"What's wrong, Akiya? Weren't you acting so tough earlier? And now you need medicine?"
That evening, at a nearby hotel, Randou was treating the wound on Asou Akiya's hand.
"Sorry for making you worry." Asou Akiya looked pitifully at the hand that had been wrapped up like a rice dumpling.
After tying off the bandage, Randou said, "I wasn't that worried. He's just a child. I only hope you've learned your lesson and stop trying to pet everyone you meet."
Asou Akiya thought for a moment. "Even if I could go back in time—"
Randou raised an eyebrow. "Hm?"
Akiya flashed a brilliant smile. "I'd still want to pat Shuuji-kun on the head!"
Randou flicked his forehead with a finger.
"You deserved it."
"Hey, hey, Randou!" Akiya protested rapidly. "Didn't you think he was adorable?"
"Adorable? As long as he isn't biting people, then yes, he is rather cute. He even looks a little like you." Randou's gaze drifted toward the other bedroom door in the suite.
That room had no windows. Once the door was shut, it was relatively secure. There was no chance of anyone escaping.
"But, Akiya... shouldn't you get a tetanus shot in a situation like this?"
"Huh... do I have to?"
"Don't you?"
The two of them stared blankly at each other.
Neither had much common sense when it came to injuries. After all, they were rarely ever hurt.
Asou Akiya pulled out his phone and called Mori Ougai, disturbing the underground doctor once again that evening.
"Doctor? Is that you? I'd like to ask something. If you've been bitten by a child... do you need a tetanus shot?"
A short while later, Asou Akiya got a definitive answer: he should take the shot, just to be safe.
Picking up his wallet, he said to Randou, "I'm going to get the injection. I'll leave things here to you."
Randou smiled. "Of course."
Asou Akiya still wasn't entirely at ease leaving the two of them alone. His mind involuntarily replayed that infamous scene from the original story where Randou fought the Twin Dark; it looped endlessly in his head like brainwashing.
"Randou, if he gives you trouble, please be patient with him. That child's in a bad state right now. If anything happens, call me."
Randou nodded gently, watching Akiya leave to see the doctor.
The door closed.
The sound of footsteps gradually faded away.
The expression the French beauty reserved exclusively for Asou Akiya slipped away, replaced by one that was somewhat cool, somewhat contemplative.
They were staying in a luxury hotel suite with three bedrooms, so there was no shortage of places to rest.
Randou walked to the room where Tsushima Shuuji was staying. He knocked on the door, but when no one answered, he turned the handle and stepped inside to meet the ability user Akiya had called "the strongest."
Asou Akiya had underestimated the impact those words carried.
It wasn't just Shibusawa Tatsuhiko whose composure had been shattered. Randou, too, had become curious. Without realizing it, his tolerance toward Tsushima Shuuji had risen considerably. A valuable child was worth extending a measure of understanding to.
Of course, the biggest factor was still Shuuji's appearance.
"Shuuji-kun."
The brown-haired boy sat on the bed with his knees drawn to his chest, expression empty and indifferent, as though he had sealed away his heart.
"Could you tell me how you first met Akiya?"
Randou sat down on the edge of the bed. He had already heard one version of the story from Akiya, but he wanted to hear the other. Anything that concerned his lover was worth uncovering. He wanted to see another side of Akiya.
"..." The brown-haired boy remained silent.
After falling out with his family, he had nowhere to call home. For the first time in seven years, he was spending the night somewhere other than the Tsushima household.
Was he happy?
A little.
Did he feel liberated?
Not really.
The shadows of the past still clung to him.
Randou said amiably, "In exchange, I'll answer any questions you have about Akiya. While he's not here, you can ask all the things he probably wouldn't want you to know."
The brown-haired boy's gaze shifted slightly, lingering on the foreigner's features.
"Why did he send Shibusawa Tatsuhiko to find me?"
"I'd guess Akiya wanted you to give Tatsuhiko a hard time. Unfortunately, you didn't. Instead, you made him realize something was wrong. Even though the two of you only met once seven years ago, in Akiya's memory, you were a lively, brilliant child—not someone this quiet." Randou's answer was remarkably close to the truth.
The brown-haired boy's eyes met Randou's for only an instant before dropping to the scarf around his neck and the coat he wore.
Years of oppression had left him unable to comfortably meet another person's gaze.
Smiling, Randou continued, "You're the first child who's ever bitten him. Kids usually adore that guy. I'd always thought no child could dislike him. I never expected him to fail with you."
No wonder he approached me looking so confident, the boy thought.
So this 'child magnet' has quite the history.
"Your turn," Randou reminded him.
"It was just a coincidence. I met him while I was out with a servant during one of my rare trips outside..."
Reluctantly honoring their bargain, the boy recounted what had happened seven years ago in his youthful voice.
Though he had believed he had buried those memories long ago, they resurfaced with startling clarity.
Only the happiness they had once contained had become impossibly distant.
After listening to the entire story, Randou frowned in puzzlement. "How did he know you had a special ability?"
The brown-haired boy sneered. "Perhaps he used a special ability on me."
