[AllTakemichi] Control

Chapter 22

In the afternoon, Smiley and Angry come to visit Takemichi, bringing along a bag full of toys: a handheld game console, juggling balls, a roly-poly toy, a daruma doll, playing cards, and even some manga books.

"This is..."

"We thought you might get bored, so we brought these. Feel free," Smiley says with his usual smiling face.

"We'll stay with you until visiting hours are over," Angry adds.

It's true that staying in the hospital is boring, but he's only here for a few days, and this stuff could keep him entertained for a month. What's up with Touman today? They're unusually attentive to him.

Everything would have been perfectly normal and fun if he didn't have any more visitors. But even if Takemichi went back in time a hundred more times, he wouldn't have expected what was about to happen.

The Haitani brothers come to visit him, someone please wake him up from this nightmare.

It's not just Takemichi who's shocked, even Smiley and Angry are stunned when they hear Rindou's voice: "Are you sure this is the right room?" Then the door swings open, and those two walk in. The atmosphere immediately turns terrifyingly silent, and Takemichi feels like he can't breathe.

"What are you guys doing here?"

Smiley, still with a smile on his face, asks, but he's clearly ready for a fight, even in the hospital.

"I'm just here to check on Takemitchy. No need to be so tense," Rindou replies casually.

"Takemitchy?" Smiley's tone grows harsher. Why is he acting so familiar?

"Takemichi, how do you know these two dangerous guys?" Angry grabs Takemichi's shoulders and gets in his face.

Takemichi wants to protest, can't they see how shocked he is, too? He didn't know anything about this!

"Takemitchy is my savior. Of course, I care about him," Rindou says nonchalantly.

"What?"

Two brothers "Twins Devils" shout at the same time, turning to look at Takemichi as if demanding an explanation right now.

"Calm down, you two. I'll explain later, okay?"

Takemichi is sweating bullets. One Haitani is enough to scare him, let alone both of them!

Smiley and Angry are extremely upset, but after a while of talking, they finally settle down and sit beside Takemichi's bed, while the Haitani brothers sit across from them. Takemichi, caught in the middle, can almost feel the tension sparking between the four of them. He's unsure if this situation is because of some fated connection he has with the Haitani brothers or if the Kawata brothers are somehow destined to clash with them too. He imagines what would happen if Mitsuya and Hakkai were here as well, it would turn into an all-out battle between the "Big Brother Alliance" and the "Little Brother Alliance." Smiley and Mitsuya surely had a grudge against the Haitani brothers from the Tenjiku fight.

Takemichi chuckles to himself at the thought, accidentally breaking the tension. Four pairs of eyes turn to him, confused and slightly dumbfounded. Takemichi has a bright smile, and when he smiles, it naturally lifts the mood of those around him. The Kawata brothers have seen this many times, having spent a lot of time with him. They like how he radiates such positive energy. But for the Haitani brothers, this is the first time they've seen Takemichi's cheerful, carefree smile. It catches them off guard, smiles like that don't exist in their world, and nobody would dare smile like that in front of them.

Realizing he's being stared at, Takemichi quickly returns to normal.

He scratches his head. "Well, it's a bit surprising, but thanks for visiting me anyway."