2. Back on two feet, Shouta finds that every step is a difficult balancing act.
Yamada pulled out a stool at the kitchen counter, then proceeded not to sit on it. āWhen were you going to tell me this, man?ā What kind of question was that. āNow. I just did.ā Mic let out another unsettling laugh. Shouta thought that he, at least, had better sit down. He did so at the table, and his knee screamed silently against the prosthesis. He tightened his face and waited for whatever was going to come out of Yamada next. Again, it was not what heād expected. āHowās that going?ā āFine.ā Shouta swallowed. āI mean. So far thereās not a lot I can tell you. He doesnāt say much.ā This was the truth, ifĀ not muchĀ could be allowed to stand in forĀ not a single word.Ā āWell, yeah.ā Yamadaās face twisted into something that was shaped sort of like a smile, but wasnāt one. āHe works for the guy who tore out your eye and killed Kayama. The guy whoās trying to murder us all and destroy the world. Remember?ā āI know. Thatās the point. Thatās why they want him to talk.ā āAnd they think heāll talk to you.ā āThey hope so. They saidā¦ā He didnāt really want to finish the sentence. āThey said their own efforts werenāt effective.ā Mic turned his head away a little, at that. But he didnāt comment on it. āThey asked you to do this? Or what, told you to?ā āThey asked.ā āLike you were gonna say no,ā Yamada scoffed. āMan, fuck them!ā He punctuated this last sentiment with rising volume and a sharp slap against the counter. This was more along the lines of what Shouta had expected. Might as well have the rest of it out. āI know what you want to tell me,ā he told Yamada. āCome on and say it.ā Yamada looked back at him and folded his arms. After a moment he did say it, quietly. āHeās not Shirakumo.ā āEven if he isnāt,ā Shouta said, āhe was.ā
Read the rest on AO3.
