53 Chapter 49: He's Dead.

As he placed an order for three cheeseburgers and two sodas, disappointment set in as two cars were waiting in front of them. The dreaded waiting game had begun. In the sleek, black-carbon fiber Agera, Minoru leaned against the door panel, resting his cheek on his right fist.

Aqua couldn't shake off the strange feeling. The silence was awkward, and grabbing a quick bite at McRonald's drive-through seemed over the top. Additionally, Aqua couldn't help but wonder about the conversation with Minoru regarding "his problem."

"So..." Minoru broke the silence, still maintaining his pose. Aqua began to feel nervous. "I want to clarify something before we dive into the main part," Minoru glanced at the left seat, "When did you first meet Kana? She's cute, isn't she?"

Aqua was disappointed; he had anticipated something else entirely. He sighed, "Your obsession with my friend had me wondering what you were after. The answer is, during the first movie I worked with the Director. I met Kana as she played the role of a creepy child like me."

Minoru chuckled, closed his eyes, and smiled, "I thought, besides Anya, you'd never find friends. But she's more mature compared to the other kids your age." Minoru opened his eyes half, peeking at Aqua as if to say, 'though I can't compare you with them.'

"Haha," Aqua laughed dryly. "And about that movie, the Director won an award, and Ai, too, was recognized as the protagonist of the year. I don't know what happened, but after that, Ai became busier in showbiz until..." Aqua clicked his tongue.

Minoru had already guessed what happened. In summary, it was like that reality dating show. Ai signed the contract before 'that' happened. But after a stalker incident, Ai refused all showbiz offers, tired of working harder when she had a human bank like him. Despite the reason, Ai was content with her current life and focused on being an idol, finishing new songs, and hoping B-Komachi could perform in Tokyo Dome before she retired.

As Minoru gently moved the car forward, he said, "From what I saw, your obsession with Lala Lai Theatrical Company was to find the mastermind who sent the stalker, right?"

Aqua's eyes seemed ready to pop out, but he maintained his composure, acting clueless. "I don't know what you're talking about. I'm just a four-year-old kid. Stop with that silly idea," Aqua looked at Minoru.

"Three cheeseburgers and two sodas?"

Minoru peeked his head out of the window. "Yeah. Thank you." He smiled a little as the part-time employee blushed hard, and he closed the car window.

"Haha, acting like a fool, huh?" Minoru handed the food to Aqua, saying, "Let's say..." as he began to drive slowly, "That four-year-old kid who reads mystery novels and college-level books every day in his spare time, and the kid I'm talking to now is trying to act like he didn't admit that he wants to pull on impossible revenge. Nice try."

Aqua sighed. At this moment, he seemed not to care anymore if he was caught red-handed as an adult reborn as Ai's child.

Narrowing his eyes, Aqua challenged, "So what are you gonna do about it? Stop me? As long as I live, I'll make the person who almost harmed her suffer twice as much, and I'll make sure it happens."

He paused, glancing menacingly at Minoru. "I'm sorry to say this, but even though you're my biological father, let's not forget that you weren't there with Mom when she gave birth to us, making her work herself to raise twin children for four years. Tell me..."

Aqua looked directly at the silver-haired man, daring him to interrupt. "Tell me, where were you in these past four years?"

Minoru smiled at those words, memories flooding back like a river during the time Aqua had just mentioned.

The smell of gunpowder, the screams of injured men, the suffocating air as he wore that mask in the desert heat, taking a lot of damage to his body. He remembered being in the hot seat of a stolen fighter jet, engaging in dogfights to protect an airplane carrying hostages and someone he knew, just escaping from a US military base. Yet, he wouldn't use any of it as an excuse for not taking care of his newborn children.

Chuckling, Minoru admitted, "Well, you're right about me being the worst scumbag. I've only recently started living with all of you and being arrogant. But what I want to say is that I don't need a drawn-out character development to take care of my family, and I have to take care of you, unconditionally."

Aqua clicked his tongue at his words, feeling regretful for what he had said earlier. "...Sorry."

Did he just hear Aqua apologize? Minoru chuckled again, "Honestly, I don't have any intention of stopping you. But I have to tell you, your plan is completely useless."

Aqua narrowed his eyes once more.

Minoru continued, "The person you're looking for is now at the bottom of Tokyo Bay, which means he's dead."

"What did you—" Aqua's mouth dropped open in shock, causing him to accidentally spill a quarter of the sodas onto the car's floor as it came to a stop at a red light. "Shit, shit!" Aqua cursed, and Minoru sighed.

