Chapter 161: The Creep and His Little Buddy

The current situation seemed a little tricky.

Other than Suoh, Izumo, Anna, and Yata—the four who had gone to the hotel that day and seen him face-to-face—not a fifth person in HOMRA knew that Tatara was still alive.

For now, this should have been an absolute secret, but right now...

Saruhiko Fushimi—once (?) the close companion of Yata, who had "betrayed" HOMRA and become a member of Scepter 4, the Red Clan's opposing faction—unexpectedly knew this major secret that was never supposed to leak...

—Wait.

Was it really "unexpected"?

The kitsune curled his lips in an ambiguous smile.

Given the abilities of Kurama's demon world dandelions, how could they possibly have failed to detect the presence of both Fushimi and Yata in advance?

Yet Kurama had chosen neither to speak up in warning nor to use a barrier to conceal Tatara...

Of course, this was not without reason.

—Before Kurama and the others rounded the fountain, the dandelions had already transmitted the conversation between Yata and Fushimi behind the fountain, word for word.

And quite coincidentally, the topic they were discussing happened to be related to Tatara.

Although his tone was less than pleasant, Yata was indeed informing Fushimi of the news that Tatara was still alive in this world.

Yata choosing to do this naturally could not be because of the tangled, complicated, love-hate (?) relationship that stubbornly persisted between him and Fushimi. Rather, it was because long ago, when Kurama and Izumo reached a cooperation agreement, both sides had unanimously chosen to treat the Blue Clan as another indispensable "collaborator."

—One must know that in the grand drama about to unfold, the Blue Clan and the Blue King would occupy no small share of the plot. Without their cooperation, some of the Red Clan's plans would be hard to execute smoothly. Therefore, incorporating the Blue Clan into the cooperative framework became a choice that Yata had no choice but to accept, even if he was extremely reluctant.

Only, Yata had not expected that not only did he have to accept this result, but now... driven by circumstances, he had become the primary liaison for contacts between the Red and Blue Clans...

Watching the increasingly uncontrollable expressions of irritation and depression on the orange-haired boy's face—born from having to deal and negotiate with Fushimi, whom he regarded as a traitor—Kurama raised a hand to stroke his chin, feeling a sense of amusement rise in his chest. Should this be called an unending entanglement, or simply the work of fate?

These two hopelessly intertwined people...

He looked deeply contemplative.

Beside him, Tatara twitched the corner of his eye slightly.

Although Kurama hadn't revealed beforehand what else he might know about this world and people like Tatara, beyond the major trajectories of fate and some specific details, judging by his current performance...

Tatara's gaze drifted involuntarily back and forth between Yata and Fushimi along with Kurama's. He blinked, a flash of knowing amusement quickly crossing his face—

"So that's how it is."

"……!"

Yata felt a sudden, fierce shudder in the depths of his heart at that smile.

For some reason, he just felt that he should speak up first, refusing to give that youth with the eerie smile a chance to voice his thoughts!

Driven by an intuition as sharp as a beast's, Yata glared fiercely at Fushimi and took a step toward Kurama and Tatara:

"Totsuka-san!"

Tatara smiled warmly and nodded at him. "Good afternoon. I really didn't expect to run into you, Yata... and Fushimi here. Heh heh."

Yata: "…………"

What is that "heh heh" supposed to mean! He was only seeking out that monkey because of Suoh-san and Kusanagi-san's orders, alright! It wasn't a secret tryst!

Completely ignoring the fact that not a single person had uttered anything related to the words "secret tryst," Yata stared at the familiar smiling face before him. The veins on his temple throbbed and throbbed, yet in the end, they were forcefully pressed flat one by one by the hand of their owner—

"I only came here to negotiate with the representatives sent by the guys in blue because Kusanagi-san asked me to! Who would've thought the one they'd send would be this monkey?!"

Yata defended himself loudly, as if desperately trying to sever any association between himself and Fushimi.

Yet the more he did so, the more the smile in Tatara's eyes filled with a certain profound meaning that sent a chill down Yata's spine.

"Izumo-san must have already explained to you why he chose you, Yata, to conduct this negotiation, right?"

Tatara asked with a smile.

Seeing that the orange-haired boy still wore a puzzled look, though he obediently nodded, the smile on Tatara's face grew even brighter:

"That's why. Here in HOMRA, because Izumo-san and the King are both heavily scrutinized targets, any action taken by them will immediately be noticed by interested parties. Therefore, only by dispatching someone less conspicuous like you, Yata, can the risk of potential surveillance be minimized to the greatest extent possible. By the same logic, we can deduce that the situation over at Scepter 4 is likely much the same."

—As the top two figures in charge of Scepter 4, the Blue King Munakata Reishi and his lieutenant Awashima Seri, compared to Suoh and Izumo, faced "scrutiny" that was only greater due to the inherent nature of Scepter 4's organization. Thus, Fushimi being the representative chosen by the Blue Clan to conduct the negotiations was hardly an unpredictable outcome.

After all, he was reputed to be the third-ranking figure in the Blue Clan, second only to Munakata and Awashima. Fushimi's status within Scepter 4 was probably not all that different from Yata's status within HOMRA.

—Even if he was a "traitor" who had joined the Blue Clan only after turning his back on the Red...

Yata stared blankly at Tatara for a moment.

Were the reasons the other person was stating really completely beyond his comprehension?

Without anyone needing to point it out, Yata knew the answer himself... was no.

He was well aware that the person he was going to meet on this trip was Fushimi.

And when Izumo had asked him to go negotiate, he hadn't refused.

