“When the ferry arrives at northern Kyushu, the team will be dismissed. I’ll stay there in order to discuss matters with Bud. But Todo-san and Toshi-kun, you'll take the Shinkansen bullet train together. Kazutaka-san and Ren, you'll fly back together, okay? Thank you.”
✦ ✦ ✦
Fuwa thanked everyone and offered a sincere apology to Kazutaka who had a feeling that Ren might secretly have a crush on Fuwa. If Ren did, Kazutaka could see why.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Are you disappointed to find that you were carrying a replica around?”
✦ ✦ ✦
Kazutaka shook his head to Ren’s question.
✦ ✦ ✦
“I’m not disappointed. I’m just wondering why Shīno made me do it.”
✦ ✦ ✦
“When you go back, you should really tell him not to get you involved in anything like this again.”
✦ ✦ ✦
“I have a hard time saying no when someone asks for a favor.”
✦ ✦ ✦
“You are such a sucker.”
✦ ✦ ✦
“Look who’s talking. I was there when Fuwa-san called you. You quickly accepted his request and practically flew right over here.”
✦ ✦ ✦
“It’s because it was Yuri. I’m not a sucker. I’m particular.”
✦ ✦ ✦
Kazutaka nodded.
✦ ✦ ✦
“You like Fuwa-san, don’t you?”
✦ ✦ ✦
“I like him just like many other people like him.”
✦ ✦ ✦
“Just like many other people? How so?”
✦ ✦ ✦
“It’s important for me that Yuri is happy. It’s great if lots of people like him. I feel content to be one of his admirers.”
✦ ✦ ✦
Kazutaka thought to himself that he and Ren thought a lot alike.
✦ ✦ ✦
We need to know what really matters. Our own happiness is certainly important, but the happiness of someone you love must be equally, if not more important. Kazutaka wasn’t comfortable if the relationship was one-sided and he felt the same way about his work as well. He highly valued the feelings and happiness of the students. If he could find hopes for their future and lives, and if he could smile with them, Kazutaka felt happy. Human beings were meant to be sympathetic, Kazutaka believed. Therefore, Kazutaka understood where Ren was coming from. He found himself thinking aloud.
✦ ✦ ✦
“You're a nice guy, Ren.”
✦ ✦ ✦
Ren looked surprised. “I’m not nice. I’m just reserved.”
✦ ✦ ✦
“That, too, I guess. But it’s more than that. You're very considerate, Ren.”
✦ ✦ ✦
“Stop it. Don’t flatter me. You won’t get anything in return.”
✦ ✦ ✦
“All right, all right.”
✦ ✦ ✦
Kazutaka smiled, which triggered Ren’s laughter. They both realized their hearts had become close. It was much closer than either of them suspected though.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Does your wrist hurt?”
✦ ✦ ✦
“It’s not bad.”
✦ ✦ ✦
“Let me wrap it up with some bandages. Stainless steel handcuffs must be rough on your skin and bones. The bandages will provide a little cushion when you are pulled by its weight.”
✦ ✦ ✦
Kazutaka nodded and said, “Thank you.” Ren left the room to get some bandages from the kiosk. Apparently, Ren didn’t think Kazutaka required watching any more. He left the room key on the table in front of Kazutaka.
✦ ✦ ✦
Ren put away his equipment and tools. He decided to spend the rest of his time on board preparing clothes for Kazutaka. Fuwa provided a casual lightweight windbreaker. Ren bought a sewing kit at the kiosk, came up with a design, and started cutting and sewing.
✦ ✦ ✦
Kazutaka was busy thinking about his class.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Can I call my students, Ren?”
✦ ✦ ✦
Ren told him to go ahead and placed the cell phone on the bed. Kazutaka started dialing and suddenly stopped.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Not enough battery. I guess I can’t call them all. Umm... I want to check on Mika, at least. Or maybe I should just concentrate on returning the missed calls.”
✦ ✦ ✦
Kazutaka tried to make a decision about to who he should call given the limited battery life left. He hesitated for quite some time.
✦ ✦ ✦
Ren didn’t say a word. He watched Kazutaka thinking and rethinking.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Let’s see. ‘I have a cold. Don’t come see me because I don’t want you to catch it from me. I’ll see you when I get better. Kazutaka.’ That should do.”
✦ ✦ ✦
Kazutaka talks to himself often. I remember some book said that those who talk to themselves tend to get lonely easily. That doesn’t apply to everyone, but there is some truth to it. People who feel lonely may be more sensitive to other people’s needs.
✦ ✦ ✦
After sending the message, Kazutaka lay back down onto the bed.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Are you going to sleep?”
✦ ✦ ✦
“No. But I’m still feeling nauseous when I'm sitting up.”
✦ ✦ ✦
“You haven’t gotten over your seasickness, huh?”
✦ ✦ ✦
“I’ll be okay. It’s not as bad. Maybe I’m getting used to this.”
✦ ✦ ✦
It didn’t look like Kazutaka was used to it at all. He was still pale and his movements were slow. Ren worried that Kazutaka would remain ill until getting off the ferry.
✦ ✦ ✦
On the other hand, it was nice sewing as he watched Kazutaka sleeping beside him.
