Minoru and Seichiro drove off into the quiet night. Minutes stretched on. Minoru's gaze remained fixed on the passed-out Sakura, observing the rise and fall of her chest and the occasional twitch of her eyes in sleep. He did not look away, not even for a second.
"Mr. Kurose," Minoru broke the silence.
"What is it, kid?" Seichiro responded, his attention never wavering from the road ahead.
"...Could you come over and talk to my old man? He's going to flip when he hears what happened to my sister. I'd prefer not to be starved for a week as a punishment," Minoru said in his usual casual tone.
Seichiro sighed deeply, reached for a cigarette, and lit it up before responding. "It's not like your old man to act like a complete fool... Even after all that's happened." he said quietly.
"By trusting me to protect my family again?" Minoru asked, his voice tinged with solemnity as he continued to watch Sakura.
"No, by not appreciating his own kid while he still has the chance," Seichiro corrected him, the smoke curling in the air as he cracked open the window a bit more.
Silence fell over them again, lasting a minute but feeling much longer.
"I've been keeping a line with your old man for a while now, mostly just checking up. That bastard... He's so blinded by his own anxieties that he can't see anything clearly. It really pisses me off," Seichiro grumbled, the rough edge in his voice mirroring his frustration.
'So, Mr. Kurose... Was alive the whole time and talking to my old man... That bastard... He never even told me Mr. Kurose was alive...!' Minoru's thoughts churned with frustration, his grip tightening.
Glancing towards Seichiro's broad back as he drove, Seichiro then continued, "He lost one person, and now he acts like he's the most beaten dog in the world, shutting himself off from perhaps the only one who truly understands his pain."
Minoru's expression turned hollow. "I'm used to it..." He said, as he took a deep breath and laid back on the seat, relaxing his arms as he looked back at Sakura.
"...And I get it. We still have a lot to lose, after all," he murmured.
"A lot to lose, huh?" Seichiro echoed softly, almost to himself.
Hearing that, Minoru snapped to attention. "Mr. Kurose...!! I'm... I'm sorry... I didn't mean to offend you..."
"You didn't," Seichiro reassured Minoru in a subdued tone.
"It's good that you can still say that you got a lot to lose, kid. Keep reminding yourself, maybe not ten times in front of a mirror every morning, but often enough to remember," Seichiro said with a wry chuckle, drawing a contemplative look from Minoru.
As silence began to envelop them once more, Sakura opened her eyes. Groggily, she identified Minoru sitting next to her.
"Hey~... Big brother... I was so worried~...." she murmured almost incoherently as she clumsily embraced Minoru.
Minoru shifted his gaze to Sakura, feeling her weight as she leaned against his shoulder, slowly drifting into sleep.
"...I know I don't have to tell you this..." Seichiro's voice broke the silence.
"...but keep her safe. Keep them all safe. That includes your fool of a father."
Through the rearview mirror, Minoru met Seichiro's eyes, his own reflecting a newfound resolve.
"...I will," he affirmed firmly.
The car filled with a momentary silence as the road stretched out before them.
"...Can you still come talk to my old man?" Minoru eventually asked, breaking the quiet.
Seichiro exhaled slowly, the last of his cigarette burning out. "I'll talk to him... No promises, though. I'm not equipped to monitor him around the clock," he said, his tone weary.
[MEANWHILE, BACK TO SOMEONE WHO MONITORS PEOPLE AROUND THE CLOCK.]
'Finally, those freaks are asleep,' Yuuto thought, glancing around at the others sprawled on their futons in the darkness. It was just past midnight.
Quietly, he rose and tiptoed to the closet, rummaging quietly until his hand closed on his towel.
"Got it," he murmured under his breath. With careful, measured steps, he slipped out of the room, making sure not to disturb the motionless figures scattered across the floor, and softly closed the door behind him.
The resort was silent as he made his way to the onsens. Upon entering the dressing room, he noted the absence of any clothes or belongings. The only sound was the faint buzz of the fluorescent lights above.
'I could check every locker to be sure it's empty, but that would take too long. At this hour, anyone else would just leave their stuff out, thinking they're alone,' Yuuto reasoned with a sigh as he began to disrobe and wrap the towel around himself.
'That was a close call earlier... Staging that fight was a good move. If they saw my body up close, it'd be game over. My secret would be out,' he thought, shuddering at the memory as he headed toward the men's baths.
'But that cuck still has a lot to learn,' Yuuto reflected, remembering how Shun had frozen when Yuuto had slammed the locker next to his head. Inevitably, recalling his comments about him and Sakura.
'... And why would I bother with someone as impulsive and immature as her?' his thoughts drifted to Sakura momentarily.
'According to bigfoot, she still hasn't answered her phone... nor has Sendo. That fool probably turned off his phone after our last conversation,' Yuuto mused with a dismissive chuckle as he paused, hand on the sliding door to the hot baths, seized by a sudden concern.
'She's fine... right?' he wondered, hesitating before stepping into the steaming room.
He gazed downward, lost in thought as he replayed his earlier outburst before reentering the van.
'None of this mess is my fault. As a hero, my duty is to ensure the safety of those I save. It defeats the purpose if they end up harmed afterward...'
'But I made another mistake. I assumed she knew I was Anti-NTR Man. She only recognized me as her rescuer, and that misunderstanding led to my irrational behavior around her.'
'At least, this is for the best. Her disdain for me will make her forget about me quickly, and I won't have to worry about my secret being exposed.'
He lifted his head, his eyes shifting toward the sliding door of the bathhouse.
A quiet cluck of his tongue broke the silence as a thought crossed his mind.
'Was I actually relieved that someone knew my secret?'
The memory of Haruto surfaced.
'Someone I could actually trust?'
He sighed, pushing the thoughts aside.
'Whatever, I'll sort it out later. I'm sure she's okay. Sendo might be simple, but he's dependable and strong enough to take down that Gorrila and his groupie, or any others these guys would bring. He'd handle any trouble. I'm wasting my night here, thinking about it. Even a hero needs his downtime...'
With that, he slid the door open and peered into the steam-filled bathhouse. Visibility was low, but it seemed empty, both in and out of the water.
'Perfect...' he thought with a small sense of relief.
He set his towel aside and quickly stepped into the warm, welcoming water.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhh, finally~..." Yuuto sighed, his eyes rolling back slightly as he gazed up at the stars. The serenity enveloped him completely, the initial sting of the hot water giving way to a profoundly relaxing warmth. His muscles loosened, and he felt the soothing flow of water through his toes, contrasting with the cool night air caressing his face.
Yes, Anti-NTR Man was settling into total relaxation as—
"Sakurai-senpai? You're here too?!" Sato's voice cut through the tranquil silence as he seemingly appeared out of thin air, already seated in the water right next to him.
Yuuto's eyes snapped open, and he quickly turned to face Sato, a surge of panic rushing through him.
'FUCK.'