Vampire and His Pleasant Companions: Volume 6 - Part 12

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After that, they sat down together and discussed their living arrangements. Al gave up his apartment and moved into Akira’s condo, becoming something like a boarder. Judging by the circumstances, this was probably cohabitation, but Akira insisted on calling it a “shared living arrangement,” and Al didn’t object. Since they were equals, they agreed to split rent and utilities evenly. Al’s part-time wages didn’t leave him with much after paying his share, but he didn’t really have anything to spend money on, so it worked out fine.

It was the same as before—but also different. A week passed in their new shared life, and near the end of July, Nukariya visited the apartment for the first time in a while. The suspect in his latest case had been caught, and he smiled, a bit sun-tanned, saying he had “finally settled down.” Looking between Al and Akira, he smiled again and said, “You two look like you’re doing well.”

“We’re just sharing a living space,” Akira replied flatly, avoiding the word “cohabitation,” as always.

Nukariya took a sip of the bottled tea he’d brought as a gift and began chatting idly—complaining about Yanagawa and telling harmless stories. About thirty minutes in, though, his expression turned serious.

“I’ve been wondering if I should tell you this, Akira,” he began, “but I figured not telling you wouldn’t be right either. So I’ll say it.”

That preamble made one face immediately flash through Al’s mind: Yonekura. Akira must’ve thought the same, because his cheek twitched faintly.

“Yesterday, Kaito Yonekura had a visitor.”

“…Oh,” Akira murmured. His expression softened slightly. “I guess he does have someone who still visits him.”

“It was a woman,” Nukariya said. “An ex-girlfriend, apparently.”

Ayane’s face rose in Al’s mind. She had been furious at Yonekura—for abandoning her and their newborn child. And yet… she had gone to see him.

“I see,” Akira said with a sigh of relief. “That’s good.”

But Nukariya’s gaze dropped, and he shook his head slightly. “It’s not that good, actually.”

“She came to the visit with the child. But on the way home… she left him near the police station. Just abandoned him and disappeared. She’d already vacated her apartment the day before and quit her job. No one knows where she went.”

A chill slid deep into Al’s chest.

That little boy who used to walk hand-in-hand with his mother—Ren—had been abandoned.

Ayane had complained endlessly about Yonekura. About making her bear a child only to abandon them. About forcing her to raise the son of a murderer.

And now… she had made her decision.

She had chosen to throw the child away.

Al couldn’t breathe. Anger and sorrow twisted together with the part of him that understood Ayane’s despair.

And the pain of it made it hard to even draw air.

"I don't get it. Why would she abandon the kid after visiting Kaito?"

Akira tilted his head, clearly confused.

"According to the staff member who was present during their visit, the child wasn’t officially acknowledged, but it seems he’s likely Yonekura’s son."

"So she left the kid behind to force him on Kaito? Even though he's behind bars and can't possibly take care of a child?"

"I think she did it knowing all of that. Neither she nor Yonekura has any family, so with no relatives to take the child, he was placed in a facility."

A deeply pained expression crossed Akira’s face.

"You said you wanted to keep visiting Yonekura, didn’t you?" Nukariya said.

Al couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Akira still wanted to see Yonekura? Even after everything that man had done to hurt him?

"I don’t trust that guy," Nukariya went on. "He doesn’t seem the type to feel guilty about lying. I thought it’d be better if you knew what was going on so you wouldn’t fall for some made-up story designed to win your sympathy."

After Nukariya left, Akira didn’t say a single word. He was deep in thought, completely silent even with Al by his side. It wasn’t that he was being ignored—it was more like, to Akira in that moment, Al didn’t even exist.

And Al, for his part, was thinking about the boy who’d been abandoned by his parents. Al had severed ties with his own, but that was after he’d died, so it had felt inevitable. That little boy, though… he was still too young to even understand why he’d been left behind.

“Akira… you still see Yonekura?”

Akira, who’d been staring at a spot on the floor, slowly turned to look at him.

“Yonekura… say bad things. Hurt Akira lots. Why… still want see?”

