My bar was thriving as usual. Of course I was happy about it, but it was hard to forget some of the horrible events that had happened here as well. I tried to put it out of my mind whenever I was reminded though. My customers were happy to have the bar open again after a while, although most were disappointed that I cut my hair. I just smiled and played it off like I had always been considering cutting it.

Anzai wanted to visit his mom on one of our days off so I gladly went with him when he asked if I would join him. We had already discussed it before and now was my chance. She lived in a small and quaint house where Anzai had grown up.

"Hello Ms. Imamura," I greeted her with a polite bow when she opened the front door.

"Narihira, it's been so long. I heard you've been busy these past several years." She had dark green hair like Anzai's which was short and curved around her ears. She was very beautiful.

"Yes... Running a business has kept me very busy. It's good to see you again."

We sat in her living room as she brought us tea. Entering this house was like going back in time. It was kind of surprising the first time Anzai had invited me over. When I first met his mom and noticed how timid she seemed, I knew why he felt he had to protect her. He always cared for her so deeply and I wanted to support him in that.

We chatted about jobs and life in general. She listened attentively when I talked about how successful my bar had been all these years. I felt I could tell her anything and she'd listen to it all. I wonder if she'd accept me as her son as well... It's not like my mom ever treated me as her son...

When we left for the day, she hugged Anzai before hugging me.

"You're always welcome here," she told me.

I nodded, feeling teary eyed for some reason. When we left and got in a taxi to go home, I grabbed Anzai's arm.

"I love your mom. I want to come with you to visit more often if that's alright."

He nodded. "I'm sure that'll make her happy."

After the taxi dropped us off, Anzai asked if I wanted to come over to his apartment. I knew something had changed that day he let me stay over. Now he kept inviting me inside and of course there's no way I'd say no. We ate together before sitting on the couch and watching a movie.

"There's a new thriller movie out, I hope it's good!" I said as I put it on.

"Are you going to fall asleep like last time?"

"That was only because it was bad! This one has got to be better, right?"

But before I knew it, I had fallen asleep again. I woke up when Anzai was tucking me into his bed.

"Are you awake?" He asked softly. "I thought the bed would be more comfortable."

"Is the movie over...?"

"Yes, I finished it before moving you."

"Sorry..."

"It's alright. Sleep well."

I closed my eyes again and felt him brush my hair away from my forehead. I wished I was awake when he was carrying me...but this was nice too...

Our usual days didn't stay peaceful for long. Of course something else had to happen. The incident with Togai still lingered over my heart and I couldn't bring myself to tell anyone in detail what happened between me and him. And despite the man getting arrested, Rikiya still looked uneasy about whether the situation had been completely resolved. It seemed like he was right because yet another guest decided to visit the Arukōru Bar.

As soon as the last customer of the night wandered out the door, another man held it open and poked his head in. His smile looked friendly.

"Are you still open?" He asked.

"Yeah, for a little longer," I said. "What did you want to drink?"

"I'm afraid I'm not here for a drink. Just a short chat."

As he stepped inside, a few men had followed him and shut the door. I got a bad feeling and stepped up next to Anzai. The men were all big and quite muscular. The first man was probably around Anzai's size. Despite his smile and pleasant way of speaking, I knew he was dangerous. All of the warning signs in my head were going off.

"May I ask what your business is here?" Shukishi asked.

The man took off the coat around his shoulders and handed it off to one of his men. "I'm here to discuss a debt that has yet to be paid off." His eyes moved up from the floor and straight at Rikiya.

Rikiya's expression looked disturbed. He hesitated before taking a step forward. "I'll still pay it! I promise! Just don't hurt anyone else!"

"Of course you will," the man said. "You've been working at this establishment for a few years now, haven't you?"

"Yes..."

"And this job is your main income?"

"Yes..."

"Then I believe we can come to a compromise."

"What do you mean...? Don't take the bar from Narihira!"

The man glanced at me. "Oh no, we won't take it. As long as you comply with our demands, you all can keep working and living as you have been. We won't interfere any longer."

"Really...?" I asked. It sounded too good to be true. I wondered what he was going to demand from us. All kinds of horrible possibilities swirled through my mind.

"We'll just be taking a portion of your profits until the debt is paid off. I would advise you to not go out of business before then."

I was speechless. Was that really all he wanted? The first group of yakuza wanted to own our business, Togai wanted my services, but all this man wanted was a portion of our profits? I could tell he was far higher up than the other people we'd met so far. I thought someone like that would be the most cruel out of all of them.

"Very well," Shukishi said. I looked at him and he met my eyes. "Of course I can't speak for you, Narihira, but that seems like a fair deal, don't you think?"

He was obviously telling me to take the deal and not do anything to anger the man. I quickly nodded. "Yes, we'll take the deal. You can have a portion of our profits."

The man beamed. "I'm so very glad we could come to an understanding. I'll have an associate come by tomorrow with the details. While I'm here though, there is one more thing I'd like to settle." He began to roll up his sleeves showing off bulky and scarred arms. I stiffened at the sight of it.

"I said not to hurt anyone!" Rikiya stepped forward. One of the man's guards quickly intercepted him before he got too close. He pushed him away from his boss with a deadly glare.

"What do you want?" Anzai said.

