Chapter Text
Hiromi had been waiting inside Café Alps for Masato to arrive for some time. He’d sent her an apologetic text saying that he’d gotten caught up in a last-minute meeting and would be late. Wondering if this ‘meeting’ was actually work-related or something else entirely, Hiromi mentally slapped herself for allowing such thoughts. Ever since she had her suspicions of Ogasawara’s death and the way he’d reacted to seeing Ichiban again, she’d come to regard Masato more cautiously than usual.
“Hiromi, it’s been a while.”
The warm, familiar voice coupled together with a face she hadn’t seen in nearly two years completely caught her off-guard when she saw who it was. Even with his greying hair and the new appearance of a goatee, the older gentleman still kept a similar attire, with a few minor changes. With the way things were lately, this was one welcome sight for sore eyes.
“Father, what a surprise! What are you doing here?!” Hiromi looked up from the work report she’d been glossing over.
Father? Arakawa-san? She wasn’t sure exactly how to address him anymore. It had been so long since they last saw each other, but the older gentleman seemed to think nothing of it. Instead, he found it touching that she was still willing to address him as such. Seeing her again brought a sense of relief to him as well, more so without the presence of her husband. It was unfortunate to think of his son in such a way, but that was just the way things were now.
“I just happened to be passing the area when I saw you from the outside. Thought it might be a good idea to stop by, since I haven’t had the luxury of seeing you lately. May I?” Arakawa pointed to the empty seat opposite her. Hiromi immediately nodded her head in response, inviting her father-in-law to sit down.
“Looks like I’ve got my work cut out for me bumping into you here,” the acting Omi Alliance captain said in an attempt to sound cheerful. “I’d been planning on visiting you guys, but you being here alone makes things a little easier, I suppose.”
Hiromi could only stare at him, unsure of what he meant by visiting her without Masato around. Surely he would have wanted to see his son at some point, too? Why only her?
“Of course, meeting the both of you together would be ideal under normal circumstances, but right now, there are some things I’d like to personally discuss with you if that’s alright,” Arakawa said, catching on to what she was thinking from the look on her face.
“I’m not quite sure I follow,” Hiromi admitted, slightly tilting her head to the side.
“My son… he’s really changed over the years, hasn’t he? Especially after entering politics. I’m sure you must’ve noticed this too.”
Hiromi bit her bottom lip, immediately casting her eyes away from her father-in-law; a move that only served to confirm his suspicions.
“It’s- It’s difficult to describe,” Hiromi admitted with a sigh. “Sometimes things are as they always were and it’s pleasant, but lately his temper’s been getting even more aggressive when things don’t go his way. Even Sawashiro-san has trouble getting his mood under control these days. Truth be told, sometimes, I don’t know if becoming the person he is now as Aoki Ryo was a good thing or not.”
No, ever since he’d gained the use of his legs he’d already begun changing.
There was no doubt that she still loved Masato, but it was as though Ogasawara’s death had shaken her faith in him. Even when she expressed her doubts about him freely allowing the Omi to take over the city, Masato reassured Hiromi that their presence within Kamurocho was a necessary evil and in time, he too, would deal with them accordingly; it was an excuse she decided to accept without question at the time.
Hearing Hiromi’s words, Arakawa couldn’t help but let out a sigh himself. It would seem the situation was worse than he initially thought, but it’s not like he could’ve easily stepped in to intervene. Ever since Masato had managed to move up, he made it abundantly clear that whatever communication between him and his father would be strictly professional.
Inside, Arakawa knew that he was also partly responsible for the way things were; he induled his son’s whims from a young age in an effort to keep him on his good side (which, he had to admit, didn’t quite go his way either).
“You know, sometimes I wonder if it was a mistake allowing him to go through the surgery. Of course, to say he was never ambitious to begin with would be a lie, but…” Arakawa trailed off for a moment.
“Allowing him to do as he pleased even when I knew I should have been more stern, going out of my way to secure his hope for a better future, even supporting his political ambitions when I knew I should have put my foot down… I have only myself to blame for how he turned out. A power hungry politician with little regard for anyone but himself.”
“That’s not true! You only did what you could as his father,” Hiromi protested. “I’m sure wanting to support your child is only natural after all, especially given what you both have gone through.”
Touched by her words, Arakawa broke into a smile. Despite being unable to change the regret he still held, he appreciated her attempt to reassure him. “You’re too kind.”
Arakawa paused for a moment to let out a deep sigh. He closed his eyes in an attempt to keep his cool with the news he was about to break. There was no easy way about this. It was a risky move, but he felt it was only right for her to know as much as he was allowed to reveal.
