Chapter Text
I don’t regret the days
There’s not a thing I’d change
— Evan Blum & Lauren North, “Lovely to Love You”
The Armed Detective Agency is having a very normal day until they see Atsushi floating outside the window behind Dazai, courtesy of Chuuya’s ability, with a note taped to his forehead that says Atsushi is in timeout and so he’s Dazai’s problem now.
In Chuuya’s defense, Atsushi willingly helped Kajii glitter bomb Chuuya’s office.
Atsushi screeches when Dazai gets up and opens the window. “No, no, no, no, stay back! Contrary to popular belief, I do not always land on my feet! Back! Back, demon!”
Dazai glances down and gives Chuuya a wave and the soft smile on his face when Chuuya waves back almost makes Atsushi forget that he is within poking distance from Dazai with nothing to hold on to if Dazai decides to be an asshole.
“Think about it carefully,” Atsushi says. “Ryuunosuke would never forgive you if you let me fall.”
“If we’re honest,” Kunikida says from his desk, “something tells me he would actually laugh at you.”
“He would not!” Atsushi cries, knowing full well that he would.
“This is the third time this month, Atsushi,” Dazai says, tapping his fingers against his cane. “Why are you in timeout this time?”
“Glitter bombed Chuuya’s office,” Atsushi mumbles.
“Ooh, with magic?” Kenji asks.
“No, with Kajii’s new and improved glitter bombs. We’ve been working on less destructive yet still explosive things.”
“Really,” Dazai says, “you’d think the boss of the Port Mafia would have more decorum.”
“Can you just take him already?” Chuuya yells. “I have to call an entire cleaning company to fix his shit and I have to hunt down one that we own because I left papers lying around in there.”
“Tanizaki,” Dazai says, “give me a hand, would you?”
Tanizaki gets up and reaches out of the window to pull Atsushi until he’s floating inside the office.
Dazai leans out. “Okay, you can let him go.”
“Wait!” Atsushi cries, only to crumple on the floor like a sack of flour. “I hate all of you so much.”
He picks himself up and leans out the window. “You’re lucky I need you!”
“You’re lucky I don’t feel like taking over!”
Atsushi huffs. “Whatever! I’m telling Ane-san about you!”
Chuuya flips him off.
Dazai sighs dramatically. “He really doesn’t care about the whole boss thing, huh?”
Atsushi huffs again. “It’s your fault. He never did this to me in the other world.”
Dazai pats Atsushi’s shoulder. “In the other world, I bet you were a little more mature.”
“I — oh, whatever.”
“What has the world come to,” Yosano says, grinning, “that the Port Mafia boss gets sent to a bunch of detectives for timeout. It’s like a temporary arrest.”
Atsushi rolls his eyes and turns to the person in his old seat. “Sigma, you still like me, right?”
Sigma gives Atsushi a terribly blank stare. “You made Kyoka cry. You are dead to me.”
“Wh- I didn’t know it was a sad book!”
“You mean you read it and didn’t cry? You are dead inside.”
“I am not.”
“It was a sad book,” Tanizaki says. “Naomi went through a whole box of tissues.”
“Naomi cried when she graduated high school.”
“Hey, high school can be a very traumatic experience for some people,” Kunikida says, only to be assaulted by an almost practiced chorus of, “Well, we wouldn’t know, would we?”
Atsushi takes a seat at the empty desk beside Tanizaki — Naomi only comes by in the evenings after her classes, but her resignation caused no issues because she made sure to properly train Sigma before she graduated and started at university.
“So, Ranpo, since Dazai went and ruined everyone’s plans, when can I expect your request for me to be your bridesmaid?”
“Yosano’s my bridesmaid,” Ranpo says without hesitation.
“You can have two!”
“I only need one.”
“Okay, best man, then?”
“Yosano is also my best man.”
“She can’t be both!”
Yosano sticks her tongue out at Atsushi.
