Now that Asou Akiya had become a prospective executive, there were many things he could finally carry out without restraint.
Sunset Manor had once been the luxurious estate of Karasuma Renya. In his day, Karasuma Renya had been the richest man in Japan, nearing a hundred years of age and hailed as the most powerful figure in the Japanese business world. Exactly how wealthy Karasuma Renya had been was something no outsider truly knew. The government had no intention of revealing the extent of a magnate's fortune. Most people only knew that not long after his death, the Karasuma family had steadily declined, their fortunes worsening with each passing day.
This Sunset Manor could be considered the ancestral home of the Karasuma family. Its history stretched back generations, tracing its origins to Karasuma Renya's forebears. Thirty years ago, Karasuma Renya inherited Sunset Manor from his mother and learned that an immense treasure of gold, silver, and jewels was hidden somewhere within it. He possessed the treasure in name, yet lacked the crucial clue needed to uncover its location.
And so, Karasuma Renya committed an unforgivable act.
Thirty years ago, he invited a large number of scholars to Sunset Manor, luring them with generous rewards and commissioning them to uncover the hidden treasure concealed within the estate. In truth, Karasuma Renya had never intended to allow a single one of them to leave the manor alive. From the moment they learned of the treasure's existence, their deaths had already been decided.
One of those scholars, the archaeologist Senma Kyosuke, discovered the horrifying truth. Before his death, he left behind a final letter written through a series of pinpricks, revealing the secret of the treasure. Senma Furuyo later examined the belongings her father had left behind and, by pure chance, uncovered the hidden message.
That discovery gave rise to the calamity that would unfold in the future.
After all, once a secret becomes known to the living, it ceases to be a secret. Treasure attracts endless disaster and bloodshed.
Apart from the transmigrator and those who had already died, no one knew that the treasure of Sunset Manor was not buried underground, hidden deep within remote mountains and forests, nor concealed in any other corner of the estate.
It was hidden within the walls of Sunset Manor itself.
The interior of the entire mansion's walls had been packed solid with gold.
A true and literal "House of Gold."
Even before purchasing Sunset Manor, he had already prepared himself for the cruelest of possibilities.
Anyone who dared reveal the secret of the treasure would be silenced permanently.
Several hundred tons of precious gold—an asset that would only continue to appreciate in value—was enough to drive anyone to desperate extremes and ignite a bloody war soaked in carnage.
Ordinary people would not be the only ones tempted.
Even ability users would lose their minds over such wealth.
The only one capable of safeguarding this treasure was a true dragon—
Arthur Rimbaud.
Had Randou not possessed strength powerful enough to stand above all others, Asou Akiya would never have dared present him with such a dangerous gift. In the hands of an ordinary person, this would not have been a retirement fund meant to secure their later years.
It would have been a funeral gift—a death sentence delivered in advance.
"You'll never be able to reveal this secret again."
"Senma Furuyo."
For the sake of ensuring that his lover would have enough wealth to last ten lifetimes, a cold glint surfaced in Asou Akiya's eyes.
He had not forgotten that, eight years from now, Senma Furuyo would "inadvertently" divulge this secret to the detective Ogami Shukuzen, leading Ogami Shukuzen to purchase Sunset Manor at any cost—even if it meant taking on an enormous amount of debt.
Therefore, once his birthday had passed, Asou Akiya investigated Senma Furuyo's family background and home address. Then, he entrusted Nishida Shibashi, using his status as a Port Mafia executive, with the task of secretly assassinating the ordinary woman.
Nishida Shibashi mocked him for lacking capable subordinates.
"You don't have anyone under your command?" he sneered. "You actually came to me over something this trivial?"
Deep down, Asou Akiya admitted that Nishida Shibashi was right.
He simply did not have an ability user suited to this kind of work. Even if he could have asked Ozaki Kouyou to handle this private assignment, he would still have worried that the fifteen-year-old Kouyou lacked the necessary efficiency and experience, or that in a single careless moment she might inadvertently leak information to Hazama Kan'ichi, the former member of the Intelligence Division.
When it came to this matter, he trusted no living person other than Randou, Chuuya, and Ranpo.
Thus, Nishida Shibashi—whose ability, "Disastrous Overflowing Bubbles", excelled at erasing both people and objects—became the perfect accomplice.
Because making a person disappear was one thing.
Making both the person and everything connected to them vanish without a trace was another matter entirely.
Asou Akiya issued only a single command.
"I want this person erased completely. That includes her house and any place where she may have stored letters or correspondence. I don't want anyone to ever uncover a single trace of her existence in this world."
Even Nishida Shibashi found himself momentarily surprised by the ruthlessness in Asou Akiya's words.
"You have a grudge against her?"
"No."
Nishida Shibashi raised an eyebrow.
"Then this approach of yours..." he said slowly. "Does she know some major secret of yours?"
