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Higashi stood behind the counter at Charles. There were a few weeks left until Ayabe’s trial, and to be honest, the quiet surrounding the entertainment district had become nerve-wracking. Higashi was used to the general hustle and bustle of Kamurocho; he’d been around the district since his teens when he first joined the Matsugane Family. There was always something happening, and with the sudden quiet around, it felt like any minute, shit could hit the fan.
Higashi hated that feeling even if he had grown used to it.
Nowadays, with Hamura and the Matsugane family practically gone, it left Higashi with nothing to do but watch over the arcade. Kuroiwa’s gun and badge was taken, and with the Mole out of the picture, Kamurocho just felt surprisingly safe. With all of the news about what the Mole had been doing, Higashi wondered if perhaps the usual riffraff was nervous about making moves.
The only real trouble Higashi saw around was the stupid kids that Sugiura used to run with. It seemed like as time went on, Higashi saw them getting taken into police cars. Higashi wasn’t shocked; a bunch of two-bit thieves going around stealing shit and then immediately decking themselves out in flashy clothes and accessories? Even if they’d gotten away with it before, the police could focus a little more on small crimes with the Mole temporarily out of the way.
It was probably for the better that Sugiura had gotten out when he did. He had explained that he joined in with them to live for himself, whatever that meant, but Sugiura had only ever used his gains for others. He at least seemed smart about it, and he got out the second the others had made it clear they didn’t feel as generous.
Honestly, Higashi wasn’t surprised that a group of thieves would only ever spend their ill-gotten gains on themselves, but he was surprised that it might not have occurred to Sugiura that it would happen. Though Higashi had been in with criminals for too much of his life, so maybe their actions just felt like second nature to him. And truthfully, Sugiura might have just been with them as an excuse to get around the district and keep tabs on everything.
Even if he had been a petty criminal, it just didn’t really seem like the kind of thing that Sugiura would get into of his own accord without some kind of outside influence.
Higashi didn’t know, he never asked Sugiura about it. He didn’t really care for the band of misfits that the younger man had been a part of. They had given the cops even more reason to be on edge and stick around, and truth be told, without Sugiura around to help guide them, it just felt like they were too stupid to get away anymore. Higashi had to give Sugiura credit; he was quick and smart, yet he never seemed like he thought of himself as being too good because he always evaded arrest.
If anything, Higashi wondered if maybe Sugiura was just happy to belong somewhere. He had admitted some time back that he had been a shut-in, talked about how much he had loved his sister and why he was even doing everything. It was the kind of shit that really got to Higashi; people who were fucked up from too much trauma that they hadn’t truly gotten over. And even before Emi had died, being a shut-in meant that something had happened for Sugiura to just retreat from everything.
Shit like that was part of why Higashi didn’t really mind running Charles even if he hated all the reasons for why he had gotten such a promotion in the first place. He could keep the place going for anyone who just needed a place to lay low and spend some time having fun and getting away from life for a while.
When Higashi was still so young and new to the Matsugane Family, he had become the punching bag for anyone that had been there longer than him. Kaito stepped in when he could, but he couldn’t be there forever; Higashi took the brunt of any Matsugane Family asshole’s anger, and he felt like he couldn’t defend himself because they were higher up than him and it would be disrespectful. It got better when Higashi was a little older and assigned to help Kaito work at Charles, but sometimes there were still some bad run-ins.
It was a nice change of pace though. Charles was full of the games that Higashi remembered playing as a kid, and it gave him a chance to play now and again if the place was less crowded. Sometimes kids asked Higashi to show them how to play, and it felt great to be there for them. They looked up to him, and even now, kids still had a light in their eyes when they asked Higashi to show them how to play.
Sometimes Higashi wondered what became of customers that stopped coming back. For all of its lack of business, there were still some regulars that came by. Mostly college kids that Higashi recognized playing with years ago. Sometimes Higashi still played games with them if they asked, and they still cooed over what a good gamer he was. Granted, it was clear they were just laughing at how much they had absolutely idolized Higashi, but they meant well and Higashi knew it.