“Well, I just wanted to let you know that I’m heading off to Osaka soon. That’s the main reason I was planning on visiting you — I thought it only fair for you to know given my prolonged absence.”
“Eh? O- Osaka?” Hiromi’s eyes widened.
The patriarch nodded his head. “Can’t really give many details away and I’ve still got a few more things to iron out to make sure things go as smoothly as possible, but I’ll likely be absent for a while, even if things go well.”
“And how long would that be?” Hiromi asked in disbelief. Had her father-in-law really gone out of his way to come see her, just to go away again soon after? Something told her there was more to his announcement than he was letting on, and she didn’t like it.
“You’re planning something, aren’t you? And you can’t tell me what it is because… because of him,” Hiromi added in a serious tone.
Arakawa said nothing in response. In fact, he couldn’t say anything, even if he wanted to. She was right in suspecting that Arakawa’s reluctance to tell the full story was indeed partly due to his own son.
And yet, to leave his daughter-in-law completely in the dark without saying anything was something he couldn’t fully bring himself to do. Of course, he had no intention of losing his life over what should be a simple ‘meeting’, but having a proper goodbye in case things went south seemed like the right course of action.
He also knew that this would be his only opportunity to bring up his request.
“Listen, Hiromi, even if he completely loses his way, I want you to continue watching over my son, just as you always have. Can you do that?” said Arakawa, leaning forward with a serious expression. “At the end of the day, I believe you and Ichi are the only ones who can fully keep him in check.”
Kasuga-san… Hiromi thought, recalling what had happened in the parking lot during Ogasawara’s funeral and its aftermath, the way he explicitly forbade her from seeing Ichiban and how she’d gone against his wishes.
———
Hiromi knew what she was doing was wrong. She knew that Masato would probably implode if he found out where she went that morning after their conversation.
Tracking Ichiban down to Survive Bar, Hiromi peered inside to see him in deep conversation with his group members. Hiromi had no intention of making direct contact. Just a glance would do; just to see him once. That’s all she needed.
Seeing him the previous day was a shocker. Much like everyone else, she thought he’d been gone. His death was mentioned like a throwaway line when she asked about his whereabouts after his release, hoping they’d get to see each other again. But it seems like she was the last one to find out. Why hadn’t Masato said anything to her about this if he knew? And why did he seem so bitter about this reunion?
Her trespassing would have passed by without much trouble, if his silver-haired comrade hadn’t noticed her standing outside and pointed her out to the rest of the crew.
Immediately, Ichiban turned around, both of their eyes widening instantly as they made eye contact — his in disbelief, hers in panic. Caught red-handed, Hiromi immediately turned around to try and make a dash for it.
“Hiromi-chan!” an all-too-familiar voice called after her, causing Hiromi to stop in her tracks.
“It’s really you, isn’t it?!”
There was really no escaping now, she thought to herself. Hiromi closed her eyes and took a deep breath, mentally preparing herself for this unexpected scenario. Slowly, she turned to face him with a small smile.
“Kasuga-san. It’s been a while.”
“It was you I saw yesterday in the parking lot, wasn't it?” said Ichiban, as though relieved to know that he wasn’t imagining things after all. He took a step towards Hiromi, who in turn, took a step behind to maintain her distance. “So it’s true then? You really did end up marrying the young master?!”
Nothing in the way he spoke seemed to indicate hostility. In fact, he sounded more than happy to see his two childhood friends finally married. It seemed that even though he’d been in prison for 18 years, he was still the cheerful person she knew back then. Hiromi did her best to hold back the tears that tried to form.
“Listen, Hiromi. You have to tell him to stop whatever it is he’s planning. Using people and disposing of them as he pleases, going after people who’re already struggling to survive… This isn’t right!”
I know. I know what he’s doing is wrong, and yet…
Hiromi had to stop herself from speaking out of line.
“Forgive me, Kasuga-san,” was all she managed to reply. She took another step back, eyes lacking the courage to meet Ichiban’s gaze. “I really shouldn’t be here in the first place, but I— I just wanted to make sure it was really you. I’m glad to see you’re doing well.”
“Wait!” Ichiban instinctively called after her. Even if she wanted nothing to do with him anymore, Ichiban told himself he’d always be there to give her a helping hand, should she ever need it. That’s what friends were for, after all.
He motioned for her to wait for a moment, promising that he’d be quick before disappearing back into the bar. He re-emerged soon after, stuffing a piece of tissue paper with his mobile number scrawled on it into her hand.
