Sugita
When we reached the car, Handa took a seat on the hood to smoke his cigarette while I got out my cellphone to call Kozakura.
It wasn’t unusual for her to let it ring and ring before she finally noticed it, but each ring made me that much more anxious. Terrifying thoughts raced through my head. Being a cop was dangerous, not just for the officer but for the family. Someone could have seen me with my new wife and decided to use her against me. Whoever had murdered Arai and kidnapped Kishi could have happened across Koza.
My heart slammed against my ribcage. I should go home and check on her. I shouldn’t waste time assuring myself she was fine; I’d done too much of that lately, and I’d almost lost someone important to me because of it.
Finally, a bright but calm voice answered. “Hey, Anata.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. My heart felt light again immediately, and I smiled. Even the sound of her voice reassured me everything was going to be okay, because no matter what happened, I had her, and she was everything I’d never known I’d wanted.
“Hey there, Windy Lady.”
Koza giggled. “Sorry. I was cooking and didn’t hear the phone.”
“That’s all right. What’s for dinner?” I asked, even though I’d essentially called to let her know I wouldn’t be there.
“Curry. Are you coming home soon?”
“Sorry…”
“I’ll put some away for you,” she said immediately, as if she might have guessed I wouldn’t make it back for a while. She was good about those kinds of things, I just had to be careful not to push her limits. “You can take it for lunch tomorrow.”
“I can’t wait.” Before our engagement, she’d warned me she wasn’t much of a housewife, but she was willing to learn some new skills and try, and I loved that about her.
“So, is everything okay?” she asked.
Kozakura had seen the way my case was bothering me, and the hardest part about all of this situation was that I couldn’t confide in my wife. I already believed it would be inappropriate to burden my bride with the messy details of my job, but when it came to the supernatural side of crime, it had to stay a secret.
There was some comfort in that. At least she didn’t have to worry about me hunting for monsters.
“Everything is fine,” I assured her. “Some things have come up with the case. It might take a while.”
“All right. I’ll wait up to kiss you goodnight.” A touch of disappointment filtered into her voice. Koza kept busy all day with her job or playing with her friends when she had a day off. She enjoyed having a lot of alone time around the house, but there was a line for even the most independent of people. Especially as a newlywed. She wanted to see me and feel the bliss of being part of a marriage.
I’d give almost anything to go home to her and stay there.
“Don’t overdo it,” I warned. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
“I’m getting up early to meet some of the girls for breakfast. Maybe I’ll swing by the station after work, though.”
“All right. Where are you going for breakfast?” Our house and Kozakura’s job were a long ways from the area Kishi and Arai had disappeared out of, but there was still a chance she’d wander into the wrong back alley.
“Oh, just a little place around the corner here. Nothing fancy. I’m still exploring the neighborhood, figuring out what’s where.”
It brought a small smile to my lips. I’d never go out of my way to do something like that—I was more the type to stick with what I knew—and I loved the power she had to push me out of my comfort zone and enrich my life. “All right, I’ll leave the exploring to you, but be careful, okay?”
One of her bright but soft laughs rang out from the phone. “Anata, you be careful. Where are you going tonight? Is Handa-kun with you?”
“Yeah, of course.” I glanced at him, still on the hood, gazing at the rain.
“Oh, good!”
“What do you mean, oh good? He’s always with me.” Night and day. Rain or shine. Good times and bad. Making toasts at my wedding, helping me look for missing people and sick criminals.
I really wanted it to stay that way. I hated this new feeling that I might have to choose between the two of them.
“I know, it’s just you mentioned you were thinking about transferring. You know...because of everything that happened at your bachelor party.” She whispered, probably guessing he’d be right there at my shoulder.
“You changed my mind.” I lowered my voice too. I didn’t want Handa to realize I’d ever considered that. Even though it would be strictly out of concern for his emotional health, I’d never convince him that I believed it might be good for him to have a little space from me, he’d assume I’d had enough of him, and any future attempts at talking things out would be ruined.
“I’m glad,” Koza said, almost sternly. “I’d lose sleep at night if I knew he wasn’t there watching your back.”
Someone else would watch it, but I got what she was saying. No other partner was going to prioritize me the way Handa did.
I’d lose sleep too, wondering who had his back, worrying he wouldn’t let himself trust another person.
“You two are better off together,” my wife reminded me.
She was so wonderful. When I’d told her about Handa’s confession of love, she hadn’t been annoyed or jealous. She’d coached me on the way I should treat the situation, the ways I could still show him support, and how to navigate my own feelings. There had been times when I’d questioned her sincerity, but moments like this shattered every doubt in my mind that my wife wanted me to be happy.
“How did I get so lucky?” I murmured. I wished I could hold her in my arms right then, touch her hair and kiss her, revel in the presence of my earthbound goddess.
“Perfect people don’t get lucky,” she answered, tenderly. “They get exactly what they deserve.”
For a few moments, I stood there with the phone to my ear, just smiling a stupid, sticky smile, so in love I didn’t think I could stand it.
Handa drifted over to nudge my shoulder. It wasn’t like him to disrupt my calls to Koza, but he tilted his head at the car and said, “The sooner we get going, the sooner you can go back to her.”
I ruffled his hair, lightly. Behind all his infuriating walls, he was such a good guy.
Kozakura must have heard his voice, “Tell Handa-kun I say hello! And invite him for curry when you guys wrap it up. He still hasn’t seen our new house.”
“She says you should come over for curry later tonight,” I told him.
Handa smiled a little and shrugged. “We’ll see.”
“We’ll see you in the morning,” I told Kozakura, holding my partner’s gaze, just so he’d know we both wanted him around.
“I love you!” she chirped.
“Love you more.”
“Love you the most, Kenichiro,” my wife said, in a finite tone, and then she hung up before I could dispute it.
I was still smiling as I put my phone away. “Women, right? How do they always have all the answers?”
“Mysterious, isn’t it? Now that I’m thinking about it, I guess I could drive if you want to be on the phone with her for longer. It must be kind of hard on her for you to be gone all night.”
I hooked my arm around his neck, a little roughly, pulling him around to the passenger’s side. “It’s all right. You and I can crash at my place tonight, right?”
“Depends. If we’re closer to my house at the end of the night, I’m going there.”
He didn’t want to, and I knew it. I wasn’t sure why, if maybe he was angry or jealous of Koza, or if maybe there was another reason I couldn’t imagine. Compared with me, he was a complicated guy.
“Come on, Hideki,” I coaxed. “It’s good weather for curry, and I’ve got a nice scotch I’ve been waiting to share with you.”
“The scotch I gave you at your wedding?” He smirked.
“Right. You’re rude, not giving me the chance to crack it open and thank you properly. Just come over.” I gave him a rough shake. “We’ll have some good food. You can sleep in a real bed for a change. And we’ll get coffee in the morning.”
“All right, all right.” He pushed me off, punching my shoulder. “You sure know how to bribe a guy.”
“Great.” I couldn’t help the big smile I felt come over my lips. As long as he was willing to talk, we could fix things and be okay.
All I had to do was make sure that Naito’s yokai suspect hadn’t murdered Kishi Tomiju, and then my partner and I could get back on track.
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