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“Higashi-saaan. The new bookshelf you ordered just came in.”
Higashi peered behind Charles’ back door to find his clerk with a sizable cardboard box in his hands. “Just put it in the storeroom. We got some furniture to build after this.”
The clerk nodded and did what he was told. Higashi slung the white Charles apron around his neck and tied it around his back almost instinctively now, and stepped out of the back room to the arcade.
Higashi wasn't even sure how he ended up with the 'daycare teacher' title. All he had ever known was that he was a yakuza, through and through. Well, he started as a small fry shatei, but he had ultimately climbed his way up in the gokudo world for all its worth. When he was assigned to handle one of the group's business fronts, he took it as an opportunity to prove his worth and loyalty to the Matsugane Family. Though maybe most of it was just a means of survival amidst the power shift in the Matsugane. Turning Charles into the unofficial daycare for Kamurocho folks, however, was the last thing he expected to do—but then again, here we are.
It all started when a hostess from the bar he frequented asked for help. She had been taking more shifts at the bar to make ends meet and had to stay almost all day at work, so she asked Higashi if she could leave her toddler in his hands while she's working. It was no secret that he's managing Charles, where most of the neighborhood kids in Kamurocho spend their time.
"I don't have the heart to leave Takkun alone at home, but I also can't bring him to work..." the hostess lowered her head listlessly.
"Well, that's for sure. Kamurocho isn't exactly a safe place for little kids." Higashi replied.
"But if there's one place that's safe for them, it's definitely Charles! So please, Higashi-san, can you let him stay with you for a while?"
Higashi, thinking that it was only a one-time favor, agreed to do it without too much thought. He’s used to dealing with the kids who frequent Charles, so taking care of a younger child must be just a little different from that. As promised, the hostess dropped off the child with a bag of his favorite toys and food before setting off to work. Higashi sat the boy down on one of the arcade stools, letting him play with his toys to pass time, and made sure he had him in his peripheral all the time.
However, the unexpected came when Takkun started to cry. The boy had asked when his mom would be picking him up, but as the night grew late, he started losing patience and cried for her. Higashi may have dealt with some bratty grade schoolers who refused to go home after closing hours because they were so close to beating the game high score, but having a small child crying on the bench of his arcade was another whole matter.
"Hi-Higashi-san! What should we do?!" The arcade clerk shot a panicked look at him as the boy continued to wail louder. Higashi, knowing full well he's not more experienced than his employee, shook his head in mild frustration.
"Like hell I know?! Ugh... Let's just calm him down first."
Higashi awkwardly hauled the boy in his arms and started drawing circles on his small back, smoothing the tensed shoulders.
"Shhh... Takkun, your mommy will be back soon. So let's just wait a bit more, okay?"
Takkun sucked in a few sobs, but as Higashi slowly swayed his body back and forth to soothe the boy, he started to calm down and rested his head on Higashi's shoulder. Just a few minutes later, the boy was already snoozing lightly in Higashi's arms, probably tired from crying.
"Wow... You're a natural at this, Higashi-san!" The clerk exclaimed at Higashi's success in calming the child.
Higashi could feel his face flushed a little. "The heck... I just got lucky. He's probably already tired waiting."
Thankfully, just a few minutes before closing time, the mom came running and apologized fervently for being late.
"Thank you so much for taking care of Takkun, Higashi-san." A genuine relief spread on the hostess' smile.
"Nah, don’t worry about it. He’s a good kid." Higashi replied.
Takkun was elated to see his mom, but when he was handed back to her by Higashi, he started crying again.
"W-what's wrong, Takkun? Your mommy’s here." Higashi shot a puzzled look at him and his mom.
"Ah... I think he's grown fond of you, Higashi-san. Is that right, Takkun? Do you like spending time with Higashi-san?"
Takkun sucked a few sobs and nodded slowly.
Higashi could feel his chest twinged a bit. He didn't have the heart to leave him crying, but he should go home with his mom for now.
"I see... But we have to go home for now, Takkun. We'll see Higashi-san again tomorrow, okay?"
Takkun nodded, with more vigor this time and a smile on his lips.
Wait... Tomorrow? That was the first time Higashi heard about it. The hostess excused herself later, still with a polite bow, thanking Higashi for his generosity. Higashi scratched behind his ear. He didn't really expect this kind of development.
