'Til dept do us part'

Chapter 18

"Hey, Shenjiro, what do you want to be when you grow up?" Dooshik asked with a curious glance, nudging his side. Shenjiro took a moment, scratching his chin as he thought about it.

"Hmm, I haven't really thought about my future to be honest," Shenjiro admitted, staring off into the night sky.

"What?! No dreams or anything?!" Dooshik exclaimed in shock, his voice practically shaking the rooftop they were sitting on.

Shenjiro sighed dramatically and leaned back, gazing at the stars. "Well... I guess I'd love to have everyone I care about in this HUGE ASS mansion. We'd sip tea all day, doing rich people stuff, like maybe throwing gold bars at pigeons for fun."

Dooshik erupted in laughter beside him, clutching his stomach. "Who are these people you care about? You barely talk about your family."

Shenjiro rolled his eyes as if the answer were obvious. "Duh, Emma, Grandpa, and you, of course."

A faint blush crept up Dooshik's cheeks. "T-Thanks..." he mumbled, lying back on the roof to hide his embarrassment.

Shenjiro grinned, completely oblivious to the effect his words had on Dooshik. "For what?"

Dooshik stuttered, still flustered. "I dunno... just, you know."

Shenjiro's face softened. "Above all, I want Emma to have the best life. She's my little sister. I just want her to be happy, you know?"

"I get it," Dooshik replied quietly, looking over at Shenjiro, understanding the weight of his words.

Shenjiro suddenly rolled to his side, propping himself up on his elbow. "Now I've got a question for you, Shiky! Why'd you stick with me? You could've gone anywhere after we met."

Dooshik's eyes widened slightly at the question. "Honestly... I don't know. It was just a gut feeling, you know? After you saved me that day, I kinda felt like I wanted to stay by your side."

Shenjiro puffed out his chest, flashing a bright grin. "Well, I am pretty amazing, aren't I?"

"You are," Dooshik admitted, a shy smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "And... you saved me in more ways than one. I'm the happiest I've been since I left home."

Shenjiro blinked, not expecting the sincerity in Dooshik's voice. "Oh... well, yeah. You're welcome," he said, suddenly feeling a bit bashful himself.

Dooshik turned his head, trying to hide his flushed face. "Can you hold my hand? It's cold," Shenjiro muttered out of nowhere, looking anywhere but at Dooshik.

Dooshik stammered, caught off guard. "W-Wait, what?!"

Before he could react further, Shenjiro had already grabbed his hand, lacing their fingers together. Dooshik's heart skipped a beat, but the moment was too peaceful to protest. Slowly, his body relaxed, and he smiled as Shenjiro curled up next to him.

"It's chilly, Shiky. Warm me up," Shenjiro mumbled, his voice softer than usual, as if it were a secret meant only for them.

Dooshik's heart, usually so frantic, beat steadily for once. He felt at peace-like this was exactly where he needed to be. Without a second thought, he wrapped his arm around Shenjiro, pulling him closer.

On the inside, Shenjiro's heart was racing, his mind swirling with confusion. 'Why's my heart going nuts like this?!' he thought, glancing up at Dooshik, who had his eyes closed, completely at ease.

"My heart... it beats for you," Shenjiro whispered, barely audible.

"Huh? Did you say something?" Dooshik cracked one eye open, curious.

"N-No! Nothing at all!" Shenjiro yelped, his voice a bit too loud for the quiet moment.

---

Their peaceful moment was abruptly interrupted when "Nomen," a man in a weird white mask, bumped into Daniel.

"I bump into people easily, you see," Nomen said, flipping Daniel off for no apparent reason.

"What's going on here, Shiky?" Shenjiro whispered to Dooshik, his gaze darting around the group like a confused squirrel.

Before Dooshik could answer, the man in the green mask grabbed Daniel by the throat. Shenjiro blinked once, then twice, before casually turning to Dooshik.

"Nope. I'm out. Let's go," Shenjiro declared, grabbing Dooshik's hand and dragging him away from the chaos.

---

Once they were safely in their room, Shenjiro collapsed onto the bed with a groan. "Ugh... I'm tired."

"Aren't we all?" Dooshik chuckled, kicking off his shoes and jacket before flopping down beside Shenjiro.

"Come here, let's nap together," Shenjiro mumbled, patting the space next to him.

Dooshik, without missing a beat, dove onto the bed, snuggling up to Shenjiro like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Shenjiro blinked in surprise. "Whoa! How'd you move so fast?!"

Dooshik smirked, pulling Shenjiro closer. "It's a secret."

Shenjiro giggled, feeling a warmth in his chest that he didn't quite understand, but for now, it didn't matter. He was happy, and that was enough.

___

In another room, Daniel found himself face-to-face with the green-masked man, who turned out to be none other than his old classmate from J High, Doo Lee. It was an unexpected reunion, but there was little time for pleasantries. Doo Lee had more pressing information to share, as he began to explain the executive members of the 2nd Affiliation.

"First off, Shiba Inu," Doo Lee began, his voice carrying a hint of skepticism. "That guy's not supposed to be an executive at his age. But Neko decided to give him special treatment, so he's been appointed as an executive with a blank badge. Young, but dangerous."

Daniel raised an eyebrow, intrigued. Doo continued.

"Next, there's Executive Hyottoko. Unlike his goofy mask, he's no joke. He's pretty recent, but you can never figure out what he's thinking. Word is, he's a monster-Neko brought him in straight from Japan."

Daniel listened closely as Doo Lee moved on to the next executive.

"Then there's Executive Nomen. If you thought he was just some ordinary thug, you'd be dead wrong. He's so strong, he's practically Neko's personal bodyguard. He doesn't mess around."

Daniel's expression hardened as Doo described each member. But it wasn't over yet.

"Executive Daruma. Don't be fooled by his size. He's smart and ruthless-never seen him lose a fight, despite being smaller than most of his opponents."

Daniel nodded, processing the intel. Then Doo's voice dropped slightly as he mentioned the next two names.

"Executive Gyokuto," Doo said, his voice almost reverent. "Despite his small stature, he's more than capable of taking down people twice his size. He's insanely strong, but also hot-headed, so you've gotta watch out. He can be unpredictable."

Daniel immediately thought of Shenjiro, the description matching his fiery personality.

"And then, there's Executive Otakemaru," Doo added, glancing sideways. "He's always seen by Gyokuto's side-like his shadow. If you want to get to Gyokuto, you have to get through him first. But good luck with that. Dooshik's like a brick wall-impossible to get past."

Daniel felt a pang of understanding. Shenjiro and Dooshik were inseparable, always moving as a pair, like a force of nature.

Doo Lee took a deep breath before concluding his rundown. "And last but not least, is me. EXECUTIVE HANNYA!" he exclaimed dramatically, spreading his arms wide as if making a grand declaration.

To be continued.......

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