Yonekura lied. He hurt people—without hesitation, without remorse. Whether with a knife or with words. Even if they’d once known each other, Al didn’t want Akira getting involved with him again. He didn’t want to see Akira retreat into himself again, hiding under the sheets, eating nothing but ice cream.

“Me… no want you see Yonekura.”

He said it firmly. Akira turned his eyes away and muttered, "Still…"

"If I don’t go, there might not be anyone left who’s willing to visit him."

“That’s Yonekura’s own fault!”

Akira let out a small laugh.

"It is, yeah. That’s exactly what it is. He did something unforgivable. He probably won’t ever leave prison. He’ll have to live the rest of his life behind bars. I don’t pity him for that, but… I want him to know at least one person still remembers he exists."

Akira wanted to be the lifeline that connected Yonekura to the outside world. Even after being falsely accused of murder, even after everything that had happened—he still chose to offer that kindness. Al didn’t understand it. He couldn’t.

“By the way,” Akira said suddenly, “you met Kaito’s girlfriend, right?”

"How do you know?"

"When you were looking for leads to catch Kaito, you mentioned finding her account and talking to her."

Al had only mentioned it once, but Akira remembered. He nodded. "Yeah."

"What was she like?"

Al recalled the profile of her face as she sighed and vented her complaints.

"Pretty person."

Now that he thought about it, Ayane had reminded him a lot of Yonekura. Not in looks, but… in the way she thought, in the situation she was in.

“Me meet child… little boy. Name Ren.”

"I see," Akira replied softly, and then fell silent again.

◇:-:◆:-:◇

Just because it was now September didn’t mean summer was over. The sun still beat down harshly, stabbing at the skin. On the way home from the supermarket, Al walked lazily through his own thick shadow when someone exited the convenience store ahead. A silhouette he recognized.

That person turned slightly, perhaps noticing his gaze. Their eyes met—perfectly, unmistakably.

"Hey, isn’t that you, Al? Doing some shopping?"

Nukariya approached with a cheerful smile.

"Yeah, that’s right. You on a break, from work?"

"Exactly. Just taking a quick break right now."

He peeked into the eco-bag Al was carrying.

"Are you making dinner for Akira?"

"Yes. If I don't, Akira eats… random stuff."

Nukariya chuckled and shrugged. "Yeah, he’s not exactly into food."

"You two seem to be getting along well."

"Yeah. Things are good."

Nukariya nodded with a pleased, approving look, like he was petting a well-behaved animal. It had been just over a month since Al and Akira started living together. The biggest difference from before was probably that they now shared a larger bed, and Al was allowed to sleep right next to him. Waking up to the face of someone he loved—that happiness was incomparable, like a symbol of everything good in the world.

"By the way, Al, are you still doing acting work?"

"Yeah."

Thanks to Sakairi, he still occasionally appeared in TV dramas. Always minor roles—like a foreigner asking for directions at the station—but still. Akira had once been paranoid about Al showing his face, but since Al’s hair and eye color had changed, his image looked different enough that Akira no longer said anything about it.

"Why do I have to be the one managing your income?" Akira would grumble, but in the end, he still did it.

"Every day is fun for me."

"I’m glad to hear it," Nukariya said, smiling warmly. "Akira may be clumsy and aloof, but don’t give up on him—stick by his side."

"I will. I’m going to be with him forever."

After that warm and fuzzy exchange, Al suddenly remembered he’d bought raw meat and hurried back home. When he opened the front door, the apartment was silent.

"I’m home," he called, but no response. Akira’s usual sneakers weren’t at the entrance, and the car keys were missing too—he must’ve gone out.

"Where did he go…?"

He hadn’t said anything in the morning. Al couldn’t help but worry a little as he put the groceries away in the fridge. He hesitated between turning on the A/C or opening the window, but ended up choosing to open the window—electric bill! took priority.

When he lay down on the sofa, Akira’s scent wafted up around him. The smell he inhaled when falling asleep, and again when he woke up. It made him feel calm, safe. Even though it was hot, Al quickly drifted into sleep.

◇:-:◆:-:◇

…The sharp clink of metal woke him. He raised his head to see Akira crouched in the kitchen, picking up a spoon.

"Welcome back."

Akira looked at him and muttered, "You were out cold."

