1

Shortly after Fuki's graduation from junior high school, his older brother called him to his room and ordered him to go to Yoshiwara.

His brother, Hirotsugu, was wearing his kimono like a slob, as usual. He had been dressing in kimonos ever since he took over the ryokan, but even so, it was difficult to say he looked like the head of the ryokan. And it wasn't just the kimono - he had a bottle of sake by his side to drink from, and several empty containers lay about him. It made Fuki wonder just how much he had already had to drink that day.

"Yoshiwara...?"

Up until not too long ago Yoshiwara had been an area full of soaplands (1), but Fuki had heard that now that the anti-prostitution laws had been abolished, it had returned to being a high class red light district, and all of the old brothels were being revived. He wasn't quite sure why he was being told to go there.

"Are you familiar with Hanafurirou?"

"Hanafurirou...?"

"I guess it can't be helped, since you're just a kid." Seeing Fuki cock his head in confusion, Hirotsugu shrugged lightly.

"Hanafurirou is an establishment in Yoshiwara that people in the know are familiar with. It's a brothel specializing in men."

Fuki fell speechless. He knew of the existence of places like gay bars, but he had never even imagined that there might be a brothel like that as well.

"...And you're telling me... to go there...?" Fuki had finally realized just what those words meant. But, he just couldn't believe it.

Was his brother going to sell him to a brothel?

"There's a nice person who's willing to help you get in. Well, he's a pimp, really," his brother said, looking him up and down with a malicious expression of suppressed laughter.

Just then, an image came to life in Fuki's head. It had happened a few days earlier when Fuki went to visit his sick father in the annex to the house, like he usually did.

"I'm telling you to give me everything you have!!" Hearing the jeers of the bill collector from the other side of the shoji doors, Fuki hurried inside.

"Father!!"

Inside the room were his father and another person. The other person was, judging by his flashy suit, not a very respectable man. Fuki's father was being threatened by this man and had just handed over the tiny amount of cash he had saved away.

The man took the money, counted the bills, and made a noise of disapproval at the small amount.

It had been quite a while since Fuki's brother had taken over the running of the ryokan for their bedridden father. Because of that, there was no reason that their father would have any significant amount of money.

"Is this all you have? If you don't do something soon, we're gonna have to take it out of your life insurance."

Having succeeded with his threats, the man finally stood up. He started to pass by Fuki, who stood stock still next to the shoji doors, but then he suddenly stopped. He looked down at Fuki's face, almost as if he were evaluating it. When Fuki tried to turn his head to the side, not feeling comfortable with the gaze, the man instead caught his chin and tilted his head up.

"Hmmm...? You're quite a looker. Hey, Pops, looks like you're saved after all." After directing those last words at Fuki's father, the man left the annex, laughing.

The person who would help him get in was definitely that man. And seeing his brother's eyes taking on the same look as that man's had at the time sent chills down Fuki's spine.

"Apparently you're quite the find," said Hirotsugu. "And he told me you might even be able to become number one at the Hanafurirou. Isn't that great?" He laughed.

The look on his face that made it seem like he wasn't worried about things at all even though it was his own lackadaisical administration that had caused the problem pissed Fuki off.

Hirotsugu was fifteen years older than Fuki and had made it through junior high school, but in the four years since their father had fallen ill and he had taken over, he just didn't seem to have to ability to run the ryokan. ...Or rather, he didn't seem to have any intention of actually running it in the first place.

Maybe he hated it because he had been forced to take it over against his will? He acted as arrogantly as he could, fired help who had been there for years when they spoke out against him, and passed far beyond extravagant in his spending. And as a result, the ryokan was on the verge of having to shut down.

He had tried his hand in stocks and futures in order to make some money, but that only made the situation worse. When the banks stopped being willing to give him loans, he finally got involved with some shady lenders.

In addition to the recent relaxation of the laws regulating lending, the ties between the police and organized crime had gotten much stronger. Because of that, loan collection had become quite violent and dangerous.

Obviously shady men came into the ryokan, shouted at Hirotsugu, and went to threaten his bedridden father into giving up tiny amount of money that he had. They got phone calls consisting of nothing but jeering. Things like that were now everyday occurrences.

Even Fuki realized that the situation had gotten really bad. But as a child he had no say in the administration of the ryokan, and because it somehow managed to stay open, he had a somewhat optimistic view of the situation. He never thought that things had gotten so bad that he, a male, would have to be sold to a brothel to pay back their debts.

"Even so..." Hirotsugu said to Fuki, who stood completely still in shock. "Are you really that good of a find? I'm not really interested in guys, but hearing that, I kinda want to see for myself."

"......!!" At the sound of those words, rage welled up inside of Fuki. Was it really appropriate to be saying something like that in this situation? Unconsciously, Fuki's hands formed two fists at the thought of his brother who seemed to have no sense of seriousness even now that things had come to this.

"I-it's just a joke," Hirotsugu said, seeming to have realized how Fuki felt, but that was immediately followed by a leer. "I won't do anything to you. That would make you worth less, 'cause you have to be a virgin."

"Nii-san, you're really going to sell me...?"

The talk of selling him... wasn't a joke. It wasn't Fuki's fault that Nagatsuma Ryokan wasn't doing well. If they needed money that badly, his brother could just sell his own body. They could see how much money the body of a thirty-year-old man would fetch.

"Selling you off isn't that big of a deal, you know. You just have to put up with it for a little while. After you've done it two or three times, we'll be able to rebuild the ryokan and come to get you."

Fuki had not expected those words to come out of Hirotsugu's mouth. He didn't think that his brother would be able to revive the ryokan that quickly. Rather, he wasn't sure his brother could do it no matter how many years he tried.

"Besides, it's not like I'm selling you to some cheap whorehouse. Hanafurirou is one of the leading high class brothels in Yoshiwara. The customers are pretty high class, and you'll be able to make money doing stuff that feels good. I don't think it's that bad a deal, really. If I was ten years younger, I'd take your place and do it myself."

It was like he expected Fuki to be grateful for finding a high class brothel to sell him to.

While saying that he would buy Fuki back right away, he was saying that Fuki would be able to make money while doing things that felt good. With that talk full of lies and contradictions, it was like he didn't even care.

"But..."

Fuki tried desperately to argue. But then Hirotsugu pressed on.

