Even so, we are living in the present

Chapter 24 – Undesired Reunion

The base of the Shinoda group.

In a room, a large number of men were assembled. There were leather sofas across from each other around a thick glass table, and expensive-looking desks and chairs by the walls.

Seated upon that chair was Shinoda Tadashi, a 60-year-old gang leader who was feared by all.

And Tomoya was lying unconscious and bound in front of the desk. Surrounding him were several members of the Shinoda group who all stood around him.

“… Oi, wake up.”

“Ngh… n…”

With a poke on the head from the tip of a polished leather shoe, Tomoya regained a vague sense of consciousness. Amidst the sensation of his eyes swaying unsteadily, the only thing clear to him was that he was lying on the cold wooden floor.

“Ugh…”

Although he made an attempt to produce a voice, a long towel was attached to his mouth as a gag, and it was tied securely at the back of his head, preventing him from uttering anything but a muffled sound. Both of his wrists were restrained behind his back, rendering him incapable of moving, and both of his ankles were tied together as well. Perhaps due to the mysterious ingredient that was injected into his neck, even when he tried to mobilize his body, he could not move, as if the instructions from his brain had become sluggish. With the sole visual acuity that enabled him to do any movement, he briefly glanced around and spotted black shoes worn by strange, gruff-looking men in a modest room. Their appearance resembled that of a gangster on television.

“… Oi.”

Abruptly, a stern-looking man with sunglasses and black hair all back squatted down before Tomoya’s eyes, and slowly grabbed him by the hair, forcing him to lift his face up.

“Ngggh! Ugh…”

Wincing from the pain of being pulled by his hair, he screamed as he bit down on the towel and cast a weak glance at the man who was gripping his hair. Although he had no way of reading the details of the situation, it was apparent that things were going rather poorly. Tomoya’s mouth, distorted in a sickening manner, was pulled up to his ear.

“You poor thing… your father sold you out.”

“…!?”

At the word ‘father’ emitted by the man, a sense of dread resurfaced along with memories of the past, and he began repeatedly breathing in and out erratically through the space between his lips.

“In exchange as compensation for messing around with the boss’s woman.”

“…”

He had no clue what he was saying. However, the realization that he was being used for something sent a shiver through him.

I will be killed…

That was the only thought that popped into his head, given the circumstances. Watching Tomoya’s reaction, the man grabbing his hair smirked and laughed in amusement.

“… Hey, Kurata, don’t intimidate him too much.” The gang leader, Shinoda, restrained him in a low, hoarse voice. The man referred to as Kurata, his dignity and poise resounding, released his hand from Tomoya’s hair and stood up.

“Excuse me.”

“It would be a problem if a valuable article for sale were to fall into disuse.”

Article for sale…?

Shinoda directed the words at all of them outright.

“When it comes to young men’s bodies, they can be sold to husbands tempted to have their sexual desires satisfied for as much as 30,000 yen a time…. since women would get impregnated, which is why men are gaining in popularity. You have a nice face, you know. I don’t want you to be weak… you have to be treated with care…”

His tone was slow and persuasive. Nevertheless, you can see that he exuded an aura that cannot be disobeyed.

“Yes. I understand.”

With a stern bow, Kurata retreated. Continuing, Shinoda’s question was directed to the sofa.

“… Do you have anything to say?”

Even Tomoya, who seemed to be on the verge of tears, turned his gaze in that direction and his eyes widened at the sight of that figure.

“U… gu…”

Unable to withstand the fear, tears welled up in his eyes. There he was, his father, the man who had abandoned Tomoya and his family ten years earlier. Even after a decade had passed, his appearance had barely changed. Instead of looking at Tomoya, the man who was once his father faced straight to Shinoda.

“No, not at all.”

His words were clear and without hesitation. Strangely, Tomoya was not shocked at these words.

“Do you understand what it means to sell your own child?”

“I don’t think of him as my child.”

… I knew it…

He may have been cognizant of this from the age of four. A man who, once his mother was out of the picture, brought in a woman whom he didn’t recognize and didn’t pay attention to him or his brother. He didn’t think of him as a father. The only thing he considered was a source of fear, beating people up and discarding them.

“I see… I pity you too for having such a horrible father…”

Even though Shinoda threw words of sympathy at him, Tomoya didn’t even bite down on his towel and cast down his eyelids helplessly.

“Well, for us, it’s the price we deserve to be paid. Because of this man, you can’t go back to your old life. From now on, you will be our tool, living to be adored by the grown-ups.”

“…”

He was not sure what he was talking about. However, tears were flowing down his cheeks.

“Well, I won’t be rough with you, so rest assured,” he said. I don’t want to damage my precious article for sale, so I have to tame you gently. Besides, I’ll let you go after you’ve worked for the 30 million yen that your father owes me for messing around with my woman. All you have to do is work in peace.”

“…”

Even with minimal listening, under extreme conditions, one can have a general understanding of the situation in which he or she finds themselves; he was being forced into prostitution. Moreover, this was more than simply selling his body. He will be kept by this unknown and frightening organization and be treated as a tool to pay off his father’s debts.

“… Ug…”

A small, muffled sob escaped from him. He had no regrets for being sold by his father, who was only a figurehead.

… Brother…

The brother who said he would protect him was not here. He may never meet him again. That realization alone was agonizingly painful and caused his tears to flow unceasingly.

“What a poor thing… Hey, you guys, bring him to his room and put him to bed… He’s a very valuable article for sale after all.”

“Yes!”

Upon Shinoda’s command, a well-built man, apart from Kurata, lifted Tomoya up in his arms.

“…”

Even his feelings of repugnance were lost, and he was carried away powerlessly, shedding tears over and over as it was done to him. Neither did he have the strength to resist, nor did he have the inclination to do so. Living in a world without his older brother would be meaningless. By the time he was carried to the small room where he was to be bred, Tomoya’s heart had already developed several small cracks and was ready to fracture at any moment.