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Ryouken found it was weird every time his mother refused to talk about her husband to him.
Ryouken liked his mother very much, and he did not care even when he realized most of his friends in school had someone they called “father”. “Father” was someone who was supposed to be there besides one’s mother, helping to take care of the child, someone who is as important as a mother. But, Ryouken never had someone like that in his life. Ryouken did not care, but “father” was supposed to help his mother, right? Why there was no one like that supporting his mother?
As Ryouken grew up, he came to understand that he would not be on earth unless there was a father who helped his mother to let him be born. At that point, Ryouken just assumed that his father just had his own circumstances as he did not want to think of someone he did not know as an irresponsible bastard. He also stopped asking about his so-called “father” as he realized it made his mother uncomfortable.
After all, even without his father, he still had his lovely mother.
And unlike someone—
“Ryouken-sama!” A boy younger than Ryouken ran, waving his hand to Ryouken.
—Ryouken at least still had his mother.
Ryouken stopped his step. With unamused glints in his eyes, Ryouken turned his head to look at the boy.
“You again. What is it this time? I thought I had fulfilled the promise to duel you the whole week.”
When Ryouken was entering his fourth year of elementary school, he knew this boy called himself Spectre. It was a total coincidence.
One time, Ryouken overheard her mother talking on the phone, holding out her sad tone as she said, “Stop that Hanoi Project.”
As Ryouken got curious, he visited the place “Hanoi Project” took place—that he found out from his mother's diary along with some outline of the project. It was a horrible project sugar-coated with “advancing humanity” as the mission. He went to the said place, but, unfortunately, he could not enter as the security around there was so tight. Remembering how his mother was about to cry over the phone call he overheard, Ryouken made an anonymous report to the police. There was no way the project was just a fictional one if his mother cried like that.
It was a successful bet. After that, the project was found out, but no media covered it. Ryougen guessed it was a closed case. As Ryouken made the report anonymously, Ryouken also did not know what happened after that. He only knew the police found out since waited near the place for some time—telling his mother that he had a sleepover at his friend's house—to see if the police were coming or not.
Sometimes later, curious about the project, Ryouken went to the place where the project was supposed to take place. Worse than before, the place was totally locked. Assuming he could not get any information from that locked place, Ryouken decided to head home. But right at that time, a boy blocked his way. His eyes were so sparkly as if he saw some Godly appearance before him.
It was his first encounter with Spectre, a duel maniac who kept bugging him to have a duel ever since Ryouken beat him on the very place where the Hanoi Project was supposed to take place—for your information, Ryouken only duelled him since Spectre would not let him go if they did not duel.
Unfortunately, that day, it had already been too dark for Ryouken to recognize that Spectre was one of his juniors at school.
“There is no one as strong as Ryouken-sama. I will always follow Ryouken-sama even if it is not for duel anymore.”
Ryouken sighed. He seriously got himself a weird maniac there. He was wondering if beating Spectre was the only reason for the boy following him and calling him like some great figure.
“If you want to find a strong duelist to be worshipped, I know a boy who will grow as strong as me.”
Right, one time, Ryouken met a boy as old as Spectre. He was quite strong even if he kept losing to Ryouken. It had been one year since he last saw that boy; he strangely never appeared again in front of Ryouken.
“It is not strong duelist that I needed.” Ryouken took a glance at Spectre. The said boy kept talking with a big smile on his face. “I only need Ryouken-sama. By the time I saw you in that place, I knew it must be fate.”
Ryouken almost laughed. “Fate” he said. Better hear the reason he had for saying that cliché word.
“Right, what were you doing there? It was late.” Ryouken talked as if he was way older than Spectre to have the right to stay out late.
“That place was the place where I once felt paradise. As Ryouken-sama appeared there, you must be the saviour God sent for me, right?”
Spectre was way crazier than what Ryouken imagined. How could that boy call the place where a horrible project once carried out a paradise?
“… Have you heard about Hanoi Project?”
The boy shook his head. As Ryouken thought, there was no way Spectre knew about that crazy project.
“Is that something Ryouken-sama want to know? If it is, I will help you to find out about it!”
Ryouken smiled. His hand patted Spectre’s head.
“No, it’s okay. I’m just asking.”
Spectre seemed comfortable with Ryouken patting his head, making Ryouken feel warm feelings in his heart.