"Oh, you're not worried about Dad, are you? Like wondering who will take care of him if you go away?"

"W-well, that too, but..."

Ever since they had run out of money to hire a nurse to take care of his father, Fuki and the ryokan staff had taken turns seeing to him. Since the staff had been steadily quitting because of delays in their pay, Fuki had been pretty worried about getting too far from his father's side. But...

"You don't have to worry about anything," his brother repeated, a small, evil smile at the corners of his mouth. "I'll be sure to take care of Dad. ...As long as I don't have to use the money from his life insurance, that is."

"......!"

The moment he heard those words, Fuki gasped.

Was his brother threatening him? If he didn't behave himself and go to Yoshiwara, his brother would use their father's life insurance to... In other words, he was saying he'd pay back the loans with their father's life.

Maybe he wasn't actually serious about that. Even Hirotsugu wouldn't really be thinking about killing his own father. ...But, was he sure?

Fuki couldn't trust his brother. At the moment, he was really willing to sell his own little brother into prostitution, after all.

"If you don't do something soon, we're gonna have to take it out of your life insurance." And then, he recalled the words of the bill collector.

"You're gonna be sixteen soon. That's old enough to make yourself useful for the sake of the family."

Fuki wanted to throw those words right back at his brother. He was twice as old as Fuki, but what was he doing for the family? But, he couldn't do it.

It was just the same as how his father was being held hostage. Even if his brother stopped pressuring him, those guys from the yakuza would make sure it ended up the same.

And no matter how much Fuki didn't like it, they would probably just end up dragging him to Yoshiwara. Even if he managed to run away, he would have nowhere to go, and that would just be abandoning his father anyway. In the end, Fuki didn't have any other choice.

Once it had been decided that Fuki would be sold to Yoshiwara, whenever groups of staff or clients got together, they could be heard whispering about the subject. Even without anyone spreading rumors, this was the sort of information that just leaked out on its own.

They would whisper to each other, but the moment Fuki passed by, all conversation would come to a stop. Because Hirotsugu had such a bad reputation as a manager, most of the others felt sorry for Fuki being sold off to cover up for his brother's mistakes. However, there were some who scorned Fuki and said things that bordered on sexual harassment.

"I can't believe that he's selling his own little brother to a brothel. But in Fuki-san's case, I can see where he's coming from."

"He looks just like the dead okami-san (2), and he's just as pretty as some girls, after all"

"Yeah, yeah! His skin is so white it makes you want to touch it. Once he's old enough to do business, even we'll be able to buy his services if we have the money.

"What are you talking about, you dumbass? He's still the old owner's son, you know."

"I was just joking. No matter how cute he is, he's a guy."

"But I'm kinda interested anyway"

The crowd grew excited.

Fuki, who had heard them talking while on his way from the dining hall back to his room, sighed softly from the shadow of the shoji doors leading out to the courtyard. He decided to leave before someone noticed he was there.

Just then, he heard the sound of the screen on the opposite side of the room leading in from the hallway sliding open.

All of a sudden, the room fell silent.

Wondering just who had entered the room, Fuki carefully peeked through the opening in the shoji doors. Then, when he saw the man standing just inside the screen, he gasped without thinking.

"Ouichirou...!"

The new person was pressuring the people in the room just by having entered and without having said a single word. For sure, the only person at Nagatsuma who could do that was Ouichirou.

Even though he had seen him from afar, it had been quite a while since Fuki had seen him up close.

To Fuki, Ikami Ouichirou was the son of a Nagatsuma employee. When they were children, he had been the obvious one to watch after Fuki. But when he had started high school, he had gotten busy with things like school and the part time job he started to help out his family's finances, and the time he and Fuki had spent together had decreased quite a bit.

No, Fuki suspected that the real reason they didn't see each other much wasn't because Ouichirou was busy.

"...It's because Ouichirou hates me."

When that thought came to mind, his heart hurt like it was being squeezed. As he unconsciously clutched at the front of his shirt, he carefully looked out from his hiding spot by the shoji doors, trying not to be noticed.

Ouichirou was looking down on people in the room with stare as cold as ice.

"...Aren't you guys on the job?"

At that low voice, obviously dripping with scorn and disdain, everyone looked away from Ouichirou. Perhaps the employees had felt guilty about it from the beginning. Mumbling some sort of excuses, they trudged out of the room without actually saying anything back.

The only one left behind, Ouichirou sighed

Then he glanced over at the open corridor where Fuki was. He approached the shoji doors as if he suspected the slight opening between them. Fuki reflexively drew his head back and shrunk back into his hiding spot.

Fuki wanted to talk to Ouichirou one more time before being sold off. Had this chance not come about, he had been planning on visiting Ouichirou that night. However, doing it right after Ouichirou had heard those dirty rumors, especially when it meant letting him find out that he had heard them himself, was far too embarrassing a situation.

But just then, the shoji doors opened up, and when Fuki slowly raised his head to look, Ouichirou was standing right next to him.

He probably hadn't thought that the person whose presence he had detected outside of the room was the one the rumors were about himself. As he stared down at Fuki, his long, narrow eyes opened wide.

"Ouichirou..."

Their eyes met. It really had been a long time since Fuki had been this close to Ouichirou. Since Ouichirou hadn't come to see them at the new year, it had most likely been over a year already.

All of a sudden, Fuki found himself fascinated by that well-formed face.

"...He looks kinda grown up."

The face that had once been childishly soft was now tense and fearless. But the sharp glint of his eyes hadn't changed.

Fuki knew he would have to say something. If he didn't find the words and speak, Ouichirou would surely leave right away. But if Fuki said something to him, Ouichirou wouldn't be able to ignore him even if he wanted to. It had been like that for a long time.

It wasn't something Ouichirou would do out of courtesy, but because it was something he thought was required between the son of an employee and the son of the owner. Fuki knew, this, but still he wanted to stop him from going.

Fuki met Ouichirou for the first time when he was nine. It was just about when his mother had passed away. Ouichirou was twelve at the time.

Ouichirou's father came to Nagatsuma Ryokan as a chauffeur. Ouichirou had come with him, and they started living in Fuki's house. His mother had passed away before they came to Nagatsuma, so it was just the two of them, father and son.

