Those were clothes from Yamawashi, if they could even be called clothes anymore, because they had been reduced to scraps of fabric during emergency treatment.
Akai Shuichi picked up a mobile phone with a mostly shattered screen from that pile of red and black scraps of fabric: "It's Scotland calling, are you going to answer?"
As soon as a certain name was mentioned, even though his expression remained blank, something about Yamawashi seemed to change. He closed his eyes tightly, when he opened them again, his gaze had returned to its calm state, his voice hoarse: "Give it to me, thank you."
It matched the intelligence obtained from the last mission perfectly. Yamawashi was quite sensitive to Scotland's text messages, naturally, he wouldn't miss his calls either. Akai Shuichi took a few steps forward and handed the still-vibrating phone to its owner, using the opportunity to openly observe this elusive codename member from up close.
A fine appearance—if one ignored the blood-soaked bandages and the messy strands of hair clinging to his forehead with sweat, he wouldn't be much different from that taciturn, silent blockhead he was the last time they met.
I have no idea how Gin and Yamawashi ended up fighting, but they managed to get into such a state that more than half of their palms and fingers were tightly wrapped in bandages.
No one wants their phone calls with their lover to be eavesdropped on, let alone when this couple actually has a tiny bit more sincerity than he had imagined. Akai Shuichi knew when to stop, turning around and waving his hand as he said, "I have things to do, let's talk next time."
Yamawashi didn't answer and picked up the phone: "What is it?"
Without knowing what was said on the other end of the line—it was likely only for a second, perhaps not even a full second—the moment the door closed, Akai Shuichi heard Yamawashi repeat it in the treatment room without a hint of emotion:
What is it?
Akai Shuichi turned his head in surprise, only to find that Yamawashi had already put down his phone, the call ended just as abruptly.
For a moment, he couldn't tell what kind of attitude this was.
Did he hang up because there was something he didn't want or couldn't let him hear?
Akai Shuichi reflected on this, showing no weakness, then closed the door and proceeded to find Sherry as planned.
As he passed by another tightly closed examination room, he took an extra look. If nothing went wrong, the person inside would be Gin. He was quite curious as to what reason could cause these two, who had never made a mistake during a mission, to come to blows in the middle of a mission.
Gin and Yamawashi's relationship.. was originally said to be quite good.
But there are too many rumors in the Organization; one has to carefully distinguish which are true and which are false.
Mutual slaughter—this alone was enough to prove that they were far from having a good relationship.
Akai Shuichi took out his phone and casually scrolled through his contacts, finally having to admit that if he wanted to clear this matter up as quickly as possible, the simplest way to investigate was to ask Scotland out for a few drinks in a couple of days.
By revealing the news of Yamawashi's injury in advance, Scotland owed him a significant favor. To settle the debt as quickly as possible, Scotland would certainly not refuse the invitation.
Out of the corner of his eye, a ghostly figure appeared silently by his side. Akai Shuichi's hand instantly pressed against the pistol in his pocket, after seeing who it was, he blurted out, "Yamawashi?"
Yamawashi was still wearing that hospital gown from the consultation room, though there was a trench coat layered over it. The style looked somewhat familiar, but Yamawashi neither acknowledged him nor even looked at him, leaving him behind in the blink of an eye.
By the time Akai Shuichi reacted and chased after her, that slender figure was already nowhere to be found.
Author's Note:
----------------------
Chapter 5
Hiromitsu Morofushi paced back and forth in the safe house, unable to tell what exactly was making him feel so anxious.
No one can ever emerge from a mission completely unscathed, he was not without having personally touched the scars on that body, but the calmer his mind became, the more the scene of Yamawashi's suicide lingered in his mind, refusing to fade.
He pinched the bridge of his nose, hesitated for a long while, finally dialed Yamawashi's number.
The ringtone broke the silence in the living room. There was no one more patient than a sniper, he was prepared for no one to answer. A second before the call was about to disconnect automatically, Yamawashi's voice came through the phone, he suddenly breathed a sigh of relief.