Deep down, Ryouken decided, he will discover about Hanoi Project. Not because that project might be related to Spectre, or because his mother was about to cry while talking about stopping that project. For the first time in his life, Ryouken had something he wanted to know. He would find out about the Hanoi Project; all just to satisfy his own curiosity.
-XxX-
It was a harsh truth.
All his life, Ryouken decided he would not try to find out about his father. He was different from other children. He must feel satisfied if he did not want to trouble his mother. It was not hard for Ryouken since he seriously felt enough living only with his mother. At the same time, just a little, Ryouken felt he did not need a father who might not exist in this world anymore, or worse, did not even care about him or his mother.
“Ryouken-sama, why do you let me see all this information?”
While searching for the truth of the true perpetrator of the Hanoi Project—or known as the Lost Incident—Ryouken did not imagine all his investigation would lead to the truth of his father’s connection … with that horrible project.
“You said it was your paradise, then you have the right to know.”
Doctor Kougami Kiyoshi was the name of the mastermind of the project. At first, Ryouken did not recognize him. Of course, he did not, Ryouken never saw him before. Ryouken was curious, was the said Doctor that smart until he could think of that crazy project?
Hanoi Project was a heartless project. The project involved children and forced them to duel all day to get proper food. Losing the duel did just not only mean they could not get proper dining … but also meant they would be electrocuted. Just as Ryouken suspected before, Spectre was one of the children involved in that project. Those children were abducted against their will. If only the way to carry the project was changed, it would become a wonderful project—not a crazy one.
Ryouken was a smart child. He did not need that much time to hack into various databanks and find out about the background of Doctor Kougami Kiyoshi.
“I do not understand. Does Ryouken-sama just want to let me know that about your father?”
True, Doctor Kougami Kiyoshi, who thought of the Hanoi Project, was Ryouken’s biological father.
It was a harsh truth, but how can Ryouken care about that? Why must he be bothered by that truth and go ask his mother about that? Ryouken would not do that. At some point, he understood that it might be not Kougami Kiyoshi who left them, but Ryouken’s mother was the one who took Ryouken away from that mad scientist.
Ryouken did not have the heart to ask his mother about Kougami Kiyoshi after all that she had done for Ryouken.
Putting his own family affairs aside, he thought Spectre had the right to know the truth.
Since their first meeting, Spectre kept following Ryouken like some loyal worshipper. At first, Ryouken did not understand why he did that, but after learning about Spectre’s background little by little, Ryouken came to understand. Spectre lacked the ability to socialize properly as he was unable to understand why humans needed other humans. For that Spectre, Hanoi Project that let him duel all day without interacting with other humans was way more fun than his usual everyday life. When he was released from that project, Spectre became lonely once again, and craving to go back to his life while he was abducted. The facility taking care of Spectre thought enrolling Spectre on school would make the boy forget about the project. But they were wrong. Spectre kept thinking someone was relying on him as he did those duels on the Hanoi Project. He kept waiting for someone to pick him up, asking him for something big, or let him duel all day again. And that was how Spectre ended up meeting Ryouken and thought fate was bringing Ryouken to him as his answer.
What a chaotic fate it was.
“Spectre, the truth about your paradise is right in front of you, and now you know I’m not connected to any of it. On the contrary, I was the one who reported the Hanoi Project.” Ryouken glanced at Spectre, checking on how the teen would react. But Spectre kept looking calmly at him, waiting for Ryouken to finish his explanation. “If you feel your decision to be close to me was wrong and you must go to help Kougami Kiyoshi, I don’t mind at all. If you feel me or fate betrayed you, feel free to. I just think you have to know it all.”
Finally, Ryouken saw the reaction he thought he would see on Spectre’s face. The teen frowned as Ryouken finished explaining his purpose and assumption by letting Spectre know about the truth behind the Hanoi Project.
“Ryouken-sama, I think you have a misunderstanding here.”
“Care to explain about it?”
Spectre stood from the chair where he was sitting. He walked until he reached the place where Ryouken was standing while looking after Spectre reading all the data about the Hanoi Project.
“Ryouken-sama, I am not following you because you have any connection to Lost Incident.” Ryouken’s expression did not change, but his clear blue eyes kept pinned on Spectre’s figure. “They did not even try to find me until today; they did not need me anymore. At that time when I saw Ryouken-sama, I came to understand that I must stop waiting. But it was only after we duelled, that I knew Ryouken-sama had that ability to understand me.”