The Nagatsumas had always leaned toward treating the workers and their families more like personal servants than employees, but having Ouichirou and his father living this close, the distinction between public and private became even less defined. And even as a child, Fuki at some point realized that Ouichirou couldn't go against what he told him to do.

He later found out that Ouichirou's father had once been a yakuza. He had a tattoo on his back, and underneath the gloves he always wore, he was missing a pinky. Fuki had no idea why Ouichirou's father had left the gang and turned his life around or what reason his father had had for employing him. But he did realize that the man felt indebted to his father, that he would never quit for some insignificant reason, and that if he were to be fired, it would be quite difficult for him to find another job.

"They're close in age, so he should make a good playmate for Fuki."

Because his father had said that, Fuki had taken Ouichirou to be his. He kept Ouichirou by his side at all times, ordered him to do trivial things, and made him see to his things. He made him his playmate as well, and even though he had no desire to study, he had Ouichirou tutor him.

Even though it shocked him, Ouichirou did whatever he was told to do.

Fuki had the most fun when he was with Ouichirou, but Ouichirou probably wasn't interested at all in spending time with the boss's son who was three years younger than him. Even so, Fuki never let him get away - not after school, not on days off. He didn't give him any time to play with his other friends either.

Fuki realized that the expression on Ouichirou's face when he looked at him had grown cold, and that made him sad. But back then he had no clue how to make Ouichirou show interest in him other than being selfish. And now he seriously regretted the way he had treated Ouichirou as a child.

Why had he treated Ouichirou like that? All he really wanted to do was get along, but he hadn't been able to make it happen any other way. And now... no, even now, he still couldn't do anything else.

Before long, Ouichirou and his father had stopped living at Nagatsuma and had moved to a nearby apartment, and Ouichirou had gotten a part time job upon moving up to high school. He had then used that as an excuse to stay away from home until late, and he had stopped coming by Nagatsuma.

Now, no matter what Fuki said, it would be useless.

"If I don't work, we won't be able to pay my tuition, so I can't help it." When Ouichirou told him that in such an indifferent tone, Fuki couldn't argue with him. At that point, his brother had taken over the ryokan because of their father's worsening illness, and the management was starting to fail. Not only could they not promote Ouichirou's father, but things had gotten to the point where they couldn't even give him a bonus.

He had even seen Ouichirou together with a girl before. But when he challenged Ouichirou on that account, the reply had been, "And that bothers you? Why?" Just that biting remark.

It had been three years since then...

Ouichirou opened his eyes just a little wider at this awkward encounter and looked down at Fuki.

"...It's been a while." In the end, that useless, ordinary line was all Fuki could say. He had had several things he wanted to say to Ouichirou if he managed to see him one last time, but now that he was face to face with Ouichirou, nothing was coming out of his mouth. It was like his head had gone completely blank.

"...... Yeah." Like he couldn't really help it, Ouichirou answered him.

Fuki breathed a sigh of relief. No matter how long it had been since he had last been face to face with Ouichirou, there was no reason for him to be so nervous just talking to him. But he wouldn't have been surprised if Ouichirou had ignored him. Now that Nagatsuma was failing and Fuki was being sold off, there was no reason for Ouichirou to pay attention to him anymore.

"It's pretty unusual for you to come here. Were you asked to do something at the ryokan?"

"...Yeah..."

"I see..."

The short answers left Fuki feeling like he had nothing to work with. He sighed briefly. Ouichirou probably knew about Fuki being sold off, but couldn't he be a little nicer for this one last time? As he thought that, he wondered just why he had thought it.

"Ah... I just remembered. I hear you got into medical school."

"Yeah."

"Congratulations. That's awesome." Even as he said that, Fuki was thinking that he was glad he had gotten the chance to congratulate Ouichirou. It was something he had wanted to say ever since he first heard the news.

Ouichirou's mother had died young because of an illness. Fuki knew that that had something to do with why Ouichirou wanted to study medicine. He was really glad that Ouichirou had been accepted.

"You've always been really smart... Though no matter how much you taught me, I never got it."

"That's probably because you were never actually listening."

"I don't really think that's why..." Actually, it was just as Ouichirou said; he had never paid much attention to what Ouichirou was saying. Instead he had enjoyed just hearing Ouichirou's voice and staring at his face.

Ouichirou stared at Fuki in shock, but said nothing in return.

"Umm... when are you leaving? You're getting an apartment in Tokyo, right?"

"The day after tomorrow."

"Oh... Then I'm leaving before you." He had to leave the next day. "...We won't be able to see each other anymore."

For a moment, it looked like Ouichirou was about to say something. Fuki waited for it come, but in the end Ouichirou said nothing. Once more, Fuki sighed softly.

"...Are you glad you're leaving Nagatsuma?" Before he could stop himself, the biting words slipped out of his mouth even though he hadn't meant to say anything like that.

Fuki had accepted being sold off because he had no other choice. But he also didn't want to lose the ryokan. He had the feeling that if that were to go away, he would lose the only thing connecting him to Ouichirou.

But Ouichirou was gladly leaving.

Ouichirou didn't say anything in reply. Fuki wondered if he might be angry. He hadn't confirmed it, but he also hadn't denied it. That was probably his answer.

"...Oh, yeah," Fuki said, trying to break the uncomfortable silence.

Then, as if he had just remembered something, he stuck his hand in the pocket of his parka. He pulled out what was inside and held it out to Ouichirou. The truth was, he had been carrying it around with him just in case he had a chance to give it to him.

"Here. Congratulations on getting in."

"A charm (3)...?" Ouichirou stared doubtfully at the small scarlet bag that had been handed to him. It looked even smaller when sitting in his large hand.

"It's for school work. It doesn't do me any good to have something like that anymore. And well... someone gave it to me." Actually the charm was something Fuki had bought himself, but he had the feeling that Ouichirou would be more likely to take it if he said someone had given it to him instead.

Ouichirou squeezed the charm and fell silent. Fuki thought he was about to return it.

"Don't give it back." Fuki prayed that Ouichirou would accept it. It would be weird to think of it as a memento, but if they were going to be separated, Fuki wanted Ouichirou to have at least one thing that connected the two of them.

Ouichirou didn't give the charm back. Instead, he looked down at Fuki as if he were glaring and spoke. "Why don't you run away?"

"Huh...?"