Randou fell silent.
This child...
His childhood had been so steeped in darkness that he was covered in thorns, instinctively choosing to interpret everyone else's actions through the worst possible lens.
Akiya's 'special ability' was nothing but an act!
There was no easy way to explain that to Tsushima Shuuji, so Randou let the subject drop.
"Shuuji-kun, have you rinsed your mouth?"
The brown-haired boy became aware of the metallic taste of blood lingering in his mouth once more.
Randou coaxed him gently. "There's blood in your mouth. It can't taste very pleasant. Go rinse it out at the sink. Akiya's gone to see the doctor, so he won't be back for a while."
The boy nodded sluggishly.
Randou walked over to the suite's landline and called the hotel staff to arrange dinner.
The moment he let his guard down, the seemingly obedient, hollow-eyed Tsushima Shuuji slipped quietly out of the bathroom. Silent as a cat, he crept on tiptoe, carefully opened the door, and tried to escape.
"Where do you think you're going, little one?"
Almost instinctively, Randou flicked a golden cube toward him.
It struck Shuuji on the head.
The cube never expanded as it normally would.
Instead, it vanished.
Randou froze.
"Huh?"
Shuuji's sharp eyes seized the opportunity, and he bolted.
Randou's mind went blank. He stared at his own hands, experiencing the same stunned disbelief Shibusawa Tatsuhiko had.
Ever since awakening his special ability, he had never once been defeated.
Yet he couldn't overcome a child who knew nothing about special abilities.
Forgetting all about chasing after him, Randou blurted out in rare discomposure, "My power... My ability's priority is lower than his too?!"
In the end, Tsushima Shuuji couldn't escape the hotel. He was eventually found hiding inside and brought back.
After making several rounds through the building, Randou caught him and returned him to the suite.
Although Illuminations was suppressed by Shuuji's ability before it could even touch his body, Randou could sense the exact point where it was erased.
The child's game of hide-and-seek had ultimately been no match for an adult.
Back in the suite, Randou began tossing golden cubes at Tsushima Shuuji one after another.
At first, Shuuji watched with fascination, trying to touch the special ability.
Later, after realizing he could never catch the golden cubes no matter how hard he tried, he curled up on the sofa with a thoroughly bored expression.
Randou activated Illuminations, but the moment it came into contact with Shuuji, it was nullified.
Circling the sofa, Randou instead wrapped a layer of subspace around him, keeping a slight distance from the boy's body. A pale golden barrier shimmered into existence—and, this time, it remained.
Unfortunately, the only effect it retained was soundproofing.
If this were a game, his ability was doing nothing but producing endless Miss notifications.
Nullified!
Nullified!
Ability attack nullified!
Ability defense nullified!
Illuminations had become nothing more than an attractive shell.
Randou tugged absentmindedly at the scarf around his neck. Beneath it, faint kiss marks still lingered against the European man's pale skin, drawing several curious glances even from the usually indifferent Shuuji.
What are those...? Mosquito bites?
By the time Asou Akiya returned from the nearest clinic after getting his shot, the scene that greeted him was a thoroughly demoralized Randou... and Shuuji quietly eating dinner by himself.
Akiya blinked, feeling as though their roles had somehow been reversed.
"Randou? Aren't you going to eat?"
Randou answered in a daze, "Why is my power inferior to his...?"
The beautiful Frenchman sat curled up in an armchair, covering his face with both hands as quiet, miserable breaths escaped him, almost like muffled sobs. In this country, in this city, he could no longer tell Akiya that he was invincible. His confidence had been shattered.
From now on, his place in the household food chain had automatically dropped by one rank.
The moment Akiya heard that, his heart sank.
Oh no... I'd actually managed to traumatize even Randou, a Transcendent.
"Randou, you don't need to compare yourself to him! You're a spatial-type ability user! Your ability can attack and defend—it's leagues better than his!"
"I don't believe you. Akiya's lying to me... sniff..." Randou shook his head desperately.
Akiya patiently tried to reason with him. "You're an adult. How hard can it be to defeat a child?"
Randou remained adamant. "Winning through brute force would be dishonorable."
Akiya was at a loss. So Randou insisted on defeating Shuuji's ability... with his own ability?
"Ah, I've got it!"
"...?"
Randou looked up at his brilliant, dependable lover with eyes shimmering in helpless anticipation.
Asou Akiya leaned over and whispered into his ear.
The idea was simple—inspired by what happened in the original story. The humanoid manifestations inside Illuminations could wield real cold weapons or firearms, allowing them to inflict genuine physical damage on someone with anti-ability powers.
Summon a master marksman, and they could shoot the enemy dead.
Summon an expert assassin, and one slash of a dagger across the throat would do the job.
Summon enough corpses, and they could simply bury the target alive beneath their weight.
And if none of that worked, Randou could drain all the oxygen from the subspace—or fill it with poison gas. By constantly expanding and contracting the subspace, he could ensure the target never reached its boundaries, forcing them to run themselves ragged until they eventually died in an environment no human could survive.
