Chapter 9: Chapter 7 – Three Days (3)

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Ken shifted uncomfortably in his bed. He found it really hard to find a good position to stay in since Kyouka, who was sleeping next to him, kept moving around.

After Ken and Kyouka reunited last night, Kyouka had clung onto him like a koala to a tree. She almost wanted to go with him whenever Ken went to the bathroom. It greatly troubled Ken, however, he just let it be. In any case, being with his favorite person in the world wasn't unpleasant, even if it was inconvenient when she was constantly holding onto him.

There was something about it being 'all his fault' or something, but Ken knew he was innocent. He hadn't done anything yet. He decided to just ignore Kyouka's unintelligible accusations.

They talked about this and that, what the other had been up to in the past six months. Ken had very little to talk about since he'd only been awake for two days. It was Kyouka who had a lot to say. Ken just listened to her talk until she eventually tired herself out, and fell asleep.

After Kyouka fell asleep, Ken kept reading on his phone. Just like yesterday, he had no intention of sleeping.

Time passed and it was already 8 am of the third day. Ken felt Kyouka stirring beside him, a few minutes later she finally woke up.

"Good morning, my dear sister." Ken greeted her with a smile the moment Kyouka opened her eyes.

"...g'mornin..." Kyouka, evidently still quite drowsy, managed to reply. Her eyes still looked quite heavy, to the extent that they could fall shut at any minute. Ken just gently stroked her head, waiting for her to pull herself together. Kyouka purred like a cat, enjoying the moment.

"Hey. Don't fall asleep again." Ken poked her cheeks. He noticed that she really was about to fall into the land of dreams.

"...I won't." Kyouka said, with a bit of resentment. She sat up and inspected her brother. "So it really wasn't a dream..."

"Yep. I'm quite real. Or rather... I believe I am..." Ken said, trying to make his voice sound mysterious.

"Don't try to give this novel a weird genre." Kyouka playfully bonked her brother on the head.

"Hehe. My bad." Ken apologized insincerely.

"You didn't sleep...?" Kyouka asked, staring intently at Ken's eyes. How could she not notice the heavy bags under them? She scolded her brother, "You know, even if you're better now, you should still properly take care of your health you know? You can't just be spending all night binging stuff all the time. It's bad for you."

"Should you really be the one telling me that? You had bags under your eyes yesternight too. Don't think I didn't notice." Ken ruthlessly exposed his sister's hypocrisy.

"A-anyways! What are we doing today?!" Kyouka stammered, trying to change the topic. She asked what they were doing, instantly assuming that she was included in his plans.

"Meh. After breakfast, I plan to play with the kids from yesterday. Don't really have any plans for after that." Ken replied. He had already talked to his father, thanked the hospital staff, thanked the lab, and even spent all his money. Now that Kyouka was here with him, he didn't have anything else he wanted right now. So Ken just went with the flow. Since he met some cute kids yesterday, and they wanted to play with him, then he was gonna go and play with them.

Today, he just wanted to do fun stuff.

"Ugh... The kids from yesterday, huh." Kyouka groaned. Thinking back to yesternight. She had been completely unable to resist the children's pleading for her to stay. When the staff finally came along to bring them back to their rooms, Kyouka had also received a message from one of the people in the lab that the dinner seemed to be about to end, and that Ken should head back there immediately.

Kyouka, just fell into her armchair, feeling completely defeated. She decided to just wait for her big brother to return to the room since she feared that she might suffer some other obstruction, and end up meeting back with him even later.

"Haha. You got snagged real good by them, huh?" Ken mocked his sister lightly. Kyouka had told him what happened to her yesterday, and complained about how bad her luck was. "Anyways, why don't you call Hanzo? Tell him to come to bring breakfast. I'm gonna take a shower."

"Okay." Kyouka nodded, then took out her phone. She knew her brother had given away all the snacks in the room, so they really had nothing left to eat here. She couldn't help but mutter a bit resentfully, "Why'd you give it all away anyway... Couldn't you have left a couple of them?"

Ken, evidently having heard her, replied. "'Cause they reminded me of you. Which made me want to spoil them a bit."

"Oh...?" Kyouka seemed pleased by Ken's nonchalant reply. She nodded twice and said, "A valid reason."

"Pfft." Ken snickered in exasperation, then headed inside the bathroom.

 

*****

 

After Ken and Kyouka took turns taking showers and fixing themselves, they finally looked like decent human beings again. They ate the breakfast Hanzo made and then left the room. Ken made a trip to the hospital's kitchen and apologized to the kitchen staff for any inconvenience caused by his butler, then they all headed to where the children were.