"You know what it means to be sold to a brothel, right?"

More than what he had said, the fact that Ouichirou had initiated a conversation surprised Fuki. And not only that, but he spoke not with polite words meant to put distance between them, but normally, like he had when they were children.

Happily, Fuki smiled without realizing it. "I wonder how long it's been since the last time you actually talked to me."

Fuki's reply, which seemed to be avoiding the question, caused Ouichirou's expression to harden even more. Seeing that look on Ouichirou's face, Fuki smiled a little.

"...Do you feel sorry for me?"

"Feel sorry...!? I just don't get why you're going along with him and his plan to sell you off."

Ouichirou referred to Fuki's brother, Hirotsugu, as him. Hirotsugu and Ouichirou had never gotten along very well. The fact that Hirotsugu had racked up a considerable amount of debt while indulging himself only made things worse.

When Fuki remembered that, it made him feel a bit of nostalgia.

"...I can't help it. Dad's sick, and Nii-san's like that. And he borrowed a lot of money from some weird places... There's not really anything else I can do."

"So you're the only one who has to sacrifice himself? It's not your debt, right?"

"Well, yeah, but..."

"Why do you have to sacrifice yourself!? Even though you're a guy, you have to sell yourself to a brothel!? Isn't that a little outdated?"

"...Ouichirou..." Fuki was glad that Ouichirou was getting angry for his sake. The thought of the future that lay in store for him after he was sold was bitterly painful.

"I'm not really sacrificing myself... After all, I'm part of the family too. When we're struggling, I have to help out as well. ...Besides, there aren't any other options..." He repeated the same things his brother had told him. It wasn't like he actually believed any of it, though.

"...Or are you gonna do something to help instead?" He said that just to mock Ouichirou. He knew quite well that Ouichirou had no reason to do it. Even so, the lack of an answer hurt him.

As if trying to shake off the mood, Fuki looked away from Ouichirou and continued. "But... it's not really that bad of a place. Nii-san says I could become number one... I'm a guy, but I'm tempting. That's what those guys just now were saying. You heard it too, right?"

"I..."

"...Oh yeah. Come to think of it, your college is near Ueno, isn't it? Seems that's not too far from Yoshiwara... Since you have the chance... if you don't mind, why don't you come buy a night with me? It's apparently a pretty expensive place, but since you're an old friend, I'll treat you at first..."

At that point, Fuki shut up in surprise.

When he looked up at Ouichirou, smiling, Ouichirou was staring at time with a frighteningly hard look on his face. That gaze was so cold it sent a chill down Fuki's spine. That look was filled with obvious disdain.

"If that's how things are going to be, do whatever you want," Ouichirou said, as if he were spitting the words out.

With that, he turned his back on Fuki.

"Ah..." Without thinking, Fuki reached out toward Ouichirou, but he couldn't come up with the words to keep him from leaving.

That night, even after he had settled down in his futon, Fuki couldn't sleep.

"I shouldn't have said that."

Thinking back on when he had encountered Ouichirou earlier, he regretted what he had done. When he remembered the scorn in Ouichirou's gaze, his heart started to hurt.

"Come buy a night with me." There was no way that Ouichirou was in to men, so Fuki wondered just how much disgust he must have felt when he was told that. Especially by Fuki, who men would be able to buy, even though he was a guy.

"I shouldn't have said it. Anyway, I know there's no way he'll actually come."

It wasn't the sort of store with prices affordable for the average person. Not only that, but Ouichirou wasn't the sort of man who would frequent red light districts. He wouldn't do it for a woman, so it was even more impossible for a guy.

He shouldn't have said it, even as a joke.

But the fact that he was so shocked when he found Ouichirou staring down at him so coldly meant that...

"I guess I was pretty serious about that..."

If Ouichirou wouldn't come to buy him, he might never get to see him ever again.

But it wasn't just that.

"If I got to sleep with Ouichirou..." When that thought came to mind, Fuki suddenly felt embarrassed. What sort of foolishness was this? He had no clue how disgusted Ouichirou would be if he ever found out.

Still, now that he had realized it, he couldn't take it back. He had never realized that it was love, but he had probably felt that way for Ouichirou for a long, long time. That was probably why he had let those words slip out of his mouth.

Back when Ouichirou and his father first came to live at Nagatsuma, Fuki had been interested in Ouichirou since he first laid eyes on him.

"Can I have this one?" Fuki had said, pointing at Ouichirou. Typically that sort of idea would never have worked out, since Ouichirou himself was not an employee at Nagatsuma. But Fuki had forcefully taken Ouichirou as a sort of personal servant. He had tested Ouichirou's loyalty by giving him all sorts of selfish orders. ...No, he hadn't intended to test his loyalty, but rather the friendship between them.

He hadn't wanted to be Ouichirou's master, but his friend.

But he had completely failed in doing so. He was a child and had been spoiled all his life. He knew absolutely nothing about the real world or dealing with other people. And because Ouichirou was always so cold to him, the only way he could get some kindness from him was to keep him tied down.

"...Oh, he hated me from the start..." He smiled bitterly at having realized this at this point. But even as he smiled, his chest tightened up, and tears started to well up in his eyes.

Even so, he was glad he got to talk to Ouichirou, since that was most likely the last time he would be able to do so.

It would be ten years before Fuki's time in the brothel was up.

Hirotsugu had said that he would buy Fuki back as soon as he got the ryokan back on its feet, but Fuki knew quite well that he couldn't count on his brother. And even if Fuki managed to come back to the ryokan, that didn't mean Ouichirou would be there.

Ten years later... Ouichirou would be twenty-eight. Even if the ryokan managed to bounce back, Ouichirou would most likely be more than capable of living on his own without having to depend on Nagatsuma by then. He would probably be living somewhere far away with his father, who would be almost sixty by then.

Fuki had heard that some of Ouichirou's distant relatives had offered to help him through school because of his excellent grades. And since he had gotten into the medical program at one of the best schools out there, his future was pretty much guaranteed to be successful. Fuki had no doubt that the next time they met, Ouichirou would be a very important person.

And Fuki would probably be pretty much the same as he was now.

"The worlds we live in are different, for sure."

Fuki was glad he had had the chance to see Ouichirou again before his body was dirtied, even though the conversation had ended with an argument.