As long as he was willing to use his head, Randou would never run out of ways to kill someone. His methods simply evolved with the times.
Shuuji maintained the image of a withdrawn, emotionally shut-off child while straining to catch every word. No matter how hard he listened, however, he couldn't make out a thing.
Because they weren't speaking Japanese.
He rubbed his ears in frustration. At that moment, even the food in his mouth suddenly lost all its flavor.
Damned adults.
They're discussing how to kill me right in front of me... and they won't even let me hear it!
The happier Randou became, the more uneasy Shuuji grew.
Akiya, however, had no intention of frightening the boy any further. It was enough that Shuuji understood what danger was. At least he hadn't lost his will to survive.
Akiya walked over. "What are you eating? Randou, come join us."
Shuuji immediately set down his chopsticks and headed back toward his room.
Akiya caught hold of him and pulled out a tissue to gently wipe his mouth.
"There aren't any servants here, so you'll have to start taking care of yourself, Shuuji-kun. If you can't sleep tonight, you can turn on the TV and watch some cartoons or a movie."
"...Let go of me."
Shuuji recoiled from his touch with undisguised disgust. A flicker of hurt crossed Akiya's face, but he quickly pulled himself together.
"Good night, Shuuji."
Bang.
The bedroom door shut.
Out in the living room, however, the two adults began discussing something Shuuji knew nothing about.
Akiya asked, "Randou, how's his hearing?"
"It's all right," Randou replied. "It doesn't seem to have suffered any serious damage, though it should probably be examined more thoroughly."
Akiya murmured, "If the damage turns out to be irreversible... I wonder if stopping his heart first and then injuring his ears would let his eardrums regenerate when he's revived..."
Randou stared at him.
"...?"
Akiya smiled apologetically. "I know a healing-type ability user. She can heal almost any acquired physical injury—but only after the patient has been beaten to the brink of death."
A cold sweat broke out on Randou's back.
That sort of healing ability sounds terrifying...
"Shuuji-kun's ability nullifies other people's abilities."
"Yeah." Akiya nodded. "We'll just have to think of another solution."
With that, he finally set the troubling matter aside.
When it was finally time for bed, the two of them retired to the master bedroom. Randou brought up Shuuji's earlier escape attempt, convinced the boy wouldn't quietly stay in his room for the entire night.
Curled up against Akiya, he asked softly, "We can't spend all night watching to see if he runs away."
Akiya came up with an idea.
"Block the door."
The subspace cubes that Illuminations carved out from reality became the perfect movers. With Randou's increasingly refined control over his ability, it was like playing with building blocks. He neatly stacked the living room furniture in front of Shuuji's bedroom door, sealing it so completely that there was no way an eleven-year-old could push it open.
Akiya yawned.
Satisfied with their handiwork, he and Randou went to sleep.
Ordinarily, children simply couldn't outsmart adults with far more life experience.
No matter how intelligent you were, without the strength to back it up, you were still just a little kitten that hadn't finished growing.
Bang—! Bang! Bang!
Unable to open the door in the middle of the night, Shuuji threw his full weight against it again and again, using every ounce of strength he had, yet it refused to budge. He had seriously underestimated the many uses of the ability Illuminations.
At last, exhausted, he slid down the door and sat on the floor.
His lips puckered into a sulky pout.
For the first time, his clever mind was completely useless.
"Those two—!"
"Jerks."
A tiny diamond heart cracked.
———
TL Note:
Ahem. Sorry for disappearing for a few weeks... Depression hit me like a truck again. I'm doing fine now, though!
I'm also back to looking for a job again, so there's that. Updates will probably be slow for a while.
Also, I'm getting into Baccano! now because I read this one fanfic that was pretty damn good, and it really piqued my interest in the series.
The fic is "黑历史太多被找上门怎么办?"(What Do I Do When My Dark History Comes Back to Haunt Me?). It's a massive crossover featuring Fate, Bungou Stray Dogs, Baccano!, Katekyo Hitman Reborn!, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure... Oh, and The Prince of Tennis is there too, I guess.
And while we're on the topic of other fics, here are a few recommendations I've enjoyed, just in case anyone's interested:
1. "Cos魏尔伦的我穿越了"(Cosplayed as Verlaine and Transmigrated) — Written by the same author who wrote this fic. The real-life Arthur Rimbaud transmigrates into Bungou Stray Dogs and becomes Verlaine. Multiple pairings.
2. "我变成魏尔伦了怎么办"(What Do I Do Now That I've Become Verlaine?)— A guy from Hunter × Hunter transmigrates into Bungou Stray Dogs and becomes Verlaine. Verlaine/Rimbaud.
3. "cos真人也要悬壶济世[综英美]"(Even as Mahito, I Still Have to Save Lives [Marvel/DC]) — A guy becomes Mahito and ends up in the Marvel/DC universe. Mahito/Superman.
4. "cos上弦之贰,穿到咒术界" (Cosplayed as Upper Rank Two and Got Transported to the Jujutsu World) — A guy becomes Doma and gets transported into the Jujutsu Kaisen world. Doma/Geto.