“You are so mean. Kunikida —”
“One more word about my marriage out of you and I will personally send you to meet your boyfriend.”
“Wow. Low blow. I was just gonna ask you to pester Ranpo for me, but okay.”
Kunikida turns around to narrow his eyes at Atsushi.
“Okay, fine, I was going to tell you that you’re mean, too.”
“I thought so.”
“Kyoka,” Atsushi sings, “when are you getting married?”
“Atsushi, I’m nineteen. Calm down.”
Atsushi whirls on Tanizaki, who points a ruler at him before he can even open his mouth.
“No.”
“If you’re so eager to have a big role in someone’s wedding,” Sigma says, “why don’t you ask your sister when they’re going to propose, hm?”
“The last time I asked Gin if they were going to propose, they threatened mutiny. I’m not about to be bullied out of my office by my own sister.”
“Then suffer in silence,” Kyoka says.
“I hate timeout,” Atsushi says, tilting his head back and glaring at the ceiling. “Oh, Kunikida, Chuuya told me to tell you that Kyuusaku said they want to know if Aya can come over this weekend. Chuuya bought them some new game and they want to play it with Aya. Chuuya said they already invited Kenji and Kyoka, so Aya’s babysitters will be there.”
“That was so many words to say so little,” Dazai says.
“We’re going,” Kenji tells Kunikida, “in case that influences your decision any.”
“I’ll ask her,” Kunikida tells Atsushi. He glances at his watch. “Bram should be back with her soon.”
“Cool. Tanizaki, Chuuya told me to tell you to tell Naomi to stop corrupting Yaeko.”
Tanizaki squints at Atsushi. “Yaeko is a criminal, though? How could Naomi possibly corrupt her? If anything, I should be worried that she’s corrupting Naomi.”
“Naomi taught Yaeko how to extract information using the deadliest method in the book; gossip.”
Tanizaki rolls his eyes. “That’s hardly corrupting someone.”
“No, the problem is that Yaeko is using it on Chuuya.”
“Oh. Well, tell Naomi yourself.”
“No, I’m scared of her.”
“Then tell Chuuya to tell her himself.”
“No, he’s afraid she’ll figure out secrets he didn’t even know he had.”
“Then suffer in silence,” Tanizaki says, earning a thumbs up from Kyoka.
“I cannot believe my own friends treat me so horribly,” Atsushi wails.
“No one told you to become Public Enemy Number One, Mr Port Mafia Boss,” Ranpo says.
Atsushi childishly mocks him under his breath. “Keep being mean to me and I’ll start poaching agency members.”
“You’re nice,” Kenji says, “but I think we’re good.”
“Oh, I was talking about Bram and Haruno. I’d let Bram bite people.”
“Bram doesn’t care to bite people,” Kunikida says.
“Except you,” Yosano says, coughing over her words and shooting Kunikida a smug look when he glares at her.
“How would you even poach admin staff?” Sigma asks. “We like the amount of paperwork here. Being in the mafia sounds like there’s an insane amount of paperwork. No thanks.”
“I’d let Haruno staple the faces of people that bother her. I’d also let you bite people that bother you.”
“Y’know,” Sigma says, “that might actually work on us.”
“Bad Atsushi,” Dazai says. “You can’t steal anyone.”
“Maybe I’ll make a deal with the president like the last guy,” Atsushi teases.
“Oh, speaking of, isn’t Mori returning today?” Kunikida asks. “Higuchi mentioned something about a welcome back party last time she was here. We were thinking about attending.”
“A welcome back party, huh? I should’ve thought about that. It’s too late now.”
“Lucky for you,” Tanizaki says, “Higuchi already planned and prepped everything. She said Kajii’s old glitter bombs are rigged at his house and set to go off when he opens the door.”
“Ichi’s the best secretary ever. She’s so good at her job.”
“She has to be,” Kunikida says. “You’re a mess.”
“Well, no one else needs to know that!”