Ken and Kyouka ended up spending a long time with the children, even having lunch with them. Then playing again straight after.

It was now 3 pm.

The children had all fallen asleep, evidently tired from all the playing around.

"They look adorable when they're like this." Kyouka marveled. The kids were cute all the time, but they were especially cute when they were sleeping. They looked like angels to her.

"You're just bad at dealing with them when they're awake." Ken quipped from the side.

They were currently walking back to Ken's hospital room. Ken thought that it was still a bit early to start sitting around doing nothing, but he hadn't slept for the past two days, and trying to keep up with kids was exhausting. He wanted to rest in the room.

"By the way, Kyouka didn't you have something to do?" Ken remembered something. Kyouka had told him that she was late in getting informed about his recovery because she'd turned off all communication to focus on her task.

"Ah... yeah." Kyouka, suddenly remembered that she had a bunch of people waiting for her. They were probably making a mess online, right about now.

"You should go. Don't keep people waiting." Ken smiled, trying to convince his sister.

"But..." Kyouka hesitated, she looked at her brother longingly. Ken had been unconscious for six months. She wanted to spend more time with him to make up for it.

"You can just come here tomorrow," Ken reassured her. "I'll be fine."

"Well... okay." Kyouka finally agreed. She really didn't want to disappoint the people waiting for her. "I'll come over here first thing tomorrow!"

"Yeah. I'll be waiting." Ken replied. He raised his hand and patted Kyouka's head with it, making her smile in satisfaction. She suddenly thought of something, and moved forward quickly, planting a kiss on Ken's cheek.

"Wah--..." Ken, not seeing it coming, just put his hand to his cheek where he had just felt Kyouka's soft lips made contact.

"Gotcha~!" Kyouka smiled mischievously, stuck out her tongue, and ran off as if escaping. "See you tomorrow, big brother!"

Seeing her making a clean getaway, Ken just shook his head and smiled wryly. "That brat."

 

*****

 

As Ken was resting in his room, sipping some tea, Hanzo came in and informed him of something.

"Young Master, it seems you have a visitor." Hanzo said, with an implied meaning in the last word.

"Oh..." Ken grimaced. He naturally also understood what Hanzo's tried to convey. "Who is it this time...?"

"It's Mr. Roberts."

"Oh. Him." Ken nodded. He remembered Mr. Roberts, he was someone who visited him just before he fell into his half-year coma. The man had even gifted him a full set of golf clubs, saying that he would love to play with Ken when he got better. Mr. Roberts had paid him multiple visits even before that, all for the purpose of getting closer.

'Obviously, he just wants some profitable deals in the future. Profitable for him, that is. Unfortunately for him, I don't really get involved in the business side of things, so he's barking up the wrong tree here' Ken mused. He naturally saw through the man's intentions. Mr. Roberts was just one of many people hoping to curry favor with Ken.

That said, Ken couldn't refuse him. It would provide no benefit to refuse the visitor without a proper reason. Despite the Kagami family's power, it couldn't afford to offend everybody and their mother while still being able to get away with it. They had competitors. Competitors who would just love to see them get more enemies. So, Ken had to maintain some courtesy when meeting with these people.

"Fine. Show him inside please." Ken reluctantly agreed. He really didn't want to waste time on something like this, but he couldn't leave this world in peace if he knew he created a new enemy for the people he would leave behind.

"Certainly." Hanzo bowed deeply, then turned to leave the room to escort the guest inside.

Ken sighed. He massaged his face a bit, then put on his business smile. He looked like an incredibly amiable and handsome young man.

'Let's get this over with as soon as possible.'

 

*****

 

After a minute, Hanzo led someone inside.

'Good work, Hanzo. You can leave now.' Ken signaled him with his eyes.

Seeing Ken's signal, Hanzo nodded once as if he understood the meaning clearly. 'I understand, young master.' He then proceeded to close the door and stand in a corner of the room, preparing tea for Ken and the guest.

'That's not what I... whatever, I guess. My bad for trying to look cool and ordering you with my eyes.' Ken inwardly reflected, he then turned his gaze to the visitor, while smiling warmly.

"Mr. Kagami! Word on the grapevine is that you've been cured! Wahaha! I came to see for myself!!" A portly man in an expensive-looking white suit exclaimed. This man's name was Gerard Roberts. Ken remembered that he apparently ran some big company. Ken had a pretty good memory, however, that was for things he wanted to remember or things he was interested in. He really didn't care a wit about this Mr. Roberts, his big company, or his big belly. He naturally didn't care to store the knowledge of what Mr. Roberts did in his mind, since it would just consume space.

