side of his desk, placed it on the desk, and said, “Is that what you're saying?” David yelled, “Let go! Come quick here; we have to get out of the room!” Akira got up angrily and said, “What the hell are you saying, idiot? Why are you acting wild?! I'm not going anywhere until you explain!”

With less than a minute remaining, David cursed under his breath, ran to the desk, and picked up the bag. He first wanted to throw it out the window, but it would hurt innocent people on the street! So he quickly threw it towards the door of the room. Akira yelled, “What the hell are you doing...” but David ignored him and passed the desk, hugged him, then turned his back on the door and the bag.

As soon as Akira tried to kick him, the bag suddenly exploded with a loud noise. The blast wave hit them against the window glass; the glass broke, and both of them were thrown out. As they fell, David turned his body in a split second and placed himself under Akira.

***

Akira had the impression that he was sleeping and was about to awaken. He was in excruciating pain throughout his body and head. His ears were clogged and whistling. He tried to sit slowly; his eyes were blurry, and something like raindrops hit his head and face. As he tried to focus his eyes, he smelled smoke.

With the sound of the alarm, his hearing gradually returned. He blinked a little, scarcely noticing that he was on the street with people standing around him at a distance, gazing up and then at him, shocked. What caused him to be on the ground and in the street? Was he in an accident?

He tried to stand up by putting his hands on the ground, but he felt something rather soft and wet under his hands. He lowered his head with pain, but suddenly his eyes widened when he saw the foreign boy lying under him and bleeding from his mouth and ears.

Now he remembered that this boy suddenly hugged him, and then he heard an explosion. He looked up and noticed smoke and fire coming out of his office window. He lowered his head again. They weren't on the ground; they'd landed on the roof of a car parked on the side of the road, and David's body had saved him from major injury.

He fearfully leaned over the foreign boy and said, “D-David... please open your eyes...” but there was no response. Akira, who had lost his control, suddenly punched the boy's chest with a shout and said, “You have no right to die, dammit!”

Suddenly, the foreign boy coughed, opened his right eye a little, and barely glanced at Akira. The Japanese boy quickly got up from him, got down from the car roof, stood next to his head, and said with a little happiness, “Damn! You scare me! Hold on, I'll call an ambulance now.”

David barely smiled with the bloody mouth and said, “I'm glad... you're safe...” and then closed his eyes. Akira, who felt that he was about to cry, shouted, “No! No! No! You have no right to close your damn eyes! Do you hear me?! Please don't do this to me!” He wanted to go on the roof of the car again and take the boy down, but his men arrived and stopped him by force.

Arata said worriedly, “Are you alright, Aniki?!” Akira, who was struggling to get out of their hands, yelled and cried, “Let me go, idiots! He's dying!” But his men held him tightly, and someone said, “The ambulance is coming now; calm down, Aniki! You mustn't move him!”