“I don’t know how you maintain respect,” Kunikida continues, shaking his head. “I mean, Mori, I could understand. He had this . . . authority, y’know. Well, up until he marched you in here and shrieked like a prepubescent teenager about how he needed us to take you back. Anyway, you don’t have that.”
Atsushi gives Kunikida a lazy grin. “Just because you haven’t seen it, doesn’t mean I don’t have it. You forget that I’ve been doing this for five years, now. I learned a lot.”
Yosano rests her chin on her hands. “Y’know, I can’t see it either. You’re so soft and nice and you look like it’s my moral obligation to squish your cheeks. I don’t know how people can be afraid of you.”
Atsushi shrugs. “Well, you hear the rumours, don’t you? That the boss of the Port Mafia feeds his enemies to a man-eating tiger? That the boss of the Port Mafia makes anyone who crosses him disappear?”
“You’re just murdering people left and right?” Ranpo asks, scratching his head. “That doesn’t sound right.”
“No, when people get in my way, I let Gin break into their homes and capture them and leave them at whichever police station Gin deems fit with a printed list of every crime they’ve ever committed and the proof of it. I’ve got two kids who love playing detective and compiling blackmail lists for me.”
“That. . .” Kyoka scratches her head, “honestly, that’s somehow more cruel than just murdering them.”
Dazai shudders. “You really are the devil.”
Atsushi grins. “You’ve barely seen anything.”
It amuses him the way everyone has a bit of a shiver, all of them probably wondering exactly what Atsushi is up to that he can seem so light and carefree and joyful and yet have an almost iron clad grip on Yokohama’s organised crime.
He’s also glad that he can still see his friends. He loves his friends in the Port Mafia, but the agency is special. They’re the ones that picked him up out of the dirt and gave him a home first. He owes everything to the agency — even his current seat.
However, that will not stop him from being a menace. By around lunch time, when Chuuya comes to collect him, Kunikida is fully ready to just toss Atsushi out the window. Kyoka is willing to help.
“I see you’ve had a fun time tormenting your old coworkers,” Chuuya tells Atsushi.
“It was definitely fun,” Atsushi says. “Am I out of timeout?”
“I’d like to say no, but Higuchi is adamant you get back before she puts a hit out on you.”
“Just take him away,” Kunikida tells Chuuya. “We’ve had enough.”
“You’re not allowed to say that when you’re the ones who gave us a fucking menace. The Port Mafia will be billing you for child support.”
“Oh, I’ll drop Aya off around five on Friday. Is that fine?”
Chuuya nods. “Yaeko will be there if I’m not.”
“Great. Now get him out of here because he causes problems.”
Chuuya grabs Atsushi by his jacket and drags him out of the door, offering a greeting to everyone as he does.
“You are the worst boss I’ve ever had,” Chuuya hisses. “An embarrassment.”
“You’ve only ever had two,” Atsushi argues, “and that might make me the best boss you’ve ever had, especially when the competition is a master manipulator.”
Chuuya rolls his eyes as he unceremoniously shoves Atsushi towards the car. “I’ll have you know, you scheming little shit, that you are equally manipulative.”
“Ah, but I have good intentions.”
“You drive me insane.”
“Ooh, can I drive?”
Chuuya rolls his eyes again, but he tosses Atsushi the keys. “Put a dent in her and the Port Mafia will be on the lookout for a new boss.”
“Threatening the boss isn’t a very smart move, Chuuya.”
“I’ll threaten you all I like. You glitter bombed my office!”
Dazai watches them bicker from the agency window with a small smile.
“What?” Kunikida asks.
“Nothing,” Dazai says, returning to his seat and settling down to work.
“Hey, boss. Got something for you.”
Atsushi glances at Ayako as she falls into step beside him and holds out a folder.
“Yuki and I compiled an updated file on the people you’re meeting with tomorrow. I was gonna leave it with Ichi-neesan, but you’re here.”
“Thanks,” Atsushi says with a smile. He pages through the first few documents in the folder and gives Ayako another smile. “Extensive.”