"Dude, you had one job." Minoru sighed, "...I trusted you as a human cupholder since this car only has one, and it's fucking useless. Ah, gosh..." Minoru slapped his face in disappointment, noting that he was a perfectionist who loved his harem—oops, I mean, all his cars.

Aqua's face was sweating with embarrassment. "Wa-wait! It's not the time for that! You said the person is dead?"

"Not the time for that, huh?" Minoru's face couldn't believe it. "Yeah, he's dead. End of the story. Look how I ended your revenge story just like that."

Aqua laughed slowly and said, "Bullshit. You think I'll believe it just like that?"

"Well, it's up to you. And I don't like attitude at all. You should appreciate this art, man," Minoru said as he started driving again.

As Aqua contemplated his words that the person he was looking for was dead, he said, "Art? I don't understand rich people's culture at all. At least I appreciate more than you when it comes to Mom's job. After all, I'm a man with culture."

"Man with culture, huh?" Minoru sensed something was wrong. "Say… you're not deciding to become an idol, are you?"

Aqua shrugged. "Wait, wait. I need to think about what you just said."

"You just said it's bullshit. Ah, shit… I'm not being racist, but I can't imagine my son dancing like a pretty boy."

Aqua honestly felt a little offended. "Why's that wrong thing to do? Well, yeah. I agree that job isn't stable at all."

Aqua paused as he thought about it. What kind of future did he want? Regardless of how he knew about it, or how he killed the person. Looking out the car window to his left, he said, "...I wanted to become a doctor."

An obstetrician-gynecologist was his past life. Maybe he wanted to surpass his past.

Minoru smiled. "That's better. Just in case, to make sure you're not walking in that path, I'll show you something."

Aqua sighed as Minoru seemed to doubt him becoming an idol. "It's not me you have to worry about since the one who wants to be an idol is Ruby." As Aqua said it, his survival instinct kicked in.

He saw Minoru seemed displeased with Ruby being an idol compared to him. "I'm not approving at all. Hear me out, Aqua. If I die, you have to stop Ruby at all costs. Or you just kill her fans in my regards."

"Ch-Chill out..." Aqua said as he slurped down his soda.

---

As they cruised from Shibuya to Minato, Aqua's anticipation grew. Eventually, they arrived at what seemed to be a colossal warehouse near the expressway, resembling an abandoned factory. Aqua couldn't shake the eerie feeling that it might be a spot for psychopaths to conceal their victims.

'Don't tell me that...'

Aqua started sweating bullets when he recalled the chat where Minoru straight-up told him the person he was searching for is fucked up.

"We're here..." Minoru announced, getting out of the car. "What're you doing? Get out," he urged, slamming the car door.

"Shit," Aqua sighed, taking a deep breath. "Fuck it, let's do this."

Standing side by side, they faced the imposing entrance of the warehouse. As the massive door slowly creaked open, darkness initially greeted them. However, when Minoru flipped the switch, the space revealed itself.

"Eh?" Aqua was dumbfounded as he looked around and didn't find a dead body or something. Instead, he found a lot of cars all covered up. "What is this place?" It looked more like a car workshop or something. There's a car lift and many tools for mechanics. He looked further from the ground floor to the second floor which could be seen from a big void, noticing a pool table, bars, and other entertainment.

"Welcome to my secret spot," Minoru chuckled. "Oh, wait till we unveil all those covers, and don't spill this place to your mom."

As time passed, Aqua and Minoru explored the collection. Aqua marveled at the modified JDM Cars like Skyline R34, S14, Evo 9, FD RX-7, NSX, and Supra MK4, all geared for drifting.

"If you ask me about culture," Minoru explained as they walked around, "...this is my culture. As an engineer, I like building racing cars. These tuned-up cars are for drifting. Anyway, this is my harem."

Suddenly, Aqua halted, fixating on a covered car. "What happened to this car?"

"Ah, long story. Something happened and I crashed it on a date with your mom," Minoru chuckled, unveiling an AE86. "We'll use another car. Come on, choose what you like."

"Er... that one. I like the blue one."

"Nice choice. Then let's go."

Approaching the dark blue Skyline R34, Aqua couldn't help but wonder about Minoru's intentions.

"Hey, where are we going? And can I use a child seat? This seat is not meant for me," Aqua squirmed in the uncomfortable bucket seat.

Minoru revved the engine. "Look, Aqua... your first life lesson is that a drift car doesn't have a baby seat," he laughed. "Anyway, we're going to the mountain."

Aqua raised a brow. "Mountain? At this time of night?"

Minoru grinned like a devil.

---

A/N:

Crap, I forgot to upload. anyway... hope you enjoy this chapter.

Spoiler ahead! Chapter 50: Drift King