Even so, we are living in the present

Chapter 59 – The Good News That Flew In

Now that all the offerings and flowers at the cemetery had been changed and the headstone was cleaned, Natsume waited, with his back against the fence behind him, for Yuu to compose himself.

“… Should we be on our way now?”

Once his breathing had substantially stabilized, Natsume’s low voice posed a question, and when Kyosuke whispered to check that he was alright, Yuu gave a small nod while wiping his eye with the sleeve of his clothes. Supported by Kyosuke, Natsume stared at Yuu as he rose to his feet.

“…”

That gaze was intolerable, driving Yuu to retreat and hide behind Kyosuke again. Natsume’s eyes narrowed at the blatant attitude that would require some time to adjust to.

“Get used to it. It’s not like I’m going to grab and devour you.” With a sigh, he told Yuu, then turned away and began to walk ahead.

“… Impossible.” Yuu, either fearless or in a whisper with no intonation, replied back. At this, Natsume turned around and strode up to the person who was hiding.

“Can’t you get a hang of it if you’re around me more? Ah?”

From the side, his face pressed close and his low questioning was thoroughly intimidating. While drawing away from the other party, Yuu turned away, wrapping an arm around Kyosuke. For a while, Natsume shot a probing look at Yuu, who displayed an unchanging behavior towards everyone, and never made a move to engage in eye contact. Eventually, Natsume drooped with a heavy sigh.

“… Kyosuke, you’re amazing. How did you manage to tame Yuu?”

With these words, he turned on his heel and started walking towards the parking lot again.

“Eh? No, uh, not that I tamed him…”

Although he tried to dismiss it with a bitter smile after looking at his partner who was still holding him in his arm, Natsume preemptively shook his head.

“No, you are taming him. Only that he’s henpeck.”

Kyosuke closed his mouth for a moment at the words that followed and laughed awkwardly.

“I can’t deny that.”

If he distinctly acknowledged it, a short chuckle would escape Natsume’s lips as he would lead the way to the parking lot. He was the kind of adult Kyosuke could count on, the one who was rarely found around Kyosuke. At first glance, he may be violent and foul-mouthed, but his essential kindness remained unmasked.

“Give me a break… it’s been an hour since I left home.”

Natsume blurted out in a languid tone of voice as he checked his watch, then stretched out his arms as if to relax his shoulders while yawning.

“Thank you very much. I appreciate your help.”

As he thanked him when Natsume approached his car, he retrieved his remote keyless from his pocket and unlocked it, then glanced at his piercing yet sleepy gaze with the corners of his mouth rising slightly.

“Don’t worry about it. Get in.”

With that, Kyosuke bowed to Natsume, who opened the back seat door for him, and Kyosuke got in first. Following him was Yuu, who bowed a little and was about to get into the car.

“Excuse me!”

A figure came hurrying towards them, shouting, so Natsume shoved Yuu into the car and fastened the door. The man who ran up to them was dressed in a suit. He was probably in his late 20s or early 30s. As if to confront the man, Natsume stood in front of him.

“Who the hell are you?”

“Oh… I’m sorry to disturb you in a place like this. Here’s the thing.” In a haste, he withdrew a case from his pocket and handed one of his business cards to Natsume.

“Ah?”

Taking the proffered business card in a cursory manner, he checked the correspondence, then clicked his tongue and fixed a keen gaze on him.

“And you truly came to a place like here for this. Don’t you think it’s impertinent?”

“I apologize, sir. I just felt a great glow about him and… I was there to visit the cemetery, but I couldn’t help but call out to him…”

“Hoh.”

From inside the car, the two men watched as the man bowed repeatedly and apologized. Although they cannot catch what kind of conversation they were having, they can tell that Natsume was pissed off. Natsume, on the other hand, glared at the man who kept lowering his head whatever he said, holding a business card between his fingers in a foul mood.

“… If this is a scam, I’ll beat you to death.”

When he warned the man with a voice that was not taut but had a touch of intimidation, the latter nodded several times, his shoulders bouncing.

“It’s not a scam at all, sir! By all means, I would be happy to discuss the matter at hand.”

The other party, adopting a low-profile to the end, simply bowed and left. Sending him off with a glare, Natsume got into the driver’s seat. Kyosuke called out fearfully to him, who was catching his breath.

“… Natsume, what’s wrong?”

“No, everything’s fine. My bad for worrying you.”

Through the rearview mirror, he looked at them, then took out a business card he had tucked in his pocket and presented it over his shoulder.

“It was addressed to you, Yuu.”

“… Eh? Me?”

While cocking an eyebrow skeptically, he accepted the business card and checked it with Kyosuke.

“… Wave List Inc.? Editorial department? Recruiter… Mikage Tamotsu…?”

After reading out what was written in a mumbled manner, Yuu tilted his head for a few moments, but abruptly snapped out of it and shifted his attention back to Kyosuke.

“The magazine! Wave list!”

His partner suddenly became agitated, and Kyosuke involuntarily cast a puzzled glance at Natsume. He noticed this and offered an explanation.

“He is a scout. I heard he was visiting the cemetery or something, but I guess it’s just a coincidence. If he’s a real scout, you might give him some thought, right?”

As the words were spoken in a matter-of-fact fashion, Kyosuke widened his eyes and returned his focus to Yuu.

“Scout… Yuu, that’s great…”

Once he was given a compliment, he smiled shyly, but his expression immediately faded and became downcast.

“I wonder if he checked my face properly…”

“Yuu?”

Facing the other, who seemed to have become despondent, Kyosuke looked at him worriedly and muttered his name, wondering what was amiss. It was evident that, for some reason, his assertiveness has been absent since this morning. While listening to their conversation, Natsume started the car without a word.