It felt good to watch how the kids had grown up.
Sometimes Higashi assumed the worst. Customers came and went, and Higashi felt like he’d gotten a feel for the kinds of people they were from watching them during his time as a clerk. There was a kid that used to come around. Sometimes he’d play games, but mostly he’d just sit on the bench looking so done with everything in life.
He couldn’t have been more than a first or second year high school student, and he honestly looked so down that Higashi wondered if the kid was just bullied at school and trying to lay low. Higashi tried to be good, gave him drinks from the vending machine or hand him some money that they kept for any kids who wanted just one more go. Sometimes the kid would watch Higashi play a game, even join in from time to time with some coaxing, and sometimes he would smile and take the money Higashi offered him, play a game on his own and cheer up a bit before heading home. And then sometimes it seemed like he was seconds away from throwing a fit after he lost a game. He would sit back down on the bench looking more morose and out of it than usual.
Higashi had to say, when that kid stopped dropping by the arcade, he absolutely assumed something horrible had happened. Higashi tried talking to him sometimes if the place was less busy, and the little amount of information that Higashi had gleaned was that the kid had trouble at school with others; bullying was Higashi’s guess, given the quiet and timid nature of the student. With that in mind, Higashi made his own assumptions after a while. He couldn’t really help it; he was a clerk with too little to do some days, so his imagination tended to run wild.
And honestly, with how big of a problem bullying was, would it be so surprising if a troubled student just did what he could to make it stop? Higashi had been bullied himself; both by his own classmates when he was younger, and as he got older, by his superiors. Sometimes it felt like way more than he could bear. If he, a grown man, was absolutely devastated by being harassed so much, how could a kid fare any better?
Higashi hated to think about it too much; where any of his younger customers could have potentially ended up. He always hoped they got good lives and moved on from the dinky little retro arcade, but he’d been part of the underworld for a long time now and knew that it wasn’t really how life worked, whether he wanted it to or not. Higashi tried not to worry, because truthfully, he always tried his best for the customers with dark clouds over their heads. But at the end of the day, there was nothing he could do. Deep down, Higashi couldn’t help but wonder what became of some customers.
If he weren’t absolutely terrified of Hamura’s wrath and Matsugane’s health one year ago after everything that went down concerning Kaito, Higashi was sure he would have become even more broken than he already felt. But he felt like he couldn’t fall apart; Kaito wouldn’t, and Higashi had to become better than the weak man he felt he had been.
With everything that had gone on recently, Higashi supposed his mind would naturally wander to every old customer Charles had. Higashi had been working there so long, the thought that the place could close now that Matsugane was gone was devastating.
Sure, there were flashier arcades that people could go to, but Higashi loved being a little light that people could find on their darkest days. Maybe Higashi was projecting massively and thinking more about his little arcade than it was, but was it so bad for a man to dream?
As Higashi surveyed his empty arcade, he noticed that someone had come in. It was Sugiura, taking a seat on one of the benches near the counter. Higashi would have told you three weeks ago that he absolutely minded if Sugiura were around, but after everything that had gone on and Sugiura’s confession about who he was, the man couldn’t bring himself to feel so negatively about the thief. After Higashi and Sugiura had brought Kaito to a doctor when he’d gotten shot, the two got along better, but Sugiura admitting who he’d been in the past and everything he felt about the world, Higashi was starting to truly warm to the younger man.
Higashi had been ordered to watch him previously. Yagami had been called by Mafuyu asking him to meet her, and Kaito went too, told Higashi to stay with Sugiura. Higashi had just been beaten with a blackjack and all he really wanted was a smoke and a drink. But he wasn’t going to turn Sugiura away; not when he had just admitted why he was really there and how fucked up his life had been prior.
He reminded Higashi too much of some of the kids that used to end up in the arcade, looking like the weight of the world was on their shoulders and they had too much going on that they just couldn’t handle at their young age and limited life experience. Higashi might have wanted to just have a moment to himself to process everything, but Higashi had learned so long ago that life wasn’t just about what he wanted.