Ryouken’s eyes widened.
“That was your reason for being close to me this whole time?”
Spectre nodded.
“Ryouken-sama never asked me for anything, and never asked me to do useless communication. Ryouken-sama knew exactly how to communicate with me—that was why Ryouken-sama never refused to duel with me, right?”
What Spectre said was half-true. At first, Ryouken just never refused him because Ryouken himself thought it was faster to beat Spectre than to reject his offer. But, as Ryouken felt closer to Spectre, he thought Spectre expressed himself better in his duel. It was one of his best ways to communicate.
“I once said that Ryouken-sama was like a God to me, and I still think it is true.”
Spectre smiled. It was that big smile Spectre put on every time he was talking about Ryouken. Ryouken always found it funny and cute at the same time. But this time, something felt different about the smile.
“But if God leaves me, I will chase God as I thought God had a good reason for doing that. I think of the Hanoi Project just like that and used to think about Ryouken-sama like that.”
Ryouken frowned.
“So, you won’t ask me anything if I leave you?”
“I used to think like that.”
“Then, what’s different now?”
Spectre took a step closer to Ryouken. He then brought Ryouken in a tight hug.
“Now, if Ryouken-sama is going to leave me, I will obtain what Ryouken-sama need the most, so Ryouken-sama does not have any other choice than to keep me close.”
Ryouken snorted.
“It sounds cute, but that means I am not a Godly figure to you anymore?”
“No, Ryouken-sama is more than that.”
Ryouken hugged Spectre back. When did the boy he thought as his little brother grow up so much? He will be taller than Ryouken soon.
“Then, what will you do about the Hanoi Project?”
“I will do as what Ryouken-sama want me to do—just do not tell me to leave you.”
Ryouken laughed a little. He did not know if Spectre realized or not, but the younger teen really sounded as if he was sulking.
“I just want you to live comfortably, Spectre.”
“I am the most comfortable when I am at Ryouken-sama’s side.”
“Is that so?”
Ryouken patted Spectre’s back. He was wondering how could fate lead him to someone like Spectre. Must he be afraid because Spectre sounded like he could not live without him anymore?
Since when did Ryouken care that much about Spectre? Before, Ryouken thought he would not care about anyone as dear as he cared about his mother.
“Spectre, it’s okay to be greedier than that, you know?”
“I am afraid I must refuse since it will be troubling Ryouken-sama.”
Ryouken was giggling. Even if the boy he knew was growing up, he always found ways to make Ryouken think of him as a cute little brother.
“It’s okay. I must know first before I decide whether it will trouble me or not.”
Spectre’s body stiffened. He released Ryouken from his hug. Ryouken was confused as Spectre was looking at him with a troubled look.
“What’s wrong?”
“Ah, no, it’s just …. Then, I hope you forgive me just this once—or you can forget about it if you feel uncomfortable.”
That was the time when Ryouken was about to ask what Spectre meant …
… a hand pushed the back of Ryouken's head, another hugging Ryouken's waist …, and something made contact with Ryouken lips for some seconds. Ryouken could not even let out a proper response for that.
When Ryouken regained his focus, Spectre had already flustered and bowed respectfully to him.
“Then, I will excuse myself. If Ryouken-sama needs anything else, just call this Spectre anytime. Ah, and of course I will let The Madam know before I leave. I hope you and The Madam have a wonderful night.”
Spectre just left like that. Ryouken kept looking at the door that closed after Spectre was leaving.
What the heck was that?
Ryouken's hand moved, touching his lips softly. His expression was still as calm as usual.
“Was that … a kiss …?”
No, it was not like the kiss his mom often gave him on his cheek or forehead. It was …
… the kiss that the prince gave his princess in the fairy tale.
Slowly, Ryouken’s eyes widened. As the clock ticks, red replaced the dominant colour on Ryouken’s cheek.
Must Ryouken be shocked because his “little brother” grew up faster than he thought, or must he be shocked because Spectre might be thinking of Ryouken as ….
Ryouken shook his head.
“He must be at that age where he is curious about what kiss feels like …. That Spectre, he always acts so cutely….”
Ryouken rested his face on one of his palms, then sighed heavily.
“… Will he be disappointed if he knew I never kissed anyone before?”
That night, Ryouken kept thinking if he must experience romance to be a good role figure for Spectre.