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Deep in the woods, a short distance away from my family’s home, I was running in a frantic hurry. I had just been told that right after I left this morning, Piccolo-san had come to visit. Hearing that Goten had dragged him out somewhere, I immediately bolted from the house I had only just returned to.
It hadn't been an urgent matter. If only I had known he was coming, I would never have bothered showing up at the research lab. How on earth did he decide to visit so suddenly? I hadn't even invited him today... If I had, there was no way I would have forgotten. I would have woken up earlier than usual, made ice, polished the glasses, cleaned my room, and at least tidied the bedsheets, making absolutely perfect preparations to wait for him.
Whenever I invited him, Piccolo-san would visit our house quite casually. It meant he had completely opened his heart, not just to me, but to my mother and brother as well.
Goten, who had turned thirteen, had recently begun putting more effort into his studies in preparation for high school. Seeing Piccolo-san praise and encourage him made me happy as an older brother, but at the same time, I couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy, thinking that I was the one who originally held that position.
I had grown up. Our relationship was no longer as simple as it used to be. I was the one who had thrust my romantic feelings upon him, changing the nature of our bond, and while I was happy that he accepted them, there was still a part of me that felt nostalgic for the position I had lost.
Though autumn was fast approaching, the sky still held the thick, heavy scent of summer. The coniferous forest was filled more with the smell of rich earth than that of green leaves.
Eventually, as I drew closer to the stream, I saw two backs sitting side by side at the riverbank, close enough to dip their feet into the water.
In that instant, I froze.
Goten leaned in close to Piccolo-san, slumping his body into his embrace. He was clinging to him! And Piccolo-san, far from pulling away or pushing him back, was simply accepting it. Could it be that Goten harbored the exact same feelings for him as I did? Even if he did, Piccolo-san was supposed to reject him—because he had me!
I sprinted forward and immediately yanked Piccolo-san’s shoulder from behind.
"What do you think you're doing?!"
Suddenly thrown off balance, Piccolo-san leaned back against me as he turned around, his eyes widening in genuine astonishment.
"What is wrong with you, raising your voice like that?"
"Big bro, you're back?" Goten asked.
In their hands, I saw a tangled mess of translucent fishing line.
"...What are you doing?"
"What do you mean 'what'? We're fishing," Goten said.
"The line got tangled," Piccolo-san explained. "Goten was just helping me look at it, but then you suddenly pulled me."
Looking closely, I saw their respective fishing rods resting beside them, and a cooler box sitting next to Goten. On Piccolo-san’s lap, the fishing line was crumpled into a chaotic knot. Goten lifted the line, turning it this way and that, until he finally snapped it.
"Ah, man! I was just about to untangle it."
"Sorry..." I muttered. "Piccolo-san, what brought you here so suddenly today? I'm sorry I was out."
"Why are you apologizing? Goten invited me out to fish today."
"What...?"
I was struck speechless. It had never even crossed my mind that Goten would invite Piccolo-san on his own initiative. It was true that Goten was very attached to him, and Piccolo-san doted on him in return. Just like... just like how we used to be in the old days.
"I've... I've never gone fishing with Piccolo-san before..."
"Well, Piccolo-san said it was his first time. Did you want to fish with us too, Big bro?"
"Ah, so that's why you shouted," Piccolo-san said, narrowing his eyes, clearly misunderstanding the situation. "I thought you had matured, but you are being rather childish, Gohan."
Piccolo-san’s eyes crinkled slightly at the corners; he thought it was just a simple matter of wanting to join the fun. But it wasn't about the fishing. The fact that this man’s "first time" was happening somewhere I didn't know, with someone other than me... and that someone happened to be my younger brother, who mirrored my past self so closely—that was what I hated. He was right about one thing, though: I was being incredibly childish.
"But you know, for his first time, Piccolo-san was actually really good at it!" Goten praised.
"Your teaching must have been effective," Piccolo-san replied.
Goten smiled with immense satisfaction as he cleaned up the cut fishing line. It was a smile I recognized all too well. It was the smile of a child overjoyed to be praised by someone they deeply respected.
The two of them opened the lid of the cooler box, leaning their shoulders together to peer inside. From the brief glimpse I caught, their catch was quite impressive. It was obvious they had been fishing for a long time. They must have come out here together almost immediately after I left this morning. What on earth did they talk about during all those hours? Sitting under the cool, late-summer shade, gazing at the clear surface of the river.
