"……."
Kaoru, his hair dyed black, smoked quietly.
He sat on the sandy beach, perched atop the corpse of a debt collector who had come to shake him down for money.
The cigarette filter, touched by his blood-soaked right hand, slowly stained red.
In his blue eyes, sharp enough to seem as if they would pierce straight through the camera, deprivation and emptiness flickered like night fog.
A reckless young host who longed to be free, yet could never truly be free because he was bound by society’s rules and morality.
A cowardly prodigal son who had broken out beyond the border to savor freedom—
had in the end become a murderer, sinking at last to the bottom of an abyss from which there was no return.
What kind of life had he been chasing?
Without a single line of dialogue, Kaoru captured the loss of direction that even the subject of that life had never truly understood, expressing it perfectly through only his gaze and his emotions. Then he exhaled smoke as if letting out a breath.
The camera gradually zoomed out, showing Kaoru with blood from the debt collector smeared across his body, and the chaos of the people around him.
"...Okay, cut!"
Director Gotanda, staring at the camera monitor, felt his heartbeat about to burst and sprang up like a coiled spring, yanking off his headphones.
As soon as the cut sign rang out through the megaphone, the staff all burst into applause and cheers, sharing their thoughts at once.
Clap clap clap!
"Good work, everyone!"
"Good work, everyone!!!"
With that final scene just shot, two months of filming for the independent film [My Sea] came to a safe end.
After hearing Director Gotanda’s brisk cut call, Kaoru ground out the prop cigarette in the sand and quickly stood up from the middle-aged actor who had been playing the corpse.
"Thank you for your hard work, sir. That must have been heavy. Are you all right?"
"Oh, it’s nothing. Hahaha!"
The veteran actor [Kunimura Yoshihiro], famous for his outstanding acting and charisma, gave a warm, easygoing smile as if to say he was fine.
He took Kaoru’s hand and stood up on the beach, brushed the sand off his blood-smeared white shirt, and looked with interest at Director Gotanda, who was running toward them.
"Just looking at Kaoru-kun, I can see nothing but love in your eyes."
"Hahaha. Is that so?"
"Of course. No matter how many times I see some middle-aged guy with black hair running around with that lovestruck look on his face, I still can’t get used to it. He ought to cut that flowing hair of his, too."
Kaoru couldn’t hold back his laughter at Yoshihiro’s good-natured but cutting criticism, and had to turn his head away.
"Mr. Kunimura, thank you so much for your hard work. Kaoru, you too."
Director Gotanda, his long hair swaying as he hurried across the sand, bowed to Yoshihiro in greeting.
"Haha. Thanks to you, I had a lot of fun filming. It felt like I’d gone back to my younger days. Kaoru-kun worked hard to satisfy my selfish request."
"You flatter me. It was truly an honor for me as well, sir."
One of Japan’s finest actors, a man who had swept countless awards in the film industry with his seasoned skill and charisma, had wanted to match his lines with a junior so much younger than himself.
Yoshihiro had even turned down a judge’s position at next year’s Japan Academy Film Prize and personally contacted Director Gotanda, pleading to be cast.
That day, Director Gotanda had been drinking with executives from the production company when the call came, and he had no choice but to spring to his feet and answer the phone with a 90-degree bow.
Yoshihiro smiled as he gazed at Kaoru’s blue eyes, shining brilliantly like the blue sea with waves breaking just beyond them.
"No. I was the one who was honored. I wanted to face him with [sincerity]... It had been a long time since I’d felt that childish competitive fire.
Once you get to my age, honestly, everything starts to lose its fun. Everyone treats me with such deference, calling me ‘sir’ this and ‘sir’ that—what’s there to enjoy in life?
But Kaoru-kun... he made me feel like some clueless brat again, back in my youth. It’s been ages since I felt what it was like to be nervous. It was really fun after all this time, haha."
Feeling the cool sea breeze on his face, Yoshihiro spoke with a relieved, satisfied expression. The smile at the corners of his wrinkled mouth carried a purity that made him seem as if he had returned to his younger self.
The smile of an aging senior who had once ruled the film world, now in the twilight of his career.
