At Port Mafia Headquarters, Asou Akiya found himself under a relentless barrage of overseas phone calls.
A French publishing house contacted him, asking whether he would be willing to give a press interview. Another publisher, having spotted the words "Jean Nicolas's latest poems" in the promotional material for his new book, kept calling him without pause, eager to ask about the famously reclusive poet, who had not published any poetry in years.
Now promoted to Port Mafia executive, Asou Akiya dealt with them decisively. He refused every request without hesitation, blocked their numbers, and finally enjoyed a little peace and quiet.
The Port Mafia now had three executives: Yagishita Kazuyuki, The Colonel, and Asou Akiya.
Asou Akiya had secured the position despite being an ordinary human with no ability, and no one objected anymore. His unwavering loyalty to the Boss, along with his desperate overnight search for doctors, had earned the recognition of the entire underworld.
Promoting a subordinate like him was simply the obvious choice.
Loyal, capable of making enormous profits, intelligent, lacking any supernatural ability, and therefore exceedingly unlikely to betray his superior.
Countless organization leaders couldn't help envying the Port Mafia. Looking back at their own subordinates, they could find faults by the basketful, and many secretly resolved to give capable non-ability users more opportunities in the future.
People's hearts and their interests would always be what mattered most.
The newly appointed Executive Asou promptly handed his workload over to his direct subordinate, Mori Ougai. He also shifted his investment strategy toward long-term holdings, eliminating the need to spend hours in front of a computer and giving himself plenty of opportunities to slack off.
Mori Ougai: "..."
Well, considering how much money it made... I suppose I can live with it.
During the two months they spent working together, Asou Akiya and Mori Ougai had already reached a "gentlemen's agreement": neither would interfere with the other's affairs.
Mori Ougai was free to curry favor with the Port Mafia Boss and earn his trust, while Asou Akiya could continue buying medicine from him on a regular basis, much to the benefit of his nightlife.
The advantage of not serving as the Boss in name while secretly controlling the Port Mafia from the shadows was that he no longer had to spend all his time at headquarters. He could always find an excuse to visit Randou, share lunch together in the office—feeding each other bite after bite—and steal a little playtime with his boyfriend.
Life was wonderful.
Even Edogawa Ranpo and Fukuzawa Yukichi received his quiet support.
From June through July, very little information about the Skilled Business Permit leaked out. Those who knew of its existence were few, and even fewer understood what it was actually for.
Asou Akiya protected his own "children" and their guardian by flooding the underworld with false leads and smokescreens. Since the Port Mafia itself made no move to seize the permit, outsiders became even more convinced it had never been real. As time passed, both insiders and outsiders gradually lost interest and abandoned the matter altogether.
Having passed Natsume Souseki's second test, the Armed Detective Agency was finally established.
Its office was located in the four-story red brick building.
In its early days, the Agency had very few members and occupied only the fourth floor. Fukuzawa Yukichi rented out the remaining three floors on Ranpo's behalf, giving him a much more generous allowance.
To keep things fair, Asou Akiya simply bought Nakahara Chuuya and the Sheep a new base of operations.
It was another building with more than ten years of history, large enough to accommodate many people, and conveniently located near the school. He registered the property under Nakahara Chuuya's name and hired workers to remodel the interior into individual single-occupancy rooms suitable for one person each.
It was his gift to his son—a dormitory of his own.
Until they all found work, he was certain the orphans of the Sheep would love living there.
The Sheep finally had a place of their own to settle down in the city.
Asou Akiya also quietly pulled Nakahara Chuuya aside and said, "Fukuzawa-san's Armed Detective Agency has just been established. They don't have many members yet, so they won't need employee housing for now. But once they grow, they'll definitely need somewhere for everyone to live. When that time comes, sell this building to Ranpo."
He paused for emphasis.
"Whatever you do, don't give it to him for free. Make sure you earn a nice profit off him."
Hearing that his father had planned out not only his present but even his future—and that he could even fleece Ranpo after the property's value increased—Nakahara Chuuya was overjoyed.
"Dad, doesn't Ranpo know about this?"
"Him? He's perfectly happy right now. The rental income alone has already earned him a small fortune."
"The rent..."
"Don't worry. I treat all my children equally. I raised your allowance too, so don't feel embarrassed. I can't very well let your allowance be smaller than Ranpo's."
Money wasn't everything, but a great many troubles came from not having enough of it.
