"We never really parted ways."
Eiji couldn't understand the words that escaped Jun's lips. They had barely known each other when he came to visit his eldest brother's house. It's the night of her birthday party and it's the guy who drags her into the mess. There was never a sentence that they were finally together. They are just friends chatting. No more.
But for Eiji, Jun seems to have interpreted everything they went through differently. Jun expected more than what Eiji thought. At least that's what Eiji caught.
"Ichikawa-san-"
"I even still have them all." Jun quickly interrupted. As if he knew what Eiji was about to say, "Everything... Everything related to our marriage. I never signed that farewell letter." Jun continued his sentence bitterly. The bitter memories of that day seemed to flash back in front of him. That day he already loved Eiji, but he was unable to fight what had been determined from the start. Instead of being able to choose, Jun lost both things that were precious to him.
He put his hand in his coat pocket to grab something. A photo shot out from there and stretched towards Eiji. The young man hesitated a bit, but his hand still grabbed the paper.
Eiji held his breath for a moment. A feeling of tightness slowly invaded and made his chest feel as if it was being pressed down. It's a wedding photo. Everyone there was wearing formal clothes. Even his two brothers were also seen there. His eyes spun a bit as the thought began to enter his mind. Isn't that a bit weird? He had never even left his mother's homeland since both his parents died. And his youngest brother who has taken good care of him there.
But, again the smile in the photo seemed to smack all his memories. How could that be? The words kept repeating in his ears.
"How could this happen?" Eiji asked doubtfully. There's nothing wrong with his memory. He is one of the youngest heirs of the Rokkotsu Group. Both of his parents died when he was very young. Then his youngest brother took him away from Japan and never came back. If his Japanese is good, it's because he studies hard in order to blend in at events at the main family's house.
Eiji doesn't even have a twin. He is the only son if you look back at the marriage of his father and mother. So it's really impossible if the person in the photo is him.
"aren't you too mean, Ichikawa-san?"
The look of doubt and confusion disappeared by itself. He looked up and looked at Jun with a look of hatred. To Eiji, that photo looked evil for a joke. The man in front of him didn't like his brother, however in the end he would say vile things about his brother.
"There's nothing sinister about that fact. Both you and I, used to be nothing more than pawns to Arisugawa."
Finally, yes in the end what Eiji thought came true. Jun said something as if Koichi was someone bad. More than twenty five years he lived with the leader of the Arisugawa Family, but nothing had hurt him. his brother loves him more than anyone.
But Jun, the man in front of him seemed to want to destroy the relationship without a trace.
"Please stop saying bad things about my brother, Ichikawa-san."
To be honest Eiji just didn't want to hear any further about how Jun was feeling. His little heart seemed to not want to be in pain anymore. He only felt that if Jun said one more sentence, then he would really be crushed.
"To everyone, Arisugawa is a ruthless person. And to me, he is even more ruthless. It doesn't matter if it's his own brother, he will do anything to fulfill his ambitions." Jun didn't want to stop talking even though in the end Eiji would think he was insane. He would accept all the consequences, even if it had to be hated by Eiji. He had waited for two whole years just for this day, "don't you remember the day he crushed us like this?"
Eiji's eyes stared at Jun hatefully. He knew Koichi might offend Jun that night, but to slander Koichi just because of a misunderstanding, wouldn't that be a bit too much? Eiji couldn't think of anything else. He knows Koichi well, but out there, he doesn't know how his brother acts so people think he is cruel.
"Please don't say such bad things again." this time Eiji said those lines with a hint of pleading. He knew that his memory had been damaged since the accident two years ago. He couldn't remember anything about what happened seven years ago. But even so, his brother couldn't possibly do anything bad to him. The days they had spent in their mother's homeland were proof enough. But why? What's with the man in front of him? Eiji began to doubt again. Was the grudge that the man carried so great that he had to slander his brother?
"Do you know about the ring Arisugawa is wearing?"
Eiji wanted to cover his ears if he could. He would no longer care about what Jun said. But no matter how hard he tried to ignore Jun's voice, all the words kept coming into his ears.
Eiji knew, he was very familiar with the origin of the silver ring on Koichi's left ring finger. It was a wedding ring that was supposed to be placed on the finger of a loved one. However, due to slightly tragic circumstances, the ring did not get there. Well, at least that's what Koichi told him when Eiji questioned that.
"That's our wedding ring," Jun said sadly. It was as if he could hear his heart breaking again.
"What?" Eiji couldn't help but be surprised. This time his eyes widened uncontrollably. The man in front of him had really gone mad. He began to think that the man should have started going to the counseling center, so that the burden would be lessened. Eiji started to wonder about what Koichi had done to Jun, to make him like this.
"Please stop it." Eiji began to be unable to hold back his tears from falling. Even though he knew that he shouldn't cry over a lie told by someone he just met.
"Arisugawa is nothing more than an immoral man who loves his own little brother."
Eiji could feel his heart hurting even more. He hoped that the man would stop talking and let him go. Eiji didn't want to hear any more painful words that escaped Jun's lips.
"Please stop it." Eiji tugged at his front shirt as if it were his chest. He didn't want to feel the pain that suddenly appeared in his chest.
Once again he asked why he had to meet with Jun if in the end the days they spent together he had to pay with pain and humiliation towards his brother.