Promise not to tell him

The two stared at each other for a few moments, neither moving nor saying anything. Then, the man with short black hair gasped and his eyes widened as he recognized the stranger before him.

"Y-you are brother Takuya's roommate!"

Natsuo's face turned grim as Jiro's yakuza partner stepped out of the shadows. He remembered him by the name Arata from the yakuza bar where he looked for his housemate.

"Did he send you to find me?" he snorted rather rudely and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"N-no way!" the young man shouted and shook his hands as if he was trying to wave away the tension in the air. He then quickly wiped the dripping snot from his face with the back of his hand and tried to look composed.

"I mean, this is my hometown. I am visiting my m-mother."

Natsuo silently cursed himself, frustrated that he had decided on a place associated with his former classmate.

"What are you crying for?" he asked as the man seemed to lose his composure and started to cry even harder.

"My mother... it's just... she is very sick..."

The yakuza associate's face turned red as he began to weep. Natsuo sighed again, feeling a twinge of guilt for his earlier behavior.

"What is wrong with her?"

"C-cancer... she has been fighting it for months, but it's getting worse..." he murmured and crouched down on the pavement.

"I don't have the money to treat her in Tokyo, so she will... have to d-die here," he continued in a weary voice with his shoulders slumped.

Natsuo took a few steps closer and tried to paint more of a sympathetic expression on his face. He couldn't imagine what it felt like to mourn for a parent, but he could understand the difficulty of caring for a loved one who is sick or even dying.

"Was she a good mother to you?"

The man nodded his head and cleaned his tears in a quick motion. He sniffled a few times, trying to gather himself, before looking up at the man with a sad smile.

"She was the best. She cared for me, always putting my needs before her own."

"So, you could treat her in Tokyo?" Natsuo concluded and took out the multimillionaire's credit card.

"You can pay it with this. But if you use this, promise not to tell him I am here."

The black-haired man stared at the slender figure in obvious disbelief, wide-eyed and mouth open.

"Is this b-brother Takuya's money?"

"It is. Don't say anything about me to him."

"Is it okay for me to u-use it?"

"I think so."

Arata threw himself to the ground and bowed deeply to the other.

"Thank you, thank you so much. I promise I won't tell him you were here, I swear it!"

Natsuo sat down beside him on the nearby steps, holding out the golden card with his name on it.

"The code is 0971. Just return to Tokyo and withdraw the money there."

The black-haired man glanced at the card with watery eyes before taking it with both hands. He bowed one more time to express his gratitude.

"My name is Shoji Arata, pleased to meet you. I am privileged to have my brother Takuya as my teacher."

Natsuo looked at the traditional buildings across the street, with their wooden structures and slate roofs glowing in the soft moonlight. Hearing Jiro's surname made his stomach burn, making him remember how he betrayed him.

Shoji finally seemed like he settled down after taking a deep breath. He fumbled under his jacket and took out a pack of cigarettes, offering one to the hooded figure.

"Would you like to smoke with me?" he questioned, his voice still slightly trembling.

Natsuo agreed and took one. Shoji pulled a lighter, flicked it on, and lit the cigarette. After lighting his own, they shared a moment of silence, occasionally just puffing their cigarettes.

"Why did you move here, if I may ask?"

"No reason," Natsuo answered, letting nicotine fill his lungs and soothe his tense muscles. It wasn't much of an ease, but he took it, thankful for the moment of tranquility amidst the chaos.

"Brother Takuya has been really agitated the whole week. He skipped work one day, making our supervisors really mad."

Natsuo glanced at him with an unreadable expression. He shook his head and tried to push away the worry that suddenly gathered inside him after hearing that.

"Would you mind if I asked... is there a reason you don't want my brother to know you are here?"

Smoke swirled around his pale face and his blue eyes were distant as he glanced up at the night sky.

"I don't want to talk about it."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry. You don't have to answer," Shoji replied and pressed his head down like he was ashamed.

Natsuo took a couple of drags before tapping the tobacco on the ground. He then threw it in the nearest trash can before speaking for the last time.

"Thanks for the smoke. I hope your mother makes it."

(Elsewhere at the same time)

"I'm coming in!" Ayumi shouted behind the frosted glass door. She had put on a black baggy blouse, faded jeans, and combat boots that had lost their shine.

Her attention was drawn to a male figure lying in the bathtub after she opened the door. Several stubbed weed joints were scattered around the room, a sure sign of her friend's recent indulgences.

The darkness in the bathroom was only broken up by the full moon's light shining through the window. An emotional love song played on a portable speaker, matching the somber mood with its tragic lyrics.

The tattooed man was completely naked in the warm water with his eyes closed. He rested his head on the porcelain while holding an almost empty sake bottle loosely in one hand.

"The sulking ends today. Get up!"

The woman's shout was probably loud enough to wake the dead, but the man didn't flinch. She sighed and set the bottle aside.

"Come on," she said, softening her voice.

"Let's go out and grab something to eat. Something tasty."

"Just leave me alone," the man finally grunted, his voice croaking from the rice wine. His white hair was wet and slicked back, sticking to his scalp. He had let wild stubble grow on his chin and cheeks, making him look even more exhausted and worn.

"You will see him again," Ayumi reassured, now that she knew how things had gone between the two roommates.

"How do you know?" Jiro murmured.

"You said he escaped from his family, didn't you? So where else would he go?"

"He lived on the street for over half a year, so he could be anywhere."

"What?! Really?"

Ayumi was shocked by the man's revelation, but equally impressed by her skinny friend's resilience.

"Look, he got mad at you because you lied to him. He will get over it because he is so smitten with you. You should have seen his face when - "

Jiro's brows twisted when sudden tears formed in his eyes. He looked away from her, shifting uncomfortably in the tub as he seemingly tried to fight back his emotions.

"Wait, are you crying?" Ayumi asked surprised.

"Get out of here or I will take your keys back," he snorted gruffly.

"I'm just trying to cheer you up! Ugh, fine. Let's get drunk then."

The woman left the bathroom and returned a few minutes later, carrying two bottles of liquor in her hands. She offered one of them to her white-haired friend and watched as he gulped it down without hesitation, drowning his sorrows with each swallow.