[AllTakemichi] Control

Chapter 61

Mrs. Hanagaki goes up to her son's room, fully expecting to find the boy still fast asleep. Lately, he clings to his bed like glue, and it usually takes calling him over and over before he finally gets up. Yet this morning, when she opens the door, he is already dressed neatly, his hair tidy, everything prepared and ready.

"Mom, you're here."

The boy smiles at her sweetly. Mrs. Hanagaki looks at her son for a long moment before she finally smiles back and speaks.

"I've finished the paperwork. I've been discharged, so let's go home."

"Yes, Mom!"

She turns her back to leave. Only then does Michi quietly let out a sigh of relief. Acting gentle like Takemichi is not that hard - he just needs to rein in his usual arrogance and sharp edge, and that's enough. Michi has always been confident in his acting skills. Still, facing someone who can also be called his mother makes him feel a little tense.

There was that one time before, when he foolishly mocked the food she cooked, saying it tasted bad. Back then, he only wanted to mess with Takemichi and get him into trouble. After that incident, Takemichi wrote a long, detailed list full of threats and warnings for him. So now, Michi definitely does not have the guts to behave improperly in front of Mom anymore.

Suddenly thinking back, Michi has to admit that he and Take completely turned Takemichi's life upside down. And yet, Takemichi endures and persists with both of them. Deep down, they both know how hard it is for Takemichi to accept the existence of two other selves like them. In the past, Takemichi did not have the financial means, so seeing a psychiatrist was difficult. Later on, after becoming the leader of Black Dragon, money is no longer an issue - but Takemichi never brings it up, not even once.

Take and Michi do not suddenly turn into well-behaved kids who stop causing trouble. Their cruel nature, mixed with a wild, untamable ferocity like that of a feral horse, is slowly softened by Takemichi's everyday actions.

It starts with him indulging Michi's constant complaints. When the two of them gain control of the body, they are genuinely stunned to see that all the bathroom items - toothbrushes, cups, face towels, bath towels - are brand new. They never answer the list of questions Takemichi gives them, questions meant to help him understand them better. In the end, he buys things based purely on his own intuition, and by coincidence - or perhaps not - they turn out to be exactly what the two of them want.

Takemichi's once-messy room also begins to change, little by little, taking on the colors and atmosphere that both of them like. It becomes a fusion of all three personalities. The small reminders written in his diary show his hope that they can blend into his life. His quiet attentiveness and subtle care gradually weaken their resistance.

The moment they finally write down their answers on the list Takemichi gives them is the moment they silently admit that they have already been conquered by him.

That time, Michi does not expect that violent bastard to give in so early.

"Can you at least pretend to be aloof a bit longer? You fall for Takemichi this fast."

"Oh please. I'm still better than someone who's clearly obsessed, always picking fights just to get attention. Be honest - don't you do all that because you're afraid that after I show up, Takemichi will pay more attention to me than to you?"

Someone is left speechless.

Their Nth argument.

Winner: Take.

And it does not stop there. Takemichi does far more than they ever expect. That list of questions is never written for nothing. Every time they are about to surface, there are signs beforehand - signals that Takemichi always picks up on. And so, the day before, he asks his mother to cook the dishes they like, so that whenever they appear, they can enjoy those meals.