"Yeah. Slept well."

He’d only repeated the same words, but for some reason it struck Akira funny—he gave a strange, chuckling laugh: "Heh, heh." Then, swirling the ice in his glass of iced coffee, he sat down across from Al. A sheen of sweat was visible on his slightly flushed forehead.

"Should I turn on the A/C?"

"It’s fine. The window’s open."

Akira drank nearly half the coffee in one go.

"Where’d you go?"

Akira set the glass down on the table. He didn’t reply right away, so Al thought maybe he didn’t want to talk about it. But then Akira said, "I went to see my aunt."

"Your aunt?"

"My dad’s younger sister. We’d been out of touch for a long time, but I guess she figured out it was me after the Kaito case. She apparently came to see me while I was in custody too, but I couldn’t take visitors then. After I was released, she contacted the Center, and we’ve been meeting now and then."

Al hadn’t known Akira had an aunt. For her to visit even after everything that happened… she must be kind.

"Your aunt’s a good person."

"Yeah, she is," Akira replied with a faint smile.

"And… there’s something else I want to tell you."

"What is it?"

Akira scratched his head, hesitating. He said he wanted to talk, but wasn’t getting to the point.

"I’ve been thinking about it for a long time," Akira said. "It’s not something that can happen right away—there’s a lot of preparation involved. But I think I want to become a foster parent."

"A foster parent?"

"It means temporarily taking in a child who lives in a care facility."

The first thing that popped into Al’s mind was Ren—Yonekura’s child.

"If I take in a foster child, they’ll be living with us."

Which is why, Akira continued, "I want to hear your opinion."

Akira was looking at him seriously. He was asking for Al’s thoughts—acknowledging his place in this home.

"Live… with Ren?"

Akira nodded. "That’s right."

"Even if I want it," he said, "he might not. I need to talk to the staff at the facility about whether fostering is even possible. Someone else might come along who’s a better fit. His real mother might come back for him. And honestly, I haven’t prepared anything. But if that child wants to leave the facility, if he wants to live outside… then I want to be someone who can give him that place. But I’m living with you. This isn’t something I can decide alone."

"Foster child… is okay."

Akira let out a visible sigh of relief, then asked again, "Are you sure you’re really okay with it?"

Both Akira and Yonekura had once lived in care facilities. And now Yonekura’s son, Ren, had fallen into the same situation. Maybe that’s why Akira wanted to break that cycle—wanted to stop that chain where children can’t live with their parents, even when they want to.

"I’m okay."

"It won’t be just the two of us anymore. Everything will revolve around the child."

"If you love me, Akira… then it’s okay."

Even though Al was agreeing, Akira pressed a hand to his forehead and groaned.

"Too light…"

"Light?"

"Your reaction. Don’t you have any hesitation? I spent two weeks agonizing over whether to bring this up to you!"

"Why agonize?"

"Of course I would! When you're thinking about taking in someone else’s kid, you talk it over with your partner first."

The word partner made Al’s heart lift, light and floaty. Even though they lived together, and even though Al said "I love you, I love you" all the time, Akira rarely expressed his feelings in words.

"What are you grinning about? Creepy."

"I’m Akira’s partner."

"Looking at that smug face of yours just pisses me off for some reason."

Akira stood up with his empty glass and walked to the kitchen. Al followed him, sticking close as he poured himself a refill of iced coffee.

"You’re in the way. Go over there."

"I love you, Akira."

"Yeah yeah, I got it, I got it."

"So I kiss you."

He kissed Akira on the cheek, and Akira froze. Then his face flushed a deep red, and he turned away, embarrassed—so pitiful it was endearing. When Al hugged him from behind, Akira shouted, "You’re gonna make me spill the coffee!"

His voice echoed through Al’s chest, and it made him laugh softly.

Their home would soon have another person in it. Life with just the two of them was fun—but with someone new, it would surely be even better. Raising a child was a beautiful thing. Al never imagined, back when he’d first been brought to Japan, that a future like this was waiting for him.

But the future could change. You could change it yourself. You could be happy.

And with that thought in his chest, Al wrapped his arms tightly, tightly around the partner who had chosen him.

THE END (MAIN STORY)

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