“Hey,” Higashi greeted. He put out the cigarette he’d been smoking. When Sugiura had lent Higashi and Kaito his van to watch Kuroiwa, the thief had explained that he didn’t like smoke and he didn’t want the smell in his van. Kaito complained that they’d have a lot of time sitting and doing nothing, but Higashi had promised they’d keep the vehicle clean.
If Sugiura didn’t like smoke, it felt rude to be smoking in front of him. Higashi might have been stressed out these days, but he felt like he could put it aside for a bit and be considerate of the younger man. Higashi didn’t feel in control of much in his life, but he could control what he did for others.
“Hey,” Sugiura replied. He smiled at Higashi. He seemed just a little brighter these days. Even if he kept his identity to himself so he could get closer to Yagami and figure out what he was doing these days, Higashi was sure it was hard telling so many lies and keeping everything to himself. It probably felt good to just be him again. “Just you working today, Higashi-san?”
“Yeah,” Higashi said. In the past couple of weeks, Sugiura had dropped by now and then, usually played a couple of games or just checked in with the older man to see how he was doing. Higashi had no idea what Sugiura actually did to fill his time, nor did he ever ask. They were friendly enough at this point, but Higashi wasn’t sure if it would seem too familiar to just find a little more out about the other man. “There’s not a lot going on right now, it seems like a good time to let my clerk have some time off. He’s been hard at work since I’ve had the time to help with the case.”
“Seems like any classic Charles clerk,” Sugiura grinned and laughed. Higashi furrowed his eyebrows.
“Does it?” he asked. He couldn’t say Sugiura was wrong; he felt like in the past, before Kaito got expelled, he spent most of his time at the arcade watching over the place and getting to know the regulars. Higashi felt somewhat lucky in the fact that despite being a yakuza, he didn’t really know how seedy and dark the underworld was. He’d heard whispers and gossip about the Dragon of Dojima in the past, and of course it always seemed like there was some shit going on with the Tojo Clan that always had everyone riled up, but Higashi was more or less a grunt doing shitwork until he got assigned to working at Charles. And even with so many years in the Family, he was still made to do all the shitty work that no one else wanted to do.
He felt like it made him soft, and maybe it’s why he was such a big target for everyone else; they did the dark, scary stuff and wanted to let off steam towards the kid that was practically the gopher doing everyone else’s chores.
“Yeah. I used to come around here now and then a long time ago,” Sugiura stated. Higashi blinked and cocked his head, stared at the younger man; he would’ve remembered someone like Sugiura. “Don’t look at me like I’m food! I looked a lot different back then.”
Higashi remembered him saying something similar to Yagami when Sugiura talked about his family going to speak to the lawyer after Okubo’s trial. It made sense why it had never occurred to Yagami that Sugiura was related to Emi Terasawa if he couldn’t even recognize someone who had apparently said something that haunted the detective to the point of completely changing his career path.
Still, Higashi just couldn’t place Sugiura with any of the hundreds of customers he’d dealt with in his many years of working at the arcade. A long time ago could’ve meant anywhere from when Higashi had first started working twelve years ago, to five years ago when Higashi assumed Sugiura had been a shut-in. He didn’t know enough about the younger man to put a timeframe to anything in his life, nor did he even actually know how old the guy even was. Early to mid-twenties was Higashi’s estimate given that Sugiura didn’t seem like the type to wear makeup for his looks.
Higashi worked in the entertainment district for a long time, he knew the good looking hosts often wore makeup and lenses to help with their physical appeal. They were in the kind of job where it was necessary and Higashi would never judge them for it, but he knew the kind of work those guys needed to put in to keep their clients hooked. Sugiura looked so pretty, but it just seemed natural save for his brightly colored hair.
On looks alone, Higashi had no doubt that he could be the number one host at a place like Stardust.
“Sorry, I don’t remember you,” Higashi tried to remember everyone. He felt like it was the mark of a good public-facing worker to remember the people who came in, especially if they stuck around.