"No." Asou Akiya's expression remained calm. "More accurately, I'm the one who learned a very important secret of hers."
"And because of that, she has to disappear completely."
Nishida Shibashi let out a quiet laugh.
"Heh. Interesting."
"That selfishness of yours... now that's exactly what you'd expect from a mafioso."
Nishida Shibashi could not help but offer his praise, though it was thick with sarcasm. Wrapped in his black overcoat, Asou Akiya raised a hand to cover part of his face, as though embarrassed by the remark. Yet the expression glimpsed through the gaps between the black-haired young man's fingers was deeply unsettling. There was madness in it—anticipation, exhilaration, and the unrestrained arrogance of burning ambition, blazing fiercely like an untamed fire.
Nishida Shibashi asked one final time to confirm the details. "You want it done as quickly as possible, and under no circumstances can suspicion fall on you?"
Asou Akiya nodded.
"I understand," Nishida Shibashi replied.
After spending two days thoroughly investigating the situation, Nishida Shibashi completed the task of erasing all traces before the auction began. Senma Furuyo and her house vanished from the face of the earth without warning.
Thus, the priceless treasure passed smoothly into Asou Akiya's hands, only for him to present it as a gift to Randou.
Within a house of gold, one hides a beauty.
For a Chinese man, the dream pursued throughout an entire lifetime amounted to little more than this.
With the matter finally settled, Asou Akiya leaned down and pressed a kiss to Randou's forehead. The long-haired young man slept defenselessly beside him, his deep-set features softened by the gentleness of slumber, as though he were immersed in a beautiful dream.
Late that night, unable to sleep, Asou Akiya carefully got out of bed without disturbing Randou.
He slipped on his clothes and quietly left the bedroom.
At three o'clock in the morning, he became like every terrifying parent in existence, passing by his children's bedroom doors to check whether they were sleeping properly and, more importantly, whether there were any suspicious sounds of video games being played or the glow of hidden lights beneath the covers.
The temperature in the first room had been set a little too high.
Chuuya was fast asleep. He had kicked the blanket away with both feet and was hugging a pillow instead.
Asou Akiya lowered the air conditioner's temperature before pulling the blanket back over Chuuya. When his fingers brushed against the longevity lock hanging from the chain around Chuuya's neck, a knowing smile appeared on his face. In China, it was rare these days for an eleven-year-old child to still wear a longevity lock.
The temperature in the second room was just right.
After entering, Asou Akiya first checked whether Ranpo was actually asleep. Then, without hesitation, he slipped a hand beneath Ranpo's pillow and under the blanket to see whether the boy had been secretly playing with a mobile phone or a handheld game console.
Edogawa Ranpo kept his eyes shut, but the moment he sensed Akiya's hand reaching toward him, every hair on his body stood on end.
In the darkness, a bead of cold sweat slid down Ranpo's forehead.
Panic-stricken cat.jpg.
Then Ranpo realized that Akiya was leaning closer, intending to listen to his breathing. He hurriedly slowed his breaths, emptied his mind, and forcibly steadied the rapid pounding of his heart.
Asou Akiya detected nothing unusual and concluded that Ranpo had indeed fallen fast asleep.
He was about to leave.
Before doing so, he repositioned the crocodile plush that had been pushed off to the side, placing it back within easy reach so that Ranpo would have something to cling to.
Only after that did Edogawa Ranpo truly settle down. Abandoning any thoughts of sneaking off to play games, he cuddled the crocodile plush and drifted into a sweet sleep.
The finest form of care in this world is nothing more than concern and love.
After making a full circuit of the spacious villa, Asou Akiya still found himself unable to sleep. He wandered outside to the flowerbeds. His sleeping robe was too thin, and when the cold night wind brushed against him, instead of making him drowsy, it only left him feeling even more awake.
He eventually made his way to the garage.
Two cars were parked inside. One was the armored business vehicle he had personally selected, while the other was the white convertible sports car that Randou had chosen.
He sat on the hood of the sports car that his previous self could never have dreamed of affording and stared blankly into space for a while. Then, worrying that his weight might dent the hood, he climbed back down and circled the car twice instead, admiring the property that belonged to him and Randou. Alone in the silent night, he found himself quietly delighted.
He no longer had to worry about money.
He no longer had to struggle for words in the face of crushing loneliness.
Asou Akiya's thoughts drifted once again to that "deeply symbolic" red scarf. The memory amused him in the middle of the night, and he hurried back to the walk-in closet adjoining the master bedroom on the villa's second floor. He pulled out his black suit and black overcoat and put them on.
For some reason, he had never worn the red scarf that the Boss had given him while at the Port Mafia. Perhaps it was due to a strange sense of awkwardness deep within his heart. Yet when he was by himself, he could not suppress the itch to try it on at least once.
