"So, Mister Kira, are ya gonna explain why chu got a random lady livin' with ya now?" Katsumi raised his eyebrow. "Can't believe we just learnt about it yesterday."
"You asked me to hook up with someone, didn't you." Akira shrugged it off.
"What hook up? Don't think she even talks to you," Katsuya commented. "And hasn't it been like two months?"
"…Hm, don't know. I don't want to touch her."
"Hah?"
Akira leaned back. "Have y'all ever felt like something is so precious you don't want to touch?"
Katsumi scoffed. "I do with shoes, yeah, but you just sounded like a fuckin' virgin. Hella creepy."
Akira chuckled. "Heh…"
Katsuya squinted at him. "Are you in love?"
Akira blinked. "In love?" He paused. "Why? Is that how you felt with Emi?"
Katsuya nodded. "Somewhat. I also felt that way with Kiryu."
Katsumi made a face. "He's not even born yet."
"Yeah, but a father can feel." Katsuya patted his chest.
Katsumi scrunched up his nose. "Ew. What is goin' on with y'all? Hella gross."
Akira laughed. "Admit it, Katsumi. You're being left out. Feelin' all lonely now, ain'tcha?"
"Huuuuhhh, ain't no way. Mister Handsome here can grab any bitch he wants! Do not need any of ya!"
"A bad liar will always be a bad liar." Katsuya sipped his tea.
"Shut it!!"
The three of them joked, laughed, and enjoyed the less eventful but peaceful afternoon.
...
It was early evening. Akira had just finished taking a shower and was still in his bathrobe. He was heading to the kitchen for a drink when he caught a glimpse of his beloved.
He said "beloved" in his head, but in reality, they rarely interacted. Partly because she was the quiet type, still mourning her loss, and partly because he didn't want to scare her or make her uncomfortable.
At first, he didn't mind having her around. Slowly, somehow, her presence brought him a sense of comfort he had never felt before.
Their last exchange was a few days ago, when she tried to offer him money for taking care of her. That idea was shut down quickly.
Lately, he noticed she had picked up painting and drawing. Sometimes he would come home to see her painting in the backyard, or catch her scribbling in her room, just like right now.
He leaned quietly against her doorframe, arms crossed, watching her from behind like he always did. He wasn't sure why, but watching her like this calmed him. They rarely spoke, so sometimes he just wanted to hear her voice.
"Mari."
"Ah! Akiyama-san?" She turned back, her writing hand paused. "Sorry, I didn't notice you were there."
"…No, don't mind me." He turned around, about to walk off.
"Ah, wait. I almost forgot, Akiyama-san."
"What is it?"
"I made something for you."
"Heh… What did you make?"
"Mm…"She brought him to the kitchen downstairs. He stood by the counter as she opened the oven.
"Hmmmm…" Akira made a soft noise to express his curiosity.
"This is apple pie." She grabbed a knife from the drawer and cut a slice. "I heard you like sweets, Akiyama-san."
She placed the plate in front of him."I wanted to thank you for being kind," she lowered her head. "Since I'm not allowed to pay you back with money, I wanted to do something."
"…"He stared at the plate as he listened.Kind.That word caught him off guard.Who? Him? Kind?And wait, she baked him pie?A turmoil of emotions stirred within him, hard to process.
His silence made her uneasy."Ah, right. Are you afraid that I added poison?" She grabbed a fork and took a bite. "There. Um, I promise I didn't add anything weird."
"What?" He started laughing. "Poison?"Akira reached across the counter, grabbed a tissue, and softly wiped the crumbs from the corner of her lips."Hahaha. I don't think you can even hurt a carrot, Mari."
"Uh, but you had to be careful, right? Just in case."
"In case what? You might kill me?"
"Ah, no. I would not do that."As she explained, he sliced a small piece to taste."But food can be dangerous, so… um."
"I don't eat food that isn't cooked by my chef. It's not a concern," he said, still chewing. "But this pie is good."
"I didn't know that, sorry."
"Why? You did well."Akira patted her head and walked off with his plate.
"Wait, Akiyama-san." She tugged on his robe."What other dessert do you like?"
"Umm, hmm. That's a hard question."
"It doesn't have to be dessert either. I can learn to cook anything, so…"
"Dango."
"Eh?"
"Dango is good."
"Oh." She grinned. "OKAY!"
He looked away.Was this what they called being flustered?
"Is everything okay?"
"Yeah."
...
Somewhere in a random, rundown guesthouse:
"Oi, the Akiyama group been getting soft, haven't they?"
"LOL. Haven't seen them kill anyone for months already."
"Yeah, they just give warnings now. So lame, lool."
"Haha. If they keep that soft shit up, everyone gonna go wild soon."
...
Time skip
"YOU ARE FUCKIN' LYING?? Kira's gettin' married now too??"You could hear Katsumi yelling from five miles away.
"How are you even surprised?" Katsuya calmly sipped his coffee. "They've been together for three years now."
"EXACTLY." Katsumi cried. "SO WHY NOW?"He dashed over and grabbed Akira by the collar."You got her pregnant, didn't you? That's why you're marrying her, isn't it? Like Tsuya!"
"Not a chance. I don't think they even slept in the same bed before." Katsuya hummed.
"Shut it." Akira threw Katsumi off."But no, we're not getting married because I did anything."
"Then why? Don't tell me it's cause you love her or some corny shit like that."
"Yeah. It's cause I love her."
"You dogshit asshole—"
"So what?" Katsuya asked. "Are you planning to start a family too?"
"Somewhat." Akira sighed. "How's Kiryu doing? Heard he got bullied in school or something."
"Yeah, can you believe it? My kid's getting bullied. They picked on him for not having a father."
"The fuck's wrong with those kids?" Katsumi snapped. "Send me their addresses. I'll make sure none of them can walk to school the next day."
"Are you crazy?"
"Are you stupid?"
"I'm joking! Calm your asses down—"
Akira let out a sigh. "But you can't help it, can you? Not like we can let the world know one of Akiyama's top three is his father."
"Honestly, I'm surprised he kept quiet about it too," Katsuya said. "He's mature for his age."
"Ah, I want to see him…" Katsumi's tone softened. "What does he look like, Tsuya?"
"Like me."
"Never mind. Don't wanna see no more."
"Hahahaha. Are ya stupid? What else do you expect? That child's definitely not gonna look like you."
"Whaaaatever."
"Just get your own wife and have your own child already, Tsumi. It's your turn."
"So, Kira." Katsuya looked over."What is it?"
"Since you're starting a family now too, shouldn't we do something already? About all this."
"You got a point. Can't live like this forever. These sins are gonna bleed onto our children for generations."
"The last time we stopped killing, we almost died." Katsumi frowned. "So if you guys don't have a better plan, don't start anything. I ain't trynna die yet."
"We're gonna have to establish a new system completely. Demolish the whole history of bloodshed," Katsuya said.
"No choice, huh," Akira replied.
"I want my kid to have a father he can acknowledge. Can't live like this, brothers."
And so, the Akiyama group began to work on their incredible plan of revamping the entire syndicate world.All they wanted was a way for peace to exist, for violence to dissipate, and for everyone to have a second chance at a proper life.
...
But will it be that simple?