Chapter Text
Ito was finally released from the hospital, and, as Caron suggested, he went straight to the bar, where everyone else was waiting.
It wasn’t really much of a choice he had nowhere else to go or return to.
Once he entered the bar, everyone really was there. Isa and the gang, the boss and her lackies, April, Caron, even Shu were there.
“Ito, you’re here! Come sit down! I’ll make you a drink!”
Caron seemed the happiest and most eager at Ito’s return before Rie grabbed him, forcing him into a chokehold.
“It’s about time you’re back! So, what are we gonna do?”
“Do what?”
“Don’t be stupid!”
“About Shou you idiot!”
Rie and Ito both turned their heads as Isa sat down next to Ito. April continued to listen in from afar as Caron placed down a drink.
“What are your plans for saving Shou!”
“Saving? Why does he need saving?”
“Shou was taken away by force of course he does!”
“What if he doesn’t want to be saved?”
Caron interjected, placing a hand between them like he was separating two cats.
“He might not want to be but why not try asking him yourself? Whether he wants help or not.”
April smiled before pushing a slip of paper across the bar counter, stopping perfectly in front of Ito.
“In the first place, what can an unconscious person do? You should at least see if he’s woken up to make a decision.”
Ito thought for a while before nodding.
“You’re right. I’ll go see him. And if he wants to leave, I’ll bring him back!”
Rie ruffled Ito’s hair as Isa continued to slap him on the back proudly.
“It was a lot of work but I found where Shou was taken. I had plenty of time while you were in the hospital, you see.”
“So his father really did come to take him back home…”
“If it’s about how to get to Shou, you’ll need my help.”
Shu suddenly spoke up despite sitting away from everyone in a dark corner.
“I would hope you knew, you used to live there.”
“It’s not that easy getting in because of how father is. It’s an overly complicated matter just to get in and out. That's why I hate that place.”
Shu sat down spreading a large piece of paper as he began to draw a very detailed layout of the entire mansion-like building.
“Hoh, you’re good. What are your thoughts on becoming an assistant of mine?”
“Not interested.”
April pouted at the missed opportunity.
“It’s almost like I’m a spy trying to infiltrate Shou’s house.”
“You will be since you’re definitely not welcome there.”
Rie laughed.
“Don’t worry, Ito we’ll help!”
Isa looked at Ito with sparkling eyes, almost excitedly. Ito turned away only to see Caron, April, and even the boss with the same expression.
“Well, I’ve done my part. I wish you the best of luck on the rest.”
Shu waved as he left the bar not wanting any further involvement in the matter. Ito also waved back in return, he was grateful for the info.
Determinedly, Ito got to work on a plan on how to successfully reach Shou, of course with the help of everyone else and their inputs.
When Shou woke up he felt a wave of nausea followed by an extreme migraine. Other than his banging head, he realized he was lying on a bed.
A room that was supposed to be unfamiliar felt a bit too familiar, there was almost a hint of nostalgia to it.
When he looked at his own body, the clothes that he had previously worn were no longer there and were instead replaced with something else.
“There’s no mistaking it. This is my room. Which means I’m back home.”
He sat up and got off the bed as he frustratedly ruffled his own hair, grabbing at his head right after due to the pain of standing up.
“I should have seen this coming! I’m a failure of a detective!”
Then he attempted to try and open the windows as well as the only two doors to the room but as he had expected they were all locked.
“I actually managed to wake back up after that but I guess I will be dying soon.”
The group followed April’s flying drone to the place where Shou was currently being held.
Then they were soon faced with a giant gate with countless guards standing in front, it was almost comical how large their numbers were.
“Leave this to me!”
Caron easily dealt with all the guards blocking their way, allowing a path for Ito and the rest to go through.
“We’ll be going then!”
“Stay safe! Don’t die!”
Ito didn’t look back as Caron turned back around to deal with the endless guards that kept coming out.
The remaining group somehow made it into the mansion thanks to a majority of the security guards focusing on Caron.