Nonetheless, Ken still had a role to play here. All he knew was that Gerard was kind of an Important person, so Ken had to get the fat man to like him.

"Mr. Roberts, I've told you to call me Ken instead." Ken put on a wry smile while looking a bit troubled. "Mr. Kagami is my father. Besides, it makes me feel like there's a divide between us. Mr. Roberts, you have visited me quite a few times already, am I wrong to think that we have grown somewhat close?"

Gerard was surprised for a bit, but his eyes quickly brightened and he laughed. "HAHAHA!! Of course, we have! My apologies, perhaps I was a bit too nervous that I just forgot. Of course, we've grown close Ken! WAHAHA!"

'Wow. Isn't he super easy? Or is he just way too greedy and it's making him stupid?' Ken mused. 'Nah. It's cuz I'm just way too good at this. I should probably call him Uncle Gerard or something, that'd make him think he's really got my favor.'

"That's better!" Ken played along and chuckled too.

Gerard was laughing when he suddenly thought of an idea. He looked at Ken, smiled, and suggested, "Well, if we're so close now, why don't you stop calling me Mr. Roberts? You should call me uncle instead!"

Ken was visibly shocked. He hadn't expected for the person he was trying to fool to bring it up. The portly man didn't really think it strange, he just thought that Ken was surprised by the proposal itself.

'M-maybe that was a bit too forward...? I should say that I was joking. These Japanese are so particular with names...' Mr. Roberts was about to say that he was just joking, while also inwardly complaining about the Japanese, when Ken's expression turned into one that carried a hint of shyness.

"Is that r-really okay...?" Ken asked hesitantly. Gerard immediately snapped out of his own thoughts and assured Ken that he was fine with it.

"Of course!! I definitely wouldn't mind getting called 'uncle' by such an upstanding young man!"

'This boy is so easy! All those times I spent paying him visits paid off!!' Mr. Roberts was inwardly celebrating.

"Th-then... Uncle Gerard." Ken said uneasily, however, the smile on his face would've told anybody that he was quite happy about the situation.

"Yes, yes. That's good!" Gerard exclaimed. He felt so incredibly good at the moment. He felt that all the times he went over to visit a vegetable in the hospital were worth it. Who knew that the boy would actually get better? He had actually just wanted Ken to put in a good word to his father. But now, Ken had actually gotten cured and would likely be the one to inherit the entire Kagami family's fortune. And he, Gerard Roberts, had now gotten quite close to that young heir! He really felt like a fisherman who cast his line, thinking he would catch a trout, but caught a whale instead!

He did not know that Ken actually had a lot of "uncles and aunties" amongst the many people who visited.

'But still, I'm just a rather kind acquaintance in his eyes. I have to form an even stronger connection if I want to get the most out of this.' Gerard schemed, he was thinking of ways on how to strengthen his bond with this walking pile of money, when he had a sudden stroke of genius. 'That's it! The boy's not engaged to anybody, as I remember. And I just happen to have a daughter!'

"By the way, from what I know, you are currently twenty-three, no?" Gerard asked, with a feigned casual tone.

Ken, felt like he knew where this was going. He still played along though. "Yes. I just turned twenty-three...or rather I suppose I'm closer to twenty-four now, after that half-year nap that I took."

"Hoho." Gerard chuckled at Ken's small joke, then he brought up, "Then have you ever thought of ever wanting to settle down? Although twenty-four isn't old by any means, you aren't that young either, no? Perhaps you have someone in mind?"

'Wow. Way to be subtle. He just dived into that, huh? He should just outright ask me if I want to marry his daughter at this point.' Ken mocked the man in his mind. He did not let any of this show, nor did he let the other party know that he had already caught on to his intentions.

"Settling down, huh? I've actually never thought about it. As you know, Uncle, my illness was quite a nasty one. I didn't even know if I'd make it out. Getting married was the least of my worries. Naturally, I don't have anyone in mind." Ken said with a wry smile.

"I see, I see. That illness was quite mysterious and severe." Gerard nodded twice. Inwardly though, he was ecstatic that Ken didn't have anyone special. "If that is the case, perhaps I can introduce you to my daughter? Perhaps I'm speaking out of a personal bias, but she is quite a sweet and lovely girl. You'd absolutely love her!"

'Like I said, be more subtle! You're making it harder for me cuz I have to pretend to be a dense fucktard!' Ken complained in his mind.

"I see. Uncle's daughter, is it?" Ken seemed to think of it for a short while before smiling agreeably and saying, "If she's your daughter she must indeed be quite outstanding. I would love to meet her sometime."

