The Happiest of Man

Chapter 25

A few days later, he decided to deactivate his cellphone. There was no need for him to have it anymore. The people who bothered to call him simply wanted to purchase information from him – the information that he most likely got rid of because he didn’t find it all that important anymore. He remembered going through his ‘missed calls’ log and noticed Namie’s name. Perhaps she still wanted Celty’s head back. 

He decided to think about it later. For now, he needed to get rid of the cellphone. It did nothing to his savings.

Before he did, however he received a call. The number was unfamiliar. Since he hasn’t been in contact with anyone save for the time when he had ran into Shizuo, he decided to give this person an honor of speaking to him – or perhaps he should feel honored that anyone was bothering to call him in the first place. 

Izaya answered the call and brought the phone to his ear.

“Hey.”

That voice was way too familiar for him to not recognize although he was curious on one thing.

“ . . . How did you get my number?”

“I asked Simon.”

“I see. You went to the right person, then.”

Drumming his fingers against the table, it was awfully quiet for this to be considered a conversation. As he got bored with every passing minute, Izaya contemplated ending the call until the voice on the other end finally spoke up again.

“Let’s meet somewhere.”

“Hm? To fulfill the I.O.U. I wrote for you?”

There was a sigh before an actual response was given.

“That, too.”

“That implies that there’s more to it than that. So what is it, Shizu-chan?”

There was a long pause. It was long enough to have Izaya look at his cellphone to see whether the call has ended or not.

“Meet me at Russia Sushi.”

“If I do recall correctly, I’m not wanted in Ikebukuro.”

“Just shut up and meet me there before I drag you there myself.”

Izaya laughed as the call finally ended.

- -

When Izaya went to meet up with Shizuo, they didn’t once enter Russia Sushi. Instead, they headed to a place to enjoy hotpot in a private room in a restaurant upon Izaya’s request. The wheelchair was folded and sitting against the wall, so he didn’t have to worry about whether it will get stolen or broken.

They ate quietly for the majority of their stay although Shizuo picked up on Izaya’s abnormal movements when trying to pick up pieces of the meat from the pot. The man with the dark hair would smile and play it off as if he meant to act like a fool. But, Shizuo wasn’t an idiot despite what Izaya initially thought of him. There were times when Izaya almost choked on his food, but miraculously, his body was able to cooperate with him and he didn’t have to be sent to the hospital. But, he knew that he will have to mention this to the doctor on his next appointment. He didn’t want to die that soon although he began to wonder what life will be like for him if he had to be hospitalized for the rest of his life. That made him feel a little uneasy and admittedly, it made him feel even more trapped than before.

“I’m surprised you haven’t vomited yet.” Izaya said as he looked over at Shizuo who was sitting across from him.

“Don’t say nasty things while eating, idiot.”

“I can tolerate eating with someone I truly hate! But, I’m not so sure about you, Shizu-chan. You do rather extreme things towards the person whom you strongly dislike.” 

“I’m doing just fine right now, aren’t I?”

Izaya chuckled as he settled his chopsticks down. For now, he was finished eating. He somehow lost his appetite after realizing that he was openly displaying how weak he has become.

“That was the very first time you have called me and actually remained calm throughout the conversation.”

Shizuo continued to eat although it was apparent that he wasn’t concentrating on the food anymore.

“Anyway, that’s not what I wanted to bring up. I know you wouldn’t call me just to eat out in the first place. Without the I.O.U., I doubt I’d be here anyway. So . . . ? What is it?”