A hoarse voice rang out: "What is it?"
Hiromitsu Morofushi sat down on the sofa and spoke after a moment of deliberation, "I heard you were injured."
.." Yamawashi remained silent before asking again, "What is it?
Hiromitsu Morofushi could even imagine Yamawashi's expression at this moment; he admitted that he wasn't quite used to this kind of attitude.
Yamawashi's coldness was well known; some in the Organization said Yamawashi was like an emotionless mannequin, while others said Yamawashi was aloof and pretentious. He also felt that Yamawashi was an unapproachable person, but in truth, he had been enjoying Yamawashi's special treatment in ways he himself had never even noticed.
It was not until he faced Yamawashi's purest indifference that he realized the true meaning behind those evaluations within the Organization.
Sorry, I've interrupted your rest." Hiromitsu Morofushi paused for a moment, worried that the person on the other end would hang up immediately, added quickly, "Actually, I wanted to ask how your health is, when you will be coming back. I want to talk to you.
Beep
Yamawashi hung up the phone.
Hiromitsu Morofushi was momentarily speechless; he let out a sigh and tossed his phone aside.
At least confirming that Yamawashi was not in any immediate danger at this moment meant it wasn't a wasted effort; perhaps this time spent recovering would also allow Yamawashi to calm down.
Hiromitsu Morofushi slowly relaxed, leaning back into the sofa and gazing at the light above his head. The soft glow gradually blurred his vision, he drifted into a daze.
Even though it wasn't the first day of his rebirth, the fact that Yamawashi was still alive never felt quite real to him.
Perhaps because the time he spent with Yamawashi was far shorter than the three years after Yamawashi's death, rather than getting used to Yamawashi's existence, he first grew accustomed to Yamawashi's death.
He slowly closed his eyes.
He didn't know how long it would be before he could see Yamawashi again; he had to clear things up as soon as possible.
However, in reality, in less than two hours, he saw Yamawashi again.
At one o'clock in the morning, Yamawashi appeared at the entrance without any expression on her face, her complexion pale. Hiromitsu Morofushi, who had fallen asleep on the sofa, was suddenly startled awake; he rubbed his eyes, almost believing he had seen things.
Yamawashi?!
"I'm back," Yamawashi said.
It was the most common of greetings, yet coming from Yamawashi, it carried a completely different meaning.
"What is it you want from me?" Yamawashi said again.
Hiromitsu Morofushi was uncharacteristically flustered.
He stood there awkwardly, feeling that perhaps he shouldn't have made that phone call.
Yamawashi must have misunderstood something, those misunderstandings were piling up layer upon layer.
He had no memory of Yamawashi being injured; it was possible that after being injured, Yamawashi found a place to recuperate alone and only returned to the safe house after recovering, since Yamawashi didn't return every day anyway, he hadn't noticed at all.
No, it is more likely that he altered the mission list without authorization, which caused a butterfly effect.
The mission in Yamawashi, which was originally supposed to feature everyone, did indeed conclude smoothly without any casualties. However, because he did not want to see him, Yamawashi had gone to another mission on short notice and ran into Gin, which resulted in the situation where both Yamawashi and Gin suffered heavy losses.
The misunderstanding between them that "he is not Scotland" also began from the moment he was reborn, because in a sense, he truly was not the original Scotland, but rather the Scotland from three years later.
Hiromitsu Morofushi's gaze froze on the corner of the bandage peeking out from Yamawashi's collar. Rye had said Yamawashi was heavily injured, so he took a step forward. "Your injury.."
Yamawashi's expression finally changed slightly, as he frowned. "Obedience test? That's a bit too cliché."
This expression was certainly rare on Yamawashi's face. Hiromitsu Morofushi wanted to explain, but Yamawashi gave him no chance, brushing past him and walking straight toward the bedroom. He followed instinctively, nearly colliding with the heavily slammed door.