“That’s fine. I didn’t want people remembering me anyway,” Sugiura said. It sounded so sad despite how nonchalantly Sugiura had said it. Sugiura leaned back, looked around the arcade. “I was usually right here, trying to get myself together before heading home. You were always nice to me. I used to think it was pity, but now that I’m older and I know you, I can say that it was just you being a good person and trying to be nice to a sad teenage boy.”
It was. Higashi always felt miserable as a teen, never felt like he belonged much of anywhere. He certainly wasn’t wanted at home, and he barely got by in school. Of course he’d want to keep an eye out for any kid that seemed to be suffering. There might not have been much he could do to really make a difference in anyone’s life, but he remembered how good it felt the first time that Kaito was by his side, smiling and being nice to him. And in turn, Higashi wanted to pay it forward with all the kids that came through the arcade.
He couldn’t do much for them but be there and treat them well.
“Sometimes you’d sit with me, try and convince me how fun it’d be to let go and play a game together. It helped a little,” Sugiura continued. He leaned his head back, looked up in recollection. “Emi-chan was at college, and my parents never wanted to hear about any problems; they both worked long hours. So it felt like I had nowhere to go with how I felt. Playing games did make me feel a little better, and having someone be nice to me made my days a little better.”
“I’m glad that at least I could do something,” Higashi said. He was trying to put it together. Was Sugiura that one student that seemed ready to blow up when he would lose a game? The kid was chubby with glasses, and he didn’t really stand out, but he had deep, dark, sad eyes. They felt haunting, and maybe it’s why he had stuck out in Higashi’s mind; those sad, dark eyes had lost their light.
It felt like the kid was too young to feel so dull.
Higashi looked into Sugiura’s eyes; they shined bright with curiosity. Sugiura smiled as Higashi’s eyes wandered. Sugiura was reminiscent of that kid, but he also didn’t look like him at all. But then, it had been about ten years now and from how Sugiura talked about his looks to Yagami, the younger man had really changed in the past three years especially.
Higashi couldn’t really think of who else would match Sugiura’s description. Knowing the younger man’s past as a shut-in and the fact that he’d been a teen, it probably was that student with the sad, haunting eyes. Not a lot of teenagers went to Charles in the past, and the ones that did never seemed like they needed Higashi’s help, so he wasn’t really around them much other than to do his job. He didn’t want to pry and seem overbearing.
Higashi set his gaze forward. Sugiura had said he didn’t want anyone remembering him, and that sounded just like that kid that Higashi had tried so hard to cheer up. The kid used to talk about wishing he were invisible so that no one at school noticed him; it gave Higashi the impression that he just wanted to disappear.
It felt like the worst time in Sugiura’s life, before everything that happened with Emi.
“I don’t think you came here to go down memory lane,” Higashi finally said. Usually the people who came to the arcade were just looking to have a good time and play some older games that were harder to find. Sure, kids were always crying and getting upset, but it was either because they had lost or the machines ate their money.
“Maybe I did,” Sugiura replied. He shifted as Higashi moved to sit on the bench next to him. “Even though you didn’t remember me, it was nice to see you again after so many years. It hurt when I thought that you had changed and become so mean and arrogant, but when I’d overheard that you were actually on our side and going behind Hamura’s back… well, it reminded me of what a good person you are.”
“I’m just me,” Higashi shrugged his shoulders. He did his best, but he never really felt like a good person. A good person didn’t join in with Japan’s underworld, and a good person definitely didn’t leave a dead man lying in the sewers for his friends to find because he was too scared and upset to do anything other than run home and crawl into the safety of his bed. “To be honest, I thought you had taken your life. You always looked so down and out, so when you stopped coming by, I assumed the worst.”
“Higashi-san,” Sugiura murmured. There it was. Another link between Sugiura and that kid; the teen had a gentleness to his voice, especially when addressing the older man. He never talked much, so it was a surprise when words came from his mouth. His voice was soft and kind, and it just stung more knowing that Higashi couldn’t really do anything to change things. It was one more reminder of how powerless he truly was. “I stopped going to school, and then slowly, I even stopped leaving the house. No one ever came looking for me, so I didn’t think anyone would miss me.”