Isa held the detailed blueprint of the mansion’s layout as she led the way. It was basically useless in Ito’s hands anyway, for its over-complication.
Following Isa’s directions, they soon approached a seemingly normal room until Rie threw one of her buttons onto the floor.
Traps instantly went off, from flying arrows to floor-like contraptions that opened a pit filled with a sharp bottom.
There were even lasers and parts of the walls that spewed fire the further you went in.
“Why is there more security in this mansion than in most jobs I've taken?”
“Oh? Then I should give you guys more intense jobs if that’s the case.”
“No, sir, I'm grateful for what we have, sir.”
Rie smiled as she picked up the kids and easily avoided every contraption possible as easily as breathing.
“Is she even human?”
Ito was then picked up by Ser the clown as he followed Rie in pursuit, though his travel through the traps was a bit more rocky compared to Rie’s.
When they made it past all the chaos, Ito was left with slightly burnt ends of hair.
Cus had sat down to catch his breath before plugging something into the wall.
They were all taking a short breather before more guards appeared out of nowhere surrounding them.
Isa and the others stepped forward.
“Go, Ito!”
Ito nodded before Rie dragged him away. The trio was left behind as Ito and Rie ventured further and deeper into the mansion.
As they ran, there were countless monitors mounted on the walls, each one individually turning on as they passed.
Soon they reflected a familiar face that smiled back at them.
“Yo! It’s me!”
“April!”
“Thanks to the boy, I’ve managed to hack the system even if for a little. The place will be on lockdown soon before the backup security turns on. That’s all I can do.”
“Got it. Thanks, April.”
As April said that all the monitors turned off including all the lights but Rie and Ito kept going forward through the darkness.
Shortly after, the lights really did turn back on but everything was dying in red as a warning blared throughout the place.
There was one door at the very end of the hall but at the other end right behind them were guards chasing them.
“How the hell did they catch up to us?!”
The door stood solemnly but from above there was a wall slowly lowering as if it was closing off the only exit.
“Shit!”
Rie cursed before chucking Ito forward. He landed right on his face as his body flew making him roll a few times.
“Keep going straight!”
Ito got up and saluted Rie, as if seeing her off for her noble sacrifice. He ran and didn’t look back.
The wall was only inches away from completely covering the door from view and just before the wall touched the ground, Ito managed to slide underneath it.
After dusting himself off, he got up and turned the doorknob.
Soon he entered a room filled with many doors. Yet there was a certain door that stood out more than the others.
He walked over to that exact door and kicked it down unapologetically.
Ito knew it wasn’t going to be that easy or obvious to get to where Shou was even with the map given by Shu.
“The only way to get to the princess is to defeat the big boss first.”
So naturally, he chose to face the biggest boss of them all first: Shou’s father. Why go through all the trouble to find Shou when the answers all come from him?
“To think that a rat was able to slip by, how disappointing.”
Ito was fully expecting an old man with a beard and hunched back but to his surprise, the man in front of him looked young and refined, handsome yet cold.
“Sorry about that, I'm just that good. Care to tell me where Shou is, old man?”
Although Ito called him an old man to tick him off, his looks were more like an uncle.
“I’m afraid I have nothing to tell you. Leave.”
That man was sitting at his desk unfazed by Ito’s sudden intrusion, his fingers overlapped as his chin leaned on his hands.
“Wrong answer!”
Ito quickly took out a gun and shot. The bullet had landed perfectly next to that man’s head as it went through the chair he sat on.
However, he sat unmoving even as blood seeped down his cheek.
“That’s all? Pathetic, just like my son.”
“Not gonna take out your weapon, old man?”
“I don’t make it a hobby of mine to carry such barbaric items.”
“That’s good news for me cuz none of your men are gonna come to save you.”
Ito ran up as he stepped onto the table, the gun’s barrel directly touching that man’s forehead.
“What’s your reason for taking Shou?”
“I’m here to finish what his mother left behind. This is what his mother would have wanted.”
“You’re wrong!”
Ito gripped the gun but the trigger never moved, his fingers stayed glued in place.
