Viridescent Valentine

Chapter 3: Heizou's Not Depressed Anymore. Or Asleep

Heizou awoke to the warm sunlight shining on his face. Right. The coffee shop with Kaedehara. The young Inazuman in question was softly rubbing his back and drinking coffee. Heizou pondered his current lifestyle- how he was able to have so much free time now even despite the idol business. His last job almost seemed like a dream from long ago.

Heizou had always been smart- a logical child genius. His dad hadn't really known what to do with him- it was obvious that he wasn't going to inherit the family's martial arts school, no matter how much his dad tried. He'd made that statement himself. So instead, when Heizou was fourteen, his dad had sent him off job hunting. He didn't blame the old man for where he ended up- it was just how the wind blew.

He'd ended up at a small agency- the Bantan Sango Detective agency. He'd started off just organizing files, but had somehow wound up as an actual detective. And it hadn't been that bad- he didn't mind being pulled out of school to catch criminals- but one summer night things had changed.

The memory was so vivid...

He'd been dispatched to find and track down a thief. He had the skill to detain the criminal physically, but he was hoping he could reason his way out of this one. The criminal was a thief- and also an old friend. An old friend he'd left because he'd committed countless thefts just to try and make friends with Heizou- to keep up the appearance that his family could afford to take care of themselves. He'd been told that the thief had stolen some fans from a festival and then tried to run. He'd expected the usual- a chasedown, an attempt to reason the criminal into arrest, and if they resisted, eventually he would physically subdue them and return any stolen items on their person to their owners or keepers.

Instead, he'd walked into a much more awful crime.

His old friend had been lying there, in a pool of his own blood, a knife through his chest. According to the bystanders, someone else had attempted to steal his wallet- and when he'd resisted... Well, when Heizou had gotten there, he wasn't dead, but it was only a matter of time...

His friend had recognised him, weakly squeezing Heizou's hand.

"Come here to see me, did you... Heizou?" he'd said. Heizou had desperately tried to keep pressure on his chest, but the blood had been welling through his fingers.

"Just shut up! Shut up!" he'd yelled. The only response had been a shake of the head, and his friend had slowly opened his wallet on the floor next to him.

Inside was nothing but a pebble- a green pepple, one of two that they'd found in a river together. The only part of their relationship not tainted by crime and theft. Heizou still had his own.

"I... I came to see you, too..."

The rest was blurred. The next day, Heizou had started trying to leave the business... he'd suddenly become aware of all the violations of policies that ensure good working conditions... he'd noticed just how long his hours were, leaving him with no free time... at fourteen years old, he'd been exposed to the harsh world of crime- and everything that came with it. Instead of looking at it through the windows of files, he'd been thrown into it up close and personal. And it had ended with his friend's death.

He wasn't himself for ages after that.

Kazuha had saved him.

Kazuha, and his beautiful, soft voice.

The first time he'd talked to Heizou, it was over. Even upon learning he already had a boyfriend, he'd still yearned for that easy presence he had, the attitude that could calm anyone down. And his boyfriend Tomo was great as well.