“Well, they are your typical power-hungry and despicable corporate magnates, so it wasn’t hard. The third guy in there, Yuki tabbed him with the pastel pink, has been cheating on his wife for, like, ten years. We have photos of every single side piece over the last three years alone and I’m pretty sure his wife would leave him then and there if she finds out about it.” Ayako tilts her head innocently. “Wouldn’t want the poor guy to end up penniless in the divorce, would we?”
Atsushi chuckles and taps the folder against the top of Ayako’s head, shuffling her short, pale curls that Kyuusaku must’ve done for her. “You’re becoming too much like me. Who taught you to talk like that, huh?”
Ayako giggles and skips a few steps.
“Ichi-neesan says I could take over from you someday.”
“Is that so?” Atsushi asks. “And what if I don’t plan to hand over the Port Mafia, hm?”
Ayako gives Atsushi a playful scowl and skips ahead to walk backwards in front of him, raising her fists. “Then I’ll have to take it by force, old man.”
Atsushi taps the top of her head with the folder again. “I’m not even twenty-five yet, kid.”
“And I’m twenty-one. I’m not a kid.”
“You were, like, this high when we met,” Atsushi says, holding his hand up at his elbow.
“I was sixteen!”
“You’re still younger than me, sweet.”
Ayako pauses when Atsushi gets into the elevator and scowls at him. “I hope you trip on your way into your office. Mean boss. Nasty boss.”
Atsushi holds up the folder. “Tell Yuki I said thanks.”
“I will!”
Atsushi knocks on Higuchi’s open door before popping his head in. “Hey.”
“You,” Higuchi seethes, narrowing her eyes at him as she looks up. “You make my life so difficult!”
Atsushi tilts his head.
“Do you have any idea how frustrating this morning has been for me? I had to fend off Tachihara and Gin and Yaeko and Ane-san and Kyuu and Miya and Ayako because you and your little explosive buddy decided to mess with Chuuya!”
Atsushi offers her a guilty smile. “Sorry.”
“Honestly! I’d expect a little better behaviour from the man who — what was it? — strikes fear into the hearts of criminals blah blah blah. I almost feel embarrassed to know you.”
“I’ll make it up to you. Drinks on Friday?”
Higuchi narrows her eyes at Atsushi. “Who else did you invite?”
“No one yet.” Atsushi gives her his fun scheming grin. “Why, you want me to invite someone specific?”
“No! Just — just asking, uh . . . just wanna know if Gin is gonna be there.”
“Liar. You know Friday is date night for Gin and Lucy.”
“Oh, whatever.” Higuchi holds out a sheet of paper and shakes it when Atsushi continues to grin. “Your schedule for today. You have two meetings, one with that dickhead business partner that I hate, Nakano, and one with Tomioka. I believe Nakano wants an increase in his share. I diplomatically told him to fuck off over the phone, but he insisted on meeting with you, so I scheduled a meeting that co-incides with Ane-san’s free time in case you wanted her to be there. Tomioka just has an update for you on that missing persons case her team is working on for us. Also, Ane-san says you’ve been skipping out on training with Goldie, whoever that is, so she wants you to, I quote, pick up your damn sword and get to work, or you’ll forget how to use it.”
“Goldie is Ane-san’s ability, like how the agency calls Kyoka’s ability Yuki.” Atsushi takes the sheet and glances down at it.
“Reunion?” he asks, pointing to an item at the end. “What’s this?”
“Mori’s welcome back party. I thought you might like to personally rub it in his face that the mafia is still afloat with you at the helm.”
“You know me so well,” Atsushi says fondly. “As thanks, how about I invite Haruno for drinks on Friday and then pretend to be sick so you can have yourselves a little date?”
Higuchi busies herself with flipping through her diary, her cheeks faintly pink. “I suppose I could forgive you for this morning,” she mumbles.