“Am I now?”
“You…You could have blown him up! Was that what your wife would have wanted to?!”
“I’m aware of that and if that happened so be it.”
“What…? Do you even know what you’re saying?”
“My wife…She was my world, my everything. He took her away from me. If not to finish what his mother left behind, what else is that thing good for?”
“Did you even once think about what he wanted? What Shou wanted?”
“Why should that matter? Haven’t I done just that? I've let him do what he wanted for months now in that pathetic and dirty city. I’ve given him enough time.”
“Have you ever tried talking to Shou?”
“Ah yes, plenty of times, enough times to know that all he does is run.”
“Yeah, he does run but only from you who will never understand him.”
Ito retracted the gun that was at point aimed at his head.
“I get it now, you’re just like my shitty old man. Maybe he and I are more alike than I want to admit.”
Ito instead fired the gun as it went into that man known as Shou’s father’s shoulder, and he grimaced in pain.
He then bent down slightly and opened a drawer behind the desk as if he knew. Ito took out a key before spinning it.
That man tried to stop Ito but failed miserably before giving up, not finding the matter worth it anymore.
As Ito jumped off the desk he was about to leave before turning back around to give a middle finger.
“Oh, and your wife, Maria would never forgive you for what you’ve done to Shou. Let’s never meet again, old man.”
“…”
Shou’s father held his injured arm letting Ito go with no intentions of stopping him.
Thanks to Luka’s unneeded advice, Ito was able to easily find Shou’s room which was likely the place he was imprisoned in.
With the key he had stolen in hand, he unlocked the door. Once stepped into the room, he saw Shou lying listlessly in bed.
“Have you really just been asleep till now? Come on Sleeping Beauty, it's about time you get up.”
Ito walked up to the bed before lying right next to Shou as if the bed were his own.
“You’re not some sleeping beauty if you’re ugly. Wake up, idiot.”
Ito kept flicking his forehead so when Shou finally opened his eyes, his head slightly turned to see that Ito was right next to him.
“Thank God, you didn’t try to awaken me with a kiss. How did you even manage to get here, Ito?”
“That’s not really all that important is it?”
“It can’t be by stroke of luck!”
“At least my luck is still better than yours.”
“Y’know this kind of reminds me of how we first met in that one mansion.”
“Yeah, except this time I thought you died. Pull that shit again and I’ll kill you.”
“Oh, does the idea of me dying scare you?”
“Nah, it’s just we signed a contract and without you, I can’t do my job.”
“Whatever you say. So, why are you here? You’re already aware that I’m just some rich prince.”
“Yeah, why the hell is your hair suddenly blonde?”
“Sorry to break it to you but this is my natural hair color.”
“Ain’t no way.”
“I thought that was fairly obvious when you met my twin brother, Shu who also had blonde hair.”
“Wait, Shu’s your twin brother?”
“You…Do you ever pay attention to anything other than Leena?”
“Not really. But right now I’m listening to you, aren’t I?”
“You know I’m rich, don’t you want my money to buy Leena merch?”
“I don’t need your chump change to buy Leena. I’ll get her myself.”
Shou laughed, Ito was right. In the first place, compared to others Shou never gave off the feeling he was a rich person, he was poorer in Ito’s eyes.
“Then, why…?”
“I don’t really care about your background, you’re just Shou. The same Detective loving, slow-footed, slightly annoying Shou. My friend…”
No one saw Shou for who he really was. They only cared about his status, money, and ability and yet here Ito was saying so easily that he didn’t care.
Shou couldn’t help but smile.
“Friend…”
“Let's go back, everyone is waiting for you.”
“Not just me but they’re waiting for you too, right?”
“Yeah so let’s go back home together.”
“Yeah! But wait, how are you alive right now? Why did my father not kill you?”
“I’m clearly alive but let's just say we agreed. I don’t think he’ll be bothering with you anymore.”
“Ito, you know, you can be cool sometimes.”
Ito nonchalantly broke open one of Shou’s windows as he stepped on the ledge, offering a hand to Shou.