Things that don’t change.
Like the sea, where waves have crashed for an eternity, his passion for acting... never changed, no matter how much time passed.
Kaoru watched Yoshihiro for a moment as he savored the memories carved into the long flow of time, then quietly smiled back.
-
"I’m off to school."
"Mama! We’re going now-"
"Ah, wait!"
Ai called out to the twins as they trotted toward the front door.
"You have to give Mama your ‘I’m off’ kiss! If you just go, Mama will be sad~!"
"Oh! I forgot something! Mama, I’m off! Mwah-♥"
Ruby knelt down to meet her mother’s eyes, then laughed brightly and pressed a kiss to her cheek.
Ai’s starry eyes sparkled at her adorable daughter’s kiss, and she hugged Ruby tightly, kissing her cheek back while patting her head.
The problem was—
"……."
Aqua still hadn’t gotten used to it. His ears bright red, he pretended not to notice and looked away while gripping the front door handle.
When Ai spotted that, she giggled at her son’s embarrassed expression and spread her arms wide.
"Aqua~ Mama has been waiting for Aqua sooo much?"
"……."
"Mama needs Aqua’s little kiss too if she’s going to have energy for today?"
"Ugh—!"
After wavering between his hot heart and his hot face, Aqua finally gave in and flung himself into Ai’s arms, kissing her cheek.
Ai hugged Aqua as tightly as she could, then kissed her shy, adorable son on the cheek and ruffled his hair, just like her husband.
"Have a good day today. Aqua! Ruby!"
"Yes!"
"Okay!"
"Unnie! Unnie!"
"Ameee!"
Before stepping out the door, Ruby’s eyes sparkled as she looked at her lovely little sister, who had come to see her off.
Ame was clutching tightly in her tiny hands the knitted doll Ai had made, the one that had originally belonged to Ruby, and smiling brightly—
"So cute~!"
"Unnie! Unnie!"
She was a walking embodiment of love!
Her favorite’s exact same purple hair, her cute and affectionate voice, her uniquely bright smile, and her second favorite’s perfectly copied fair skin, straight nose, and blue eyes!
It was more than enough to send Ruby’s [yourself] mode into a full frenzy.
Ame, who especially adored her older sister, and Ruby, who had grown up lonely in her past life without any sisters—what dazzling sisterly love!
"Ame! You have to play nicely while your sister is at school, okay?"
"Unnie! Unnie! Hehe-"
Ruby knelt down just like Mama, brought her eyes level with Ame’s, and hugged her little sister gently and tightly.
Ai and Aqua watched the scene with warm eyes, unable to stop themselves from smiling.
"I wish Ame would grow up faster.... I want to hold hands and go to school together...."
"...Probably not. By the time Ame starts school, we’ll be just entering middle school."
"Tch, what a shame.... I want to play with Mama and Ame soon.... You feel the same, right, big brother?"
After getting off the elevator, Ruby crossed her arms over her chest and hugged herself, as if trying to keep the warmth of Ai and Ame still lingering there.
Seeing Ruby so full of happiness, Aqua gently stroked his little sister’s head.
"Heheh— That tickles!"
"Hahaha!"
-
〔 So you won again. Fucking $500 of mine. - RIKA / J. Rosos 〕
"……."
Kaoru read the short English sentence, packed with deep frustration, and the message full of blunt honesty. Smiling, he sent a reply and set his iPhone down.
"What are you smiling at?"
"Nothing."
Rentarou, who had set a mug of freshly brewed coffee in front of Kaoru, sat down on the sofa with a curious look.
"You always say it’s nothing, but it’s never nothing, is it? Slurp—"
"Mm~ The coffee you make really is the best, big brother."
"...R-Really? Haha. Yuno says the same thing."
At Kaoru’s praise, Rentarou smiled happily and shrugged. The engagement ring on the ring finger of his left hand gleamed brilliantly.
Seeing the ring, Kaoru set down his mug and leaned back against the sofa.
"When’s the wedding?"
"October 9. I figured it’d be best when the weather starts to cool down."
"October... nice."
So Rentarou was finally getting married too. Kaoru smiled and nodded quietly.
