After entering junior high school, Akira became very concerned about the opposite sex, and sometimes caused trouble by persuading multiple girls in the same grade. However, he never tried to make same-sex friends other than Toya.
"It's not just about junior high school." Aside from when I was in kindergarten, throughout elementary and junior high school, I never tried to make a single close male friend other than Toya.
We had conversations as classmates, and we played together during breaks, but we didn't hang out at all after leaving school.
Since Akira was in such a mood, Touya inevitably didn't hang out with anyone other than Akira. I don't hate it either. Akira was the person he could open up to the most, and he thought that was fine.
But he was also curious. For some reason, Akira had the atmosphere of not trying to open his heart to anyone other than himself.
"Don't you want to make friends other than me, Akira?"
When I was in fifth grade, Toya took the plunge and asked me that question. He thought perhaps he would be offended if asked, but he really wanted to know.
The conversation at that time was strongly burned into Toya's mind. Sitting on top of the roof of a small shrine on top of a small mountain, Akira talks while looking at the town colored orange by the setting sun, and I look up at it.
"Well, there is no one who can be recognized. Other than Toya."
It was an abstract statement, but to be honest, I somehow understood it by Toya.
This is because even though Toya's personality is the exact opposite of Akira's, she has always looked up to Akira as a member of the same family.
"Someone I can accept—or someone I can feel safe with, that's fine. I think I can be a friend. But I'm not. That's all."
Akira's face, illuminated by the setting sun, looked terribly sad in Toya's eyes as he spoke while looking away from himself. Touya's heart ached when Akira, who was always lively, showed such an expression.
In fact, I now understand that the reason is not only that.
"Aren't you worried about him?"
Akira's expression sinks even further as Toya digs out old, unpleasant memories.
When they were still in kindergarten, Touya and Akira had many other friends. One of them was a trio with a boy with a glittering name called Blade, and they always acted together.
To put it bluntly, Blade was a problem child. He has a bad habit of making fun of people, which he enjoys. He was the type of kindergartener who would poke around with anyone and enjoy the reaction.
He was shunned by other kindergarteners, but he was supported by some kindergarteners, including Akira and Toya, because he was able to come up with unusual games and had a lot of knowledge. In particular, Akira respected blades and had a tendency to feel nostalgic about them.
However, the blade touched Akira and Touya's bomb. Especially for Akira, he pressed multiple explosion switches.
"Why can't I go to Akira and Touya's house to play? They come to our house quite often."
"That was the first bomb." When Touya had that father, it was hopelessly impossible to let other children come over to play.
Even though she was a kindergartener, Toya guessed that if Akira refused to do so, he might have problems at home like herself, and tried not to mention it. However, the blade stepped up on its shoes with the unreservedness peculiar to a child.
"You're cheating. It's good for us, but you guys are bad. If you don't invite me, I won't invite you to my house anymore."
The conversation ended with that, and at least Touya didn't come to dislike Blade, but from that point onwards, Touya felt as if Akira kept a little distance from him even though he was dating him. was taken. The blade in question seemed to have noticed it, and he seemed to be dissatisfied with it.
"The second explosion switch was malicious." The reason why Akira doesn't invite her to play at his house is because she spread rumors that Akira is actually a child in a homeless facility.
For some reason, when I saw that he didn't touch Toya and only aimed at Akira, he didn't like how Akira, who was attached to him, kept his distance.
Also, even though I didn't know about Touya's custody, it seems that something bad happened between Akira and Hajime, and I encountered several scenes where the two quarreled.
The third explosion switch was decisive.
"Hey Touya, stop playing with Akira."
With Akira in front of him, the blade spoke to Toya proudly. Spread a nasty smile on your clumsy face. That disgusting face is stuck in my memory of Touya and I can't forget it.
"I don't want to be with this guy anymore.
Toya didn't see Akira. he didn't want to see Even though I was young, I had a strong feeling that I didn't want to see what Akira looked like at that time. I thought what would happen if he cried, and I didn't want to see Akira's crying face. Just as Akira once admired a blade, Touya admired Akira.
"I will stop playing with you. I am no longer friends with you."
Looking at the blade from the front, Toya confidently said so to the blade.
The blade's clumsy smile turned into a frustrated crying face. That masterpiece face is stuck in Toya's memory and I can't forget it.
After that, Blade entered the same school as Toya and others, but fortunately they were never in the same class.
Rumor has it that when he was in fourth grade, he was bullied and stopped attending school. It seems that this is due to his teasing personality and habit of teasing. It looks like he hasn't recovered in years.
