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It must not be the first time a banquet was held for Washizu. Everyone here had their turn to congratulate him on the recent gain of assets that he and his subordinates had long sought after. Decorative plates of food of all kinds filled the long tables, fancy, expensive food that one would find at high-end restaurants.
If Akagi was being honest, it all looked foreign to him aside from the neatly sliced sashimi stationed at the end which he had more than a few servings of. It must be normal for the people here but in any case, there were too many people here and now halfway into the banquet, it was too noisy. All he wanted was a cigarette break from the guests singing praises to the man they “had always admired”.
He quietly took some more sashimi into his plate but before he could take a bite, an arm draped down his shoulder. Okamoto, who never hesitated to show his disdain towards him, was now grinning ear to ear in his face.
“Akagi… what are you doin’?” His breath was heavy with alcohol, words slurring into one another. “Come on! Drink with us! We gotta celebrate."
A glass of alcohol was shoved into his hands. All around him, the guests’ faces were flushed in similar fashion. Only a select few Whitesuits were still sober, carefully making sure that there was enough food and drinks to go around.
He glanced over to Washizu who was surrounded by eager guests. Akagi placed the glass he received from Okamoto on the table before quietly slipping out of his seat and making his way out to the entrance of the building. No one stopped him or even noticed, all too caught up in their celebration. Away from the laughter and voices, it was a sudden change and a vast contrast to the environment he was in. Shrugging off the stillness of the night, he lit up a cigarette and stared up at the clear night sky from the porch steps.
As the nicotine kicked in, he let out a sigh. He didn’t know what he had expected. He was curious what the banquet for Washizu was about and that curiosity now had him sitting alone at the porch outside.
The door creaked open behind him. He turned his head, expecting a Whitesuit that was unfortunate enough to be sent to take him back in. Instead, it was Washizu himself.
“Akagi,” he mumbled. He had no cane and only an arm on the door frame was preventing him from faceplanting into the cement. No Whitesuits were by his side. “Why did you leave?”
“A smoke break,” he responded simply.
There was silence as Washizu looked him up and down with squinted eyes before thrusting a bottle towards him.
“Drink?”
Akagi shook his head. “I’m good.”
Washizu frowned as he shook the bottle slightly. “Drink,” he said again.
“I said I’m fine.”
“Come on!” Washizu stepped forward and as soon as the supporting hand left the door frame, he stumbled forward. Reacting on instinct, Akagi stood up with outstretched arms and grabbed him in time.
“Ahhh-kaaa-giiiii,” the old man’s voice carried a drunken whine as he pressed the bottle into Akagi’s chest. “Drink…”
Akagi tried to steady the other upright but Washizu was holding onto him with a surprisingly strong grip for his age.
“Shouldn’t you be inside?” he asked him. “This celebration is for you.”
“It doesn't matter… They can celebrate without me.”
Akagi scowled. Though Washizu was a bit drunk just moments away, his tone was now clear and sharp. He slowly sat back down on the porch with Washizu beside him and only then was his arm let go.
“They’re always at these damned celebrations and banquets, every single one of them,” Washizu continued, voice turning harsher. “They’ll smile until their cheeks start to ache, they’ll laugh until their voices go hoarse, they’ll raise their glass in toast for me–all of it just to get close to me.”
He started to tremble, brows furrowing as his grip on the bottle tightened. He hurled it, the bottle smashing into pieces as wine spilled across the cement.
“Despicable!” Washizu spat out. “I’ve grown sick and tired of those fake smiles and empty flatteries! All they want is money and favors, praising me for every tiny little thing I do in hopes that they can gain something in return.”
Akagi studied him. Having experienced it first-hand, he was well aware of the moments of irritation and anger that Washizu had. But the man next to him wasn’t Washizu. No, it was the exhausted man hiding underneath him. Akagi wasn’t naive. While he couldn't be bothered to remember names or faces, the room must be full of politicians, public servants, and business owners.
On the surface, they run the face of being a good organization, vowing to take care of its citizens and its customers but in reality, it was all corruption. Money can sway one’s decision, whose greed is too great to refuse an enticing amount of money and begin to sweep wrongdoings under the rug.
“You don’t have to put up with them,” Akagi said. “You can just not attend.”
“Hmph… if it was that easy, then I wouldn’t have this problem.”
It really was that easy but to Washizu, it may have never been an option. He just has to show him that it was. Akagi flicked his cigarette away before grabbing the other’s wrist, pulling him up. Puzzled, Washizu staggered to his feet, still affected by the alcohol.
“Let’s go.”
“Huh?”
Akagi grinned. “We’re leaving.”
Washizu was hesitant, looking back towards the building. “But Suzuki and the others… plus everyone at the—“
“I’m sure they can figure things out themselves… as for everyone else, you said it yourself—they’re not here for you, so what’s the point of staying?”
Akagi, who was never bound to anything, not even to life itself, wouldn’t understand. There were connections to be made and business relationships to upkeep. These were important to keep his wrongdoings hidden and the money flowing. To Akagi, it must only be trivial things.
For once, Washizu was envious of someone else.
Sensing the change, Akagi began to lead him away from the building, away from those people that he had always despised. They walked down the sidewalks, illuminated by the streetlights and with the building growing smaller behind them, a smile had crept up to Washizu’s face.
“Khehehe… I’d never thought that you’d take me out of my own celebration.”
“I’m taking you somewhere with better food and good alcohol."
Washizu scowled, looking over him. “Don’t tell me this is the true reason why you wanted to leave?”
“Does it matter?”
It doesn’t. Just for tonight.