“Look, I know I was never the best ‘bodyguard’ when we were growing up, and I haven’t been around to support you and the young master all these years but if you ever find yourself in trouble, just give me a call, okay?” he said, clutching her hands tightly. “Even if I’m far away, I’ll come running as fast as I can, I promise!”
Hiromi bit her bottom lip. There was still so much to be said, so much to catch up on. If only things could be as simple as they were back then, Hiromi thought, knowing full well that there was no way back to going the way things were, even if all three of them desired it.
All she could do was look up at Ichiban apologetically against his pleading gaze, as if asking her to open up to him about what’s on her mind. (But she couldn’t. Besides, time was short; the longer she stayed, the guiltier she’d feel.)
“I’m sorry Kasuga-san. I- I need to go now. Goodbye.”
———
A pang of guilt ran through her knowing she’d explicitly gone against his wishes, but that wasn’t even the worst part. The worst part was that she knew she’d probably seek Ichiban out again if things continued the way they did.
“Masato wasn’t very pleased to see him in person again, you know,” Hiromi pointed out nonchalantly.
“I can imagine,” Arakawa let out a pitiful chuckle as he leaned back in his seat. “Even so, you two are the only friends he has, so I’m counting on you guys to make sure he doesn’t go too far.”
He paused, thinking about how he should carefully phrase his next words.
“By the way, Hiromi, I ask that you keep most of what I told you about today to yourself. Who knows how he might react if he found out about the whole thing?”
Hiromi looked at the older gentleman curiously. “What do you mean?”
“Well—”
“Arakawa? Why are you here?”
A familiar voice cut their conversation short. Its owner didn’t bother to hide both his surprise and his disdain for the man in his seat.
“Masato,” Arakawa coolly replied. “Am I not allowed to greet my own son and daughter-in-law every now and then?”
“You know the arrangement,” Masato crossed his arms, making his stance clear. “If I want something from you, I’ll get one of my men to do it for me, and I’d prefer to keep it that way. In the meantime, I don’t want to see you physically near my wife and I, is that clear?”
“Of course. My apologies for disturbing your evening,” Arakawa replied with a hint of sarcasm. He gave his son an acknowledging nod before turning to Hiromi with a more genuine smile. “Well then, I should get going myself. I’m glad to see you doing well after all this time, though. You too, Masato.”
Masato refused to look at his father as he got up and faced his son. Pursing his lips, it seemed like Arakawa wanted to say something more to him. In his eyes, Hiromi saw what she could only describe as an unmistakable sadness, as though disappointed at the man his son had become, and was further turning into. The older yakuza ultimately decided against doing anything else, promptly taking his leave with a curt bow to the couple.
“So, what did he want with you?” Masato immediately inquired as he took his seat where Arakawa had previously sat, proceeding to take a sip of his Blue Mountain that had just arrived while making a mental note to start looking for other places to patronise — Café Alps was by no means unsatisfactory as a meeting spot, but with the number of unwanted faces showing up and its location in a less-than-ideal location for a high-profile individual like him to be spotted at, there were things to consider.
“Nothing, really. He said it was just a coincidence that he saw me from the outside before mentioning something about a trip out of town” Hiromi replied, trying her best not to give too much information away, as Arakawa had instructed her to.
“Is that so?” Masato stopped sipping his coffee halfway, a thought crossing his mind. He could feel his anger start to boil inside. Slowly, he set the cup back down, pushing it to the side. “And did he tell you where he was going and why?”
The way his tone shifted caused her heart to skip a beat, and not in a good way. Hiromi honestly felt awful about concealing the truth from him, but something told her his mood wouldn’t change for the better if she told him what exactly happened.
“O- Only that he was going to be away for a while, but that’s it,” she half-lied, shaking her head, purposely deciding to omit the rest of their conversation. It wasn’t like he explicitly told her why he was going anyway, so she wouldn’t be able to give Masato a clear answer, even if he pressed her for answers.
“Hmm. I see,” he said, deep in thought.
Hiromi was nervous that he’d see right through her, but it seemed like he was more bothered about his father’s plans — whatever they were. In fact, it looked like he was almost angry that he was finding out about it like this. Yet, even if he was, it was obvious Masato was trying his best not to let it show, quickly putting back his usual public persona of a calm, down-to-earth image.
It wouldn’t do any good to cause a scene in public just because there was an unexpected interruption to his evening, after all.
———
“I thought I told you to report his every move to me,” Masato spoke curtly from his chair, with its back facing Sawashiro, who’d come to deliver the upsetting news.