Before he knew it, words had spread far and wide that Charles is a perfect place to drop a child off during the daytime. It started from the hostess' friends and colleagues who had similar problems with leaving their children alone at home. One by one, they started asking Higashi for help, and soon enough Charles transformed into an unofficial daycare for Kamurocho folks. Most of the parents work night shifts, so it's perfect as Charles opens until late at night, unlike other conventional daycares.
Higashi couldn’t even actually call Charles a full-fledged daycare. Sure, it had some open space in the middle of the arcade that acted as a makeshift 'classroom'. There's a small picture book shelf at the corner of the space, a small table with equally small chairs in the middle, and next to it a checkered playmat with a few toys and plushies—some of them taken from the crane machine—scattered on top of it. A few drawing pads and crayon boxes were placed neatly on top of the table. It's not much, Higashi thought to himself, but at the very least it makes do for younger kids to play and spend time while their parents are working to the bone in the harsh Kamurocho business.
Hamura had expressed disapproval at first, saying that a yakuza shouldn't be running a charity. Well, to Higashi's defense, it's not a charity if the daycare did, in fact, generate revenues. He also gracefully evaded Hamura's order to call the daycare quits by saying that fostering good relationships with the folks of Kamurocho not only benefits the group's reputation, but can also be a source of information and gratitude from the residents. He only barely escaped Hamura's wrath, but even the ice-cold man had to agree that there is some merit in keeping the daycare alive. To Higashi's surprise, Hamura left him to his devices and only occasionally dropped by to monitor things around Charles. In a small part of his heart, he thanked Hamura for this warped idea of kindness.
Higashi wouldn't call himself a saint—heck, he was a yakuza—but seeing the kids visiting Charles healed a little part of his heart. He had a less-than-good relationship with his own parents, and that's also one of the reasons why he ended up in the underworld. It's a cruel world they live in, and Higashi wanted to at the very least give these kids a safe place before they have to grow up and face the world. It's silly and sentimental, Higashi admitted, but seeing the kids' innocence made him believe that maybe there's still some good things left in this world.
Takkun had become a regular student at the daycare now, and Higashi had gotten used to finding bright faces when he opened Charles' front door in the morning, all with laughter, cries, and little squeals from his little students. And a familiar mop excuse of a hair among the other parents dropping off their kids, walking hand in hand with a young boy clad in a white hoodie.
"Morning, Higashi-sensei!" The boy let go of his father's hand and ran up excitedly in Charles' direction.
A smile tugged at Higashi's lips as he kneeled to the boy's eye level, "Morning, Fumiya-kun."
And now, this. Higashi peered behind his sunglasses to see the man walking behind Fumiya.
"Rowdy as ever in the morning, huh?"
Higashi rose to his feet, subconsciously avoiding eye contact with the Kamurocho detective. Why did he need to do that, anyway? He didn't even know.
"You know it," Higashi replied curtly. It came off a little harsher than he intended. Damn.
Yagami didn't seem to mind, though. He reached down to ruffle the boy's hair and smiled, "I'll see you soon, Fumiya. Don't bother Higashi-sensei too much, okay?"
"I won't!" The boy puffed his chest and balled his palms on his hips. That earned a laugh from Higashi, and he could’ve sworn Yagami was glancing at him and smiled at that. Must have been his imagination.
"Anyways, I'm off now. I have some cheating husband to track today." The corner of Yagami's eyes wrinkled a bit as he said that. Why was Higashi noticing all this, anyway? "Catch you later, Higashi."
Higashi was about to reply, but the detective already turned and disappeared into the Kamurocho alleys, finding some cheating husbands and a few lost cats in the process, if he’s lucky.
—
As he ushered Fumiya to join the other kids inside the arcade-turned-daycare, Higashi recalled how he first met the boy. Higashi couldn't hide his shock when Yagami appeared in Charles' doorway one day, a boy tucked in his arms. That was the last thing he would expect to see if he saw Yagami again, or if he ever saw him again. Everyone in the Matsugane Family already knew about the Okubo case, and how the former defense attorney disappeared from the streets of Kamurocho without a trace. As if coming back after three years, opening his own private detective agency and declaring himself as the best detective in Kamurocho weren’t dramatic enough, he came back with a mysterious boy who calls him ‘daddy’.
Higashi soon learned that Fumiya was involved in the Okubo case. He could only imagine how hard it is to lose both his parents and sister at such a young age in that fire– he must have been just a little older than 12 months by that time. What made Higashi more curious was how Yagami could have custody of him, despite the scrutiny that must have been cast on him as the one who is 'responsible' for letting Okubo run free. But he also knew better not to prod, and if anything, being a yakuza taught him that you don’t need to know about anyone’s background in Kamurocho.