So... did he want to see Fushimi?

The moment that thought surfaced in his mind, Yata felt a sudden wave of nausea.

The orange-haired boy shook his head vigorously.

"Anyway, you and Kusanagi-san always have your own reasons for everything, Totsuka-san!" He turned his head away, muttering in discomfort and irritation, "So I just need to listen to Kusanagi-san, and everything else... why bother thinking about it so much!"

With that, he even raised a hand to scratch the bridge of his nose, as if terrified that Tatara wouldn't see right through his lie.

Watching Yata—still as straightforward and yet slightly awkward as he used to be—Tatara couldn't help but chuckle.

"There you go again, saying things that would definitely get you a lecture if Izumo-san heard them."

He reached out and tapped Yata on the head.

The orange-haired boy instantly took two steps back, covered his forehead, and glared at him with a look of helpless indignation.

The atmosphere between the two of them was warm beyond measure for a moment, making a bystander—such as a certain obsessed youth who, ever since Tatara and Kurama appeared, had lost all attention from his former companion—find it immensely... grating.

"So he really is still alive, Totsuka-san."

And so, even though he had secretly felt a wave of relief in his heart upon realizing Tatara hadn't actually perished, the moment he finally opened his mouth to greet him, out came this sarcastic, thoroughly obnoxious tone.

Then, predictably, the person who had just been ignoring him (not really) immediately turned his head, a pair of eyes that seemed to burn with scorching flames glaring fiercely at him, as if reflecting nothing else in the world except his solitary figure...

"You damn monkey... What do you mean by that?!"

"What do I mean?"

A trace of deep fascination flashed across his gaze as he stared at the person opposite him. Fushimi chuckled softly, his murmured tone so tender it made one's heart tremble.

"Of course I mean to express how happy I am..."

"Mi·sa·ki～"

—Though not the kind of tone where his voice warped out of shape at the peak of excitement, the connection between syllables was still broken up with exquisite subtlety. Fushimi instinctively licked his lips, narrowed his eyes, and against Yata's murderous glare, called out the name the other hated hearing most with an increasingly soft voice.

And the next second, entirely as expected, within that pair of eyes reflecting only his own figure, he caught sight of the dazzling, fiercely burning flames of fire he had been waiting for so long to see...

"Damn it! You bastard, monkey!!"

The spiritual energy surrounding Yata began to destabilize.

The smile on Fushimi's face widened by a few fractions.

"Yes... just like that! Misaki～"

A look of fanatical, supreme excitement showed in his eyes, and his hand slowly pressed down upon the long, dark-blue-sheathed sword at his waist...

"Alright, stop messing around, you two!"

—At the critical moment, just as Yata was about to explode and lunge at Fushimi, a hand forcefully pressed down on the top of his head.

While Fushimi's imposing aura instantly receded, replaced by a visible expression of disappointment, Tatara emerged from behind Yata with a smile, the palm resting atop the orange-haired boy's head deliberately giving it a rough, kneading rub...

"Knowing full well there's a chance you're being monitored, do you really want to kick up a big fuss and draw unnecessary attention? Do you think the King and that Room Chief aren't giving them enough headaches already?"

With that, he hooked an arm around Yata and shoved him behind his own back. "Though it's been a long time, Fushimi, your mischievous hobby of (bullying Yata) is still as strong as ever."

"……Fair is fair."

Catching the underlying meaning in Tatara's words, the gaze behind the black-framed glasses flickered slightly, and Fushimi let out a soft hum.

His impression of the man before him, now that he thought about it... seemed somewhat complicated.

Back when he had joined HOMRA along with Misaki, yet due to his own nature had continually failed to truly integrate, during that period when Fushimi was at his most restless and lost—while he drifted outside the circle of the Red Clan and watched Misaki, who had been the only other person in his world, seamlessly and effortlessly integrate into HOMRA—the only person in the entire Red Clan who hadn't brought him an even greater sense of irritation was the man standing right here.

Getting along with him always seemed easy and pleasant, and no matter how many entanglements and troubles were hidden deep in his heart, facing him would make one forget them all for a moment.

It sounded a bit unbelievable, but the existence known as Tatara Totsuka possessed this almost demonic charm. Clearly not a terribly powerful or dazzling presence, yet even when standing side-by-side with Suoh Mikoto—that powerful light source who seemed born to command attention—he was never someone who could be easily overlooked.

His presence was both so intense and so natural. Although they hadn't shared any deeply intimate interactions prior, by the time he realized it, it felt as though they had been friends for a long time, able to share a tacit, knowing smile...

Therefore, upon hearing the news of his death, Fushimi had felt a genuine surge of sadness and anger for a brief moment—quite to his own surprise.

Dropping his eyelids to conceal the swirling emotions in his gaze, Fushimi let out a soft breath and slowly calmed his racing thoughts...

"So, Totsuka-san, you're really alright."

He said softly. As his tone returned to normal, his entire person stepped out of the "obsessed fanboy" state, recovering his usual calm and self-containment.

Seeing this, Tatara smiled slightly.

"I thought... the Blue King would have already guessed as much to some extent?"

He blinked, his gaze slowly traveling down along Fushimi's collar:

"Otherwise... we wouldn't be having this conversation today, would we?"

Before the words had even faded, a deep male voice emanated from Fushimi...

"Indeed."

The voice said indifferently, carrying a hint of an ambiguous smile in its tone:

"As expected of the one who can keep that Suoh in check."

"Totsuka... Tatara."

—The Blue King, Reishi Munakata!