"I wonder how long he'll keep that charm..."

Maybe he would remember Fuki every now and then.

"I wanted to tell him, 'We may never see each other again, but stay healthy and good luck with school.'"

While gazing up into the twilight, Fuki continued to think of Ouichirou.

The sound of someone rapping at the shut storm door on the other side of the shoji doors leading to the courtyard caused Fuki to wake suddenly. While wondering just when he had fallen asleep, Fuki sat up in bed. He thought it might have been his imagination, but sure enough, the sound continued, mixed with the sound of the rain that had started in the middle of the night.

A burglar? But Fuki had never heard of a burglar who knocked.

He considered ignoring the sound, but he just couldn't get it out of his mind. Finally, he got out of bed and crept over to the shoji doors. He slid open the shoji doors and undid the latch on the storm door. Opening the storm door ever so slightly, he peeked outside.

At that moment, he became so surprised he thought his heart might stop.

"Ou..."

Ouichirou's large hand muffled the shout that was about to come out of his mouth. Like that, Ouichirou got down on his knees and pushed himself into the room. He pushed the shoji doors shut behind him.

"Why...? You...!" Fuki shouted, now that his mouth had finally been released. He couldn't understand why Ouichirou had showed up.

"...Keep it down." Ouichirou ordered softly.

Fuki shut his mouth in reflection.

Ouichirou was looking at Fuki with a frightening expression on his face. His hair and shoulders were soaked. Thinking he must be cold in this weather, Fuki wiped Ouichirou off with the sleeve of his pajamas.

"What's wrong...?" Fuki asked, confused.

Ouichirou suddenly slammed both of his hands down onto the tatami.

"Ouichirou..." Fuki said without thinking, surprised.

"Run away with me."

Ouichirou's words left Fuki speechless.

"Don't sell yourself off and run away instead. Then let's go far away and live together. I'll protect you, no matter what."

Fuki could hardly believe what he had just heard. He doubted his ears. And despite that, it made him feel like crying.

"...Wh-what are you talking about...?"

"Run away. Please."

"You're... joking..."

Fuki was about to start laughing. Looking away from Ouichirou's piercing gaze, he took the towel and stood up. But Ouichirou grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

"I'm serious."

"I-I can't do that...!!" Fuki yelled, having forgotten the problems they would have if someone heard them. When he realized that, he covered his mouth with a gasp. Then he whispered.

"I can't do that. They've already made the deal, so if I don't go, Dad and Nagatsuma will..."

"So? How is that your responsibility!? The debt is from that idiot fooling around as much as he wants, isn't it? Anyway, it's just wrong to say that someone has to sacrifice himself for the family. If you run away, they'll work something out all by themselves."

"I'm being sold off because they can't work anything out!!"

"What does it matter that they can't work anything out? Let them deal with it!!"

With that, Fuki finally started to realize just how serious Ouichirou was. He really meant to run off with Fuki. Perhaps it was out of a sense of justice, or maybe it was just rebellion against Hirotsugu. Either way, the fact that he was saying that in the first place made Fuki happy. So happy he wouldn't mind dying like this.

"...Please, run away with me," Ouichirou repeated.

"But."

"You used to be so selfish, so why are you doing this?"

"Ouichirou..."

Yeah, he used to be selfish. He used to think the world revolved around him. He didn't care one bit about what other people thought. And that was why even Ouichirou hated him.

He really regretted what he had done back then.

"...What don't you like about the idea? Even if you don't like me, isn't it a hundred times better to just sleep with me rather than being fucked by all sorts of other men!?"

"Being fucked..."

Fuki could feel his cheeks getting warm. Ouichirou had thought of going that far? Asking Fuki to run away with him wasn't just to save him from being sold off, but to elope with him? -No way!

Just thinking it made Fuki feel like his entire body was turning bright red.

"Uh... ummm." Ouichirou hesitated, having realized what he had just said without thinking.

"If you don't want to, you don't have to..."

The embarrassed look on his face was almost pitiful, and despite the situation, Fuki laughed a little.

"It's nothing to laugh about."

"...Sorry."

"It's okay if you don't want to sleep with me. Just as long as you run away with me."

"...Even if you say that..."

Fuki was all ready to say yes. He didn't know what Ouichirou's reasons for wanting to go this far were, though, so he desperately tried to silence his hopeful heart.

"...You can't just run away like that, can you? Are you gonna leave your dad behind? I doubt they'll let you off easily once they realize we ran off together. And you... you finally got into school, didn't you? What're you gonna tell your relatives who are paying your tuition? Don't you think that's kinda inexcusable?"

"Did you think I hadn't thought about those things?"

"Then why...!?"

"Cause you're more important than that...!!" Ouichirou yelled, as if trying to cut off Fuki's next words.

"...Ouichirou..." Fuki whispered, stunned. "You... you never..."

His voice was shaking.

"You never said anything like that before. ...I thought you hated me."

"I'd love to be able to hate you...! I've been through hell because of you ever since we were little. Because of your selfishness."

"I-I'm sorry about that... But-"

"But I just can't stand it." Ouichirou said, interrupting Fuki's response. "Just the thought of another man touching you makes me furious. It makes me want to rip both the other guy and you into little pieces. ...I..."

Glaring down at the tatami, Ouichirou just barely whispered his next words.

"...love you."

"......"

Fuki couldn't say anything after that. After all, Ouichirou had always been really cold to him, hadn't he? Fuki just couldn't relate Ouichirou's current passion to the cold Ouichirou he had always known.

He was shocked. He just couldn't believe it. But he couldn't keep the joy from overflowing deep in his heart either.

Again, Ouichirou begged him to run away with him.

Fuki stuck out his hand and gently placed it on top of Ouichirou's head. His hair, soaked from the rain, was just as surprisingly soft as it had always been.

Ouichirou lifted his head, grabbed Fuki's hand, and pulled him in for a hug.

Their heated lips joined together.

Fuki could no longer resist the temptation.

It was after midnight when Fuki hurried to get ready and he and Ouichirou slipped out of the room together. Avoiding notice, the two of them exited through the back gate of garden and started down the mountain. The dark mountain path was slippery from the rain and extremely difficult to traverse.

"...Watch your step." Having said that, Ouichirou took Fuki's hand.

Fuki laughed. "This feels kinda weird."