Higashi had never considered himself to be close with Yagami, even during their time in the Matsugane Family. He never really liked how Yagami would follow Kaito around and stuck his nose in their business, while also being an outsider who's free from family obligations or duty, being the smartass he is. Higashi's opinion might have changed quite a lot now that Yagami appeared with his little family.
The Yagami standing in front of Charles' doorway is different from the Yagami Higashi used to know. To be fair, he's still the same smartass he's always been. But from the way he is when he's around his little family, Higashi could see the newfound wisdom in his eyes and kindness in his smiles. How he heartily laughed at Fumiya’s silliness, how he cheesily spouted some ‘dad jokes’, and how he smiled fondly as he said goodbye to the boy every day at Charles’ doorway.
Higashi was brought back from his daydream when he heard his little students laughing from the corner of the room. Fumiya was sitting at the table with one of his closest friends in the daycare,Tsukumo, with some drawing pads and stray crayons sprawled from the box. He approached them to observe their work when Fumiya noticed his presence: “Higashi-sensei!”
“Yeah? What’s up?”
"Did you know? Daddy talks a lot about you, sensei!" Fumiya said absent-mindedly as he filled the page with green scraggly lines.
Higashi raised an eyebrow. "Oh, yeah?"
"Uh-huh," Fumiya nodded, eyes still fixed on his drawing, but he was keen on keeping up with the conversation.
Higashi knew he should have just brushed that statement off, but curiosity got the best of him. He opened his mouth slowly. "...What did he say?"
"Hmmmh..." Fumiya pondered loudly for a moment. Higashi expected Yagami to say some things other parents had expressed in the past: that they didn't want a scary teacher for their children, or if they doubted that an ex-yakuza can handle teaching children.
As much as Charles had been accepted by Kamurocho folks as an established daycare, their popularity still lied with those who work in the underworld or nightlife. Words about a yakuza business front that turned into a daycare inevitably attracted some concerns from the civilians, but with the dissolution of Tojo and the anti-Yakuza law, they had no basis to fly around claims anymore.
Higashi was so used to that sort of thing he didn't expect what Fumiya was going to say.
"He said he's jealous ‘cus I get to see sensei all day."
"He—he's what?!" Higashi choked a breath. Why on earth would he be jealous of his own son?! That almost sounds like Yagami wanted to see him often, and Higashi wasn't ready for that train of thought.
"And he said that you have very pretty eyes," Fumiya added calmly, almost saying it as a matter of fact.
Higashi couldn't help but splutter now. As if it wasn't enough, Fumiya chirped in again with a big grin,
"And he said you look good in an apron!"
Higashi wheezed and coughed a few times. This is too much for him. He cleared his throat and gazed down at his student incredulously.
"I... I see."
Higashi didn't know how to process this information. He knew who Yagami is very well; who doesn't know the renowned Kamurocho detective? But he didn't know him that well to warrant this… display of affection from him. To think that the detective thought of him that way... It sent a funny whirl in his stomach. Higashi was not pleased with this newfound sensation.
—
The days pass slowly if you have nothing much to do, but more so when there are little people screaming and running around in your workplace. But honestly? Higashi wouldn’t have it any other way. As the dusk fell and the sky turned dark, some of the parents had slowly filtered in to pick up their children. Yagami included.
Higashi watched silently as Fumiya excitedly ran up to his father in the doorway. Yagami kneeled down and extended his arms for a big hug, earning small giggles from the boy.
"Daddy, look! I drew this for you today!" Fumiya waved up a drawing paper in his small hand.
"You're a very great artist, I see." Yagami chuckled at what could be described as himself wearing a Sherlock Holmes-style hat complete with a magnifying glass in his hand, and the scraggly 'best detective' written on top of the paper. Fumiya had asked Higashi to help him write it. "Let's put this up on the fridge once we get back home, okay?" The boy squealed in agreement.
Higashi had to admit that it was an adorable sight. He flinched a little when Yagami glanced up and rose to his feet.
"Thanks for always taking good care of Fumiya, Higashi." Yagami bowed slightly in an unusually polite manner—a genuine, sincere smile quirked up at the corner of his lips and eyes.