The man pointed at him. "I heard you've beaten all of my men single-handedly. I'd like to test your strength. I'm very curious to see how strong you are."

Anzai rolled up his sleeve. "Alright. Let's do it."

I quickly grabbed his arm. "Wait! I don't want anyone to get hurt!"

"Don't worry," the man said. "I don't want to fight. I just want one match of old fashioned arm wrestling. What do you think?"

Anzai's shoulders relaxed. "Just...arm wrestling...?"

"Of course. I'd rather not get my own hands bloody if I can avoid it." His smile scared me... He oddly reminded me of Shukishi. If he was a bulky yakuza boss, that is.

"...I accept," Anzai said after a moment.

They sat on a sofa with a table between them. The man explained the rules.

"One hand can hold the side of the table but if it moves, the match will end. No one can step in to help no matter what. In fact, if any of you move even one inch, I'll reconsider the whole deal entirely. The winner is the one who pushes the other's hand down on the table first. Does everyone consent to those rules?"

We all quickly nodded and gave our consent. I stood as still as I could as they grabbed each other's hands in a fierce grip. The man smiled devilishly at Anzai while Anzai stared back unblinking. I could practically see the tension radiating off of them. One of the guards counted down. When he said zero, the fierce battle began.

The veins in their arms were bulging and they were clearly straining against each other but neither of them were able to push the other to one side. They held the table so tightly with their other hands that I thought they might break it. I held my breath and prayed that everything would go alright. He never said what would happen if he won. Would he leave peacefully? What would happen if Anzai won? Would he take back the deal regardless? I wasn't sure who to root for based on the possible outcomes. But of course I wanted Anzai to win. I wanted him to beat that scary yakuza too and show that they can't touch this bar and the people inside it no matter what.

When the man's arm was going down, he looked surprised with sweat beading on his face. He didn't look angry though. A ghost of a smile tugged at his lips as he struggled against his opponent, staring down at the fact that he was losing. Anzai never looked away from the man's face, using all of his concentration to win against him. I clutched my hands tightly together against my chest. He's going to win. Anzai's going to win.

The man tried his best to keep the back of his hand from touching the table. He struggled like that for a long while. But soon he seemed to run out of strength. Anzai pushed his hand down with all his might and the match was over. They let go of each other and sat there for a quiet moment. Nobody moved. The man who was hunched over in defeat finally straightened. He was smiling brightly.

"You're as strong as they say!" He exclaimed. "I'm quite surprised. When I heard how many of my men you defeated, I was uncertain if it was true. I thought that if you were stronger than me, then that would prove it. And prove it you did. I haven't lost like that in a long time." He stretched his shoulder out in a rolling motion. "Ah, that was fun... We should do it again sometime. I'd like to get stronger first though."

When he stood up, the rest of us began moving. I ran to Anzai who got to his feet. I immediately hugged him. He hugged me back.

"Are you hurt?" I asked as I pushed back to look at him.

He shook his head. "I'm alright."

The man clapped his hands for our attention. "Now then. I'll keep my word in regards to our new deal. I sincerely hope we don't have to see each other again for a while. It's best to not get into any more trouble, right, Rikiya?"

Rikiya flinched. Then he lowered his head. "Yes, of course... Thank you, sir..."

The man nodded, looking satisfied. "I'll take my leave now. Have a good night, everyone."

He took his coat from his guard, swung it around his shoulders, and left the bar with the rest of his men. The door closed quietly behind him.

I was still staring at the door when Anzai raised his hand to look at it. I looked at it too and it was shaking.

"Wait, are you really alright?!" I asked.

"Yeah," he said. "He's really strong. I had to strain myself to win. But I felt like I had to win no matter what."

Shukishi patted him on the back. "Good job. I was quite afraid of what he might've done if he lost, but it seemed it worked out."

"That man's a pervert in a different kind of sense..." Rikiya commented.

"I'm sorry guys, I was so frightened I didn't know what to say!" Atsutane exclaimed. He wrapped his arms around me for comfort.

"It's alright," I said. "I think it was best to stay quiet unless he was talking to you."

"Narihira..." Rikiya suddenly said. I looked at him. "Sorry...your bar got wrapped up in this..."

I shook my head. "I've said it before, but I'll say it again, I want to help. It seemed like the best option anyway. I'm going to continue working hard so we never go out of business."

"I'm sure you can do it," Shukishi beamed.

Anzai began pulling Atsutane's arms off of me. "It's late. Let's all go home and go to bed."

"I feel like I could sleep for a hundred years..." Rikiya said.

"Oh, like sleeping beauty?" Atsutane asked, unbothered by how Anzai was pushing him away.

Rikiya stared at him. "Do I look like a sleeping beauty? Let Nari handle that part."

I gasped. "Are you going to call me Nari from now on?!"

"Huh? It–! It's easier, okay?!"

A blushing Rikiya is so cute... "Then I can call you Riki, right? Right? Please?" I stepped closer to him.

He retreated backwards. "Why do you care about nicknames anyway?! Leave me alone!"

"Riki, come here, I want to hug you!" I spread my arms open.

"Gross! Don't hug me! Stop chasing me!"

I was so happy I couldn't help chasing him around. I thought the nickname would never work, but now there was hope! I felt like we were actually getting closer now. I felt so glad.

Rikiya hid behind Anzai and I had to stop in front of him. He blinked down at me.