funeral

In the empty master bedroom, the mobile phone was beeping tirelessly. Nagasawa came out of the bathroom dripping with water. Just as he was about to pick it up, the other end fell silent.

The man turned on the phone, and the interface automatically jumped to the calendar column. Among the date grids full of diagonal crosses, one of them was circled.

Today is the ninth anniversary of my acquaintance with Ito, and I should have celebrated it, but for some reason, Nagasawa couldn't do that.

Because this day is also the anniversary of Nagai's death.

Nagai Keigo, Nagasawa's first close friend in life, was the one who brought Nagasawa who had run away from home into the Aizawa group.

To this day, Nagasawa still remembers how they were when they first met.

"Hey, kid, you don't seem to have a place to go, do you want to be my little brother, with food and shelter included!" The boy who was a few years older had a stubborn tone.

"Your clothes are dirty, it must not be much better to be your little brother."

"Brother Narita gave this to me... Do you know how to appreciate it?"

The thin boy shook his head, "But I know, it's hard for my little brother's little brother to stand out."

"Tch, this kind of thing depends on the opportunity, just like now."

"Okay then, I'll go with you."

"...you figured it out so quickly?"

"Yeah, food and shelter are included after all."

"You guy..."

At that time, Nagasawa was really hungry for several days. When he heard that there was something to eat, he only hesitated for a while. Fortunately, Nagai was not a person with ulterior motives.

The Aizawa group is different from ordinary small-scale organizations. It needs to pass some tests to select team members. The clever ones will be kept, and those who have not completed the statutory/statutory education will be sent to school, and the expenses will be fully covered by the group.

This is a rule set a long time ago, and it is still in use today.

It is obviously an extreme/dao organization, but it is as generous as a charity organization.

Because of the similar age, Nagasawa and Nagai are closer than others.While dawdling around, they imagined that one day they would be able to stand out.

In the fifth year of the Aizawa Group, they finally ushered in the so-called opportunity, but that opportunity was bought in exchange for Nagai's death.

Just like what was staged on TV, the unlucky group was ambushed by the opponent. In order to protect the elder brother at the time, Nagai chose to break up with loyalty, and the task of escort was given to Nagasawa.However, the delaying tactic of hitting a stone with a pebble naturally has no chance of winning.By the time support arrived, the few people left were already lying in a pool of blood.

The cadres in the group appreciated Nagasawa's ingenious way of getting rid of the pursuers and contacting support, but he believed that Nagai could also do this kind of thing, and he could even do it better than himself.

If the tasks of the two were reversed at that time, Nagai must be in the position of Wakatou now.

Nagasawa opened the closet and chose a fancy shirt that was different from the usual style. This is Nagai's favorite dress all the time. It is rustic and vulgar, and he laughed at it more than once.

Looking at himself in the mirror, Nagasawa was in a daze, as if Nagai had never left.

Nagasawa knows that he is far from being as strong as he appears on the outside. He is naive, not independent enough, and needs to rely on others to live.When Nagai died, his dependence was split in two, the heroic complex was transferred to Aizawa Masao, and the safe haven was Ito.

But now, Ito is a completely different existence from Nagai to him.

After packing up and about to go out, the phone rang.Looking at the notes on the screen, Nagasawa couldn't help but smile, "Is the new bodyguard easy to use?"

On the other end of the phone was Ounako who had just taken over Aoba, but for some reason, she seemed to be in a bad mood today, and she didn't pick up on Nagasawa's joke.

"They... are probably going to attack you," the usually free and easy beauty's tone showed rare anxiety, "Zhengbang accidentally slipped his mouth."

Masamune is Sunako's younger brother, and he is an ordinary member of the Aizawa group with mediocre abilities.

"What's the reason?" Nagasawa didn't look surprised.

"Not sure, you know Zhengbang, he doesn't have much access to core information."

"Ah."

"Let's avoid it for now," Sunako paused, "Aoba said that yours might also be in danger, so I went out to pick him up just now...do you know the meeting place?"

"I know, you have to be careful these days."

"...If you want, give me back the man alive."

Although it was just a joke, Nagasawa could still feel the uneasiness in the other party's heart.

He hung up the phone and walked back to the bedroom, pondered for a few seconds, and then took out the things he needed from the safe one by one.

This day has finally come...

This is the second time Ito has come to Nagasawa's safe/safe/house, and the location is different from before.Along the way, he was not confused, nor did he take the initiative to ask Aoba.Because he knew from the beginning that if he wanted to be with Nagasawa, he had to make this kind of awareness.

Tomorrow or despair, which one will come first?

——Such a boring question, what do you want to do with it.

About 10 minutes after they arrived, Nagasawa also appeared with a large travel bag.The man walked up to Ito and hugged him gently, then handed the bag to him, "Let's make the bed first, there are clean sheets inside."

The flowered shirt on Nagasawa's body looks really ridiculous, but in the current situation, Ito can't laugh no matter what.He took the travel bag, kissed the man, and obediently went to the bedroom.

The bedroom in the safe house is extremely simple, with almost only one bed.Ito opened the travel bag and poured all the things on it.The contents of the bags were of equal quality: sheets, clothing, cash, pistols, and their passports — to be exact, fake passports with the correct photo affixed to them.Ito turned his head to look at the door, and then silently rearranged these things.

"I guess they want you to take the blame."

"It's so heartless, obviously I didn't do anything..."

"I heard that they went to the team leader's house a few days ago, but the team leader didn't say anything."

