Alright," he said. "Thank you for your hard work.
He received a text message from Scotland in the morning asking if he would be coming back to have dinner together, he gave an affirmative reply. By the time he returned to the safehouse, it was already evening. Scotland was busy in the kitchen; he had originally intended to help, but was forcibly pushed out, on the grounds that since he had prepared breakfast, it was someone else's turn to handle dinner.
He was skeptical and unsure if Scotland would actually cook; after all, Scotland had never been so serious about entering the kitchen before, as they mostly ate takeout they had picked up on the road.
Aotsuki watched the figure in the kitchen, thinking to himself that whether or not Scotland's cooking was edible, he would finish it all.
The soup was simmering in the pot and didn't require anyone's constant attention, so Scotland sat down close to him, one arm draped naturally across the back of the sofa; from a distance, it almost looked as if he were pulling him into his embrace.
Aotsuki hesitated for a few seconds, pretending not to notice, continued to stare at the boring TV drama on the television, but his mind gradually drifted away.
Something isn't right.
It's too strange.
Scotland looked just like a real lover, but he and Scotland did not have that kind of ordinary romantic relationship.
He had always been very clear that this relationship would not last. Scotland never absolutely needed him; it was just that at that time, there happened to be something that required help, he had the ability to be that catalyst, just so happened to suggest they try dating.
The reason they still carry the title of lovers in name only is simply because they haven't encountered an appropriate reason to break up. Scotland acts with caution and dislikes making enemies; it is highly likely he feels that maintaining the status quo is better than bearing the risks that a breakup might bring.
Aotsuki sighed.
Scotland.
Scotland replied in a gentle tone, "Hmm?"
Aotsuki picked up the remote and changed the channel, saying calmly, "Do you want to break up?"
Hiromitsu Morofushi, who was hesitating whether or not to place his hand on Yamawashi's shoulder, froze. "??"
He might have misheard something; it seemed as if Yamawashi was breaking up with him.
Author's Note:
----------------------
[10th Anniversary of the Manga Debut of "Hiromitsu Morofushi/Scotland"]
【15.10.28 File.937 The Vanishing Clue-25.10.28】
Chapter 2
I'm sorry, my phrasing wasn't clear enough.
Aotsuki calmly repeated, "What I meant was, we'll split—"
Scotland interrupted: "Why?"
Aotsuki was momentarily stunned.
That didn't seem like the kind of reaction Scotland would have. His emotional fluctuations exceeded the threshold; if he were merely acting for him, it would make sense.
Aotsuki stood up. "Oh, let's discuss this matter next time, then."
Scotland stood up immediately after him: "Yamawashi, wait—"
Let's eat.
In the end, Scotland said, "Alright, let's eat first."
Aotsuki did not intend to probe into why Calvados had rejected the proposal. He never harbored curiosity about Calvados that exceeded reasonable boundaries, because Calvados was someone who knew how to refuse, he would only become depressed by Calvados's refusal. There was no need to make Calvados feel awkward, even less need to make himself feel awkward.
The meal was exceptionally quiet. They didn't have much in common to begin with, but unexpectedly, Scotland's cooking was quite good, though Scotland himself didn't seem entirely satisfied with the meal.
After cleaning up the kitchen together, Aotsuki leaned back on the sofa and read a book for a while.
Aside from psychopaths who are inherently fond of killing, assassins have very little in the way of recreational activities. The need to hide one's identity and the frequent changing of residences causes daily life to become exceptionally fragmented, ritualistic behavior is one of the chain reactions.
He was like that, Scotland was no exception. For a long time, Scotland would always sit on the floor repeatedly maintaining various firearms, even taking his dagger to inspect it thoroughly twice.
However, Scotch was even better at socializing than he was, maintaining decent relationships with other codenamed members in the Organization; occasionally, they would even arrange private meetings. Bourbon and Rye were the two people he knew who met with Scotch most frequently.
Aotsuki was briefly surprised when he first heard about this, after all, even an antisocial guy like him knew that Bourbon and Rye didn't get along, yet Scotch could manage to bring those two together.
Later, he felt that if it were an invitation from Scotland, even if everyone else at the table were aliens, he would still show up on time, so there was nothing surprising about the matter involving Bourbon and Rye.
At ten-thirty, as usual, he went to sleep on time.
Hiromitsu Morofushi and Yamawashi lay back-to-back in bed, separated by a certain distance; this was a habit he and Yamawashi had always maintained, an unspoken understanding that had never been explicitly stated.
No matter how you looked at them, they didn't seem like a couple, they indeed were not in an ordinary romantic relationship.
In the darkness, he took the initiative to speak: "I've read that book too."
Yamawashi liked reading; whether it was classics, novels, or even various types of manga, she would walk into a bookstore, pick up a few books at random without looking at the titles, finish them with a calm expression, regardless of the genre.
"Who is the killer?" Yamawashi's voice rang out, calm and composed.
