The Accompanist

Chapter 11: Reality Shattering

Shiki lifted Boutarou's limp body onto his back and hopped off the train at the next stop, walking from the station into a deserted alleyway.

"Shiki..." Boutarou's voice leaked out of his mouth in a drunken slur. His body had long since shut down... But his brain imagined meeting Sayaka enough times that he was able to focus on other things. And the scrolling concrete walls were enough to clue him in that they weren't exactly heading towards civilization. "Where do you live?"

"I live in a perfectly normal house... Just... Be prepared when we walk in the gate."

Boutarou's eyebrows wrinkled.  "Prepared...?"

He watched the graffiti on the brick walls scroll by like a movie as Shiki carried him from one alleyway to another without answer. And slowly, it grew quiet. There were no people around. No car noises. No bus noises. No train noises... Just crickets and cicadas.

"Sheesh, for someone of your height, you sure are heavy."

"Sorry," was all he managed to mumble in response.

A new set of footsteps crunched dead leaves underfoot, growing closer at a rapid pace. "Young master! Who is that? Are they injured??"

"Yo, Uncle Kazuo. My friend doesn't have any injuries, just exhausted. Could you ready the car? I need to go pick someone up. Let mom know we'll be having guests tonight."

"Certainly. Which car would you like?"

Which car? Despite having several cars to chose from, Shiki rode a bike to school every morning. How far had he gone to hide his true self from everyone around him?

"I'll take the Mazda Spirit R with the tinted windows," Shiki replied. "I need a business casual outfit too, while you're at it."

"...Certainly. If I may ask young master, why have you suddenly decided to bring friends home?"

Shiki heaved a sigh. "What a drag... They're Utsushima and Umari kids. The Kurata's are after them."

"...Shall I notify your father?"

"Yeah."

"Right away, young master."

As the man lightly jogged away, Boutarou mumbled through a slack jaw. "Hey Shiki...Why'd you say our last names?"

"I can't explain," he said, leaning forward to adjust his weight. "Or rather... I was given orders not to tell you. But I think it's about time you found out... For more reasons than one. If you're going to get involved in this, you need to know some background details. And not just about me..."

"...Shiki?"

There was a bit of a pause as Shiki adjusted Boutarou on his back, breathing another long and heavy sigh. "Boutarou, you're the real 'young lord' of our boss... Who just so happens to be your dad."

"...Huh? What did you... What?" Boutarou's vision fuzzed out of focus. He couldn't be hearing Shiki right. But no matter how many times he played his words back in his head, they were the same. "My... dad?"

"It's annoying to explain the whole story, but our families work together. And the reason I knew about Sayuri is because her dad, Mr. Kurata, is on our wanted list. Not only is he a drunken creep, he's also made millions on drug deals and... Well, you heard the conversation back there. The second I found out you were at Happari, I wanted to warn you, but then you decided to go and make her your girlfriend..."

Boutarou blinked a few times. "What do you mean?"

"Look, your dad didn't want you to know any of this. He thought he could protect you without you ever getting involved or finding out. It's safer that way... But I understand your side of the story too well to keep it hidden any longer. Boutarou, your dad isn't just some cruddy old guy that never comes home. He's a lawyer. And a huge business tycoon."