"Good!!" Gerard was elated by the positive response to his proposal, then proceeds to say a few tidbits of information about his daughter. "You won't regret it. She's a beauty like her mother. Actually, she's not here in Japan at the moment. She attends a school in the states."

"I see. So she still attends school? What college does she go to?" Ken naturally had no intention of meeting her, but he had to act interested.

"College? No, she's not that old, yet." Gerard chuckled, shaking his head.

'Oh. So she's in Highschool. Well, I guess there isn't anything wrong with that. Just a few years and they'd be of marriageable age.' Ken mused.

"I see. So she's in Highschool? Uncle still looks quite young, I couldn't have possibly thought that you had a daughter in Highschool." Ken praised, taking the time to butter up the man.

"Ho ho ho! Well, that's because I don't have a daughter in Highschool. She's still in elementary. She's twelve right now." Gerard casually said while chuckling, evidently thrilled by the compliment.

'Twelve!?!? What the FUCK, man? What about me, told you that I was into that kind of stuff?' Ken inwardly screamed his head off. He couldn't believe this twit for suggesting Ken marry his twelve-year-old!

Despite his inner turmoil, Ken didn't let it show on his face. He took a sip of tea, which he'd only just noticed was placed there a while ago by Hanzo, and calmed his mind.

"T-twelve years old, is it? Is that not a bit too young? I'm almost double her age..." Ken said sheepishly. He didn't want to leave this world with the image of a pedo, so he had to clear up any misunderstandings.

"Haha. I understand that you may be reluctant, but the gap will close eventually. There are many married couples with a decade or two between their ages." Gerard said reassuringly.

'You moron! That's when both parties are adults! Like a twenty-year-old getting with a forty-year-old!'

"I see. Well, perhaps we should talk about this more once she grows up." Ken said seriously. He really had to draw the line here. He couldn't let his image be sullied.

Perhaps sensing that Ken really didn't want to talk about it anymore, Gerard backed down dejectedly. He then started talking animatedly about this and that, while also mentioning various businesses that he owned and that Ken should come by to give it a try.

'Oh, wow. This guy owns an animation studio? I actually kind of want to see that.' Ken was a bit interested in some of the things Gerard was talking about. Some of the things. He grew bored and eventually thought that he had given Mr. Gerard Roberts enough face today. Ken suddenly clutched at his stomach, doubled over, and started coughing.

"YOUNG MASTER!? W-what's wrong!?!?" Hanzo screamed in worry. He rushed over to Ken's side.

'Goddammit, Hanzo! Thanks for being worried, but don't ruin my act!' Ken scolded the loyal butler in his mind.

"I-it's nothing, Hanzo. Perhaps, I'm just a bit tired. My stomach always aches when I'm stressed." Ken smiled, and gently pushed Hanzo, who was prodding his body here and there, away. The thing about the stomach was a lie he made up on the spot to clue Hanzo in that he was lying. Hanzo knew a lot about Ken, so he would know when Ken was uttering bullshit. It worked, and Hanzo sighed in relief, but continued to fuss over him, helping him in his little skit.

"Ken, are you okay? I'd thought you were cured already..." Gerard seemed to be worried about Ken, too. However, his worry was about the connection he had taken the time to nurture, rather than the person himself.

"I'm okay, uncle. It's just that I played with a few kids all afternoon yesterday, then I also played with them all morning today. I was just a bit too excited by my own recovery I suppose. I failed to take proper rest." Ken explained.

"I see..." Gerard looked at Ken pensively, before seeming to think of something. He smiled warmly at Ken and said, "Then It seems that you need to take a proper rest. I'll get out of your hair."

'This will make me look quite considerate, no? Hehe.' Gerard thought, satisfied at his genius.

"No, uncle. It really is okay, you should stay a while...*cough*" Ken looked like someone reluctant to part. He let out a cough, as he tried to convince Gerard to stay.

'Yesssss. Leave! Get outta here!' Ken was cheering in his head.

"No, no. You have to take proper care of your health, Ken. You really should just take it easy." Gerard scolded good-naturedly, then turned around to leave. Hanzo escorted him out.

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When Hanzo closed the door, signaling that the meeting with the visitor had finally ended, Ken let out a sigh and sat back on his chair.

"Finally, some peace and fucking quiet." Ken said. He then picked up his cup of tea, which had already cooled, and drank all of it in one gulp.

"Are you really okay, young master?" Hanzo asked worriedly from the side. Despite knowing of his Ken's deceit, Hanzo was still concerned.