In the living room, Aoba told Nagasawa all the information he knew, the former gangster Ruotou was leaning on the sofa at this moment, with a calm expression on his face.

"Maybe it's tacit consent if I don't make a statement... Qingye, if I want to leave here, will you think I'm a coward?"

"When you mean 'leave', do you mean going abroad?"

"Yeah, I'm tired of living here." Nagasawa smiled with downcast eyes.

"Mr. Nagasawa, the matter is not as bad as you think. The person who reported/reported this case is my friend. He said that the evidence held by the police does not show that you are involved in it. As long as you cooperate with the investigation, the truth will definitely come to light. It's not too late for you to go abroad... I believe that Mr. Ito also hopes to emigrate overseas with you in a dignified manner, right?"

Aoba seldom makes such a long speech, and it also has a strong subjectivity/color. It seems that during this period of time, she was greatly influenced by Sunako.Ah, what an amazing woman.Nagasawa admired it from the bottom of his heart, and at the same time accepted Aoba's suggestion.

Indeed, if one chooses to evade at this juncture, wouldn't that be an indirect admission of this trumped-up charge?Leaving aside his own situation, Ito, as a complete outsider, if he is implicated because of this, it will be difficult to clean up his future life.

It seems that he still didn't think enough...

By the time the two of them had reached an agreement, the sky gradually darkened.

Most of the convenience foods stored in the safe room have a long shelf life. Even if Ito is as skilled as Ito, it is difficult to make them delicious.But in extraordinary times, who cares so much.

After dinner, Aoba stayed in the living room to wait for orders, while Nagasawa and Ito went to the bedroom.

"Should we go abroad after this matter is over?" Nagasawa sat on the bed and gently circled Ito.

"Never come back?"

"Well," the man nodded, "I've saved a lot of money over the years, so it's not a problem to open a small bar. Then you can set up a black/clinic next to my bar... I will kill those troublemakers. They will be disabled, and then they will all be thrown to you."

Knowing that the other party was joking, Ito still couldn't help thinking about it.Black/doctor and black/shop owner, what a good combination...

"But life abroad is not as simple as you imagine."

"Do you mean communicating in English?" Nagasawa tugged at Ito's ear, as if he was dissatisfied with the man's malicious joke, "Although I didn't go to university, I have completed the statutory studies anyway, and I can still speak everyday language."

"Huh?" Ito was a little surprised. He had never heard this guy speak English, so he urged him to say a few words.

Nagasawa thought for a while in his mind, and then whispered, "Idon't want this moment to everend. Whereeverything'snothingwithoutyou."

There is not much accent mixed between the lines, far exceeding the average level of Japan, but Ito is not too convinced.

"This is obviously the lyrics."

"No, this is clearly a confession."

"boring……"

The two chattered in this way, covering many topics, such as grammar, which country to live in, what kind of house to live in, and the plans for children mentioned before, just like the couple who are about to get married. lovers.

"Speaking of which, you shouldn't be able to watch "Hundred Heartbeats of First Love" abroad, right?" Leaning in Nagasawa's arms, Ito suddenly said something out of nowhere.

"Yeah, that's the only thing I'm sorry about... I really hope it can be broadcast to the end soon."

With that said, Nagasawa turned on the TV and searched the channels one by one.Among the rapidly changing TV stations, he stopped suddenly.The man's eyes trembled imperceptibly, and even the hand holding the remote control became a little stiff.

Ito felt strange, and couldn't help but look up. After a moment, the same expression as Nagasawa appeared on his face.

He gently pulled the remote control away, clasped the hand with his fingers tightly together, and turned Nagasawa's face to look at himself.

"I have always been perfunctory in my confession to you, because I really don't know what to do, and that kind of mood can't be explained clearly in a few words..." Ito's eyes were never focused before, "But what I want to say now Yes, I never feel that your identity is a burden to me. If you love someone, you have to accept all of him. , Nagasawa Siping, I have nothing to fear."

He sighed, with a wry smile on his face, "Actually, you are a bad guy who is so selfish, you always tell me not to leave you, but once something happens, you hide away first...so I Today I want to make my own claim and make a mandatory agreement with you. From now on, no matter what happens, you are not allowed to leave me and run away. We will bear what we have together, and we will face any problems together. I I am also a man, and I also want to protect my lover, do you understand?"

The sudden confession made Nagasawa unable to recover for a long time, and the overly shocked expression stagnated on his face, making even a handsome man look a little stupid.

Seeing this, Ito was inexplicably impatient, and was about to raise his hand to shake the man awake, but the other party leaned over.

Nagasawa put his head on Ito's forehead, his eyes were full of affection, gratitude, and sadness.

What was shown on the TV was his photo, with words such as "suspect/criminal" and "wanted/wanted" beside it, so straightforward that there would be no second meaning.

Nine years ago today, he was appreciated by the Aizawa group, but now, he has become an abandoned child.

Such a gap sounds extremely ironic, but this is the truth that Nagai taught him long ago.

Sometimes in order to protect more important things, it is necessary to know how to give up.

The author has something to say:

The English words that Nagasawa said to Ito are the lyrics in Sum41's WithMe. This song is about nine years ago, right?Nagasawa's feelings for Ito are probably as described in the lyrics. Although I am not a strong person and I have made mistakes, I still don't want to be separated from you. You are everything to me, just make me so clumsy love you so much...

I'm not very satisfied with the writing of this chapter, I will change it when I have time