Higashi's head was spinning. That smile almost had a different meaning now that he was aware of the things Fumiya said to him earlier. He shook his head sheepishly.
"I'm just doing what I can."
"I'm sure that's what only you can do." Yagami smiled again.
Higashi raised an eyebrow. Was that a compliment? And if it was, what business did it have to make Higashi feel flustered all of a sudden?
Before he could reply, Yagami already turned on his heels as he grabbed Fumiya’s hand, "We'll get going then."
“See you tomorrow, sensei!" Fumiya waved his hands.
Tomorrow? That’s gonna be Saturday. Higashi didn’t get the chance to ask that, though. He stood in the doorway for a while, until he couldn't see the Yagamis amidst the Kamurocho crowd.
—
Yagami traced the lines of Fumiya’s drawing of him lightly with his fingertips. As promised, the artwork's now displayed proudly on the fridge, secured by a Koro-Nyan magnet he won from one of Charles’ gacha capsules. Fumiya was lightly snoozing in the next bedroom now. Yagami wondered what his office would’ve looked like if he hadn’t taken Fumiya in. Maybe there wouldn’t be a messy basket of toys scattered around the floor; the sheets wouldn’t have to be washed that often if somebody didn’t wet them, or his hallway wouldn’t need to be mopped that much from little prints of mud and rocks from the park.
Yagami sighed. It's never been easy, raising a son on your own, and it never will be. Of course, Kaito, Mafuyu, and even everyone in the Genda Law office had reached out to him, assuring him that they would help with whatever they could. But Yagami couldn’t help but think about what Fumiya would do when he learned the truth about his parents and sister. Would he hold contempt for Yagami? Would he lash out and cut off all ties with him? Would he sneer in disgust at Yagami’s feeble attempt to be his ‘parent’? Yagami didn’t know, and he was honestly too scared to find out. The fear crept slowly in his heart, ripping it to pieces every time he saw Fumiya gently asleep at night.
After losing his parents on that fateful day, Yagami knew damn well what it felt like to be completely alone in this world. Even remembering how his first nights alone in Kamurocho still sent shivers down his spine. Fate had such a cruel way of turning his life upside down, didn’t it? It’s ironic, but as much as he’d hate to admit it, his actions ultimately led to Fumiya’s fate this time. For all he knew, he wasn’t going to let Fumiya go through the same thing as he did. And it’s his duty to protect him now, regardless of how the boy might think of it when he gets older.
But then Charles came into the picture. He had known that Kaito was managing the arcade before, but he never could’ve imagined that it had turned into a daycare under the new manager. Fate must have been playing his cards again, and it just so happened that he needed somewhere safe for Fumiya to stay while he slithered through the cracks of Kamurocho. And Charles was just a perfect place for that.
To be completely honest, Yagami never gave much thought about Higashi during their time in the Matsugane Family. He only remembered him as a wimpy shatei who followed Kaito around all the time. But now, with his dapper purple shirt, slicked-back hair, studded ear, and sharp sunglasses, Higashi was a full-fledged yakuza, alright.
Yagami wasn’t even sure how it started, but he couldn’t help but notice how Higashi’s voice softened ever so slightly when he talked to the kids, how his eyes squinted behind his sunglasses when he smiled—oh, did you know that he had a mole under his left eye too? And how the white Charles apron wrapped around his criminally slim waist—
Okay, maybe his thoughts trailed a bit too much.
Yagami glanced one more time at the drawing on the fridge, then sighed before slipping into a deep sleep on his couch.
—
Early mornings had never really been Yagami's favorite thing, but he gradually learnt to agree with them. He quietly tapped his phone screen to dismiss his alarm before the sound woke up Fumiya, and dragged his half-awake body to the kitchen.
Egg toast is the staple breakfast menu at Yagami Detective Agency, with coffee on the side and a variety of orange or apple juice. Yagami had never considered himself a good cook—heck, he used to survive on konbini food alone when he was younger—but he figured that Fumiya deserved a healthy and fulfilling meal, so he started learning how to make simple dishes. Yagami swiftly pulled a container of miso soup ingredients he prepared last night with calculated moves and proceeded to boil some water when he heard small steps coming from the bedroom.
"Mornin’," Yagami smiled at Fumiya’s signature bed hair. It's a bit rare to see him awake this early. "Breakfast’s still on the way. Wait a bit, okay?"