“A best friend’s duty is to be the perfect wingman,” Atsushi says. “Plus, I heard from Sigma that Haruno thinks you’re cute.”
“Oh?” Higuchi says, trying and failing to seem nonchalant.
“Cuter than her new cat, I believe.”
“Oh,” Higuchi says. She glances at Atsushi and, upon catching sight of the grin on his face, scowls at him. “Go away, you little gremlin.”
Atsushi laughs and turns to leave. He pauses at the door. “Hey, thanks for sticking around.”
Higuchi rolls her eyes. “Obviously. My new salary covers Kuniko’s college fees.”
“Right. Totally stayed for the salary.”
Higuchi smiles. “Thanks for treating me well, boss.”
Atsushi returns her smile as he leaves, closing the door halfway and listening to Higuchi mutter about buying a new cardigan for drinks on Friday and about how she ought to give Kunikida a call to ask if he knows what Haruno’s favourite colour is.
The last time Atsushi saw Mori Ougai, he was taller than Atsushi and in absolute disarray.
His five year getaway, wherever that was, seems to have served him well. Though he spent at least thirty minutes complaining to anyone who could hear about how he was assaulted in his own home, he doesn’t seem to have any ill intent. Well, any serious ill intent. Atsushi is pretty sure he might go to his apartment one day and the elevator might get stuck while it smells like bad eggs or something in there.
Surprisingly, Elise is as delighted to see Atsushi as she was pissed to be leaving. He’s not sure if it’s him or if wherever Mori fucked off to rewired his brain and therefore his ability, but Elise is far more childlike than Atsushi remembers. She doesn’t really remind him of anyone anymore. He still can’t put his finger on who she reminded him of before, but he supposes it doesn’t really matter anymore.
Dazai gives him an odd look when he spots Atsushi walking around with little Elise in his arms, but doesn’t say anything. Atsushi doesn’t bring it up either. When it comes to Dazai’s time in the Port Mafia, you only know what he wants you to know and you don’t ever go looking for more.
Elise hasn’t stopped chattering since Atsushi agreed to carry her.
“And then I told Rintarou to take me to the amusement park and I wanted to ride on the rollercoaster but they told us no because I was too short so we went to one of the public bathrooms and Rintarou made me a little bit taller and we went back and they didn’t even know! They’re so dumb over there. They didn’t even realise that Rintarou was the same person.”
“Oh?” Atsushi says, still halfway stuck on imagining Mori on a rollercoaster. It’s a funny image. “You don’t look any taller than I remember.”
Elise huffs and folds her arms. “That’s because I like being small. People give free stuff to cute kids.”
“Well, that’s true. I didn’t know you could just get bigger whenever you wanted. I thought it depended on Mori.”
“Rintarou likes to make me happy. Riding the rollercoaster made me happy.”
Atsushi doesn’t think that’s possibly all there is to it, but Elise doesn’t seem to care.
Elise tugs lightly on Atsushi’s bangs. “Your hair’s different.”
“Hm? Yes, I grew it out. Do you like it?”
“I guess. It’s better than that weird thing you had before we left. Also, you’re taller than Rintarou. It’s weird.”
“Well, I’ve been eating proper food and training well these past years.”
“Right.”
“So, what else did you do?”
“Oh! We went to a zoo and I got to pet a tiger!”
Atsushi pouts. “Wh- I’m right here. You can pet a tiger for free.”
“They were baby tigers. You’re not a baby tiger. Baby tigers are cute, like me.”
“Well, I can’t argue there.”
Elise looks around at everyone while Atsushi squints at the finger foods Higuchi organised and wonders what some of them even are. He picks up a glass and sniffs it first to see if it’s been spiked by Kajii yet or not — it hasn’t.
“How come you’re still friends with the detective people? And those dogs?”
Atsushi looks up at Elise, then turns around to see who she’s squinting at. “You mean Teruko and them?”
“Yeah. Didn’t they try to kill you before me and Rintarou left?”
