Even so, we are living in the present

Chapter 28 – Chance

A while after Tomoya settled down and drifted off to sleep.

“…”

Under a cloudless azure sky, a spotless cemetery lined with meticulously maintained gravestones. In the middle of it, Akira, attired in an all-black suit and carrying a bouquet of flowers, was pacing.

This cemetery, located right next to the special emergency facility, reposed for those who lost their lives in the conflicts involving the underworld organizations. After walking for a while, Akira came to a halt before a gravestone.

“The tomb of Tsukumo Kaya”

That was what was written on the gravestone. Placing the bouquet of flowers he was carrying in front of the gravestone, Akira crouched down on the spot, set his hands in a praying gesture, and kept his eyelids shut. A quiet, warm early summer breeze brushed his cheeks.

“… Akira.”

The person who called out his name so as not to disrupt the peaceful atmosphere was Natsume, who should have been by Tomoya’s side earlier. Not astounded by the voice, he opened his eyelids and raised his head.

“Natsume… is there not any problem coming here leaving Tomoya alone?”

As he stood up with a question, Natsume also gazed at the name on the gravestone before nodding.

“Oh, he slept well, even if it’s only for a brief while.”

In response, he cast down his eyelids and put his hands together.

“… I see.”

After loosening his cheeks with slight relief, he and the other person had their eyelids down and placed their hands together again.

“Is today the anniversary of his death?”

Opening his eyelids to Natsume’s question, he shook his head.

“No. But I wanted to come here… How did you know I would be here, Natsume?”

Although the way he said it made one wonder if telepathy was involved, Natsume’s reason for dropping by was much simpler and more straightforward.

“I figured it out… When Tomoya went to bed, I stepped out and simply caught sight of you.”

“Oh, so that’s how it was.”

Akira laughed in understanding, serenely but with a tinge of melancholy. After staring at that appearance for a while, Natsume spoke up.

“… It has been about a year.”

“Yeah… I was still part of the surface society at the time, even my name was different… You helped me out a lot, Natsume.”

When Tomoya was kidnapped by an underworld organization, Natsume desperately sought to rescue him. Having witnessed them up close, Akira recalled the events of the past. After waiting for a pause between the words of the other party who began to speak, Natsume responded as if he were giving a counterpoint.

“I was only trying to evacuate them so they wouldn’t get caught up in any more of it.”

“It was extraordinary… because Kaya was shot right in front of me and I was immobilized, but you saved me along with Kaya.”

“Of course, I’m going to save you.”

To Akira’s words, Natsume replied immediately.

Kaya was Akira’s own younger brother. Also, he and Natsume were the same age, in the same grade and majoring in the same department at the university. It was only after their sophomore year that they became acquainted with each other, and it was merely two months later that the incident unfolded.

Although Natsume was aware that Kaya had an older brother, until the day of the incident, they had never crossed paths. When they were on their way home from university, Natsume and Akira encountered each other by chance while they were out and about, and they exchanged greetings. While the three of them were walking in this manner, a man came charging ahead of them.

Shortly afterwards, three gunshots rang out. The first shot grazed the man’s clothes, but he left Natsume and the others running away. Simultaneously, Kaya collapsed on the spot. One of the shots struck him directly in the chest, dyeing his chest red and causing him to bleed from the mouth in agony.

──”It… hurts…”

Blood refluxed from his stomach, and unable to cry aloud due to the pain, he spun around in a hoarse voice with tears streaming down his face. Whenever he coughed up blood from his throat, red droplets shot out.

Natsume picked up Kaya and dragged the dazed Akira into the shadows of a building. Although Akira was also shot through the left thigh, he was apparently oblivious to his own condition for a while, witnessing the devastation of Kaya’s appearance.

It was too heartless and atrocious of an incident to be described as a coincidence.

“We have no connection to anything… only that we were in the vicinity of the gunshot and that killed him…”

Akira gently grasped Natsumw’s shoulder as he started to reveal his fury.

“Natsume, as much as I regret it… regretting it won’t bring Kaya back. That was neither a targeted attack on Kaya nor on me, it was merely a stray bullet… We never would have expected a shooting incident to occur on the road we normally take.”

“But the guy who was being targeted escaped, didn’t he? Regardless of how much he’s a civilian… Kaya won’t be rewarded…”

When the other party sought to appease him, Natsume retorted that he was not convinced. At the words being assembled with his cherished brother in mind, Akira’s face broke into a happy smile.

“That’s why I left everything behind and chose this job.”

Upon being told this, Natsume recalled what happened following the incident. What arrived faster than calling an ambulance was the Underground Public Safety Forces, which Akira was currently leading.

“… Yes, that’s right… I was so shocked at that time. As soon as the Underground Public Security Forces showed up and concluded the subjugation, you started begging to join them with blood flowing from your legs.”

Natsume, who was carrying the dying Kaya in his arms, could only watch from the shadows. Later, he was rushed to the same special emergency facility where they were now.

“It was a desperate moment…”

Akira cast an embarrassed glance towards the tombstone.

“Now you are the organizer. I think it’s amazing.”

When Natsuga offered more words of respect, Akira shook his head.

“You are more awesome than I am, Natsume.”

To avert his embarrassment, he naturally directed the topic of conversation to Natsume.

“Why?”

Understandably, a question mark was returned. But Akira’s words had a solid meaning.

“I’m walking a tightrope between the underworld and the surface society.”

Having witnessed Akira joining the underworld right before his eyes and having ties to his brother, he was taken to Shibuya, the upper echelon, where he was introduced to the Underground Public Security Forces and required to maintain confidentiality.