Is it okay to spoil it? The detective only reveals the truth in the second volume.
It was a detective novel that he had read during his university days, divided into two volumes; Yamawashi was reading the first volume today.
Yamawashi's tone remained unchanged, still indifferent: "Whether I figure out the ending myself, someone tells me the ending, or you tell me the ending, they are all different to me."
“..”
Hiromitsu Morofushi suddenly remembered that Yamawashi had actually asked him the same question in the past.
“So you're reading this novel.”
Have you read it?
Yeah.
Who is the killer?
The detective himself.
I see.
The answer is quite interesting. Once you've finished reading it, let's discuss it together.
Okay.
The bedroom fell silent once again.
Yamawashi.
Hmm?
Aotsuki discovered that Scotland had been particularly fond of calling his name these past two days. Whenever the surroundings grew quiet, Scotland always wanted to say something to break the silence, but unfortunately, they truly had no common topics to discuss; once the words left their mouths, most of them ended at each other's codenames.
“Can I hold you while I sleep?”
Aotsuki was puzzled, but between giving Scotland a pillow to use as a bolster and acting as a bolster himself, he readily chose the latter.
Because they had no extra pillows left, he would go buy some tomorrow.
He rolled over, leaning against Scotland's side, said with his eyes closed, "Go to sleep."
Hiromitsu Morofushi carefully wrapped his arms around Yamawashi's waist; even though he was the one who had suggested it, his movements were tinged with a certain restraint. As the distance between them was compressed, he heard a thumping heartbeat, unable to tell if it was his own or Yamawashi's.
He thought back to that silent, moonlit night when blood flowed; his hands trembling, he picked up the lifeless Yamawashi, the body in his arms gradually growing cold.
In the years that followed, whenever he returned to his dreams at midnight, he would always see the moment Yamawashi plunged the dagger into her neck, smiling and saying to him:
Don't say goodbye again.
..
Aotsuki was accustomed to waking up early.
Scotland was the same.
But they rarely actually ran into each other in the early morning.
Slightly staggering their timing could also be considered a form of tacit understanding.
Even if they were to carry out the same mission, it wouldn't prevent them from heading out separately.
This phenomenon didn't raise much suspicion within the Organization, unless it was someone with a recognized "love brain" like Calvados; otherwise, members often took it for granted that being together was simply a matter of maintaining the title of being partners while continuing to do their own thing.
Aotsuki thought that today would be no exception.
So when he saw Scotland returning from outside, aside from his surprise, he subconsciously swallowed the toothpaste foam in his mouth.
Perhaps he had woken up too early today, or perhaps Scotland had forgotten something and had come back to retrieve it.
“I bought breakfast, let's eat together.”
Hiromitsu Morofushi raised the bag in his hand, while Yamawashi, who was holding a toothbrush in his mouth, gave a slow nod without much reaction before turning back to continue brushing his teeth.
He laid out the breakfast one by one on the table, as he went to get the chopsticks, he suddenly realized that he had forgotten to say good morning to Yamawashi again.
Even though they lived together, he and Yamawashi had never said good morning to each other.
So-called cohabitation was nothing more than two people living their respective lives to the fullest extent possible.
During the period immediately following Yamawashi's death, he was so overwhelmed with work that he couldn't spare a single ounce of mental energy to think about anything else. Why his undercover identity had been exposed, where exactly the problem lay, which department the traitor was hiding in, who exactly they were.. He had no leisure time to spare to think about the organization member who had died for him.
As he continued his undercover work, he was surrounded by countless thorny problems from the moment he opened his eyes until he closed them every day. It wasn't until three years later, when he had successfully crushed that massive criminal organization, that he suddenly relaxed and began to think of Yamawashi during unexpected moments.
At first, he was completely lost, because he had never anticipated that such a situation would occur. No longer having to tense every nerve, no longer living under high pressure every minute of every second, the traces of another person began to seep into his ordinary life along with a sense of emptiness.
But clearly, they wouldn't even say good morning to each other.
“I'm finished. I'm leaving now.”
Along with the cold voice came the scraping sound of a chair being pushed back.
Hiromitsu Morofushi pulled himself away from his memories and instinctively wanted to stand up and follow, but Yamawashi's departing figure, showing no lingering attachment, forced him to suppress the movement.
It lasted perhaps only ten or so seconds, maybe even less, before the sound of a door closing echoed from the entryway.
Forty-five minutes later, Aotsuki met his partner for today's mission.
The organization member codenamed Rye arrived earlier than him and was currently leaning against a car, smoking.
That was a friend of Scotland's; he gave a nod in greeting and crouched on the ground to begin checking his equipment.
Yamawashi." Rye held a can of coffee in his hand. "You don't seem to have much energy. Did you not sleep well last night?
Aotsuki remained silent for a few seconds, then reached out to take the coffee, offered a word of thanks, added, "It won't affect the mission."