“They did, but so did over half the people in this hall. My own executives each individually tried to kill me at separate points.”
Elise wrinkles her nose. “But Rintarou said the Port Mafia couldn’t be friends with the detective people.”
“Well, I’m not your Rintarou, am I? Besides, my executive went and married a detective. What was I supposed to do?”
“They’re married?!” Elise shrieks in a high voice. “But Chuuya said I could be his bridesmaid when he was seventeen!”
Atsushi sighs. “There’s a lot of cheated bridesmaids around here, kid.”
Elise narrows her eyes at Atsushi. “You better let me be your bridesmaid.”
Atsushi taps her nose. “I’m not getting married, sweet girl.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t want to marry anyone.”
“But I saw you when me and Rintarou arrived with, um . . . with Higuchi. You seemed super close.”
“Higuchi is my best friend and my secretary. She knows as much of the Port Mafia’s inner workings as I do. Plus, I tend to seek her advice a lot.”
“Okay, what about Gin?”
Atsushi gags. “Elise, that’s my sister.”
ELise huffs. “Tachihara?”
“He’s got a boyfriend.”
“Is the the Agency Tachihara?”
Atsushi grins, amused that Elise refers to Tanizaki the same way Yuki does. “Yes.”
“Okay, okay, what about Yaeko?”
“She’s a lesbian, sweet.”
“Ayako?”
“She’s dating Yuki.”
“So, not Yuki, then. Um, what about the agency people? Detective Stick-Up-His-Ass?”
Atsushi sighs. “How can you have been away from Chuuya for five years and still be influenced by him? No, Detective Kunikida is married.”
Elise rolls her eyes. “Genius detective?”
“Ranpo is engaged.”
“Kyoka?”
“That is my other sister.”
“Kenji?”
“No.”
“Why? He’s so tall and strong and he’s cute like me.”
“He also has a raging crush on Kyoka, but you didn’t hear that from me.”
Elise squeezes her eyes shut, like divine intervention will bestow a name upon her if she focuses hard enough. Eventually, she gives up and opens her eyes. “Okay, but if you’re not gonna get married to anybody, how come you have a ring?”
Atsushi tilts his head at her, so Elise pats the arm holding her up. He sets his glass down on the table before moving Elise from his left arm to his right arm so she can grab his hand and show him the ring she’s talking about.
“This one. This is the wedding finger, right?”
“It is,” Atsushi says with a nod.
“So, then, if you don’t wanna get married, how come you wear a ring there?”
At first, Atsushi had worried about transforming and losing a finger in the process, so he’d started wearing the ring on a chain. After he took over, though, he found less and less reasons to use his ability. Rumours and reputation were enough to get people shaking in their seats. So he wasn’t worried about losing a finger — or the ring — and has been wearing it without hiding it for years.
“Oh, this,” Atsushi says, smiling softly. “In another lifetime, I would’ve married the person I love most.”
“Why not this one?” Elise asks curiously.
“I was a little too late in this one.”
“Oh. But people can fall in love again, though, right?”
“Oh, yes, they can. I haven’t though.”
“Do you think you might?”
Atsushi shrugs. “I dunno. Maybe. We’ll have to wait and see.”
“Oh.”
Atsushi doesn’t think he ever will, but then again, before his trip through the Book, Atsushi didn’t think he’d ever get close enough to the Port Mafia to call anyone other than Ryuunosuke his friend. He supposes he will just have to wait and see.
“Atsushi!” Atsushi turns around to see Miya on the hall’s stage. She waves at him with the bow of a violin. “Come play with me!”
Atsushi pushes through the crowd to get to the stage, settling Elsie down atop the piano before taking a seat. Elise claps delightedly, much like the kids in the other world had when Atsushi played for them.
He spies Yaeko convincing Naomi to dance with her, which only serves to spark more of them into joining in. Atsushi still doesn’t know a thing about genre or whatever the hell chord progression is supposed to be, but he has fun and he likes playing with Miya.