He would have completely shrugged off the encounter between Arakawa and Hiromi as something unimportant; if Sawashiro didn’t break the news about what his father had done a mere few days later.
Sawashiro’s apology didn’t cut it. From Ogasawara, who got what he deserved because he couldn’t keep his mouth shut to Sawashiro, who couldn’t even spot Arakawa’s suspicious activity. Did everyone around him have to be so useless? Then there was also Kume, whom Masato could barely tolerate, but found little choice but to bestow his good graces with for now if he had wanted a better chance at rallying up public support.
It was already bad enough that his father had probably informed Hiromi, of all people, about going to Osaka when he knew how much Masato wanted to keep her out of their businesses but to discover only the reason for it now ? Masato knew his father was deliberately trying to throw him off, and he hated every second of it knowing the latter had succeeded.
No, being furious was a mild way of describing how he felt. Something about his father declaring his departure to Osaka and his intentions to meet the captain of the Omi Alliance still didn’t sit right with him, and he hated it.
Even though Sawashiro had given his word that he’d send Tendo to scope things out, seeing as the acting captain liked him enough, Masato wasn’t content with the outcome. There was a missing piece that was still bugging him at the back of his mind, and although he knew his accusations were mostly likely unfounded, he just couldn’t bring himself to put the matter to rest without a clear, satisfactory answer.
“By the way, Sawashiro,” Masato spoke up just as Sawashiro was about to leave the office. “Dad came to see Hiromi a few days before he left. You wouldn’t happen to know about the extent of her involvement in this, would you?”
Sawashiro paused in his steps. What was the young master getting at? The older man didn’t like where this was going, or what he was insinuating.
“I’m afraid not. As I’ve said, I only knew about his move recently myself,” Sawashiro replied, trying to sound as aloof as possible.
“I see,” the politician mused, turning to look out at the city’s night skyline again. “No matter. I was just wondering if he’d mentioned anything about his plans when they’d met. Seemed awfully defensive about it too when I asked her what he wanted. You don’t think she’d hide something like that from me deliberately, would you?”
“Young master!” Sawashiro couldn’t help but raise his voice defensively. “I understand you being suspicious of everyone else under your thumb as of late, but you should know better than anyone else than to accuse your own wife of conspiring with your father!”
Masato couldn’t help roaring with laughter. “You know, I’ve gotten used to your lectures after all these years, but I think this is the first time I’ve truly seen you get so worked up like this!”
“My apologies, young master,” Sawashiro was quick to take a step back. “I did not mean to speak out of turn.”
“No, I think you’ve made your point abundantly clear already,” Masato shook his head dismissively. “Just proceed as we’ve discussed; but I fully expect things in Osaka to be reported to me immediately, understood?”
Hearing the door finally close behind him, Masato fell back into his office chair. A tired sigh followed.
He pinged his secretary to cancel his plans for the rest of the evening. It seemed like whatever did happen between Arakawa and Hiromi was a matter he’d have to settle himself privately.
———
By the time Masato arrived home, Hiromi was almost done with cleaning up in the kitchen. On the dining table, she’d already set aside his portion of dinner as she usually did whenever he’d be back later, but Masato wasn’t in the mood to eat. Tonight, his appetite was completely lost.
There was simply too much happening at the same time, too much at stake. With Ichiban’s reappearance in their lives, coupled with whatever Arakawa was planning, Masato started to feel that his meticulously planned goals were beginning to crack. But there was no use pondering over the outcome now; he’d just have to wait for the updates from Tendo before he could make his next move.
“Oh, welcome back,” she greeted, happy to see her husband finally home.
“Yeah, finally. Things are getting busier than usual with the elections right around the corner. Honestly, I thought I’d never be able to leave tonight,” Masato sighed, immediately losing the blazer and loosening his tie as he fell back onto the sofa in relief to be back in the comfort of his own home.
“I’m sorry you’ve had to take my place for some of my events lately. I’m sure it can’t be easy when you’ve got appearances of your own,” he added, turning to look at his wife with a forced, ‘grateful’ smile — he had not forgotten his conversation with Sawashiro. Yes, it was true he had no reason to suspect transgression from her, and yes, he knew better than to let his emotions get the better of him in this situation, and yet…
“I guess it can’t be helped, especially when you’re in such high demand right now,” Hiromi forced a small laugh. It would be a lie to say she wasn’t tired from the extra work from his absence, but at least keeping busy helped her forget about what was happening.