Fumiya rubbed his eyes and yawned, then nodded quietly. Seems like his soul was still halfway in the dream world. "Why don't you go wash your face while I finish ‘em up?" Yagami suggested. Fumiya nodded again in agreement, small steps taking him away from the pantry.
Fumiya soon came back with a face still dripping wet from the sink, and they gathered around the small coffee-turned-dining table in the office.
"Daddy, can we go to Charles today?" Fumiya asked with a mouth full of bread. Yagami wiped the child's cheek lightly with a napkin before taking a quick glance at his phone screen, checking today's date. How come it's already Saturday?
"Really? You just went there yesterday.”
“Yeah, but I wanna go today, too!” Fumiya insisted.
Yagami sipped his miso soup slowly, “You really like Charles, huh?”
Fumiya’s face lit up. “Uh-huh! I can play with Tsukumo and Higashi-sensei aaall day there.”
"Huh. I wanna see Higashi-sensei all day, too." Yagami let out an exaggerated sigh, drawing laughter from the boy.
"If you wanna see sensei, then just stay at Charles all day, Daddy," Fumiya suggested. He's always been a practical child.
"I can't, I have work to do. Besides, I already graduated from daycare."
"You can always come back, Daddy! There's still a lot you can learn."
Yagami almost choked on his miso soup, but he couldn't help but smile. He wondered if Fumiya somehow picked up these kinds of comebacks from him.
"You know what? You're absolutely right."
Yagami tilted his head, “But it’s the weekend, remember? The daycare’s closed."
“I knooow,” Fumiya dragged his words in mild frustration. “But I still wanna see Higashi-sensei today, too!”
Yagami smiled at that. Maybe Fumiya did know that he longed to see his teacher, too. “Heh. Me too, buddy.”
“Right? So let’s go!” Fumiya munched the rest of his bread triumphantly.
“Okay. Go get changed while I clean these up, yeah?” Yagami rose to his feet and started gathering the empty plates on the table.
“Got it!” Fumiya sprinted to the bedroom to get his clothes. He’s been practicing to button up his coat and put on his shoes on his own now—all courtesy of the lessons he learnt at Charles—and he’s more than eager to show his progress.
—
“Higashi-sensei!”
Fumiya rushed from the door and almost tackled the man in question. But Higashi gracefully hugged him back without being toppled over. So Fumiya could hug Higashi whenever he wanted to, huh. Another entry to the list of things that Yagami was jealous of.
The two of them talked for a while before Fumiya ran off to one of the game machines to watch some older kids play. That left Higashi alone behind the counter now, with a certain detective’s gaze upon him.
“You’re not wearing your apron today,” Yagami observed.
Higashi raised an eyebrow. “No shit? The daycare’s closed today.”
“I guess so…” Yagami mumbled.
Higashi could’ve sworn that Yagami was sulking in front of his eyes. Did he want to see Higashi in an apron? Then Fumiya’s words flashed inside his head like thunder.
"And he said you look good in an apron!"
Higashi wanted to bury himself in a hole and disappear from the face of the earth right now. But his existential dread was cut short when he felt Yagami inched a little bit closer to where he was standing.
“By the way, Higashi…”
“Y-yeah?”
“Think you can drop by the office later today?”
“Huh? You need something?”
“Well, not really. But Fumiya’s been fussing about wanting to see you on the weekends, too. So I thought instead of going to Charles all the time, you should come to the office for a change.”
Sounds logical to Higashi. Wait.
“W-wha—?” Higashi spluttered.
Did Yagami just invite him to his house? This is going faster than Higashi expected. He could not keep up with this kind of development, for god’s sake. Before he could have another existential dread, Yagami cut him off again, “Only if you’re free, though.”
Higashi observed the man in front of him quietly. Normally, his train of thought would’ve led him to think that Yagami was messing around with him. But even with the usual coy and smug grin plastered on Yagami’s face, Higashi couldn’t help but notice how his eyebrows ever so slightly knitted in a somewhat desperate manner.
So he did want Higashi to come over after all. For whatever reason.
Higashi tried to reason with all this. Despite being an annoying smartass, Yagami was a smooth talker. He could get anyone if he ever wanted to. So why did Yagami choose Higashi now? What did he see in him? Higashi needed answers. And there’s only one way to find out.
Higashi cleared his throat.
“...I didn’t say I was busy.”
Yagami perked up at that. The corner of his eyes wrinkled again in a way that is all too familiar to Higashi now.
“Heh. Glad ‘ta hear that.”