Playing with Miya is still as delightful as it had been the first time, in a world that this Miya has never known, and the first time in this world, when she caught Atsushi playing around with what had always been a decorative piece in the Port Mafia’s main lobby.
It’s really nice to see everyone so happy — and alive. That part’s extra good.
“Eat your vegetables or both of you are grounded.”
Tachihara folds his arms. “I like it better when Gin cooks.”
Gin pokes at their cauliflower with a grimace. “Why is it soft?”
“I will cancel all your dates. Tanizaki and Lucy will survive not seeing either of you for a bit, but you lovesick saps will wither up, so eat your vegetables or you won’t be going on any dates for two weeks.”
Gin glares at Atsushi. Tachihara stabs his fork into his plate and completely misses every item on it.
Atsushi sighs. Dinner time is always the most difficult part of his day. It’s like dealing with two toddlers. He supposes he’s glad that they’re well-behaved toddlers come bedtime.
Gin helps him wash and pack the dishes while Tachihara goes to get ready for bed. It always takes him twice as long as it takes Gin, but that’s because he has to find his way around his room first. It was worse when the vampirism was first lifted. He’s gotten a lot better, now. He’s not even afraid to use his ability anymore and sometimes uses it to help figure out what’s around him.
Atsushi sends Gin to the living room while he goes to check up on Tachihara.
“Are you guys going out tonight?” Tachihara asks while Atsushi neatens up the floor so that nothing with trip Tachihara up in the morning.
“Mhm. We’ll be back late, so don’t try to stay awake.”
“I won’t,” Tachihara says. “I promised Kyuusaku I’d teach them to use a gun blindfolded tomorrow.”
“Oh? Well, remind me to stay out of the shooting range tomorrow,” Atsushi teases.
“Ha ha, very funny.”
Atsushi pulls the covers up and pats Tachihara’s head. “Scream for Chuuya if someone breaks in while we’re gone, okay?”
“I will sleep through a break-in,” Tachihara mutters.
“Good night,” Atsushi says before he laughs.
He finds Gin in the genkan with their shoes on and a book in hand. “Chose one?”
Gin shows him the book.
“This one again?”
“I like this one.”
“I know. Come on.”
Atsushi closes the book and looks down at the head in his lap. “Did you fall asleep, there?”
“No,” Gin mumbles. “Is it weird that I still miss him?”
“Not at all,” Atsushi says. He runs his fingers through Gin’s hair as he looks ahead at the headstone. “I miss him too.”
“You think he’s waiting for us?”
“Maybe. I don’t really know what happens after. Maybe we get reborn into another world.”
“I want to go to the one with magic.”
“I have magic right here for you,” Atsushi says, picking a weed out from the base of the headstone and watching it morph into a pretty little yellow tulip that he tucks into Gin’s hair.
“Fine, then I want to go to the one with the band.”
“I don’t know. I think I want to see something different. Maybe a world where we’re childhood friends. Or a world where we’re animals.”
Gin huffs in amusement. “You’d be a spoiled housecat.”
“And you’d be a feral bunny.”
“Whatever it is, I hope you get to be together in our next life.”
Atsushi smiles at the headstone. “Me too.”
“I hope the rest of this one is as good as it’s been these last few years.”
Atsushi smiles at the top of Gin’s head. “I’m sure it will be.”
Nakajima Atsushi dies the week before he turns seventy-two. There is no fight, nor any disease, nor anything big. He simply goes to bed one night and does not wake up in the morning.
He is buried beside the grave of Akutagawa Ryuunosuke, and Gin swears that he was buried with a smile.
Somewhere in the spaces between worlds, in the turn of a page, two souls exist beside one another. There are no words spoken; there is never a need for any. They simply exist together, like stars of the same constellation, petals of the same flower. They will simply continue to exist together for eternity in the spaces between worlds, in the turn of a page. They will mark each page of a book with their touch and bleed into every world, so that two souls may meet again and again and again.