To be honest, I think it's worth watching Toya, and after hearing that story, I no longer think that bullying is an absolute evil. In some cases, the bully has a cause before the bullying occurs. At least in the case of that kind of guy, Touya thinks that it can't be helped if he's bullied.
"I don't think everyone is like Blade. Besides, I don't want to see someone like a blade again."
Hearing Akira's words, Toya was convinced that those days had become a very unpleasant memory.
But that's not all, Akira has another reason why he can't open his heart to anyone other than Toya.
Toya knew that the reason was that Akira wasn't blessed with a good family. Not sure, but it must be.
Sometimes he refuses to give them home, but before that, Akira has never touched on the topic of his family, nor has he ever touched Touya's house.
"If there are other people who can accept me, I'm sure I'll find out soon enough. Maybe one day someone like that will show up, but I can't imagine it. If Toya and I leave one day, I'll be all alone."
To be honest, at that time, Touya didn't think such a person would ever appear.
But on the other hand, I also thought about Akira's words. If for some reason he were separated from him in the future, Akira would be completely alone, as he himself says.
Toya was ashamed of herself for wanting to do something like that even for a moment, showing her ego, even though there was no way she could be in such a state.
An hour after crushing the formalin-soaked President 7th Branch, the four of them returned to the research institute, and Junko was treating her true arm injury.
"Nfufu, I'm happiest when I'm taking care of you who was injured fighting for me."
"Don't you think I'm in bad taste when I say that? And this time, I fought for them, not you."
Makoto said to Junko, who was happily wrapping her arm in a bandage, with an expressionless expression.
"How is he doing?"
Makoto asked, pointing to Toya who wasn't in this room. Akira was in the same room as Junko and others, but he didn't say a word after returning, perhaps because he was worried about Toya's life or because he had something else on his mind.
"I'm fine. It will take about two days to recover. Ah, yes, Touya-kun will talk to you later."
Junko turned around and called out to Akira, but Akira was sleeping quietly on the sofa.
And suddenly, Junko picks up the phone as a strange song chanting "Die, die, die!" resounds in the room.
"Hi Leonard"
Her opponent was a formalin-soaked presidential cadre. She is the person in charge of negotiating with Junko.
"Can't we have a truce soon, Deska? "Tides, the reconstruction of the destroyed Seventh Branch." The 9th, 16th, and 22nd branches that were destroyed the other day are still in the process of being rebuilt. Perhaps because Ilnodes, who recruited people under favorable conditions, has been crushing too much in quick succession recently, it's a shame that people haven't come. Of course, Masquedo is financially well-off.』
The formalin-soaked president actively makes enemies and causes conflicts between his own organization and other organizations. All the scenes will be delivered as a show.
The branch offices in various places existed from the beginning on the premise that they would be crushed for the sake of the show. At least the upper management of the organization thinks so. Of course, the same is true of the conflict with Junko.
"I don't think there's any reason to get along that well since they're enemies for the time being?"
Immediately after Junko said so, both of them fell silent for a while.
Junko's words were an unexpected response for Leonard. Until now, they had acted hostilely, but they had been close friends who sought mutual benefit, but now Junko's words are trying to step into the realm of whether or not she is serious about setting things up. She can take it even if it is.
"Well, it's fine. There are many enemy stocks other than formalin soaked presidents who are candidates for experimentation. The problem is that there is always a shortage of children willing to become mice."
Perhaps judging that the other party still had value, Junko gave up.
They seemed to be similar, with only slight, but decisive differences.
Junko is an individual and because of her desire for research. The other party is an organization, and for financial profit to enrich the organization.
The former is free, but has policies, while the latter is bound by various restrictions, but will do anything for profit. Both of them have a hunch that this difference will someday cause cracks in their relationship.
"Desuka, who hasn't had enough of that many human experiments? 』
"There are a lot of things I want to do, and I've also made a lot of mistakes. Things don't always go the way you want them to.
Junko hung up the phone without waiting for the other person's words.
"What?
Makoto spoke with a reluctant or dissatisfied tone.
"Hmm, I don't know. Mr. Leonard seems to have something on his mind on the phone just now."
Junko said with a funny smile.
"If I had the chance, I would like to crush it, but the bosses and executives of that organization don't show their tails."
"Putting aside the top executives, I don't even know who the boss is. We can't become high-ranking people in the organization, can we?"
"Junko is joking."
"Should I keep the destruction of that organization as one of the pleasures? It's because they're the ones who can't be destroyed, so the feeling when they're destroyed will be exceptional."
Junko remembered the conversation she had with Toya an hour ago, and the words she had just told Leonard, and she laughed a little.