Besides, as much as he didn’t want to openly admit it, being apart from Masato seemed to bring a sense of relief lately. It wasn’t like she’d grown to resent him, but his increasingly unstable tantrums and the events surrounding Ogasawara’s sudden passing coupled with the way he reacted when she told him about his father’s Osaka visit made it clear enough that something was amiss.
Even now, it was easy for her to tell he was fuming about something, despite trying to hide it in front of her. However as the years passed, even Hiromi had to admit trying to get him to see reason had become increasingly difficult. From a man who’d usually just grumble and accept the current situation, Masato had now become more prone to denial; trying to justify why things had to work the way he wanted them to.
His father was right. He’d changed, and all from a mere taste of power. Hiromi knew it wasn’t the day he’d officially entered politics, or when he’d founded Bleach Japan with Ogasawara; it was New Year’s Eve, 14 years ago.
Now, between them, there was a sense of unease in the air as a tense silence passed between the two, especially since Arakawa had come to visit her. Hiromi had tried her best to pretend that things were still as they were, but it was becoming increasingly difficult to keep up appearances.
“Hiromi,” Masato suddenly called out from where he sat; the seriousness in his tone sending chills down her spine.
“Wh- What is it?” Hiromi swallowed, approaching him cautiously.
“Are you absolutely sure my father didn’t say anything about his trip? No mentions of why he was going?”
Hiromi stiffened. “I’m afraid I don’t understand.”
“You knew he was going to Osaka, didn’t you? And you didn’t bother to tell me when you knew where he was going?!” Masato exploded, jumping to his feet. “No, let me guess. He probably told you not to say a word about it to me, didn’t he?!”
Hiromi blinked, taken aback by his sudden outburst. Her initial surprise quickly turned into anger, offended that he seemed to be jumping to conclusions about what transpired between her and Arakawa that day.
“Alright, fine! Yes, your father told me he was going to Osaka and yes, he told me not to say anything, but that’s probably because he knew you’d react exactly like this! And you know what? He would have been right!” Hiromi yelled back. “That’s it, that’s all that happened! He refused to tell me anything else! I don’t even know why he was going, I promise!”
A wash of guilt immediately washed over him seeing the hurt look on her face at his accusations. She was telling the truth; and he knew it. There was never any reason to suspect her from the start. Masato sighed, closing his eyes as he allowed himself to sink further into the sofa from the tiredness.
“My apologies, Hiromi. There’s just so many things to deal with right now, everything’s becoming a bit of a blur. No one’s fit enough to do their jobs properly when I ask them to either, and with my dad acting the way he is, knowing what his next move is bothering me more than it should.”
“Masato,” Hiromi calmed herself as she sat down next to him, looking with concern. “Why…why are you so worried about your father’s actions? Did something happen?”
“No… at least nothing you should worry yourself over for now,” Masato shook his head, waving a dismissive hand. “Just a rumour I heard through the grapevine, but we won’t know for sure until it actually happens; if it does at all.”
His answer wasn’t good enough for her. Even if he couldn’t tell her what he was doing for her own good, she didn’t like being completely kept out of it. Being unable to properly act, not knowing what she could do to support him, being told things in bits and pieces by everyone — everything made her feel helpless.
She hated it. She hated feeling like all she could do was watch on the sidelines while everything else around her unraveled.
“Listen, I know there are many things you can’t tell me, and I get that, but still, seeing you like this and being unable to act or fully understand what’s going on,” Hiromi said, reaching to place her hands over his. “Please, if there’s anything I can do to help…”
“You’ve done more than enough, Hiromi. More than I could ever hope to express in words alone,” Masato replied, gently touching her cheek with a grateful smile.
“I know things have been difficult for us lately,” he continued. “And I know I haven’t been completely honest with you about things, but you must understand: putting you directly into harm’s way is the last thing I want.”
Despite what happened within the last few days, her own personal feelings about the whole situation, Masato’s reassurance nevertheless brought slight comfort to her ears. Besides, what other choice did she have? All she could do, for now, was to continue believing he had their best interest at heart, even if it seemed like his methods were getting increasingly dubious.
And there it was. Her smile that he’d always longed for even before they’d got together. The one he would always look forward to coming home to. An expression he doubted would be able to experience the same way if he had chosen to stay with his old life.
Wrapping his arms around her, Masato’s heart skipped a beat, his ever-growing need for success and validation only being fuelled further by her comforting warmth in his embrace. He’d made it this far, and yet there was still such a long way to go before he’d be satisfied with his accomplishments.
And he’d make sure that nobody was going to take this life away from him.