Ouichirou looked at him suspiciously. The moonlight lit up his handsome face.

He often gave others a frightening impression because his wonderful physique and the cold, sharp feel to the air around him were the first things people noticed, but he really did have very refined features. It was like something beautiful inside of him was showing through. Fuki really liked that.

"...What does?"

"You being nice to me."

Ouichirou smiled bitterly.

Ouichirou went first at a place where the path became uneven and treacherous and lifted Fuki over the spot. He then took Fuki's hand again.

Even as he apologized silently to his father, who he had left behind, Fuki was happy.

The station was just at the bottom of the mountain.

"Where should we go?" Ouichirou asked as they walked along a short even stretch.

"It'll probably be easier to lose them somewhere where there's a lot of people. Tokyo maybe? Or Osaka?"

"Where do you want to go? If there's somewhere you want to go, I'll take you there. If there's some place you want to see, I'll show you it, no matter where."

"Even to the ends of the earth?"

"Even to the ends of the earth."

Fuki smiled. He didn't even mind if they just kept walking hand and hand along this path, no matter where it might lead them.

"...Oh, I know. I wanna go to Hiroshima."

"Hiroshima?"

"That's where you were born, isn't it?"

He had happened to hear something about that once a long time ago. And he kinda wanted to see the place where Ouichirou had been born and had lived until he was twelve. He had heard that Ouichirou and his father had come to Nagatsuma because they had been driven away from there, though.

"It's not like there's anything interesting to see there, though."

"You don't wanna? I thought you'd take me wherever I wanted to go?"

"...Fine."

He probably didn't have very good memories of the city. Despite that, he was willing to go back because Fuki asked him to. Happily, Fuki clung tightly to Ouichirou's arm.

"What are you smiling for?"

"I dunno... I'm just happy... -Ah, it's the station!"

They could now see the lights of the station at the foot of the mountain.

The shutters were still closed, but they would only have to wait a short while until the first train of the day. And that time would be fun if he spent it with Ouichirou.

But those thoughts were smashed to bits once they got a few meters away from the station.

Several men came out from the behind the station building. It was obvious just by looking at them that they were shady and the same sort of men as the bill collectors who had come to the ryokan time and time again.

"...They're..."

"Yeah."

When Fuki pointed and spoke, his voice trembling, Ouichirou squeezed his hand. He softly told Fuki to run and then nodded ever so slightly. They both turned around and gasped.

Standing right in front of them was Hirotsugu. Clad in his usual kimono, he stood there with his arms crossed and his lips curled into a malicious smile.

"Nii-san... why?"

"I thought you might do something like this and was keeping an eye out just in case. Then your lights went on and then off after a little while in the middle of the night. I got a feeling and went to check on you, but you were already gone. I figured you'd go to the station, so I made sure to get here first."

Fuki ground his teeth.

To think that the light he turned on while he was getting ready would bring about this sort of situation...

After all, usually a person wouldn't realize what was going on just because the lights turned on. His brother could definitely be pretty sharp at times. So sharp that Fuki wondered why he hadn't used his brains to get the ryokan back on its feet.

"Hey, Ouichirou." Hirotsugu looked over at Ouichirou. "You're eloping? Way to go. But Fuki's my precious little brother. It'll be bad for me if you don't give him back while he's still a virgin."

Fuki could tell that Ouichirou was clenching his fists.

Hirotsugu gestured at the men standing behind Fuki and Ouichirou with his chin. The moment the two of them turned around, the men went for Ouichirou.

"Ouichirou...!!" Fuki yelled.

Ouichirou moved to cover Fuki's back. He avoided the stick one of the men swung at him and hit the man. But it didn't end with that one man. The men kept coming after Ouichirou. Ouichirou grabbed at their collars, punched them in the gut, and kicked out at them.

Ouichirou was stronger than the yakuza, who should have been used to fighting. Even so, it was one man against four, and it just wasn't that easy for him to break through. Fuki decided to try and help and started looking around him for something he could use as a weapon.

That was when someone behind him grabbed him.

It was Hirotsugu.

"You're coming with me."

"Leggo...!"

"Fuki...!!"

Ouichirou had sensed something had happened and turned to face them. Just then, light reflected off of something in the hands of one of the men Ouichirou had been fighting.

"Ouichirou...!!" Fuki screamed.

The man took the knife he was holding and thrust it at Ouichirou.

Fuki thought his heart was going to stop. Ouichirou had been stabbed. He was going to die. Fuki screamed Ouichirou's name.

The knife had been aiming for his chest, but Ouichirou had just barely managed to make it miss its mark. Instead, the blade had grazed his left side. Having missed, the man lost his balance, and Ouichirou took advantage of that moment to grab his arm and twist. The sharp noise of breaking bones rang out, and the knife fell to the asphalt with a clatter.

"Ouichirou...!"

Fuki struggled desperately, trying to escape from Hirotsugu's arms. It wasn't like his brother was all that strong, but even so it wasn't that easy to break his hold. He bit down on Hirotsugu's arm and got free when Hirotsugu's grasp faltered, but Hirotsugu immediately reached out to grab him again. Fuki picked up a stick that one of the men had dropped and swiped at his brother's legs with it while still crouched.

Without waiting to watch Hirotsugu fall, Fuki started to stand up. Just then, someone thrust his arm out in right in front of him.

"Ouichirou... you're hurt...!"

Ouichirou's coat was ripped open, and blood was dripping from the left side of his chest. Seeing that, Fuki's eyes opened wide, but Ouichirou ignored the wound and pulled Fuki to his feet.

"Hurry up...!"

"But."

"It's nothing."

Fuki started running as Ouichirou pulled him forward insistently.

*

"What hospital did you say again?"

"...The Memorial Hospital. The one in the city." Ouichirou said, giving a random answer to the driver's question.

"Ahh, I think I've heard of it. My sister got married somewhere around there. I could take you all the way there, you know."

After things at the station, the boys had made their way to the highway and hitched a ride with a passing truck.

The station, which was within walking distance, was probably being watched. At this time of night there were no taxis out and about, and if Hirotsugu had been thorough, it was too dangerous to call for a cab. This had been the best way to get away from area before dawn.

"...You runaways?"