Higashi couldn’t say he had missed Sugiura. As much as he liked his job and being there for the younger customers, he tried to keep it in perspective; he was the clerk and it was his job to ensure everyone had a good time and everything ran smoothly. That said, he tried to be present for everyone, and even years later, he felt like he could remember most of the customers that came through that door.
He didn’t miss Sugiura, but when he had stopped coming to the arcade, it did weigh heavily on Higashi when he had thought the worst. He used to hope that one day he’d look up and that sad kid would be there on the bench, but after six months, Higashi gave up hope that the teen was okay. He knew that Sugiura’s sadness was beyond him, and his troubles all came from his peers at school. All Higashi could really do was try and be good to the teen, and even then, he knew it didn’t really fix anything.
“I’m glad you’re okay,” Higashi said. Sugiura wasn’t actually okay; life became too hard to live, so he shut himself away from the world, and the one person who was there for him no matter what had been killed. Sugiura wasn’t okay, but he found a purpose and lifted himself back up. “Well… I guess I should say I’m glad you’re back.”
Sugiura laughed. Higashi hoped he knew what he was trying to get at, but the smile on his face told the older man that he understood.
“Thank you for taking care of me,” Sugiura said. He smiled as he shifted just a little closer to the older man. “I guess it’s something you’re good at, huh? You’re always good to me.”
“You think so?” Higashi asked. Sugiura nodded. Higashi didn’t feel like he was really good at taking care of anyone. He tried of course, but sometimes it just felt like he barely made a difference. At least with Sugiura, he could kind of tell that he did an okay job.
When the younger man was crying that night a few weeks back, Higashi didn’t really feel like anything he did helped. Sugiura had to let it all out; the three years of sadness and anger that he had been keeping to himself. All Higashi felt like he could do was pat Sugiura on the shoulder, assure him that Shono would pay and everyone would know that he was truly the heartless killer that had taken Sugiura’s sister’s life.
All because he was too cowardly to admit that his life-saving drug was failing and doing more harm. And instead of going back to the drawing board, Shono doubled down and took out anyone in his way.
And of course, Emi was strong enough to admit that her boss had lied in court and had been in that old man’s room, way back when the trouble had first truly started. The love of her life was going to pay for something he didn’t do, and she was standing up for what was right; nothing would stop her from telling the truth even if it potentially put herself or her boss in a bad light.
Sugiura’s strength and passion had definitely come from somewhere, and Higashi was sure that Emi’s love and light had helped bring it out. She would have been the ultimate role-model for a young kid that loved his big sister.
“Do you wanna play one more game for old time’s sake?” the older man asked.
“Yeah!” Sugiura smiled. Higashi laughed; he seemed so happy. Sugiura had always seemed a little cocky since Higashi had met him, but this was different. Sugiura wasn’t hiding any longer, and he seemed happy for a change. He was opening up, sharing with Higashi a bad time in his life. “When we’re done, can we go get something to eat?”
“Hmm?” they stopped at a game cabinet; it was an action game that the two had played together a couple of times, way back when. “You wanna get food?”
“Yeah. Since it’s a happy reunion,” Sugiura grinned. Higashi laughed; he supposed it was a happy reunion of sorts. He never would have guessed that the sad teenage boy that used to come around would grow up to be who Higashi used to think of as the young, pretty asshole that had wormed his way into the group. But honestly, it was better than what Higashi had always assumed had happened.
“Yeah, we can get some food if you want,” Higashi agreed. He put money into the game cabinet and started it up. “Whoever scores higher gets to choose where we go.”
He glanced at Sugiura. The younger man’s eyes lit up and his lips curled into a smirk. That same smirk that had told Higashi weeks ago that this sly little thief would absolutely annoy the shit out of him. But now, Higashi learned to appreciate that little smirk.
Sugiura had worked so hard for that confidence, and Higashi hoped that it would never waver.