Ken turned his head to look at Hanzo, a hint of dissatisfaction on his face. "Of course. That was obviously an act to get him to leave. I've already done this a couple of times in the past, why can't you get used to it? Geez." Ken scolded exasperatedly. He wasn't really mad or anything, just a bit peeved. He also decided not to mention that epic fail at the start, when Hanzo got the wrong message from the look he gave him.

"I see." Hanzo sighed in relief. He decided to silence the unease he felt. "That's good then, young master."

"Yes, yes." Ken agreed airily.

"But still... I do agree with him that you need to take a rest, young master." Hanzo suggested worriedly. "I've noticed that you've been a bit sluggish since this morning. Did you perhaps stay up all night watching those cartoons of yours?"

"Hanzo, they're not cartoons. They're anime. They're different branches of culture, despite the meaning of their names being roughly the same." Ken found himself ranting before he knew it. He cleared his throat then said, "It's fine Hanzo, I plan to turn in early tonight. There won't be any problems."

"But..." Hanzo seemingly wanted to protest, but he stopped himself. He bowed once. "Understood."

Ken nodded, satisfied that he didn't have to argue anymore. Arguing took energy, and he didn't want to waste any more of his today. He was just about to take out his phone when someone knocked on the door.

"Hm? Please wait, young master. I will see who it is." Hanzo said, then headed towards the door. He returned shortly, with a bewildered look on his face. "Young Master, the director of the Coiling Serpent Charity Foundation is here with regards to a donation you made. I have already confirmed his identity, but should I let him in?"

Ken was a little shocked. The director of the foundation? If he was here with regards to a donation, then it should be about that massive one that he made yesterday.

'Did they think it was a scam or something?' Ken mused. He eventually nodded at Hanzo to let the director inside. 'The director, huh...'

He didn't have to play niceties with the director of a charity like he did with Gerard. That said, Ken had a good impression of the foundation, so he wouldn't really have to act nice. He prepared to warmly welcome this unexpected guest of his.

'I looked it up yesterday, but the foundation doesn't have a board of directors, like most charities. They just have one director at the top and a board of trustees underneath him. The director is also the one who founded the thing, and the one who has contributed the most. I wonder what kind of person he is.' Ken mused.

He was looking forward to the meeting.

 

*****

 

'Well... I sure didn't expect him to be like this...' Ken thought as he glanced at the supposed director.

The middle-aged man was quite tall, around 6'6 give or take. He had long black hair, that should easily reach his hips, tied in a ponytail. He wore a neat black suit, that made him look quite classy, unlike the gaudy white one that the previous visitor had donned. He was also wearing a stylish black fedora on his head. His features told of his western origins. Despite being tall, he did not look lanky at all because of his wide shoulders and a good amount of muscle. Despite being middle-aged, he didn't really look old at all. Plus, he looked quite handsome.

Overall, the man did not give the impression that he ran a charity.

'If I saw him on the streets, I would think he played for the NBA instead.' Ken mused.

His appearance though, was not what Ken found the most strange. It was the man's aura.

Ken had always had good intuition when it came to people. That was why he was able to get along with people so well. He could instinctively tell someone's feelings. He would bring something up, feel them out, and depending on whether they seemed to like or hate the topic, he would continue or switch to a new topic. Rinse and repeat until he got their favor.

'I guess if I had to give a name for it... I would say it's Insight. I just have good insight when it comes to people.' Ken thought inwardly.

However, Ken could not feel anything from this person at all. Or rather, he could feel very little from the man. It was the first time in his life that Ken met someone who he couldn't gauge accurately. He was inwardly panicking now, since his intuition not working as well as it should on this man was similar to how a person would suddenly have one of his five senses get weaker when meeting someone. It obviously freaked him out.

He really thought the man was creepy as hell for this reason.

While Ken's mind was in inner turmoil, the visitor had already stepped in front of him and taken off his hat. The man smiled warmly and introduced himself as he extended his hand. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Mr. Kagami. I am Bertram. Bertram Wykes. I am the director of the Coiling Serpent, which you have so kindly bestowed with your generosity."

Hearing Bertram's polite introduction, Ken snapped out of his thoughts and extended his own hand to shake Bertram's while replying, "The pleasure is mine, Mr. Wykes. Oh, and please just call me Ken. Mr. Kagami is my father" Ken said with a bit of a chuckle.

"Also, Hanzo you can leave. I doubt Mr. Wykes has bad intentions." Ken didn't bother trying to communicate with his eyes anymore. He just outright said it to avoid confusion.