When suspected of being runaways, they had told the driver a story about being brothers trying to get to Hiroshima as fast as possible to see their grandfather, who was on his deathbed.

While they were running from the station to the highway, Fuki had twisted his ankle. He said he was all right, but his feet were blistered as well, and Ouichirou had decided that he would have to get medicine and a compress for Fuki as soon as the drugstores opened for the day.

"...I'm more worried about you." Fuki had said.

Fuki had bound the wound on Ouichirou's chest with a towel. If he had his coat on, it didn't stand out very much in the dark. His coat was torn and stained with blood as well, but it seemed the driver hadn't noticed because it was a black coat.

Fuki had been touching Ouichirou's left hand worriedly the entire time, but now he was asleep, leaning against Ouichirou and breathing softly. Ouichirou had his arm around Fuki's shoulders.

Fuki was cute.

When it came to the way things had been with Fuki since they were children... while he found Fuki's innocent, spoiled attachment to him to be cute, it had often annoyed him as well. To Fuki he was both a playmate who was like an older brother and a servant at the same time, and probably a very convenient person to have around in general. He couldn't remember how many times he had had his pride hurt by Fuki's selfishness that almost seemed to be testing him.

Even so, he was drawn to Fuki.

It wasn't because he wasn't in a position to go against Fuki that he always did as Fuki said even as he was shocked at the selfishness and thinking cynical thoughts to himself when Fuki ordered him around despite being younger. It was because Fuki was cute.

They had all known that Ouichirou was the son of a yakuza back where he grew up. Even worse than that, he had a sinister look about him and wasn't a very sociable child. He was the kind who fought back when someone picked a fight, so he was always getting into trouble. Everyone, his classmates and even his teachers, avoided him.

But Fuki...

Fuki had attached himself to Ouichirou right away.

He hadn't been afraid of Ouichirou, who could only show stiff expressions. Not only that, but when treated badly, he hadn't tried to get away. Ouichirou just couldn't understand how Fuki could continue to try to get close to someone who was so cold to him. If Ouichirou had been in Fuki's place, he never could have done it.

Even as he gazed on Fuki coolly and thought that this must be someone who's never known hardships, he found it somewhat comforting. As he continued to pretend to pull away even though he was being ordered around, he found himself looking forward to Fuki's adorable selfishness.

But just when had that started to make him feel sexual attraction toward Fuki?

Fuki's childish pleas to sleep in the same bed had sounded like he was coming on to Ouichirou. He had had to desperately stop himself when he found himself unconsciously reaching out to touch the defenseless shape sleeping next to him. He had even kissed Fuki while he was sleeping before. It had felt like he would end up tearing Fuki apart if he stayed near him any longer.

And he when he realized those feelings, they disgusted him. He didn't want to admit it. He felt like he would have lost if he admitted that he liked Fuki. It wouldn't be that he was drawn to Fuki, but that he was just trying to satisfy his lust.

When Ouichirou had tried to avoid him, that had only made Fuki try to bind him even more. And when he had started being cruel, Fuki had wilted sadly. After he made it so they rarely saw each other, whenever saw Fuki from far away, he could tell that Fuki's eyes were following his every move.

He felt sorry for Fuki, but at the same time it only made him feel unbearably excited. So excited that even he thought it was strange.

But the deceit he had wrapped around himself was blown away the moment he heard that Fuki was being sold to a brothel.

He didn't want to let another person have Fuki. He'd rather die than let that happen. He couldn't let another man sleep with Fuki.

He had to stop it. And if he couldn't do that, then he had no choice but to run off with him. Even if Fuki said no, he would force him to run away with him.

While brooding about it like crazy, Ouichirou realized his feelings for Fuki without a doubt.

He hadn't come to Nagatsuma today because he had been asked to do something.

He had come to see Fuki.

*

They had the truck driver let them off at a crossroads and bid him farewell. They then stopped to rest at a nearby playground. It was still drizzling, so the two of them sat down inside of a house made to look like a wedge of cheese.

There was still about an hour or two to go until dawn. It would be hard to find a hotel where they could stay at this time of day, and Ouichirou said that most likely any hotel they did find would be a love hotel.

"A love hotel would be fine with me." Fuki said, but...

"Idiot." Ouichirou replied, somewhat embarrassed. Fuki really wouldn't mind staying in such a place as long as he was with Ouichirou, but saying that would make him seem slutty, so he couldn't bring himself to say any more. Of course, it could be that Ouichirou would think that of him just because he had been bound for a brothel.

"I bet you're hungry. Why don't I go get something to eat?" Ouichirou said.

"I'll go with you."

"Your leg hurts, doesn't it? Besides, it's raining. I'll be right back."

Ouichirou was looking out for him because he had twisted his ankle while they were fleeing. And it was probably a better idea for him not to go walking looking for a convenience store.

Even though it made him feel lonely and helpless, Fuki nodded.

"Don't be gone too long, okay? Even if you can't find a store, come back anyway. Got it?" After repeating that several times, he let Ouichirou go.

Right after Ouichirou left, Fuki heard a buzzing noise coming from inside his bag.

It was his cell phone vibrating. Realizing that he had brought it with him, Fuki reached into the bag and took the phone out without even thinking about it. Then he answered it and froze.

"Hey, Fuki." It was his brother.

Out of habit, he had answered without checking to see who was calling, and he regretted that.

"What happened to Ouichirou? Is he there?"

"...He's off getting some things right now."

"Then now's a good time. You really hit me hard, you know. You even fractured my leg. I just got out of the hospital. If I were to go to the police, you'd be on your way to jail."

Fuki clenched his first.

"...And what about you guys...!? That guy stabbed Ouichirou...!"

The men had attacked the two of them in numbers and had even used knives. Ouichirou had only gotten away as lightly as he had because he was strong. Otherwise he most likely would have ended up half dead. More than that, they might have actually killed him.

But Hirotsugu didn't seem to care about anything that didn't benefit him.

"Come back right away. If you do, I'll overlook what you did this one time."

"...I'm not going back."

"Do you really understand what you're doing? Hmmm? If you don't come back, they're gonna use Dad's life insurance to pay back the debts."

"W-why don't you just sell off the ryokan?"

"Do you have any idea how many mortgages I already have on the ryokan?" That was the first Fuki had heard about that. But now that he thought about it, it seemed obvious.