“Joke's on you, I’ve always been cool this whole time.”
“Ah yes, how could I have been so blind?”
Shou said sarcastically as he took Ito’s hand.
“There’s this place I want to visit though before we leave. It’s close by.”
For once, Ito didn’t seem against what Shou wished to do, being awfully compliant.
As Shou led Ito further astray from the mansion on a treadedly worn path, soon a meadow filled with white flowers as pure as snow came into view.
Despite the harsh cold temperatures, those flowers persisted as they surrounded the lone grave basking in sunlight.
Ito knew it was Shou and Shu’s mother’s grave. The name Maria being engraved on the fine stone proved him ever more right.
“I’ve been meaning to ask but how did you even find my room? Not even Shu could have helped you with that.”
Shou’s room was an overly complicated process to get to and only his father was aware of how to properly reach it. He had purposefully made it this way.
“Luka told me. Apparently, the few times he did visit your room he memorized it.”
“That’s impressive in its own way…as expected of Luka.”
“Not as much compared to your father. Is he always this extreme?”
“Oh, having bought an entire mountain and piece of land for a singular grave? Yes.”
After looking at the grave for a while, Shou directed his attention to Ito who quickly noticed the eyes on him.
“What? I’m too handsome, you can’t take your eyes off me?”
“Actually, I’ve always wondered this before but you felt awfully familiar despite us never meeting before. Could it be that you’ve met my mother?”
If they had never met, surely Shou knew of this person’s existence from his mother’s tales.
“You could say that.”
Shou stared at Ito a bit more before having a revelation, then he ripped Ito’s red beanie off his head along with some hair.
“Are you trying to bald me?!”
“I remember! You’re that kid from back then!”
“Yeah, so?”
“If you recalled why didn’t you mention anything!?”
“It didn’t seem to matter.”
Shou was recalling the past as clear as day. It was actually not Shou’s first time running away from home, he had done it even more often when younger.
However, Shou got lost in the city of Array and was taken by some thugs before he was tied to a chair and left in a room. He was sure to be sold off by some human traffickers.
He was young but even then he knew his life was in grave danger, escape seemed unlikely. To his surprise, another child had followed him.
That same child had sneaked in and freed him, even pulling his hand along to help him escape and they did somehow successfully.
That child even made Shou call home and stayed with him until he was sure he was safely returned.
As thanks for all he did for Shou, he gave him his red beanie that was a tad large in size, seeing that the boy was cold.
“That child back then was you, right?”
“Not sure. Maybe I don’t remember all that well.”
“What the heck?! Stop lying! You do! You totally do!”
Ito laughed, he clearly remembered but now he felt like teasing Shou. Admitting to it wasn’t as fun.
Shou would never know but after that day, Shou’s mother Maria would occasionally visit Ito and give him snacks as thanks.
Shou was indeed the reason as to how Ito got the red beanie he was wearing today but perhaps Shou will never know the truth.
To their surprise their escape was quite easy, perhaps after conversing with Shou’s father, he must have given up trying to stop them entirely.
When they arrived in front of the bar, Shou felt a wave of nostalgia. It felt so long since he last returned here.
As they stepped inside they were blasted with confetti as everyone cheered. Naturally, they had all escaped long ago and returned before them.
“Welcome back!”
Neither Shou nor Ito expected there to be a party waiting for them when they came back. The entire day was spent eating good food and playing games in the closed bar.
Shou got tired from all the activity as he sat down on a couch. Ito had also joined him, sitting down right next.
“I’ve never really experienced what a family was. This must be what it’s like to have one.”
“Stupid. That’s because we are your family.”
Shou smiled before falling asleep while leaning on Ito, and he was too tired to push him off so he used Shou to sleep on as well.
Caron whispered as he called everyone over to pose by the couch where Shou and Ito were.
April set up the camera to be timed perfectly as he also joined in. The camera’s shutter made a nice clicking sound, as it took a picture.
The neatly framed photo of everyone would later be put on display at the bar for Shou and Ito’s viewing.