"...Yes, young master." Although a bit hesitant, Hanzo still obeyed and left the room. Now Ken and his visitor were alone in the room.

"Ahaha. I see, then I shall do so. Please call me Bertram as well. There is no need to be so stiff with me, young master Ken." Bertram respectfully replied. He took out a piece of paper which he handed to Ken. "Young master Ken, I actually came here to make sure that the amount you donated was donated by you. In this day and age... I fear that someone tampered with something and donated all your money away as a prank of sorts."

Bertram wasted no time in asking Ken. Ken actually liked these types of people, since he hated small talk. Getting to the nitty-gritty was the way he wanted.

Ken took a look at the paper and then nodded. The paper was a printed-out version of the donation receipt he had received yesterday. The one he received yesterday was in email form and was probably sent by a bot or something.

"Oh, so it is about that. If that is the case, then you have nothing to worry about. I did donate exactly this amount of money to your foundation." Ken assured Bertram with a smile. Seeing this, a smile also formed on Bertram's face.

"I see. I would like to say thank you, on behalf of the children." Bertram said solemnly, stood up, and then bowed deeply to Ken. Ken tried to get him to quickly get up, but the man just wouldn't budge.

'Holy... He's like a freaking mountain. How can I not move him at all...?' Ken thought, bewildered. He had no choice but to let the man bow as much as he wanted. After around a minute of that, Bertram stood up straight, then sat back down again. He looked at Ken with a bit more warmth than before.

"Young master Ken, may I ask what made you want to donate such a large amount?" Bertram inquired. "People have donated large amounts to our foundation before, but none to that extent. I came here to confirm whether the donation was made legitimately, and thank you as well, but I also wanted to confirm the reason why such a large donation was made. I hope the young master will indulge me. I'm very curious."

"Ahh. The reason, is it..." Ken thought back to that moment. What did he feel? What could he tell Bertram? He eventually decided on an answer that was truthful while not divulging anything sensitive. "Because I wanted to."

"Because... You wanted to...?" Bertram repeated, seemingly bewildered by Ken's answer.

"Yes. Because I wanted to." Ken confirmed matter-of-factly. It was the truth, he just wanted to use up all his money in a way he wanted, so he donated to a charity that helped kids that he liked.

"I... I see..." Bertram nodded in understanding, then just stared into empty space seemingly lost in thought for a while. Ken found his sudden silence weird, but he wasn't very bothered by it. Even he thought the answer he gave was a bit strange. Ken didn't blame the man for being shocked. From Ken's point of view, Bertram just got a crap load of money because Ken wanted to. Bertram's surprise was justified.

Just when Ken was about to clear his throat to snap Bertram out of his reverie, Bertram just suddenly started laughing. He laughed and laughed and laughed while Ken just watched in bewilderment. Bertram was laughing so hard that he was clutching at his stomach in pain, and tears were starting to come out of his eyes.

He just kept laughing like that for a good minute or so, before he started to calm down. He then wiped his tears with his hand and started to steady his rough breathing. Bertram looked at Ken with greater interest than a while ago. However, this did not make Ken happy at all.

'I don't like that look. I am a straight man, who respects the fact that anyone can love or like whoever or whatever they want as long as it's not against the law. But that's as long as they respect my preferences too. I like women, who have been women all their life, and I don't feel comfortable being looked at weirdly by a man.' Ken inwardly complained. He really wanted Bertram to stop looking at him like that.

It was unknown whether he sensed Ken's thoughts, but Bertram cleared his throat and his expression went back to normal. He then said, "My apologies. I was just surprised that the Young master Ken was so similar to me."

"Similar how?" Ken asked.

"You see, young master..." Bertram smiled. To Ken, there was something eerie about that smile. "I am also someone who does what he wants."

"I see..." Ken said pensively. "I wish... I wish I could be that type of person all the time. Not just sometimes."

Bertram nodded as if understanding something. He then said solemnly, "Only those who have power can be free, young master."

"Only those who have power... can be free..." Ken mused on Bertram's words.

"Yes, young master." Bertram nodded, then explained. "You could only donate that amount of money, because you had that amount of money. One can only give, what one has. And what one has, is their power. It doesn't have to be money, per se. It could be health, looks, wit, or even might. As long as someone has the correct power they can bypass things, essentially being free from restraints. If one has enough money, one could buy many things, even a person. If one has incredible might, nobody would dare to try to fight you, no matter what you do to them. If one has overwhelming wit, would anyone even try to argue with you? Eventually, people will know that you are a smart person, and believe everything you say, despite them being false."