"Then... then why don't you use your life insurance to pay it off!? I'm not going back...!!"

He knew his brother wasn't the sort of person who would do the right thing and take responsibility for his own actions. Not going back would be the same as abandoning his father. Being reminded of that was enough to make him feel faint, but Ouichirou had finally asked him to run away with him. He didn't want to go back, no matter what. He wanted to start over with Ouichirou.

"Hmmm... Is that so?" Something had changed in Hirotsugu's voice. He had changed his plan of attack. "Then you're saying you're fine with Ouichirou throwing away his future just for you? Because of you, he won't be able to get through school, even though he's so smart. I'm pretty smart myself, but I've never been able to beat him."

His words stabbed into Fuki's chest.

"You're just a kid and wouldn't know about these things, but the school he's going to isn't that easy to get into. I feel sorry for him. He got into a good school and has his future set for him, and then he gets caught up with someone like you. If you two elope like this, the yakuza will keep looking for you. He won't be able to get through college. He won't be able to find a decent job... Are you really okay with that? Hasn't he always dreamed of being a doctor some day?"

His brother was right. Ouichirou had always said that he was going to become a doctor. He had never come out and said why, but Fuki was sure it was because he wanted to be able to help patients like his mother, who had died from an illness. ...And Fuki was going to interfere with that dream.

"But Ouichirou said that I'm more important to him than that...!" Fuki yelled.

That's what Ouichirou had told him. But even as Fuki said that, his chest hurt as if someone were ripping out his heart. His brother's words had certainly been effective. He knew Fuki's weak point.

Hirotsugu snorted in laughter at Fuki's words. "Heh. He's just caught up in his silly sense of justice right now. But how long will it last? Just what about you makes you worth all that?"

"I trust Ouichirou...!!"

"I'd advise you not to underestimate the Oomori-gumi (4). You may think you'll be able to lose them, but they're all over the country. If you do even the slightest thing to call attention to you, they'll find you. You'll have to hold your breath and lie low for the rest of your life. Can you really make Ouichirou, who got into the medical department at a top school, live like that? And what's more, if they find you, they'll kill Ouichirou."

"Kill...!?"

"But of course. He ran off with a piece of expensive merchandise and even sent a couple of their young members to the hospital. And obviously they'll go after Ouichirou's dad too. Ouichirou's dad, our dad, and Ouichirou... Are you really okay with getting three people killed? I know I wouldn't be able to live with that."

Fuki could feel the blood draining from his face.

Suddenly he remembered exactly how he had felt when he thought Ouichirou had been stabbed. A chill had run through him the moment he saw the knife in the man's hand. He had thought Ouichirou was going to die and that his heart was going to stop.

If he insisted on running away with Ouichirou like this, that thought might become reality.

Fuki regretted bringing his cell phone along. He shouldn't have brought something like this. But he had stuffed it in his bag out of habit even though he was running away with Ouichirou without asking any questions and without thinking about it.

"You know, Fuki." His brother's voice had gotten even more smooth. It was the voice of someone who knew he had his prey cornered. "You were the one who used to follow him around all that time, but he was pretty mean to you, wasn't he? There's no way he'd have fallen for you. It's just a bit of misled sympathy that will fade with time... Do you really want to bother someone who feels like that any more than you already have?"

He once again told Fuki to come back.

"It's not that big of a deal, going to a brothel. All you have to do is play with some men. And then maybe some rich guy will take you in, or perhaps Ouichirou will come buy you after he becomes a doctor."

Fuki loathed his brother with all his being for his ability to make a joke like that at this point in time.

"...If I go back, they won't do anything to Ouichirou?"

"They won't."

"Or Dad, or Ouichirou's dad?"

"Sure. I'll ask them to leave them alone."

"...Okay," Fuki said, his voice shaking, and then he hung up the phone.

The feeling of a lump in the back of his throat made Fuki want to scream. He swallowed that lump and wiped away the tears that were about to overflow.

He had to get away as soon as he could. Before he lost his resolve.

Ouichirou would be back soon. If he saw Ouichirou's face, he wouldn't be able to say anything, for sure. So, he had to leave now.

Fuki picked up his bag and stood up. Dragging his feet a little across the wet ground, he started for the entrance on the opposite side of the park from the direction Ouichirou had headed.

But froze in place when he came up next to the parking lot. He had run into Ouichirou, who had a convenience store bag in his hand. Ouichirou's eyes opened wide, and he stared at Fuki.

"...Where are you going?"

Fuki couldn't get the words out. He wasn't sure what to say. It would be wonderful to say it was nothing, take Ouichirou's arm, and run away with him just like that.

But he couldn't do that anymore.

"...I'm gonna go home after all," Fuki replied, not looking up from the ground.

"Go home...? What are you talking about?"

Ouichirou's voice was trembling. It was the voice of someone who couldn't believe what he had just heard. Fuki could tell that he was truly upset. So upset that it made Fuki feel sorry for him just seeing him like that. Fuki forced back his tears.

"Do you realize what'll happen to you if you go back!? They'll sell you to the brothel... You'll have to sleep with men you don't love, with anyone who comes along."

"I know that! But..." Fuki said, interrupting Ouichirou's argument. "...If we run away like this, how are we gonna make a living? I've never been poor, and I'd rather sell my body than have to live like that. It's not that big of a deal, really... sex... Everyone does it, and maybe some rich guy will come along and take me in. ...If it bugs you that much, finish school and get rich. You're a hundred years too early to even think about running away with me right now...!"

Ouichirou grabbed Fuki by the collar and pressed him up against the wall, and Fuki pressed his mouth closed.

Ouichirou raised his clenched fist. The convenience store bag fell from that hand and hit the ground. A bunch of things, including pudding (5), nikuman (6), and chocolate tumbled out of the bag. Everything, including the brands of the items, was something that Fuki liked.

"He remembered..."

Fuki was about to cry. Ouichirou might as well just beat him to death right then and there.

But instead Ouichirou let Fuki go.

Ouichirou slammed his fist into the wall right next to Fuki. Then he let his arm fall limply to his side. Blood dripped down from his knuckles, but he didn't seem to care.

"...Good luck with school."

That was all Fuki said before slipping past Ouichirou. He left the park and got into a cab that happened to be passing by just then.

There was no way he could have said goodbye.