He looked young enough to be nowhere near forty, yet for some reason he was hopeless when it came to romance.
And yet, even straw sandals have their match—
【 K-K-K-Kaoru! Hey! You and Miss [Hasegawa Yuno]... y-you were pretty close, right? Right? 】
【 ...We only did an interview together. 】
【 Kyaaaah-!? We’ve got a dinner date the day after tomorrow, where should I take her?! Should I make a restaurant reservation first?! 】
【 K-K-Kaoru. You know Mr. [Murakami], the agency head... pretty well, right? 】
【 Yes. He’s my agency president, so... I suppose so? 】
【 Then... did the president... not say anything to you about me? Like... that I had a dinner appointment... or something... 】
【 .... 】
Somehow, the two people who had suffered so much together during the attack on Kaoru had exchanged contact information and become close at a rapid pace.
Right after Ai became pregnant with Ame, Rentarou and Yuno began exchanging messages, their feelings slowly growing. They started meeting naturally over dinner dates, and in the end, they developed into a couple.
Kaoru had given Rentarou, that hopeless romantic fool, blood-and-sweat advice along the way.
There had even been times when Rentarou’s blunders and Yuno’s misunderstandings nearly shook their relationship apart...
But Kaoru absolutely could not let Rentarou grow old and die a single, unmarried man.
So, together with his wife, he had made a point of supporting their love by personally slapping cement and concrete over it until it held.
Yuno was already well past marriageable age and in her late twenties, while Rentarou was in his late thirties, so both families had truly welcomed the match with open arms.
Rentarou, Yuno, and both families had gathered together and quickly held both the formal introduction and the engagement ceremony.
They were now only one step away from becoming official husband and wife.
"Yuno must be working really hard on her diet for the wedding too."
"Don’t even get me started.... The last time I opened a bag of snacks next to Yuno, she really tore into me."
"That was your fault, big brother."
"……."
Rentarou, who had lost even the little ground he had by saying the wrong thing, puckered his lips and sipped the coffee in his mug.
With no one on his side, he grew embarrassed and looked at the newspaper on the table, muttering briefly as if he didn’t care.
"The Greek economic crisis... the economy is always in crisis. Always."
-
"Papa!"
"Welcome home?"
After finishing filming early in the morning, stopping by the agency, and then returning home, Kaoru hugged the twins tightly and lifted them into his arms as they ran to greet him.
"Yeah. Did you do well at school?"
"Mm-hm! Today, my brother and I raced in gym class and got first place!"
"Good job. My son and daughter!"
Kaoru kissed the twins on the cheeks, then soon spotted his youngest daughter in Ai’s arms and let his blue eyes shine.
"Ame!"
"Aba- aba-"
"She must have missed her dad~★ Aba-aba~"
Ai smiled and turned slightly so Kaoru could see Ame, whom she was holding in her arms.
With the twins in his own arms, Kaoru smiled at Ame.
"Ame. Did you miss Daddy?"
"Aba~ aba~"
With a bright, starry smile just like Ai’s, Ame touched her own face with both hands, and Kaoru felt as if all the exhaustion he had carried for so long was washed away at once by her cuteness.
After the family had dinner together for the first time in a while, Kaoru chatted with the twins and then took a bath with them before coming out.
Ai sat on the sofa and massaged his shoulders with her cute little hands for him.
"Oh, right! There’s a parent observation class and briefing next Friday afternoon. Kaoru, can you make it?"
The sweet scent of the shampoo Ai used tickled his nose. Kaoru smiled quietly and nodded.
"Yeah. Let’s go together. You need to get ready for your return too... once you get busy, you won’t be able to go even if you want to."
"Yay~★ Thank you, Kaoru. It’s my first observation class, so I really wanted to go!"
Ai wrapped her arms around Kaoru’s neck from behind and kissed his cheek with her starry eyes.
She seemed to be looking forward to the twins’ first observation class with great excitement.
Kaoru felt the same way, so—
"Heh heh."
A smile formed at the corners of his mouth as he firmly took his wife’s hand.
Comments (0)
Please log in to leave a comment. Login or Register