Ken just stared at Bertram, listening intently to his words. There was a certain something to them. Something Ken could not quite explain. The words coming out of Bertram's mouth sounded like something a cultist or something would say, but there was something... compelling about them. In any case, Ken couldn't stop listening. Ken felt some unknown feeling rising up from somewhere inside of him.

"That said, one cannot be completely free with just an ordinary power. No matter how strong you are, if you are incredibly ugly, there is no way you can be a model or a non-comedian celebrity. No matter how smart you are, if you encounter a bear in an open space, you will not be able to outrun it and perish. No matter how beautiful a woman is, if they're as dumb as a rock, won't they just be tricked and used?" Bertram then looked at Ken meaningfully. "And no matter how much money you have, if your health fails you, then..."

"..."

Ken and Bertram just stared meaningfully at each other. Ken couldn't help getting the feeling that Bertram knew something. Perhaps he knew something about his current condition, or maybe something about the origin of his illness. But Ken cast those thoughts aside. No matter how creepy he thought Bertram was, Ken wouldn't think he knew something about that freak of nature that he met when he was ten.

"The point of the matter is, if one has power, one can be free. Of course, one would need the right power for the right problem. However..." Bertram smiled as he looked meaningfully at Ken. That same eerie smile. "It's also possible to have one power, refined to an unbelievably overwhelming stage, that it alone, would solve all their problems. No matter what they may be."

"...*Gulp*" Ken couldn't help but gulp after hearing what Bertram just said. One power that could solve all his problems? His health? His relationships? Everything? Could there possibly be something so wonderful?

'If there really was something like that... I would...' Ken thought inwardly, but then he was interrupted by Bertram.

"Young master Ken." Bertram called out.

"...Eh? Uh, yes what is it?" Ken replied, somewhat grumpy that he had been pulled out of his thoughts.

"It seems that the young master is quite tired at the moment, so I do not want to take up too much of your time." Bertram informed.

"Oh... Oh, no. I'm quite alright. No need to worry." Ken was quite troubled. He actually wanted Bertram to stay for a while longer. Bertram's words had a certain pull for Ken. He wanted to hear some more.

"You have to take care of your health Young Master," Bertram said, then smiled meaningfully once again. "I am sure that we shall meet again."

Hearing Bertram's words, Ken couldn't help but smile wryly. He was quite sure that they would never meet again. Not in this life at least. However something about the way Bertram said it, made Ken believe that they really were going to meet again somehow.

'He really is a fucking weirdo.' Ken mused. 'But I'm kinda glad I met him. He's really made a lot of stuff clear for me.'

Bertram took something out of his pocket. It was an omamori. It had a base color of black, while the borders and trimmings on it were gold. There was what seemed like a golden circle in the middle. Bertram extended his hand and presented it to Ken.

"This is a little token of our appreciation." Bertram smiled warmly. "I highly doubt anything that can be bought with money would have any value for you. So, I chose to make this instead. This charm is one-of-a-kind. The first and last I will ever make. In that way, it is unique. All the children you played with have also put a lock of hair inside because they wanted to give something back to you as well. Please take it."

Without thinking much, Ken took the charm and gave it a casual inspection. The golden circle was actually a snake biting its own tail. It was the Ouroboros. Ken's favorite color was black, so he liked the charm a lot. The cool golden snake made it even better. And even better than that, was that those kids helped make it. He was truly moved.

'Wait... Did it just glow... Nah, probably just cuz gold is a really reflective color.' Ken mused. He thought the golden snake lit up for a bit. He just brushed it off. It was probably his imagination, or because he was dead tired from having not slept for days.

"Thank you." Ken said gratefully.

"It's nothing. Making it was a bit troublesome since I'm not good with my hands, but it wasn't hard seeing as I was able to finish in less than a day." Bertram waved off Ken's thanks. "Oh, and I hope you don't mind, but I actually put part of myself there as well."

"I... see. I'm honored. I don't mind at all." Ken said. The way Bertram worded that was a bit weird, but he probably put a bit of his hair in the charm like the other kids.

'I mean, what else could fit in this? It's so small! It's gotta be hair.' Ken once again just threw his misgivings to the wind.

"Please keep it with you as you sleep, for maximum effect. Well then, I'll be going now, Young master Ken." Bertram stood up and turned around to head to the door. "I do not know how much time will have passed, but we shall meet again."

"Sure." Ken nodded. He didn't bother with this man's strange certainty when saying things anymore. As Bertram was about to leave through the door, Ken suddenly remembered something and called out to him again. "Mr. Bertram Wykes."

Hearing his name being called, Bertram stopped talking and turned towards Ken once again, and asked with confusion, "Is there something wrong young master?"