Looking at the slender young man reflected in the full-length mirror, dressed as though he had become one with the darkness itself, Asou Akiya struck a pose.
"It still feels like it's missing something..." he murmured to himself.
He rummaged through the medicine cabinet and found a roll of bandages. Acting on a childish impulse, he began wrapping them around his own face.
When he looked up again, the figure reflected in the mirror bore an uncanny resemblance to the Boss Dazai from the IF timeline.
Asou Akiya stepped closer to the mirror, studying the coldness in his own appearance.
"Will I become that kind of person too?"
He was no longer merely a man trapped in simple melancholy and confusion. He had begun to learn the ruthlessness of the Mafia.
"Do I want that... or not?"
"I don't know."
Asou Akiya pinched his chin and smiled soundlessly.
"As long as I live this life without regrets, that's enough."
What this world would eventually become, whether the original plot would completely fall apart—what did any of that have to do with him?
If a piece of the plot could be useful to him, then he would make use of it. If it served no purpose, then he would ignore it.
He intended to live the most brilliant life possible, so that he would not have wasted this journey through the human world.
To hell with the narrow-minded thinking of ordinary people who confined themselves within self-imposed boundaries.
He had long since lost any path of retreat.
If there truly were a next life… then he would be reincarnated and return to China.
At that moment, through the mirror, he suddenly noticed the door behind him standing open.
The smile froze on his face.
It was the kind of embarrassment and panic that came from being caught secretly indulging in cosplay.
Wait.
It's not like I'm cross-dressing.
So why the hell am I panicking?!
Asou Akiya fumbled frantically to tear the bandages off his face. He had wrapped them a little too tightly, and they snagged several strands of his hair.
He hissed in pain before finally managing to pull them free.
"R-Randou, why aren't you asleep?" he asked, stammering slightly.
"..."
Randou looked at him with the gaze of someone discovering an entirely new species of lover.
Only after staring long enough for Akiya's face to turn red did Randou finally speak. His voice was heavy with drowsiness and tinged with lazy amusement.
"It would have been such a waste if I'd slept through it," he said. "I never knew that Akiya would stand in front of a mirror and admire himself like this when he was alone."
Embarrassment flooded Asou Akiya's face. The very next second, he reached up, intending to tear off the black overcoat and red scarf.
Randou stopped him before he could.
Stepping forward, he caught hold of Akiya's hands.
"Don't," he said. "I actually think it looks pretty good."
Randou smiled.
"It's very handsome. You have the presence of a boss."
Then he took another step closer.
Pressing Akiya back, Randou slipped one knee between his boyfriend's legs. The sudden invasion of personal space left Asou Akiya utterly at a loss, so mortified that he wished the floor would open up and swallow him whole.
"Darling," Randou said teasingly, "give me an order in the Boss's voice."
"...Stop fooling around. I'm not pretending to be the Boss."
"Hurry up."
"I... I..."
With Randou's interest thoroughly piqued and no escape in sight, Asou Akiya abandoned all resistance and blurted out the first thing that came to mind.
"Randou-kun, you still have work tomorrow!"
"Pfft—"
Randou burst out laughing.
He bent down to pick up the snow-white bandages that had fallen to the floor. Under Akiya's horrified gaze, Randou leisurely wrapped them around Akiya's cheeks once more, carefully recreating the appearance he had tried so desperately to hide moments earlier.
"So this is the style you like?" Randou asked with amusement.
"..."
The fake Boss Dazai—or rather, the very real Asou Akiya—chose social death.
Unfortunately for him, dying of embarrassment wasn't actually an option. Randou had clearly had his interest thoroughly piqued, and he chose to indulge that curiosity exactly as he pleased.
"Akiya," he said softly, "stand still and don't move. I'll take care of the rest myself."
Nooooo!
I swear I'll never play dress-up cosplay games again—never again!!!
Asou Akiya resisted with all his might.
Randou, however, was puzzled by the reaction. Then he decided that perhaps Akiya was simply trying out some new way of teasing him.
"You're acting very strangely today," Randou said thoughtfully. "Is it because I've spent too much of your money? No... that's not the kind of person you are. Are you avoiding me because you're trying to sort out your own feelings?"
He released Akiya's hand.
Then, to Akiya's surprise, Randou lowered himself to one knee.
One knee touched the floor.
"My beloved Akiya-san," he said, taking Akiya's ring-adorned hand into his own. The Frenchman's voice carried all the tenderness and romance so characteristic of him. "Money is nothing more than an external possession. I don't care about it, and neither do you—not all that much."
"So let us cherish each other as though every day were the very first day we met."
He gently lifted the hand bearing Akiya's ring.
"For the rest of our lives, please take good care of me."
...
Children are healed by the love of their family.
Lovers are healed by a relationship that resembles a marriage.