"We caught a ton, didn't we, Piccolo-san? Since the line is cut anyway, should we head back?"
"Yeah. It was quite entertaining."
Watching their backs, I found absolutely nothing entertaining about it. An unpleasant feeling swirled dark and heavy within my chest, muddying the pure sound of the flowing stream.
"Goten, you could have at least told me Piccolo-san was coming over."
"Why? It's not like you tell me every single time you hang out with him, Big bro."
I choked on my words, biting my lip.
Goten was right. Piccolo-san didn't live in some far-off land where we could only meet once a year. There was no reason for me to feel outmaneuvered like this; I was the one who got to see him far more often. Above all, Goten just wanted to play with an adult he adored; there was no malice or ulterior motive behind it. The only reason it felt so loaded to me was because by the time I was Goten's age, I was already harboring a deep, romantic yearning.
"You're being weird, fussing over something like that. You see him all the time anyway... Oh, Piccolo-san, could you grab that rod too?"
"That might be true, but if you're inviting him to the house, you could at least let me know, right?"
"Don't be so stubborn, Gohan," Piccolo-san interjected. "I will visit again whenever I please..."
I picked up the fishing line Goten had snapped earlier and dropped it into the bucket beside us. They must have tangled it once before near the start of their trip; another piece of cut, discarded line lay completely dried at the bottom of the bucket.
As an unsettling tension began to simmer between us, Piccolo-san looked visibly worried and bewildered. This is bad, I need to drop it, I thought, but my stubbornness held me fast.
"If I had known, I wouldn't have gone out."
"Well, then I definitely won't tell you next time!" Goten snapped, his lips pouting as he continued packing up their gear without pausing. "You're always the one who gets to play with Piccolo-san, Big bro."
"..."
"I want him to play with me sometimes too. But the moment I invite him, you demand that I tell you? It's not like Piccolo-san belongs to you, Big bro."
"...He is mine!"
The words burst from my throat with sharp force before I could even think, and I saw both of them flinch in shock. In that split second, a wave of regret washed over me—I shouldn't have said that—but it was already too late. Goten looked thoroughly displeased as he gathered the packed luggage in both hands.
"I don't get you at all. Why are you getting so worked up? I'm going home. I don't want the fish we caught to go bad."
Watching Goten heft the cooler box with one hand, a detached thought crossed my mind: He really is nearing the physique of an adult.
"See ya, Piccolo-san! Next time, let's play without my brother again!"
"Right..." Piccolo-san murmured.
Goten stuck his tongue out at me and casually strolled away. Left in his wake were a thoroughly embarrassed me and a completely dumbfounded Piccolo-san.
It was only natural that Goten was upset. He hadn't done anything wrong, yet his fishing trip had been interrupted, his nearly untangled line had been snapped, he'd been subjected to tedious complaints... and worst of all, worst of all...
"Gohan, what is the matter with you?"
"I... I was just thinking too much..."
Piccolo-san pressed his hand against my back, gently guiding me to sit down at the edge of the river where they had been fishing just moments ago. He then quietly sat down right beside me.
Taking off my shoes, I stretched my legs out, the tips of my toes catching the river's surface and sending small splashes of water into the air. Above the bright, sunlit river, damselflies darted back and forth without a sound.
When I stole a glance at Piccolo-san’s profile, he didn't look angry. However, his brow was furrowed, deep in thought. He must be utterly exasperated with me for throwing a tantrum at my much younger brother. He might even be thinking that it was far more relaxing to spend time with Goten, who admired him with pure, simple affection, rather than dealing with someone like me, burdened with such a tedious, suffocating love.
After a long silence, Piccolo-san let out a deep sigh.
"I don't entirely understand... but if my visits are going to cause arguments between you two, perhaps I should refrain from coming."
"No, that's not it! I was just being stubborn... Both Goten and I truly look forward to you coming over."
"Then it shouldn't matter whether Goten invites me, or whether you are notified about it or not. Do not fight over something so trivial."
"I know, but... I suppose it was just jealousy, or rather..."
Explaining this feeling completely so that he would understand was an incredibly difficult task. Even though it was my own heart, I didn't have the confidence to articulate it well. While jealousy and possessiveness were certainly the closest words for it, the actual emotion was far more troublesome and harder to handle.
"In continuing this relationship with you—which is different from how we used to be—there are likely things I need to be mindful of, but there is still much I do not comprehend. Is there a need to change anything going forward?"