In fact, it was highly convenient for the Underground Public Safety Forces to be able to intervene in the underworld while operating in the surface society.

This was because Natsume was clear-headed, capable of astute judgments, and excellent at reading people’s minds. Therefore, he was an exceptional case for traversing the tightrope between the surface society and the underworld.

However, while inevitable, it was also a particularly treacherous tightrope walk for Natsume.

Should he deviate from the line, there is no guarantee of his life.

“I’m not a tightrope walker by choice.”

His true feelings were leaked out in a few words. Akira never denied it.

“That’s true… but I’m sure Kaya is happy about it.”

“… Why?”

He looked at Akira with a gaze as if to say, “Of course not.”

“Because his beloved Natsume is coming to visit his grave.”

“… Well, yeah. I couldn’t do anything for his feelings before he passed away… so I’m also trying to atone for my sins.”

As he gently stroked the tombstone and replied, the innocent smile of Kaya, who had liked him, flooded back into his mind.

Dark brown hair, different from his older brother.

Dark brown eyes identical to his older brother’s.

And his innocent smile and personality were the exact contrast to his brother’s.

Shortly after meeting each other, the adorable Kaya began to develop a fondness for Natsume.

──”I like you, Natsume.”

Coincidentally, during the course of the same trip on their way home, Natsume had been confessed to several times by Kaya. Whether it was as a friend or in love, Natsume had a clear understanding.

But──

──”Me, too, as a friend.”

There was nothing he could do but respond in such a way. He could not lie to himself. Natsume’s love had been poured out to Tomoya from an early age──

“…”

A sigh escaped his lips when he recalled it. When Natsume showed regret on his face, Akira laughed with an exhale.

“Since Kaya was aware of Natsume’s true feelings… I think it was his long‐cherished desire that he was able to sleep in your arms at the end of his life.”

With that said, Natsume smiled sorrowfully as he received a gentle pat on the shoulder.

“If that’s the case… my regrets will be slightly rewarded.”

“Yes. Even now, you see, he is laughing behind your back, Natsume.”

Nodding and telling him without breaking his calm tone and composed expression, he pointed his finger towards Natsume’s back.

“… Eh?”

In the rear, nobody was supposed to be there. A chill ran down Natsume’s spine against the warm sunshine, and he glanced back fearfully, his face tense. Needless to say, there was no one in sight.

“I’m just kidding.”

The tone of his voice sounded as cool and smooth as ever. Realizing in an instant that he had been made fun of by those words, Natsume returned his gaze, a blue streak forming at his temples.

“Ah? Screw you.”

Although he tried to show his intimidating face that was enough to quieten a crying child as always, it didn’t seem to work on Dawn, who was smiling with amusement.

“I’m surprised that you can get scared.”

“I ain’t scared. I’m just pissed off by your wicked joke.”

Clicking his tongue, he averted his eyes grimly. As if to say that even this was endearing, Akira cast a gentle glance at him.

“But just because you don’t see him doesn’t mean he isn’t there, right? What if he really is there? With a face like that, I wonder if Kaya will be sad or happy… because it’s rare to see the normally tough-looking Natsume frightened?”

As the questions were posed one after another, Natsume chose his words carefully for a while, because he felt that if he said that there was no such presence, he would make Kaya feel depressed, even though he could not actually see him.

“… As if I know. Besides, were you that talkative?”

When he was in the unit, the impression was that he was giving orders with few words, but now speaking with him, he had a rather articulate mouth. Shifting the subject, he asked about this impression. Without hesitation, Akira told his true feelings in response to the question.

“Let me at least be at ease when I’m alone with you, Natsume.”

Organizing a unit was no easy task. That sounded like a complaint.

“Well, I don’t mind.”

The degree of pressure the other party faced was beyond Natsume’s ability to conceive, so he could only nod if it would make him feel a little more comfortable.

“Besides, I don’t want to look too sad at Kaya’s grave.”

Natsume nodded affirmatively at these words.

“I agree.”

“Well, I’d better get back. I can’t linger too long since I slipped out without revealing a word. It would be too much of a hassle to go looking for me.”

“You should have met Tomoya.”

Since they were so close by, Natsume tried to hold him back, but Akira shook his head apologetically.

“I’d love to, but it’s better not to meet… Aside from Natsume, it would be easier for both of us if Tomoya was allowed to stay as a ‘stranger’.”

“.. So that’s how it is?”

Natsume was somewhat agonized, wondering if the person who saved him could not even express a single word of thanks. As if to remedy this, Akira added a few words.

“When you can’t meet them, you want to meet them… I’m going to divide up that part of it like any other ordinary person.”

In Akira’s line of work, that may be the best choice. Natsume dropped that in his mind and nodded.

“I understand. I’ll keep this quiet from Tomoya.”

“Thank you.”

Relieved that he was convinced, Natsume pondered for a moment before speaking up again.

“… Wait, that means the next time we meet will be on the anniversary of Kaya’s death?”

“Yeah, I guess so. See you here again.”

“Stay alive.”

“Of course.”

After exchanging promises in front of Kaya’s tomb, Natsume went back to Tomoya and Akira went back to his companions.

Tsukumo Kaya.

His last name, “Tsukumo,” was given to him to correspond with Akira so that they could be affiliated as siblings. However, the name “Kaya” was inherited directly from his real name.

There was nothing special about that.

The reason to not change his name after his death was because it would be impolite to do so, and also to remember his name before his death.

Above all, the existence of Kaya was essential to the connection between Natsume and Akira.

T/N:

You can check Japanese funeral on Wikipedia regarding name changes of the deceased for more understanding as it is too lengthy to explain