Using the foresight of a transmigrator, Asou Akiya made his fortune, then spent every legitimately earned yen on taking care of his family. It filled him with both satisfaction and happiness, giving his life a clear purpose.
Who said working for the mafia meant you had to make dirty money?
Every cent he earned was aboveboard, capable of withstanding any government audit, and not to mention he even paid taxes.
After work, Asou Akiya went to pick Randou up, just like any ordinary office worker collecting their partner after a day's work. They went to work in the morning, had lunch together at noon, and returned home side by side in the evening.
Randou cherished this routine of brief partings followed by joyful reunions.
Hand in hand, they walked home together.
Shibusawa's butler had already arrived and promptly presented Young Master Tatsuhiko's gift—
A chinchilla cat.
With its thick, luxurious coat and adorably grumpy face, the chinchilla cat spotted Asou Akiya the moment it saw him. It squeezed out of its carrier, leapt down from the sofa, and wrapped its front paws around his leg.
Akiya's heart instantly melted.
Without thinking, he scooped up the real cat and cuddled it in his arms, giving it a thorough rub.
Not only did it smell wonderful, but its fur was unbelievably soft and fluffy.
Hearing a quiet huff beside him, Akiya lifted the chinchilla cat and asked, "Randou, do you want to keep it?"
Randou replied with a question of his own.
"Do you like it that much?"
It was a pointless question.
His man was positively beaming. Work was going perfectly—he'd just earned a promotion and a raise. His home life was blissfully happy. The only thing missing had been a cat.
The way he held the chinchilla, it was as though he were cradling a little angel.
Very well. At least this kind of chinchilla was much cuter than the other "Chinchilla."
"We can keep it," Randou agreed.
As the other master of the household and as the lover of Shibusawa Tatsuhiko's teacher, he turned to the butler and asked, "How old is it? Male or female?"
The butler answered immediately.
"Exactly one year old. A male chinchilla cat."
Randou extended a gloved finger, his elegant fingertip lightly tapping the cat's head through the leather.
"Let's take him to be neutered tomorrow."
"..."
"..."
Both grown men instinctively felt a phantom chill below the waist.
Only the chinchilla cat, nestled in the arms of the nice-smelling human, let out a sweet little cry.
"Meow?"
Asou Akiya stroked it sympathetically.
"Don't be afraid."
It was said that cats held grudges against their owners after being neutered. After giving it one last affectionate cuddle, he promptly stuffed the cat back into the butler's arms.
If it was going to resent someone, it could resent that person instead.
"Sorry to trouble you with taking it back. You'll have to make another trip tomorrow!"
"...Not at all, sir."
The butler had a sinking feeling that he would never be able to go near this cat again.
He'd probably be scratched to death.
As a cat... It absolutely mustn't take after Young Master Tatsuhiko!
That evening, the children came home.
The family gathered around the dinner table, warm and lively as always. Fukuzawa Yukichi had also grown accustomed to being invited over for meals before heading home afterward. The Silver Wolf had to admit that living as though every day were a family gathering felt surprisingly nice.
After Fukuzawa Yukichi left, the two boys sprawled on the sofa to digest their dinner.
"Chuuya, Ranpo, I've got a job for the two of you."
Asou Akiya clapped his hands to get their attention before assigning them what was essentially extracurricular homework.
"A cat will be coming to our house tomorrow. I want you two to buy it some toys and a cat bed."
Nakahara Chuuya blinked in surprise and scratched his head.
"A cat?"
Edogawa Ranpo looked positively eager for praise.
"I know! It's the cat Shibusawa Tatsuhiko sent!"
Asou Akiya tossed him an after-dinner mint.
"Correct."
Nakahara Chuuya covered his face.
He really was hopelessly bad at buzzing in with the answer first.
Asou Akiya decided to give Chuuya and Ranpo an equal chance to compete.
"Whichever one of you buys the toy the cat likes best," he said, "will get praised by me tomorrow."
The two boys' competitive spirits ignited instantly as they locked eyes.
Edogawa Ranpo stuck out his tongue. "I'm definitely going to win!"
Nakahara Chuuya snorted. "Forget everything else. When it comes to playing with cats, I'm better than you. At least I've petted stray cats before. Have you?"
Ranpo, who was still at the age where even cats and dogs found him annoying, puffed out his cheeks in frustration.
It had to be because of Uncle Fukuzawa's aura!
He'd been able to pet cats back in the countryside, but ever since coming to the city, not a single cat would let him touch it!