Hiromitsu Morofushi stepped back half a step while clutching his nose, staring blankly at the door in front of him, before finally saying, "Goodnight."
No one answered.
**
The next day, early morning.
As soon as Aotsuki opened the door, he saw a figure with its back turned to him.
It was a rainy day; a light drizzle had been falling intermittently since three in the morning. The living room was dim without the lights on, that person sat cross-legged on the floor, head bowed, carefully maintaining the sniper rifle in his arms.
In the past, he had always enjoyed this sight; Scotland was so earnest in everything he did, so earnest that it felt as if the unbridgeable gap and distance between them could be momentarily ignored.
He enjoyed that tranquility accompanied by subtle sounds; it made him feel that choosing Scotland was the best decision he had ever made.
Not anymore.
Good morning, Yamawashi.
That person put down his gun, turned his head, spoke proactively, his expression so perfect it was as if he had been waiting to say those lines, even the angle at which he raised his eyes to look over was identical to Scotland's.
Unfortunately, such words had never existed between him and Scotland.
Ignoring that greeting, Aotsuki's gaze fell upon that sniper rifle, the one Scotland used most frequently.
He entered the restroom expressionlessly.
He didn't want to speak to irrelevant people, nor did he have the right to say something like "Don't touch Scotland's things." His romantic relationship with Scotland was nothing more than a formality; everything was merely a transaction.
If it hadn't been for him, Scotland wouldn't have encountered such an absurd situation either. He should have broken up with Scotland long ago, instead of turning a blind eye until he ultimately dragged Scotland down with him.
Aotsuki spat out the toothpaste foam, staring at the person in the mirror.
Scotland must be found and brought back as soon as possible.
It's not that he couldn't be apart from Scotland; no one is an indispensable part of anyone else's life, it's just that it shouldn't have ended in such an absurd way.
What happened during those three days he was away from Tokyo? Where is the real Scotland now? Was Scotland really replaced during those three days?
This Scotland, who had moved in so brazenly, was indistinguishable from the real Scotland by any measure—his features, his voice, his subtle habits.. he was no mere substitute that could be cultivated in such a short time.
It was because he cared too little for Scotland.
Since he knew full well that this romance would expose Scotland to the light, knew full well that person would one day target Scotland, why didn't he take more care normally?
Knock, knock.
“Yamawashi?”
The sound of knocking caused Aotsuki to snap back to his senses. He cupped some water and splashed it onto his face; the bandages on his hands became soaked, the stinging cold forced his mind to calm down.
Thinking about those things now is meaningless; finding Scotland is the top priority.
This impostor might be the key to solving the problem. To be able to imitate to this extent, he must have been observing Scotland for some time, may have even had contact with Scotland.
I know you don't want to see me, but there really is a misunderstanding between us.. Do you have time tonight? I want to talk to you.
Through the door, Hiromitsu Morofushi could only hear the sound of running water. Finally, he said, "If you're willing, we can talk when we meet tonight. There is breakfast on the table. I'm leaving now, goodbye."
As expected, he received no answer, Hiromitsu Morofushi did not insist, putting on his coat and heading out.
In fact, he still did not understand Yamawashi.
He had once investigated Yamawashi for the sake of a mission, later, out of personal interest, had dug into everything regarding Yamawashi. Most of those stories were buried in the earth along with Yamawashi's death; after the rebirth, trying to understand Yamawashi seemed to have become even more difficult.
He didn't know what Yamawashi's name was, where he came from, what his past was, why he would want to fall in love with him, or why he insisted so firmly that he had been replaced rather than anything else.. but he knew exactly what kind of attitude Yamawashi had toward others.
Not answering and ignoring him was already the greatest form of politeness; otherwise, what he would face would not be a closed door, but that pitch-black dagger.
Yamawashi was trying his best to endure; he didn't want Yamawashi to be troubled because of him. Rather than pursuing relentlessly, it would be better to leave as much space as possible for Yamawashi, allowing Yamawashi to think quietly alone.