Maybe, is Love. © (Ringry - English Version)

3

The ride home for Souya was uneventful, but in his head he was thinking a lot about what had happened, what kind of trouble was the Haitani in now? It was none of his business, but he should certainly not make contact with him again, if he wanted to lead the rest of his life in peace.

It took him a couple of hours or so to get home; he hadn't finished shopping and that was what delayed him as he wasn't going to arrive with his brother empty-handed. Once he spotted the small apartment complex, he parked his motorbike in the small car park.

He walked through the entrance and made his way to the stairs, which he climbed loosely, holding two plastic bags full of ramen ingredients. He pulled out the keys to the flat so he could enter and once he opened it he was greeted by his brother waiting with his arms folded. Nahoya kept that trademark smile on her face as she waited for her younger brother to arrive properly.

─ And what was that trouble? ─ Was the elder's first question, while Souya grimaced and frowned. ─ Lots of things, let me get there properly first, Smiley. ─

At the younger brother's request, Nahoya let him pass. The bags that Souya was holding were left on the dining room table and he headed to the bathroom to wash his hands. Taking advantage of being there, he pulled his hair into a small ponytail and a headband to hold back the stray strands of his hair.

She came out looking really tired, sitting down on the couch they had in the living room. Next to him, Nahoya took a seat with a certain look of wanting to know what had happened or perhaps she would die of intrigue. Souya crossed his arms at his stomach, beginning to relate.

─ I ran into the youngest Haitani, apparently he was already out of prison but he was injured so I took him to the hospital. ─ That's what he told me in a nutshell. 

One of the veins in the Nahoya's temple popped up, exclaiming loudly. ─ DID YOU HELP ONE OF THE HAITANI!? ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND SOUYA? ─

The younger of the two shrugged softly, as he began to fiddle with the thumbs of his hands as he looked down at his brother with a quick nod. Nahoya brought the index finger and thumb of her right hand to the bridge of her nose, massaging it gently as she shook her head slowly.

─ And you still waited there? Did he see you afterwards? ─

─ No, I left before he finished being attended to. ─ exclaimed the blue-haired one, just as his gaze shifted to the front and a long sigh escaped his lips, throwing his head back and looking up at the ceiling. He knew well enough that his brother might react that way but, there was nothing to be gained by hiding it from him. 

─ Well then, I'd better go out and get the groceries, it's better to be safe than not to run into him again. ─ Nahoya argued, standing up and heading towards the kitchen. Souya merely nodded, it seemed like a good idea after all.

And so began the strict guard that Nahoya had imposed on Souya. For a whole week Souya didn't leave the flat, not even Nahoya would let him go near the window to look out and she wouldn't let him help out at the shop they both ran nearby, which seemed totally absurd to her but she wouldn't contradict her brother.

After that week had passed, Souya finally had the luxury of being able to leave the flat, which undoubtedly felt like a huge relief. Nahoya still disagreed but between the two of them they agreed that Souya could go out near the flat, such as to the ramen shop or the convenience stores that were located near the two of them.

So his first destination was to go to the ramen shop. The shop operated as a kind of restaurant-bar, so they started their activities around six in the evening and finished at midnight.

He opened the place together with his brother, which was a space that was not so big, but big enough to house their kitchen area, a bar in front of it, another small bar where they could prepare all kinds of drinks that the diners asked for and the remaining space was occupied by around seven tables.

In a short time the brothers became famous for having the spiciest ramen in the whole area, so they had some luxuries with the good profit they made from the place. As soon as they opened, the customers began to arrive little by little, until they almost reached the maximum capacity of the place. As the two of them could not do it alone, they also had the help of two more people, which was what they could afford to pay.

Souya was more in charge of the kitchen, but if the moment called for it then he also acted as an extra waiter, while Smiley took care of the kitchen and occasionally the bar. It was in one of his predicaments that night that one of the workers went to Souya.

─ Souya-san, there's a diner to see you. ─

One of his eyebrows rose with intrigue. ─ Who? ─ Was his answer. The boy discreetly pointed to one of the tables in the corner. Souya's eyes widened when he saw who it was: none other than Rindo accompanied by his brother, Ran Haitani, the two most powerful men in all of Roppongi.