"You have a Gravity ability! You're not afraid of getting bitten!"
"And don't you have an ability? Hmph, 'Super Deduction.' Go deduce what the cat wants, then!"
"Damn it—!"
"Getting mad won't help you, Ranpo."
"You short-legged orange kitten!"
"What?! You actually insulted me! Dad, he called me names!"
Before he realized it, Nakahara Chuuya had let the familiar form of address slip out.
Randou glanced over.
With a smile, Asou Akiya slipped an arm around Randou's shoulders.
"Looks like I've become 'Dad.'"
Only then did Nakahara Chuuya realize what he'd said.
His face turned bright red, and he wished the ground would swallow him whole.
He'd forgotten that he wasn't supposed to say things like that in front of Mr. Randou!
Asou Akiya didn't blame Chuuya. Instead, seizing the opportunity, he coaxed the little orange kitten of a God of Calamity as gently as one would soothe an actual cat.
"Chuuya, why don't you call Randou that too?"
Nakahara Chuuya's mind turned to mush.
His head was spinning, and beneath his colored contacts, his blue eyes shone with barely contained excitement.
He noticed the curious look in Randou's eyes.
...He accepted him.
Thoughts of parents, family, and everything he knew about them surged through his mind. Unable to stop himself, Nakahara Chuuya looked at the French ability user who had brought him into this world and softly called out—
"Mom..."
I've found them...
My family...
My father and my mother...
Randou's expression darkened ever so slightly.
Over on the sofa, Edogawa Ranpo hastily buried his face behind a cushion, too afraid to witness what happened next.
You're unbelievably brave, Chuuya!
Ranpo-sama hereby declares you the bravest kid in this family!
...
Clinging to his boyfriend's arm, Randou spoke in a tone that sounded almost perfectly calm.
"This child wasn't raised properly. Can we return him?"
"...No."
Calm down.
He's your biological son!!!
You're France's Rimbaud, and he's destined to become Japan's future "Rimbaud"!
Besides...
Chuuya is adorable!
Asou Akiya watched Nakahara Chuuya, who had been sealed inside the subspace of Illuminations and left bobbing helplessly in midair with a pitiful, on-the-verge-of-tears expression.
There was nothing he could do to help.
Calling Randou "wife" was a matter of playful affection between lovers.
Calling Randou "Mom," however...
A Frenchman had to defend his masculine dignity.
"Chuuya-kun, I'm a man," Randou said. "According to Japanese family customs, the proper way to address me is—"
"Fa—ther."
"Un-der-stood?"
At that moment, Randou stood with a cold, commanding gaze, radiating the imposing presence that had once belonged to Arthur Rimbaud himself.
"If you can break through my Illuminations, then I'll admit you're right. And tonight, your homework is to write ten poems. Did you hear me?"
Faced with a French Transcendent, the entire family cowered.
No matter how prestigious their positions were outside the house, no matter how many bestselling books they published, the most dangerous person in the family was still the gentle, mild-mannered-looking Randou.
Television time was canceled.
After being released from Illuminations, Nakahara Chuuya trudged miserably to the study to write poetry.
That night, he wrote with remarkable speed.
Poets were creatures of emotion; the more despondent or intense their feelings, the more easily inspiration flowed.
Jean Nicolas's poetry had become so infrequent partly because his life had grown too happy and fulfilled. The fiery passion of young love had settled into the quiet warmth of family life, leaving him too content to rack his brains composing poems.
After reading the poems the dejected little boy had written, the corners of Randou's lips curled upward as he struggled not to laugh.
Akiya.
You said he would inherit my place in the world of poetry?
The next Jean Nicolas?
Is that really how you see me?
Randou mercifully reached out and ruffled Chuuya's little head.
"Try not to be so silly next time."
"Off to bed."
The French beauty returned to his bedroom, eager to share the poem Chuuya had written.
Completely unaware that the commotion surrounding the new book overseas was about to spread to him as well.
The name Jean Nicolas was about to become the center of attention once again.
...
Sorrowful Hope
The guide cast me out and said, "Hope lies ahead."
I stumbled onward,
drenched to the bone as the rain poured down.
The guide cast me out and said, "Hope lies ahead."
I ran back,
eyes squeezed tightly shut.
The guide came to see me.
I was knocked unconscious.
When I opened my eyes,
a thousand angels were playing basketball.
This must be "Hope", right?
—Nakahara Chuuya.