Piccolo-san looked as though he were pondering a difficult riddle, but when he spoke, his voice was earnest and determined, and he looked straight into my eyes. His gaze was incredibly powerful. The filtered sunlight of the forest shone clearly and steadily, reflecting within those eyes.
"There is nothing I want you to change, but... there is one thing I'm worried about. Something I want to ask."
As the tips of my toes soaked in the water began to grow cold, I pulled my legs back. Placing my hands on the soft grass, I turned my entire body toward Piccolo-san. A insect chirped sharply as it leaped into the air, vanishing into the far side of the woods.
"Piccolo-san, you belong to me, right?"
It was meant more as a confirmation than a question. But the moment the words left my mouth, a wave of nervousness crashed over me, making it difficult to keep eye contact. Piccolo-san paused for a single breath, then chuckled soundlessly.
"You said that earlier as well. But you are mistaken."
"...Am I?"
As I thought... I felt a mild wave of disappointment, but since I had half-expected this answer, I had no intention of pushing the matter further. The tension that had just built up inside me dissolved in an instant. However, at his very next words, I instinctively leaned forward.
"You are the one who belongs to me."
The meaning of his words echoed over and over in my mind. I belong to Piccolo-san? Me? No matter how many times I retraced the sentence, it sounded like nothing less than a passionate declaration of love. He had never said anything like that before, and I had never even imagined he would. As I sat there unable to find a response, Piccolo-san continued in his completely ordinary, matter-of-fact tone, devoid of any shyness or impatience.
"I am the one who stole you away in the wilderness. Have you forgotten? I have no intention of letting you go. And I have no intention of stealing anyone else now. You alone belong to me."
He stated it with absolute certainty, a confident smirk still playing in his eyes and the corners of his lips quirked up ironically as he reached out and ruffled my hair. His manner was exactly like an adult soothing a child, but combined with his words, it was more than enough to fill me with overwhelming joy.
"...That's right."
I leaned into him, gazing back into his unwavering eyes. The late-summer sunlight was slightly weaker than the mid-summer glare, casting a soft glow over Piccolo-san’s features, which usually tended to look stern. As I leaned my body against him, I could feel the steady, rhythmic beating of his heart against his chest. Everything about this felt perfectly, deeply right for the human that I was.
"I really am yours, aren't I? Ever since you stole me away in that wilderness."
"Therefore, things like jealousy and worry... are entirely unnecessary. Save your worrying for the day you actually want to run away from me."
The day I would want to run away? I could state with absolute certainty that such a day would never come in my entire life.
At first, when I was taken to the wilderness, it might have only been my physical body that was captured. But my heart was stolen too—by the invisible presence who gave me clothes to protect myself and a sword to fight with, and who, after that, literally threw his own life on the line so that I could survive. Truly, from that very moment, my soul belonged to Piccolo-san. There was never any need to worry about whether he belonged to me, or whether someone else might take him away.
"I'm sorry for ruining your fishing trip... I need to apologize to Goten, too."
"Indeed."
"Will you come with me? Then you can show me the fish you two caught. Goten is better at it than me, so I bet he caught some big ones."
I stood up, gently taking Piccolo-san’s hand. Beneath our feet, the half-dried fallen leaves made a crisp, rustling sound. It wasn't the loud, fragile crunch of autumn leaves, nor was it the damp, silent step of summer greens. The season was shifting.
"I really was incredibly childish, wasn't I?"
"Such things happen," Piccolo-san said dismissively, brushing a few fallen leaves off his clothes.
A well-timed gust of wind carried a few more leaves through the air, dropping them onto the river's surface, which shone like a living mirror, as they were quietly swept downstream.
"Even I might raise my voice if someone else claimed that you 'belonged' to them," he added.
"Really?!"
As I suddenly brightened with excitement, Piccolo-san winced slightly and averted his eyes.
"It was merely a hypothetical scenario. One cannot know until the moment actually arrives..."
"Even a hypothetical scenario is enough. Just knowing that you thought about it even a little makes me happy."
To feel that I belonged to the person I loved... compared to obsessing over wanting to possess them, it brought such a profoundly peaceful state of mind. Because it carried the absolute certainty of being wanted.
The sunlight filtering through the branches had tilted slightly, signaling that the sun had passed its zenith. I wondered if Goten was having lunch around now. The moment I saw his face, I would apologize immediately.
Still holding Piccolo-san’s hand tight, I began to walk down the forest path. The foxtail grass, having lost its vibrant green, seemed to whisper and rustle among itself, as if gently laughing at my childishness.