✦ ✦ ✦
Ren loved working. He was happy as long as he had something to do, be it operating, tuning, or repairing machines at the factory, cooking, sewing, or gardening. Ren had been doing household chores since childhood. He wasn’t sexist regarding labor either. He found a job around himself that needed doing, such as mopping the floor or doing the laundry, and got on with it.
✦ ✦ ✦
Conversely, Ren couldn't just spend time puttering around or not doing anything. That was why his factory was open seven days a week. With or without Ōkuni-kun, Ren bustled about the factory. If Ren wasn’t operating the machines, he was busy doing maintenance on them.
✦ ✦ ✦
So Ren thought nothing of sewing clothes for Kazutaka. He didn’t mind doing the task at all. By around 5:00 p.m., Kazutaka’s cape was 90 percent done. Ken called to inform them that Shīno was on the move.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Ken tells me Shīno’s in casual wear but looks like he’s going out somewhere,” Fuwa said as he walked into Ren’s room with a cell phone pressed against his ear.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Where would he be going? Narita Airport, possibly? No way, huh? I told him to bring three hundred million yen to Narita at one in the afternoon.”
✦ ✦ ✦
“You didn’t say that to Shīno, did you, Ren? You’re bad.”
✦ ✦ ✦
Ren explained the series of phone calls they'd made that morning. Fuwa burst into laughter.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Shīno will never bring the ransom money. But I think a little threat like that should teach him a lesson after what he’s done to an innocent middle school teacher. No more threats, though, Ren. We don’t know where Shīno is heading, but we can’t afford to reveal our location. It could put Kazutaka-san in a dangerous spot.”
✦ ✦ ✦
Fuwa tapped on Ren’s chest, still laughing. Ren tilted his head and put his hand on his chest.
✦ ✦ ✦
Huh? My heart didn’t start jumping.
✦ ✦ ✦
Ren’s heart used to give a small jump and begin to ache whenever Fuwa touched him, triggering memories of their time together. When Fuwa touched him so casually today, Ren was unfazed. He mentally shrugged. Perhaps he'd gotten too old for that. Ren went back to finishing up Kazutaka’s cape. Ken called Fuwa again.
✦ ✦ ✦
“He may be going abroad? Okay, got it. He’s in Hakozaki now? All right. Thank you.”
✦ ✦ ✦
Once he'd hung up, Fuwa shook Kazutaka gently. “Kazutaka-san, could you get up now?”
✦ ✦ ✦
Kazutaka didn’t respond. Although he'd said that he wasn’t going to sleep, Kazutaka was in dreamland.
✦ ✦ ✦
If Shīno went overseas, they'd be unable to remove the handcuffs. Fuwa needed Kazutaka to wake up in order to stop Shīno from leaving, but Kazutaka didn’t open his eyes.
✦ ✦ ✦
“What should we do? With his hand chained to an attaché case, it’ll be difficult for Kazutaka-san to get back to his daily life.”
✦ ✦ ✦
“Yeah, he’ll have trouble just taking a bath or even eating.”
✦ ✦ ✦
“Moreover, he won’t even be able to change his clothes. Unless he cuts them up, he won’t be able to take them off or put them on.”
✦ ✦ ✦
“What was Shīno thinking anyway? He knows Kazutaka can’t live with handcuffs on. Shīno asked him to transport the jewelry and then used him as a decoy. And now he’s going abroad, leaving Kazutaka helpless? That’s outrageous.”
✦ ✦ ✦
“Do you think one of the machines at your factory could cut through the chain?”
✦ ✦ ✦
At Fuwa’s question, Ren paused in his sewing.
✦ ✦ ✦
“You want me to take this guy to my factory, Yuri? What if he turns me in to the police?”
✦ ✦ ✦
“He won’t do that.”
✦ ✦ ✦
Fuwa smiled as he tucked Kazutaka in bed.
✦ ✦ ✦
“There’s a good reason why he won’t turn you in.”
✦ ✦ ✦
“What is it?”
✦ ✦ ✦
“Don’t you know?”
✦ ✦ ✦
“What is that?”
✦ ✦ ✦
“Never mind. If you don’t know, that’s okay. Let’s go eat something while he’s asleep, Ren.”
✦ ✦ ✦
“Kazutaka might wake up and need to go to the bathroom. I’ll have to help him when that happens. So I can’t go to the restaurant because I've got to stay here, Yuri”
✦ ✦ ✦
“See? That’s what I’m talking about,” Fuwa said with a shrug and smiled mischievously. Then Yuri picked up Kazutaka’s cell phone and walked to the window.
✦ ✦ ✦
“What kind of relationship do you think he has with Shīno, Ren?”
✦ ✦ ✦
Ren mumbled, “He said they were friends.”
✦ ✦ ✦
“Don’t you think this is strange? Shīno doesn’t seem to that think they're friends. Ken checked Shīno’s phone but didn’t find Kazutaka Yui among the saved numbers or on the speed dial.”
✦ ✦ ✦
“Is that so?”
✦ ✦ ✦
“Kazutaka-san doesn’t have Shīno Jewelry among the contacts on his cell phone, either. It certainly doesn’t look like they are good friends. It may be more like...Shīno's maybe got something on Kazutaka-san. And that’s why Kazutaka-san can’t say no when Shīno asks for a favor.”