"There isn't anything wrong per se..." Ken said, with a bit of hesitation. He then decided to just go ahead and ask, "When you came in here, you said that it was a pleasure to finally meet me. I was just wondering if there was some special meaning to that."

Ken's hesitation over asking this question was because he feared that he was making a big deal of nothing, by bringing up a greeting that somebody might have just used at random. But something told Ken that that wasn't the case. Eventually, he couldn't hold it in anymore, so that's why he asked.

"Ah, that?" Bertram seemed a bit shocked, that Ken was bringing up something like that.

'Crap, I really was just making a mountain out of a molehill, huh? So embarrassing.' Ken wanted to go back in time and stop himself from asking. But he never expected that Bertram would actually confirm it.

"Yes, young master Ken. There was a meaning to it." Bertram smiled. Then he looked Ken in the eyes, and for a second, Ken felt like he couldn't move or even think. Ken knew of this feeling. He had experienced it thirteen years ago, in that clearing. Just as Ken was about to ask about that, Bertram spoke up once again.

"I have wanted to meet you for quite a while, Kagami Ken."

After saying that, Bertram turned around and left through the door. He never turned back even once, and Ken was unable to move or talk for a while.

'What... just happened.'

 

*****

 

An hour had passed since Bertram left, and Ken still couldn't stop thinking about the things he said. As well as the mysterious feeling he felt from the man. The feeling he had only ever felt once.

'This charm...' Ken clutched the charm Bertram had given him in his hand. The charm was currently hanging from his neck. It had come attached with a long string, which he just assumed was for the purpose of hanging it from one's neck so he did just that. 'I kind of wanna check what's inside.'

Ken was thinking about opening up the charm when Hanzo spoke up from beside him. "Young Master."

"Yes?"

"I believe you should go to sleep now. Your eyes look like they want to just drop down to the ground with how heavy they are. Please rest, young master." Hanzo stubbornly insisted.

"Haha. I suppose. But I really do want to stay a while longer..." Ken smiled wryly. He had felt sleep calling him for a while now. It felt like if he relaxed even just a bit, he would just fall asleep.

'But, not yet...' Ken thought. He continued to force himself to stay awake through willpower. 'I don't wanna go yet... but I have no choice I guess.'

Ken decided that he couldn't really go on for long at this rate. He had a few more things he had to do, and he wouldn't be able to do them if he kept delaying. He let go of the charm and looked at his oh-so-loyal butler. "Hanzo."

"Yes, young master?"

"I'm going to rest after I do something, but I want you to run an errand for me before I start doing that something." Ken said seriously.

"I understand. What do I have to do?" Hanzo was nothing if not loyal. He was capable as well. He was determined to complete Ken's task.

"Hanzo, I want you to shut off all your communication for twelve hours."

"Ye--, hm? Why would I nee--" Hanzo was about to respond in affirmation but was bewildered by Ken's order. As he was about to ask why, Ken interrupted him.

"I'm sorry Hanzo, but I can't tell you why right now. Can you please just do it, with no questions asked?" Ken pleaded sincerely, as he looked at the old man, who he felt was like a father to him, in the eye.

"... I understand. I will obey." Seeing the serious look on Ken's face, Hanzo chose to bite back the questions he wanted to ask.

"Thank you. Within those twelve hours, please go somewhere else. Somewhere you can be alone. After the twelve hours are up, please check your email, I will have sent you some instructions. You don't have to come over here. Just do the stuff you are able to do at the time." Ken finished delivering his incredibly vague instructions. However, Hanzo just nodded along. He would not forget them. "Did you get that?"

"Yes, young master." Hanzo nodded solemnly.

"That is good. The twelve hours start now. You can go now too." Ken said. "Also, don't worry, I will sleep after I do something."

"Understood. Please rest properly." Hanzo bowed deeply once, then turned around to head to the door.

"Oh, and Hanzo," Ken called out. Before Hanzo could turn around, he said, "Being served by you was one of my greatest fortunes in this life. Okay, that's it. You can go now, and lock the door as you leave."

Hanzo, who still had his back turned away from Ken, walked out the door. He had an incredibly foreboding feeling, however, he still chose to do as his young master wished. Especially after what he had just said.

When he saw that Hanzo had left, and the door was locked, Ken opened up his laptop and took out a webcam he had prepared beforehand. He also placed the urn with his dogs' ashes next to him. Now, everything was ready. He had debated whether to use his phone instead, but he eventually decided to just use the laptop instead.

After fixing the webcam in place, Ken started recording.

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