Chapter 68: Thread of Blood ①

I cracked open the front door with the chain still on, but since the face outside was familiar, I unlatched it and opened the door fully.

"Hey there."

It was Usui, giving me a light bow.

Saying he looked the same as always would be misleading—we’d just seen each other at Public Safety the other day.

"Ohh, what’s up, Usui? Somebody holding you hostage?"

"That’s a pretty dark joke… Either way, you realize the only answer I can give is no, right?"

He ruffled his hair in exasperation, and I jerked a thumb toward my room.

"Fair enough. Wanna sleep in the same bed tonight?"

"Man, I feel like I need to sit you down and lecture you…!"

Whoops. Pushed the teasing too far.

Not that I actually believe Usui’s been taken hostage. If that were the case, he would’ve come to me in a dream first. Considering how smooth he was last time, there’s no way he’d risk a reckless move otherwise. If anything, I’m the one being reckless—dropping hints about dream powers to someone I’m supposed to be keeping that secret from.

He wasn’t here asking for help, that much I’d confirmed. But since he’d thrown out something vague and suggestive, I lobbed something vague right back. Trouble is, that’s not the kind of banter a pretty boy should be having with an old man.

I keep slipping into thinking of myself as “uncle,” but at the same time, I half-accept that I’m a pretty boy too. At this rate, I’m gonna turn into some strange creature who can’t get away with saying things like that from either side.

"Inori, better not hang around this uncle."

Mio, in his Flux form, had appeared behind me at some point and set both hands firmly on my shoulders. Couldn’t see his face from behind, but his tone was deadly serious.

…He thinks I’ve fallen hard for Usui, huh? I mean, I did just casually invite him to share a bed. From Mio’s perspective—he doesn’t know Usui can walk through dreams—it makes perfect sense.

"And what’s your reasoning?"

We’re not in that kind of situation, but since the chance was there, I figured I’d at least hear his opinion as a former coworker.

"He seems like the type that once you sink in, you’ll never crawl back out."

"Even though he’s smoke?"

"Ohhh? Are you saying I’m the one who’s more like a swamp?"

"Could be."

We laughed it off, but then Usui suddenly exhaled a thick cloud of smoke—without even holding a cigarette. His eyes were fixed on some distant point.

"Could you two cut it out before this gets even more complicated?"

"My bad, my bad."

Guess we overdid it. Talking with Mio, it’s hard to know when to quit.

I led Usui toward the living room.

"Got a guest here."

"You’re not planning to move in, are you?"

"I’ve got a place, don’t worry. Thanks for having me."

Even when Sudama shot him a suspicious glare from where she was folding laundry, Usui didn’t flinch in the slightest.

Impressive. To stay unfazed in front of a loli granny… Married folks really do have stronger guts. Though realistically, he probably found out about Sudama when he was digging into me.

Sudama served tea to both of us. Being able to politely say "thanks for having me" was already enough to score high marks with the old lady. My place might feel crowded, but the only ones who actually exchange “welcome home” and “I’m back” are me and Sudama.

"You made sure to come while Ironclad isn’t around, huh?"

"Well, yeah. Obviously."

"Good. I’d be in real trouble if the house got blown up."

Jin seemed to keep his rational side in check while in my house, but if he ran into Usui, who knew what might happen. Usui’s decision had been the right one.

As we sipped tea, before he could get to the real reason for coming, I picked up where we’d left off last time.

"So, which do you wanna hear: the big roundup of what women are into these days from what I’ve picked up around campus and town, or what Yura’s currently hooked on?"

Usui buried his face in his hands.

"I’ll make sure to choose my words carefully when talking about Inori."

"Yeah? Well, sure, I do have a good memory. But I only use it when I’m teasing people or knocking them down a peg."

"That’s already more than enough to be a pain. And that’s not really what I meant, old man."

"Hmm. I like your personality, Usui, but that doesn’t change the fact you’re the type I’m not great with. I speak straight, and if it isn’t said straight, I can’t follow it."

The fact that Usui was waiting right outside just after I’d finished my meeting with Bitvine couldn’t have been coincidence. His story about joining Public Safety to become a licensed hero—I don’t doubt he meant it.

But the real reason? Probably to cover me when I was isolated and alone at Public Safety. I’m slow on the uptake, so I didn’t realize at the time. Seriously. People who can’t be honest are hard for me to deal with.

"That question you asked me—what women are into lately. I didn’t know if you wanted to know for Yura’s sake or for something else, so I gave you both answers. Was there a third option I missed?"

It’d be easier if he just said, "You owe me one." Not planning to cash in a favor makes it even more awkward.

I figure Usui must feel indebted to me for that subway incident. Personally, I see it as the work of Raiden, Flux, and Usui himself, but whether he feels indebted is his business. That’s fine, but I worry he might spend his whole life quietly trying to repay me.

"I do like Inori’s personality. But yeah, you’re right, old man—you’re the type I have a hard time with. For someone twisted like me, hearing and speaking straight talk is exhausting."

And he did look exhausted, just as he said. Yeah… not a good match. But neither of us can easily change who we are. We’re both old men, after all—our natures are already set in stone.

"It was for Yura’s sake, but I didn’t think you’d go that far. Sorry for the trouble."

"It wasn’t trouble for me. Don’t worry about it. I may not look it, but I’m damn capable. Tell me to write a 3,000-word report right now, I’ll hand it in within twenty minutes."

"Planning to be a scholar someday, huh?"

"Who knows."

I don’t have the breathing room to think about the future. That lack of leeway is probably why I can’t make the most of this high-performance brain of mine.

For the record, Yura’s current obsession was Nemunemu.

A mascot character from a major theme park. I’d even gone there myself back in the day just to try and snag a keychain of the little guy. That character design—or maybe it really is a plush-being born that way—is ridiculously charming.

When Yura visited me in a dream the other day, she was wearing a Nemunemu hairclip on her bangs. When I told her, "That’s cute, I want one too," she’d completely forgotten she even had it on, and panicked. She said things like, "How embarrassing to show such a childish side," and "I came in here in my loungewear state of mind," flustered as could be.

Ever since she was kidnapped, she’s been surprisingly steady. In her words and in the way she carries herself. Maybe a little too steady, honestly—and that worries me. Kids ought to be kids, after all.